Space City Collision: Best of Day 1

Prep Hoops’ Space City Collision kicked off Friday night in Houston, Texas. Around 100 teams comprised of 15U, 16U, and 17U rosters will be competing throughout this 3-day event at the MI3 Center, C.E. King High School, and Michael Null Middle School. We got a small taste Friday night of what’s in store for a busy weekend of basketball. Below we review six standout performers from a few of the games on Day 1 at the MI3 Center. See more standout players from Space City Collision here: Best of Day 1 | Best of Day 2 | Best of Day 3 #2 Jaxson Vandegarde - 2024 - 6’1" - ATX Force 2023 In what was one of the most well-balanced performances by an entire team on Friday night, Vandegarde stood out as the leader of the bunch and did an excellent job of setting the tempo in the first half with his efficient scoring and unselfish ball distribution. ATX Force looked like an incredibly well-coached team for the most part of their game against the Lubbock Matadors, with constant ball movement and tough team defense, but it was Vandegarde that they could lean on whenever their offense needed a bucket. He had a fantastic natural feel for the game, maneuvering through the defense with impeccable ball handling, creating space and losing his primary defender whenever he wanted, forcing the help to come his way, and then finding the open man time and time again with pinpoint passes leading them to the open lanes for easy baskets. He is a true playmaking point guard that sees the entire floor at all times, but he also has the ability to score from all three levels. He had at least two 3-pointers in the first half along with a midrange jumper and he showed he could take it to the basket himself and hit tough layups. With how well his teammates were moving off the ball and how efficient he was with finding them, his scoring wasn’t needed much in this game, but it was clear what he is capable of. He was also engaged on defense and fully bought into the team’s defensive scheme, staying active in his zone, getting his hands on the ball in passing lanes, and hustling for loose balls every chance he had. #5 Soren Ammerman - 2023 - 5’11" - Shine Elite U17 National In what was a rough and grind-it-out game between Shine Elite and CyFair, but Ammerman shined on both ends of the court. He fully embraced the nature of the game and played with a certain grit on the defensive end. He took two incredibly hard and dangerous charges, one in each half taking it right to the chest in the paint, and he was fighting for position and for his right to the ball on nearly every play. He could be seen on the floor more than once, diving for the loose ball and hustling for 50/50 plays. He gave his team exactly the kind of energy they needed on that side of the ball. On offense, while it started out rough for all players on both teams, Ammerman seemed to get better as the game went on. He drove the lanes very well, fighting through traffic, getting his shoulder into his defender’s chest, and putting up tough layups. In the second half he started to find his stroke, hitting two much-needed three-pointers. #23 Didi Zanguim - 2023 - 6’6" - CyFair Elite HTX 2023 Zanguim was one of the tallest players on the court in their game against Shine Elite and he used every inch of his long reach incredibly well. He seemed to settle for long jumpers early on, but as the game progressed, he fought his way into the paint, grabbed offensive boards, and made his presence known on both ends of the court. He had great mobility, which when combined with his height made him a force in the open court. There weren’t many fast break opportunities due to the grittiness and grind-it-out nature of the game, but he capitalized on the chances he did have on the fast break. He fought for positioning down low extremely well and displayed impressive footwork in the post, making several shots in the paint and keeping the ball up and high to avoid anyone having even a chance of blocking his shot. On defense his reach and length were his greatest weapons. He could block nearly any shot in his vicinity and didn’t even have to jump high to do it. He also had great mobility and awareness on that end of the court, getting into passing lanes and snatching the ball midair for steals. #0 Luis Perez - 2023 - 6’1" - Ep Starz Perez was a big part of a dominant showing from the Ep Starz in their game against the Nike ProSkills Red team. While he showed he was a capable ball handler, it was his 3-and-D skillset that really shined. When he got into the paint he displayed a great touch, getting the ball high over defenders’ outstretched arms and getting the basket off tough angles, but he did most of his damage from distance. He hit one midrange shot early in the first half and then went crazy from three-point range the rest of the way. He hit one three in the second after the midrange fell, and then hit at least another three 3-pointers in the second half, helping his team put away their opponent for good late in the game. On defense he was an absolute pest as an on-ball defender. He got into passing lanes several times, but it was his on-ball prowess and relentless attack on the ball handler that was most impressive. He had several steals throughout the game, and it seemed at times it was best to simply keep the ball away from him and go another direction with the offense. #35 Idalius Coleman - 2023 - 6’3" - Ep Starz Coleman created a dynamic duo with the above-mentioned Perez along with impressive contributions from several of his teammates. He may be listed at 6’3" but he played much bigger and longer, staying extremely active attacking the basket and drawing fouls seemingly every time down the floor. His creativity, length, and agility allowed him to get through traffic, contort his body and arms, and avoid getting blocked by the defense’s swat attempts. He had several and-1’s fall for him and he worked beautifully out of the post with great control and aggressiveness. His vision was impeccable, as well. His constant-attack mindset towards the paint opened up lanes for his teammates and forced the defense to collapse on several occasions, and Coleman found his guys over and over again with beautiful pinpoint and timely passes. He was a true playmaker out there that could do it all on the court. With all his dominance in the paint through his scoring and playmaking, he still showed his range as well, hitting a long midrange shot and a three-pointer in the first half. He stayed active on the defensive end too and kept his hands up and ready to disrupt any kind of flow in the offense, getting at least one steal in the first half. #30 Carson Diamond - 2023 - 6’6" - Nike ProSkills SA 17U Red Diamond was one of the tallest players on the court in their matchup against the Ep Starz, but he displayed an impressive skillset that may not have been expected when you first see his large frame. He wasn’t moving around the court extremely fast, and he played at a certain speed that seemed a step behind his counterparts, but he was so effective and so intelligent as a ball player that his lack of athleticism didn’t matter. He displayed everything you want in a lead big man that has the offense focused around him, similar to that of a Tim Duncan or Nikola Jokic if we were to go to an extreme comparison. His height allowed him to see the court beautifully and he had an incredible awareness and IQ of the moving pieces around him and where the ball should go. He made fantastic passes at just the right times and created several opportunities from backing down his opponent and finding the open man as the defense focused on him. He displayed a solid touch around the rim with floaters and good post control, but it was actually his midrange that did the most damage from a scoring standpoint. He hit several faceup midrange shots and several more turnaround fadeaways that simply could not be defended any better than they were. If his body continues to develop and he builds on his base skillsets along with his high IQ of the game, he has immense potential as a big man at the next level.