Saturday 17 U Guard Standouts at Grit Region Finals
The Grit Region Finals are in full swing as teams have clinched their spot in the elite 8 of their respective brackets if they are still unbeaten. In this article I’m going to profile some prospects who stood out during…
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Continue ReadingThe Grit Region Finals are in full swing as teams have clinched their spot in the elite 8 of their respective brackets if they are still unbeaten. In this article I’m going to profile some prospects who stood out during a full day of action on Saturday.
Amari Wesley, 5’11 PG Imani Christian (PA) 2022 Urban Impact: Wesley came out of the gates firing, scoring his team’s first six points of the game. Then the opposing squad went into a zone and Wesley took a more distributing role for his team. Late in the first half Wesley got on the scoreboard again with an open 3-pointer, then hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give his team 52 points for the first half. That was all his team really needed as they cruised in the second half to an easy win.
Xzavier Rodgers Xzavier Rodgers 6'1" | CG Obama Academy | 2023 State PA , 6’1 SG Obama Academy (PA) 2023 Urban Impact: Rodgers was the beneficiary of a lot of skip passes from Wesley that resulted in 3-points for their squad. Rodgers got insanely hot from downtown and had a couple acrobatic finishes around the basket. Wesley was so tough to stop from scoring, the opposing team started to run a box and one against Rodgers to try and slow him down. While that defense didn’t allow Rodgers to score much, his teammates got plenty of open looks from the attention he commanded.
Matas Castillo Matas Castillo 5'11" | PG Lemont | 2023 State IL , 6’1 PG Lemont (IL) 2023 Full Package Black: Castillo led his team to the elite 8 of the top bracket with some impressive performances on Saturday. Castillo is a shifty point guard who uses his handle to get to the basket for himself or to throw a flashy pass to a teammate. Castillo also is capable of knocking down an open shot and doesn’t back down from a challenge defensively. Full Package Black was very impressive, and they have a good chance of winning the tournament tomorrow if they keep up this level of play.
Sean Conway, 5’9 PG Bedford (OH) 2022 Mid Ohio Pumas Price: Conway was a standout at the Mid Ohio Pumas prospect camp and was impressive once again on Saturday. Conway is a lightning quick point guard who is an excellent on ball defender. Conway also can get into the lane and looks to either pull-up or use the floater with his lack of size. Conway is a sleeper prospect who is considering the prep school route, a guy to monitor around the Cleveland area.
Kamari Jones Kamari Jones 6'4" | SG Lawrence Centra (IN) / Hilcrest Prep (AZ) | 2023 IN , 6’4 SG Lawrence Central (IN) 2023 D1 Indiana: Jones hit the shot of the day, as his 3-pointer with just over 10 seconds left gave D1 Indiana a 77-75 lead that they would hold on to advance in a battle of the titans with Team GRIII. Jones was hot all afternoon from downtown, making a few in each half. I also was impressed with the body control Jones showed in the mid-post area, backing down smaller defenders. While his overall game was impressive, his clutch shot was the defining moment of the day for me.