We are all aware of big name club teams around the country and who they are, but at this time I would like to discuss some of the smaller programs, and players, that don’t get as much attention. Here is a list of some of the teams I saw play multiple times this year, that stood out to me. I’ll also discuss some of the better games I saw, this year, from some of these teams.
The Las Vegas Knicks and the Iowa Barnstormers played in, arguably, the best game I saw on the circuit this year. This game was very competitive from beginning to the end, which lead to a great atmosphere for the game, fans from both sides was very loud and made the game a little more exciting to watch. Arizona Power and Utah Pump N Run had great battles throughout the entire circuit and always was a very entertaining game to watch every time these two teams played each other.
Las Vegas Knicks (41-8) – The Las Vegas Knicks wwew one of the better teams I saw at 16U age-level this AAU season. They played very well as a team on both ends of the court while being able to sustain an impressive amount of energy at all times. The Knicks are a very tough-minded and competitive team. One of their keys skills is having the determination to continuously run the ball, whether they are leading in scoring or not. Darrian Traylor, a combo guard standing, at 6 feet 2 inches, with 22 points, led this particular game. Traylor is becoming very prominent on scouting services. Traylor’s outstanding performance was accompanied by the playing skills of 6’7 wing player, Nate Grimes. Grimes, a player who is beginning to show that he could be one of the greater players on the west coast in the class of 2015, scored 18 points. The Las Vegas Knicks’ playing gave way to a very high-energy, competitive game (one of the most entertaining I’ve seen all year), but the Iowa Barnstormers ultimately defeated them.
Las Vegas Knicks finished rankings in Honorable Mention.
Oakland Rebels (26-2) – The Oakland Rebels were also a very good 16U team that was on the west coast. This team’s players were always synchronized with one another, on both ends of the court. They were a very high IQ team that was able to make the right plays at the right times. Juwan Anderson, the Rebels’ point guard, always seemed to have things under control. Anderson, a very calculated point guard, never seemed to be rattled on the court. He was able to set the pace of the game according to how he wanted to play, which made it easier for him and his teammates. Another key component, for the team, was Isaiah Thomas, the “man in the middle”. Isaiah made sure teams didn’t get to the rim, and finished by blocking and disrupting a lot of shots and also rebounding very well. Thomas was also very good on the offensive end due to his great ball-handling skills soft touch around the basket.
Oakland Rebels 16U finished in the Honorable Mention in our rankings.
Iowa Barnstormers – At the 16 and 17 levels, the Iowa Barnstormers are a really good basketball team. On the 17U age level, this team was very competitive and could play with any team they came up against. This team, at its worst, made it to the quarterfinals in every tournament they played in and won some, too. This team also had a few standout players, they were: Wyatt Lohaus, Casey Shlatter, and Kyle Haber. Lohaus is the team’s point guard and leader. He is a very smart player, who was able to get his teammates involved with ease. Lohaus has committed to University of Northern Iowa. Schlatter is a small forward who is very tough and can finish at the basket. He is also a very good shooter. Schlatter has committed to Drake. The last key player is Haber, a silky smooth wing player that can do a little bit of everything.
Iowa Barnstormers finished in all divisions of Honorable Mention in our rankings.
Arizona Power (44-8) – This 16U team was very good. They played as if they had been playing together for years. The Power played in some very competitive games this year and made deep tournament runs in every tournament they played in. They played hard all the time and were very good defensively. This team played in one of the craziest finishes this year, in a game against Utah Pump N Run, with Pump N Run making a one handed floater from 35 feet out.
Some key players on this team were: Dane Kuiper, Kenzo Nudo, and Markus Howard. Kuiper is one of the best wing players in the 15 class. He is a great all-around player, who knows how to play the game and is aware that he is the leader. Nudo is the “glue guy” for the team, whatever you need done he will give it to you on both ends of the court. Howard is one of the younger players on the team, but one of the better players. He is also a 2017 player and, for his age, a very good scorer and contributor to the team.
Arizona Power finished Honorable Mention for 16U rankings
Progeny (45-9)- The Indianapolis Progeny was likely one of the toughest teams I saw play this year at the 16U level. They were a very hard nose, in-your-face kind of team. They played a very up-tempo game likely because they are such a small team. They had a lot of players who could score the ball. The Progeny were a very tough team to guard because they all knew how to play the game and had some very potent scorers on the team. They had three standout players that are starting to get some notoriety: T.J. Henderson, Harris Brown, and Nigel Robinson. Henderson, a 6’0 point guard, is a very lanky kid who knows how to score the basketball.
He is also a very good shooter who can shoot from the three point range or mid range. Henderson is very good at getting his teammates involved in the game and getting them open looks. Brown, a special player, makes the game look easy. He has a very deep range on his jump shot and can get to the basket and finish over or through a player. T.J. Henderson is a name to keep a watch for next spring and summer. Robinson is very interesting player. He is a 6’3 wing player who can create shots for him and others. He has very good jump shot and finishes at the basket, but is also a very good defender. He can guard one through three with no issue at all and is a very tough kid.
Utah Pump N Run – Utah Pump N Run was most likely the most disciplined team I saw all year on the AAU circuit. They run their offense perfectly and always get a good look at the basket on a shot. They always seem to be in sync with each other and are able to move together on both ends of the court. The Pump N Run knew where each other should have been and anticipated the moves of one another. They were a very disciplined team who never seemed to make silly turnovers or force plays. They were able to just let the game flow. On defense, each player played together and always seemed to help each other through talking.
There were no real standouts on this team at the 17U level, everyone just played well together which is the reason they were able to compete with so many teams. At the 16U level there were a couple standouts: Malek Harwell and Jarriesse Blackmon. Harwell is a shooting guard who can really shoot the ball, he is very good at attacking the basket and a very good defender. Blackmon is a very long, small forward who blocks a lot of shots and plays great defense with a lot of energy. He is also very capable on the offensive end and can finish at the basket. Blackmon has an impressive mid-range jump shot.
Belmont Shore – a very high-powered scoring machine as a team, they have multiple players that can go get their own shot and also create for others. This team made it hard for everyone to guard them because they were so good in one on one situation that defenders had to help over which created a lot of open shots for Belmont. There are two standout players on this team Daniel Hamilton and Tyler Dorsey, Hamilton is a very long and athletic wing player that can score the basketball in numerous ways, Hamilton is a 2014 Uconn commit. Dorsey is a 2015 combo guard who is one of the top scorers in this class he can score from three point range and can also finish at the basket through or over people, he also can create shot for others when he is attacking the basket.
Belmont ended 17u ranked #25 in the rankings
Earl Watson Elite – One of the better teams on the west coast. A very tough, high scoring team that is hard to defend. Team was very athletic, big and pressured teams on defense which lead to a lot of turnovers and easy baskets. There were two very outstanding players on this team by the names Devin Watson and New Williams, Watson is a point guard that is a very outstanding scorer and fills up the basket in many different way while also getting his teammates involved also, Watson is a Oregon St. commit. Williams is a very athletic wing player that is a very good defender and can guard multiple positions, on the other side of the court he is a capable shooter and can finish at the basket extremely well. Their 16u’s won the Fab 48.
Pangos won our Best New Coming Program award.
17s ended season ranked Honorable Mention in rankings
16s ended season ranked #7 in rankings
Gamepoint – A very well ran program that is very competitive at the 15U, 16U and 17U levels. Team is very good on offense runs their sets and always trying to get the best shot as a team, on the other end of the court they seem in sync with each other and move well together. They have a few standouts in this program like Justin Simon and Dalton Soffer, Simon is a big point guard at 6’4 who is very hard to guard because he is very athletic and can finish at the basket also a very capable shooter is becoming a intriguing prospect in the 2015 class. Soffer is a shooting guard who is an outstanding shooter, also can handle the ball and get to the rim also a very sneaky athlete and surprises some people with it.
Gamepoint won our Most Improved Team of the Year award.
15s ended season ranked #13 in our rankings
16s Honorable Mention in our rankings
Superior Athletes - One of the better 17U teams on the West Coast, they are a very well coached team that knows how to play the game the right way and together. Superior Athletes were very good defensively always playing good pressure man to man and the help side seemed to always be in the right spot. Offensively they are a tough team to guard because they have so many weapons that are able to create shots for themselves as well as teammates. There's a lot of players that are really good on this team but three stood out from the rest, Ron Freeman, Jeremy Hemsley, and Stephen Thompson. Freeman is a lanky and athletic combo guard who can do it all on the offensive end and can shoot the ball really well. He is a great finisher at the basket also good at getting open shots for his teammates. Defensively he is adept at using his length to get in th passing lanes and also can guard multiple postions. Hemsley is one of the best shooting guards on the west coast in the 2015 class.
He is a very explosive athlete who can finish at the basket and in numerous ways. He is also a very good shooter, on defense he seems to always be in the passing lanes and excellent on ball defender. Thompson is one of the premier shooters in the 2015 class with any open space he will knock shots down consistently. Stephen Thompson is also very good at putting the ball on the floor and getting to rim or pulling up for mid range jump shot. Defensively he uses his length very well and is a great on ball defender. Kendall Small is the Point Guard that runs the show and is very athletic. Look for him to get a number of high level looks in the near future. Look out for this team at 17U level because was are very young team that played up all year and it will be interesting to see how they play next year.
