Battling the Odds

By James Parker, talent scout/evaluator
Phoenix Az, 10/10-11/2010, Phoenix College
Areacodes Phoenix Fall Showcase

This year's Phoenix Fall Showcase is a wrap. Saw so much great play from a variety of players at every level. Many players atop their class seemed to struggle much with their respective high school teams as they are making the transition from summer competition to preparing for the high school season. Many marquee players that are expected to be impact players for high school only played to the level of the competition and players around them, exposing areas of their game that still need a lot of development. Prior commitments did not allow for me to attend PFS in it's entirety, therefore a full and just assessment of every player is not possible. So to come up with the "best of" or "top performers" would not be fair to all the players that competed. Although I did get a chance to follow a particular team that was tops in their class and who were by far the most competitive team of the tournament in their rightful division, Areacode's team Stanford.

Areacode's Stanford team which is mostly comprised of players from the Southwest program is unique for this feature not just because of their talent, how hard they compete on the floor, but how hard they compete in life. The Southwest program is no stranger to many of life's struggles. These kids are not just competing to win in basketball but to win in life. From single parent households, family members battling cancer, lupus, lack of resources, failed relationships, failed economy, to the different pressures that come with certain demographics, many of these kids have seen it all. And just like life throws many of them unfavorable odds, they throw at their opponents on the court every thing but the kitchen sink. I liken their up tempo style of game and pressure defense to Nolan Richardson's "40 minutes of hell". They don't just play man/man full court pressure but team to man full court pressure. Every player understood their defensive assignment was to stop ball, not just their player. As an offensive player with the ball it's never 1/1 against them, more like 1on5. There was almost no second guessing when it came to defensive rotations. If a player wasn't trapping they were anticipating immediate next pass, and if they didn't pick it off they were right there defensively in the offensive player's shirt. The trappers immediately recognized and found open players to defend. If the ball didn't move quickly enough out the offensive players hands the trap was coming again. If a teammate got beat, help was there quick. Sporting the purple "Ball-is-life" shirts they were relentless in their attack and if other teams weren't falling behind by so much they had to pull their press, they could have topped 100pts in a couple of their games. That's even more remarkable considering the average age of the players is 14-15, and the game was played by speed ball rules and a running clock.

Led by coach Dailey and coach Ramirez, here is this weekends feature team Stanford.

• Gianni Dailey (6'3)(2012) St. Mary's high school; This kid has the makings of a mid-high major prospect. He has a solid build and good frame with wide strong shoulders. He possesses a well rounded game. Has the ability to take defenders off the dribble, finish in traffic and knock down the long range jumper. He knows how to get his teammates involved. He has great court awareness, vision, and can make a variety of passes, knows how and when to get the ball to teammates. Gianni plays both sides of the court. He is very physical and possesses enough foot speed to control dribble penetration. He is best off the ball defensively reading passing lanes. He has great leaping ability and quickness to pick off passes. Though Gianni can score without the ball coming off screens and such he seems more fit as a PG at the higher level, much more comfortable with the ball, getting others involved.
  



• Jaylen Broom (6'1)(2012) St. Mary's high school; A really quick perimeter defender. This kid gets it and has some
  of the quickest hands and feet. If I had to play against Jaylen I would want to only do one of two things, pass or shoot. Because your not going to do much else, if you can manage to get a couple screens to get free enough to shoot. Jaylen also possess much athleticism getting to the basket. He is a speedster and gets up the court quick in transition. He has a great pull-up jumper that he is not afraid to use, squares his body to the basket and gets nice and vertical. I want to see him work on his release, soften his shot and get more rotation on the ball over this next year.



• Jaydarion Reagan (5'11)(2012) Ceasar Chavez: Strong, broad shoulders and athletic. JD is a great cutter/slasher to the basket. He does not have to dominate the ball to be effective. He is a great contributor on the defensive end of the court and a good rebounding guard. Jaydarion is an efficient scorer, might not put up astronomical numbers but makes good things happen every time he touches the ball.


• Joshua Isaacs (5'10)(2013) Verrado: Josh was a free-agent/individual registrant who to date probably never played with the talent and speed he found himself surrounded by on Saturday and Sunday. No worries, the players welcomed him as one of their own and got him the ball as best they could so he could contribute on the scoring side as well. Josh didn't disappoint. His confidence was on an all-time high and he showed no fear handling the ball, shooting, or playing defense against faster kids. He gave it his best and looked to be having a good time.


• Casey Benson (6'1)(2014) Corona: Casey contributes in many ways on the offensive side of the ball. He can put it on the floor and finish. He can shoot the rock from outside, pass it, and clean up the glass. If Casey puts on another 3-5 inches in the next couple years look for him to be a standout shooting guard in high school.
• Ronnie Ramirez (5'8)(2014) Brophy: The General; that's what Ronnie is and that's what he brings to the table. Ronnie is a leader. He is very unselfish, gets the ball to his teammates when and where they can score. He is very unassuming and plays within himself. As Ronnie matures and gets stronger he needs to learn to be more aggressive, take the ball to the cup, get to the charity stripe and create for his teammates. Ronnie's ultimate strength is going to be his ability to lead. It will be his bread & butter.
• Armondo Ruiz (5'11)(2014) NFL YET: Armondo plays smooth under control but can seem disengaged sometimes. He no doubtfully has ability but doesn't always seem to push himself. Armondo has some potential as a player on the wing. High school will require him to work on his speed, conditioning, and effort.
• Zylan Cheetman (6'5)(2014) St. Mary's: Zylan did not have his best outing but no doubt still showed his upside as an elite basketball player. At a long 6'5 and still growing this kid can get up and down the court, jump, handle the ball, and shoot from all areas of the court. Zylan in time is going to be a threat in his own right offensively but something he already has and will be a mainstay in his game is to defend multiple positions, block shots, and rebound. As long as Zylan continues to work hard, play hard, and enjoy the game, his potential is limitless.
• Amadou Gueye (6'2)(2014) Carl Hayden: Not very polished yet but, possess good size as a freshman and strength. His upside is his strength and size. Needs to work on his skill set and begin to identify himself at his position. Right now one can't really say if Amadou is a guard or forward. Hard to say how much more Amadou will grow. My advice would be to really sharpen his skills, to shoot the 3 and mid range jumper, and be able to put the ball on the floor with control. Amadou is a good rebounder, sets good screens and dives on floors for loose balls.
• Taylor Scruggs (6'2)(2014) Moon Valley: Like Amadou Taylor has yet to identify whether he is a guard or forward. He definitely likes to post and bang inside. I like that, because it shows aggressiveness and a willingness to be physical. Taylor has a good body and size but I want to see him focus on his conditioning, agility, and polish his perimeter skills. Taylor is going to get his team rebounds and be a scrappy, hustle type of player.