West Coast Clash: All Master Lock Team
Spring is here and that can only mean one thing. It’s Circuit Season! The Prephoops Circuit is upon us. I will be covering and providing exposure for the Hustle Region Circuit. The Hustle Region Circuit consists of AAU Programs from…
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Continue ReadingSpring is here and that can only mean one thing. It’s Circuit Season! The Prephoops Circuit is upon us. I will be covering and providing exposure for the Hustle Region Circuit. The Hustle Region Circuit consists of AAU Programs from California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and New Mexico. The circuit features 10 stops including the Hustle Region Final in Irvine July 15th – 17th. Stop 6 brings us to the Pacific Northwest and Centralia, Washington where 46 teams will compete all under one roof at the NW Sports Hub. The event was home to several players that were willing to guard. Here we present our all Master Lock team featuring the top defenders from the event.
Owen Risch 5’10 CG Deny 2025 (featured image) – Risch had more steals in one game than any player on the circuit. Against Rose City in his first game, the combo benefited from being the head of the press for Deny, harassing and swiping the ball from in front, and getting back taps when the ball was advanced ahead of him. Unofficially I counted 10 steals in the game. More than a one-hit-wonder, Risch kept up his tenacious defensive effort in every game I saw.
Thad Tenkley 6’5 PF Team Anderson Elite 2023 – Honestly, there were a lot of things Tenkley did that I liked, however, his value as a defender was tangible. The forward aggressively defended the post, forcing opponents off their spot. What was even more impressive was his ability to defend on the perimeter, Tenkley showed good agility, moving well laterally to stay in front of opponents.
Madden Wilson 5’6 PG PNW Sixers 2025 – I feel comfortable saying Wilson is an elite defender. It’s not just what he does on ball, but his ability to play help side, communicate and keep the overall defensive unit on a string lead to this evaluation. I have seen players like this have success at the college level. He’s not Steve Wojciechowski, but he plays with the same intangibles and defense IQ of the former Duke Star.
RJ Carr CG Emerald City Basketball Academy 2024 – I saw Carr for all of about 10 minutes, however, he made the most of it. The speedy guard played the passing lanes like a pro, coming up with a bunch of thefts, electrifyingly turning them into steals.
Graham Eikenberry Graham Eikenberry 6'10" | PF St Andrew’s RI | 2023 State OR 6’11 C BDH Elite 2023 – I give Eikenberry a lot of credit for what he did in his battle against SE Lousiana Signee Brody Rowbury. Eikenberry banged and bodied with an opponent that looked him in the eye, doing a good job of moving Rowbury off his spot. When he wasn’t battling D1 Centers, he clogged the lane, and protected the rim for his BDH squad, ending several possessions with defensive rebounds.