Hustle Region Finals: First Five
With the Prep Hoops Hustle Region Finals in the rearview, I wanted to give out awards for the very best players and prospects, regardless of Division. I’ll do three reports, starting with my first five, which includes the event’s MVP,…
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Continue ReadingWith the Prep Hoops Hustle Region Finals in the rearview, I wanted to give out awards for the very best players and prospects, regardless of Division. I’ll do three reports, starting with my first five, which includes the event’s MVP, a couple of high-upside 16u players, a dominant 15u guard and a 17u guard that also caught our attention.
Parker Gerrits, 6-2 2023 PG, Roots Academy
This was a no-brainer, as Gerrits dominated the 17u field earning his second MVP in two years (last year was 16u MVP). Gerrits has solid size, plays at multiple speeds and really dictates the tempo of the game from the point guard position. He’s stronger going to his right than to his left, but can still get into the paint with either hand and more importantly can pass with either hand. While he wasn’t hitting his three-point shot as consistently as a year ago, he hit big shots when they mattered and scored efficiently from the midrange and paint (underrated finisher). He’s a surefire D1 lead guard.
Christian Harris, 6-4 2024 SG, Rancho Elite
This was a toss-up between Harris and his teammate Ilyes Lear (spoiler alert: he makes the second team), but I will give it to Harris because of his more well-rounded scoring arsenal at this stage. We saw him score off the bounce and finish with either hand in the half court in addition to having a feathery jump shot on the wing. Harris has a physically immature frame with excellent length. He’s the type of player that by his senior year will become a low- to mid-major D1 prospect, as he’s at one of the premier public school programs in Southern California, Etiwanda.
Brady Henige, 6-11 2024 C, D1 Nation Arizona
Despite his team not making it to the 16u championship, Henige was by far the most dominant player in the division, commanding double teams, zone defenses aimed at limiting his touches and physical play the entire weekend. And the lefty center still scored at will in the paint and showed the ability to stretch the floor from midrange and the college three. Another area that sets him apart is his ability to pass the ball out of double teams and rebound out of his area. While not a great rim protector, he does a solid job in that area.
Uriah Tenette, 6-0 2025 PG, New Mexico D1
Tenette was another player who didn’t win his division, but was flat out dominant throughout the weekend. The first thing that jumped out about the Prescott guard was his athleticism. He’s as explosive as you will see in this age group, with exceptional lateral quickness, burst and bounce. The lefty gets into the paint when he wants to and has a nice floater and runner package (does a good job decelerating in the paint to get under control). He faced double teams to get the ball out of his hands in the open court and he did an excellent job locating the open man for easy scores. His ability to pass off of dribble penetration to find shooters and the big off helpside is exceptional. If he grows a couple of more inches, he could be a MM+ guard in that class.
Aliou Diallo 6-1 2023 PG, Colorado Titans
The baby-faced combo guard is owners of one of the smoothest jump shots in the gym, and does it off of ball screen action and off the catch. This sets up the rest of his game, as he is tough to guard in ball screen action and does a good job setting up teammates with the pass. He has good burst attacking downhill off of ball screens and can finish in the paint with either hand. Having seen him just this weekend, I left feeling that he’s a pretty underrated prospect.