Inspire Summer Splash standouts: Desert Storm
The Desert Storm basketball team brought just five players to day one of the Inspire Summer Splash tournament at Inspire Courts in Gilbert, Arizona.
Though the team was visibly tired by the end, the spirit of the squad never died, and they displayed some quality basketball.
Here are a few players that stood out:
- Danny Brown
Brown, along with Liljaquie Davis (mentioned below) were the only two big men who could match the size on display at this tournament’s first round, especially with multiple younger players at a higher level on the squad. He showed solid dribbling skills for his size and consistently got to the rim for layups and free throw attempts, while providing Desert Storm’s only real rim protection.
- Liljaquie Davis
Davis competed for every single rebound with all his effort despite no rest time on a team that brought no substitutes on the first day of competition. He did not score as much as some his teammates, but set good screens for ball handlers and provided second-chance points on misses.
- Zaire Hays
Though Hays is going into just the ninth grade, he played effectively for his age and size. He, though undersized, scored from all over the floor, finishing against bigger defenders, and shot his jumper as well as anybody in the first round. His shot fell all day, even after he was clearly exhausted and his legs were clearly a bit shot.
- Jamaal Young
Young provided much of Desert Storm’s ball handling, and had a few turnovers, especially when teams sensed tired legs and started pressing. But, for the most part, he played about as well as could be expected, getting his teammates involved in the offense and creating open shots for the big men. He also came up with a few sneaky steals on the defensive end.