BIBSI: All-Freshmen team

Gregg Rosenberg June 23, 2022 @ 01:43 PM

On June 9th-11th I attended the 15th annual Best in Basketball Summer Invitational at Mesquite HS. 24 teams from around the state competed for the three days. There were 22 AIA teams with two prep teams.   In the last article from the BIBSI we look at some of the All-Freshmen team from the weekend: [player_tooltip player_id="1482166" first="John" last="Fahrendorf"] St. Mary’s A long and lean scoring guard is one of the top incoming freshman shooters I have viewed early on. He gets his feet set quickly and will fire away. He squares up like you should and he moves smartly without the ball. Once he fills in and tightens his handle, he will be even a bigger part of the varsity in the near future. [player_tooltip player_id="1482170" first="Aidan" last="Grant"] Basha A knockdown catch three point shooter can get hot in a blink of an eye. He is currently a specialist for the Bears but the older he gets he will do more. He handles the ball fairly well and can play on or off. He relocates to open spots on the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="1482164" first="Desean" last="Middlebrook"] Mesquite A high motored forward is already one of their top players. He plays a physical brand of ball using his strength and huge wingspan. He scores it efficiently inside and most importantly he defends many positions for the Wildcats from the 3-5. [player_tooltip player_id="1482163" first="Cristian" last="Simmons"] Sunnyslope A load down low is a tough handle. He can be a back down punisher plus he has advanced post footwork for his class. He can score with either hand and use a drop step move. He takes up a lot of space and he will rebound at a good level. [player_tooltip player_id="1482165" first="Rider" last="Portela"] Sunnyslope (Pictured) The son of head coach plays like you should. He has good size, a high IQ, skill and length. He can shoot it to the three point line (he actually made a game winner versus a tough Apollo team) and get to the rim. He has <a href="https://twitter.com/EVision_AZ/status/1531086723052015617">surprising bounce</a> and he can throw it down easily on the break. He is very patient and poised and he has a pull-up from mid. [player_tooltip player_id="1150901" first="John" last="Mattingly"] Sunnyslope A throwback pure point guard controls the tempo for the young Vikings. He has plays a heady game beyond his years. He passes open his teammates and can whip a pass in a tight window for a dime. He can hit perimeter jumpers but seems to like driving the ball to the basket. He can pull-up off the dribble and he will guide this super young team most likely into the playoffs. [player_tooltip player_id="1482211" first="Noah" last="Gloor"] Higley A talented scoring guard with a great feel for the game. Despite his lack of size he competes hard on the defensive end. He comes in with a huge IQ and he can shoot with range. He has a polished floater game and he is a gamer. He is already a big part of the varsity rotation.