Bryce McKinnis
In all age groups present on the first day of the Prep Hoops event in Fayetteville last weekend, there were some athletes that stuck out as supreme defenders. These were the top players that I was able to watch that displayed exceptional defensive skills:
Lawson Blake 2020 AAO Flight Post
Lawson Blake is a guy who has a lot of hustle and natural athleticism. He appears well-versed in defensive fundamentals and knows to produce maximum production on the defensive end. He slides over to help and switches often and has the good lateral speed to assist him. He limits opposing scorers and is hard to get through.
Noah Love 2018 (Post Grad) Ball4Life Wing
Noah Love is a six-foot-four, tenacious ball-stopper. He has good footwork and adheres to his man closely. He doesn’t give ball-handlers much room to breathe. Ball-handlers are bound to slip up with him on the floor. He is smart, knows when to switch and when to return, and helps fellow defenders recover.
Julian Wilkins 2019 Team Will Guard
Wilkins is fast and tenacious and gets steals at a high volume. He is aggressive and bullies ball-handlers at half court. He likes to face guard. In one particular game, his team was down 56-54 with under a minute left. Wilkins got two straight steals in 10 seconds of play that put his team up 58-56 and led Team Will to a victory.
Connor Slater Game Changer Hoops Blue 2019 Wing
Connor Slater is tall and has the ability to stop scorers inside the 3-point line with his length and height. He has a lot of hustle and saves transition buckets from happening often.
Cameron Jeng 2020 NE Houston Razorbacks Wing
Cameron Jeng likes to read passers, and he is pretty good at it. You cannot toss casual passes around Jeng. He is a hound for steals and can out-jump a lot of other players on the floor, allowing him to win battles on long passes and get interceptions. His speed also aids him in this.
Mavrick Bales 2019 OK Run PWP Red Post
Bales, a six-foot-seven post is a focal point of his production on the defensive end for his team. He is vocal and leads his team on both ends. It’s really hard to get inside and get a reasonable shot with him on the floor. He is long and coordinated and will block quite a few shots in any given matchup.