Team Preview: AZ Sting 17U
AZ Sting, which is comprised of a lot of Tri-City Christian players, has had plenty of success this live period. There group is balanced with good length and solid guard play. Taylor Ball and Isaiah Alonzo bring a lot of activity to the paint. They both finish well and attack the glass. In addition to Ball and Alonzo, the group is filled with a number of skilled guards who are interchangeable based on the needs of the team.
AZ Sting’s 17U team is in Las Vegas this weekend participating in the Bigfoot Las Vegas Classic. This is a huge weekend for a number of players on there roster. Further, a couple of their players are unsigned seniors who are hoping to use this last live period as a means of attracting an opportunity to play at the next level.
AZ Sting 17U Roster
Isaiah Alonzo 6’8 F 2018 Tri-City Christian
Taylor Ball 6’4 F 2018 Tri-City Christian
Jacob Cunningham 5’10 PG 2018 Verrado
Connor Dabbins 6’7 PF/C 2019 Perry
Trajon Hawkins 6’0 PG 2018 Gilbert
Brian Tucker 6’0 SG 2018 Tri-City Christian
Tyson Union 6’2 SG 2017 Marcos De Niza
Geronimo Warner 6’2 SG 2019 Tri-City Christian
AJ Wright 6’0 PG 2017 McClintock
AZ Sting 17U Watch List
Isaiah Alonzo
Alonzo is a little under the radar due to playing behind Nigel Shadd the past couple of seasons. However, now that he is more in the spotlight, he has shown he is a very capable player. Although he is not lightening fast, he does play with a good motor. In transition, he has improved his willingness to rim run and make the simple play. He is a knock down shooter and has had a tendency to stop at the 3 point line. On the block, he has a soft tough and uses his strong build to create space. With that said, he is most comfortable around the 3 point line and shoots it at a high rate. Further, he is not selfish and does a great job of making the extra pass to create for others.
Taylor Ball
Despite averaging almost 15 points per game last year, Ball did not take a lot of 3s. However, he shot it 50% and has demonstrated in club basketball that he is capable of shooting it from deep. One of the strongest parts of Ball’s game is his activity. When he drives, he does not go with tunnel vision, he looks for the help side and makes good reads. Moreover, he crashes the glass hard and looks for ways to make game changing plays.
Tyson Union
Although he did not put up outrageous numbers in his senior campaign, Union did demonstrate that he is capable of playing very efficiently. He shot the basketball at a high rate inside and outside of the 3 while providing good ball movement and activity. Union is a stronger guard who is capable of playing bully ball. He will need work on his explosiveness at the next level, but he is certainly worth a look as an unsigned senior.
Adam Wright
Wright did not have the statistical increase that would have been expected of the senior based on the season that he had as a junior. Although his points per game and rebounding numbers decreased, his assists per game increased. The emergence of knock down shooter Josh Baker may have impacted his scoring. However, he was able to show that he is able to be a pass first point guard who puts his teammates in a position to be successful. Wright is a lengthier guard who has a good build and feel for the game. Like Union, he needs to improve his first step and explosiveness to have a shot at being successful in the college ranks. Wright is capable of playing at the next level.