Hustle in the Rockies: 17u Rising Guards
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Sam Howery Sam Howery 6'1" | PG St. Mary’s | 2022 State CO – PLUTO Prospects (pictured above) Howery is currently slated as the fifth player in the state, which given his team’s track record this weekend would check out.…
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Continue ReadingSam Howery Sam Howery 6'1" | PG St. Mary’s | 2022 State CO – PLUTO Prospects (pictured above)
Howery is currently slated as the fifth player in the state, which given his team’s track record this weekend would check out. Howery is true point guard who does a little bit of everything. He has great vision, whether he is finding a baseline cutter or a rolling big man, Sam knows how to locate the pass. Howery looked most comfortable getting to the rim, regardless of the difficulty to finish. He often took double clutch shots as a necessary avenue to make the shot over the opponent. It’s easy to see that he has excellent touch around the rim, which allows him to bait the defense when they attempt to stop him. Despite a win against New Mexico D1, Howery had to make significant adjustments with shot selection against a 6’10 Isaiah Carr, going forward it will be interesting to see what Howery does to change his shot selection against bigger rim protectors.
DeMario Wilson – Gamepoint Inland
Wilson is the perfect contrast to fellow teammate Shadi Abdelrahman Shadi Abdelrahman 5'10" | PG Perris | 2022 CO , being a crafty inside scorer who plays bigger than his 6-foot frame. Being a legitimate vertical spacer, Wilson can simply jump over or around dudes for easy makes. Rebounding is another trait that shine through, given the combination of vertical pop and instincts.
Shadi Abdelrahman Shadi Abdelrahman 5'10" | PG Perris | 2022 CO – Gamepoint Inland
Abdelrahman surprised me quite a bit throughout the tournament, proving to be one of the shiftier guards in the tournament. He has a powerful crossover that forces defenders to be light on their feet, assuming they want to keep up. Abdelrahman clearly put in a ton of work to get his ballhandling in check, standing at only 5’10,’Shifty Shadi’ can be an easily attainable nickname after dropping 21 against a taller Hornets team. His shooting is another obvious strength of his, where he can quickly rise out of powerful moves for jumpers. Abdelrahman is also one of the tougher shot-makers in the tournament, as a guy who can seemingly rise above the defense at any point. Abdelrahman did a great job shooting the rock, going forward I am curious how he finishes around the rim with a greater interior presence.
Carson Kieffer – WKE
Kieffer was calm and collected the whole tournament, while also proving he is a walking bucket.
In WKE’s first three games of the weekend, Kieffer had scored 20 or more in each contest. Standing at 6’ 190 pounds, he does a great job leverages his size to bully opponents down
low. Kieffer is very confident using his hips for spin moves around the defense, especially since he has the size to control direction and pace. As the 2020-21 Kansas leader in assists per game, Kieffer was an active passer, finding teammates on skip passes and cutters.
Dylan Smith – WKE
Smith showed his athleticism this weekend, being a guy who can absorb contact in mid-air situations. Similar to Wilson of Gamepoint, Smith does a great job maximizing his body to take contact and draw fouls.
He is also a very legitimate vertical spacer, being able to jump over wings for rebounds. The next step for Smith will be improving his jumper off the catch, as he will likely be playing primarily off-ball at the college level.