Brawl For The Ball: Top 2023 guards
On July 3rd-4th I attended the Brawl for the Ball Prep Hoops Circuit at Inspire Courts in Gilbert. AZ. The event featured 40 teams from the 15U-17U divisions. Players shine at different times during these events and we can only comment on what…
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Continue ReadingOn July 3rd-4th I attended the Brawl for the Ball Prep Hoops Circuit at Inspire Courts in Gilbert. AZ. The event featured 40 teams from the 15U-17U divisions.
Players shine at different times during these events and we can only comment on what we saw when they played in front of us.
Here were some of top 2023 guards from the Brawl for the Ball:
Donovhan Cain CG 6’2 Cretin-Durham Hall/MN (Midwest Tarheels Select 2022)
-One of the more gifted guards of the event. He has video game like athleticism described by Bruce Williams here. Outside of his unusual bounce, he can really fill it up from deep. He has deep range beyond the 3pt line and will rise high and elevate on his pull-up. He carried his team a few games, which included his 38 point outburst and he will defend. His uses those springs on defense to rebound high above the crowd plus block shots as a help side defender.
Chuck Bailey Chuck Bailey 6'4" | CG Donda Academy | 2023 CA-S Higley (ABC NM 2023)
-A long combo scoring guard had some good moments. He had some big games scoring the ball. He loves getting to the rim and using that thicker body and seemingly bouncing off of defenders and scoring through contact. He can pull-up off the dribble and shoot it from mid-range and he is a capable 3pt shooter.
Lashy Perez Lashy Perez 6'2" | PG Apollo | 2023 State AZ Apollo (Team RHJ 2023)
-A talented combo guard carried his 16U team in many stretches. He was simply hard to keep in front of him. He is extremely shifty and has speed to blow passed his defenders. He also can shoot it with range and plays with amazing confidence. Some of his best moments, outside of him scoring over 20 ppg, was his play-making. He sometimes seems to toy with defenders and throws dimes in fine fashion slicing up the defense.
Parker Gerrits Parker Gerrits 6'1" | PG Olympia | 2023 State WA Olympia/WA (Roots Academy)
-Arguably the top shooter of the entire Prep Hoops event. He comes with a high IQ, toughness and obvious skill. He squares up flawlessly off the catch and pull from mid to the 3pt line. He made at least 4 threes in every game and had some bigger shooting games. He has good strength to fight inside on defense versus post players, and after he uses a sneaky burst, he can score it inside using his skill and build.
Note: He will be playing with Washington Supreme 16 UAA Circuit in the July live periods.
Exodus Ayers Exodus Ayers 6'2" | CG La Cueva | 2023 NLG La Cueva/NM (ABC NM 2023) (Pictured)
-A long combo guard is a natural scorer. He can make plays but he makes it look easy tying to score the ball. He takes long strides to get into the lane quickly. He gets downhill and will score through contact or get to the FT line in bunches. He has a nice mid-range pull-up off the dribble that he seems to making it a weapon for the next level. He also uses his crazy length on defense to collect steals, block shots and rebound.
Myles Damon SG 6’0 Rainer Beach/WA (Fuego 2023)
-A thicker scoring guard showed good athleticism and shooting ability. He can rattle off 3’s quickly when he gets hot plus take the ball to the basket and score it through contact with his sturdy frame. He rebounds the ball well and made some smart passes over the weekend.