Lonestar Prep covers part II of our recap of the Texas Youth Basketball League that is ran by Rick Nelson and sponsored by Texas Hoops and Adidas. This one looks at the 2022 and 2023 class and instead of doing categories I will just highlight the ones that impressed me.
3D Empire has something special with Nazir Brown. People have told me to watch him and I finally took time too and I was happy I did. The big forward gives opponents problems on both sides of the ball. He is a walking double-double. Can handle it some, shoot and finish consistently, Brown was one of the better looking sixth graders I saw. His teammate Terrance Ramiriez consistently scores as well and he takes pressure off of Brown. They are like a 1-2 combo and if one isn’t going, more than likely the other one will.
Another walking double-double is Marckiest Sykes of Nike D1 Shooters. Sykes may be the biggest (literally and figuratively) for any 2022 team. Every tournament he gets better and the 6’2 forward holds everything down inside. He’s trying to block shots, he rebounds at a high rate, having eclipse the 20 rebound mark several times in the fall and he can handle the ball some in transition. I like Sykes progression but he needs to continue to work on his footwork. He can be a problem for years to come. His teammate Drew Steffe plays his role very well as the shooter. Scouting reports are to not leave him open or not help off of him but even with small space he is letting it go and knocking shots down. On Sunday he had a game where he made seven three pointers. Steffe spaces the floor so others can create and when he is making shots, the Nike D1 Shooters are hard to contain on offense.
Santana Lunch for Xpress is a player I have watched several times in the past and even though his hair makes him very noticeable, his game is as well. Lunch does a little bit of everything at the guard spot. He usually will get 4-5 rebounds a game to go with 12-15 points. You know what you’re going to get out of Lunch and it is production. He is tough to guard in transition and his ability to rebound and go to go along with his solid size makes him tough to contain.
Let’s stay on the 2023 class with the Nike Pro Skills group. Deontrell Barrett and Jacovey Campbell are key pieces to that team. Barrett is the younger brother of UTEP commits Deon Barrett, and they both play the guard spot. Deontrell likes to play the 1-3 and he uses his great size to finish against smaller players. He has a good IQ for his age and that allows him to find the open man off drives or when he is on the block getting double teamed off mismatches and on the perimeter when he drives. Campbell knows how to run the offense at a high level. Handles the ball very well and he creates for others and himself. I like his poise when he runs the point position and he plays with a high motor on defense. He continually pushed the ball on offense which allowed his team to score quickly due to the opposing team not being able to set up their defense.
Younger brother of nationally ranked guard for API, Trevon Duval performed good as well. Elijah is a big guard that knows how to use his size once he gets in the lane. He can be more aggressive on offense but when he starts scoring some, he is very tough to guard. The other guard for I Will that impressed me was Daniel Tuck. Tuck is a high volume scorer. He runs the two-guard mainly because once his feet are set for a shot, good chance it is going in. He helped lead his team to a comeback victory on Saturday being down by 11 points in the second half.
Side Note
Uncle Dre Rozay made his coaching debut this weekend for 2023 I Will Academy and people came just to see his first game against Nike D1 Shooters. It didn’t go so well against the undefeated D1 group but his team did finish off well this weekend and the player’s confidence grew more each game and that is what you want as a coach for a first tournament. Definitely interested on what’s ahead with that group. They have some talent.
Back to It
D1’s 2023 had to have a margin of victory of about 20 points this weekend. Maybe even more and Ty Cox and RJ Jones help make that engine go. Cox runs the point and his length and athleticism gives opposing guards problems on both sides. His handles may not seem fast, but he uses his body well and he keeps the ball on a string. Jones was getting into the lane and most times the shots he took inside were the right one. He knew when to shoot the floater when there was strong help defense, and he knew when to get in and finish with a layup. Jones plays with a high motor and on defense, he is active and that allows him to accumulate a lot of steals.
2023 Ronio Obou for the Houston Defenders was pushing the 18-20 point mark everytime is saw him play. Even when a play is broken, he just gets the ball and makes something happen. Either that is drawing a foul or scoring inside. He is a tough kid and I’ll like to see how he develops in the future.
Mustangs had some talent. They have good size and scrappy guards. Bradyn Love and Dwayne Bradley were impressive this weekend. Their ability to score inside and out make them a strong duo. They both rebound well for their position and they are active in help-side defense which allows them to get steals and blocks.
Check Lonestarprepspotlight.com and follow us on Twitter @spotlight2019 and @ani_umana. Register for our 2016 Elite Skills Showcase on February 27-28. Grades 5-8 and some of the best talent from the south will be there. We will make announcements of players coming. STAY TUNED!
To register, go to this page http://lonestarprepspotlight.com/events/elite-skills-showcase/
