Phenoms of the Future: Paint Prowlers

There was not just excellent guard play at Phenoms of the Future, but several posts and wings did the majority of their damage in the painted area. The three point shot has become the great equalizer in basketball, but players who can provide offensive production, defend the post, and rebound the ball are equally as important. Each one of these players brings something different to the table and each one had a big impact on the outcome of their team's games.    "Tree" was the biggest player of any relevance at the tournament and perhaps the player with the most upside. There needs to be continued work on the offensive end, but Wilson is definitely good enough with her size to be a division two signee. Her offensive skills need more development, but I see an endless amount of potential. She is already very adept at blocking shots, and staying vertical, without getting in foul trouble. She also deterred a number of shots after blocking a few early in games. Rather than try and score at the basket, guards were pulling up from 5-10 feet to shot when they saw Tree between them and the basket. Offensively, the cupboard is not bare at all. Tree made several midrange jumpers and scored several times on offensive rebounds and quick put backs. She impacted the game there as well, but she is far from a finished product. She showed soft hands and a nice touch shooting the ball. If Tree can become a consistent threat to score, then she will propel herself into being recruited by multiple division one skills.     Jaz showed just how good a player she can be with huge individual performances for Dacula in games late this season against Buford (22 points and six rebounds) and Central Gwinnett(25 points and 10 rebounds). Her excellent play continued in her first tournament of the AAU season as she proved to be a matchup nightmare as a stretch four against opposing teams. Jaz consistently made midrange jumpers over the course of both days as well capitalizing on her opportunities to score over smaller players in the post. She was active on the glass on both ends as well as the defensively where she showed the ability to guard wings and post players. Jaz attacked the basket with intelligence and control resulting in multiple trips to the free throw line where she also shot the ball very well.     At this point I can't count the number of times I have seen [player_tooltip player_id='1261152' first='Kendall' last='Arnett'] play, but the one thing I have come to expect watching her play is consistency. She is going make shots from three and pull ups from the midrange, score in transition uncontested or through contact, and she is going to get to the free throw line. Another thing Kendall does well, perhaps best, is get opportunistic baskets whether she is playing for Redline or North Forsyth. Arnett is the opposite of passive, so any loose ball or rebound that is up for grabs she is going after with aggression. This usually results in 6-8 points on plays she creates for herself in the games I have watched her play. She has good size, but is plays even stronger than she looks.     It's hard to think of [player_tooltip player_id='1261152' first='Kendall' last='Arnett'] without thinking about [player_tooltip player_id='1578951' first='Emerson' last='Carnes'] as the two play both high school and travel ball together and certain parts of their games are very similar. Both kids play with toughness and are not going to back down no matter the opponent. Both are very good offensive rebounders, anticipating where the ball is going land after bouncing off the rim, and getting themselves in place to quickly snatch the ball out of the air and score. Carnes is almost always significantly smaller than the post she is trying to defend, but Emerson does a good job using her strength and physicality to push them off the post and away from the basket. Like Arnett, Carnes is very sneaky on the offensive boards and usually gets points on put backs. She also does a great job using her quickness against those bigger posts drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. For folks my age, her game is very similar to smaller power forwards of old like Dennis Rodman, whose competitiveness, toughness, and the willingness to outwork their opponent led to very good success for themselves and their teams.     Phenoms of the Future was the second event I watched Tennessee Xtreme's very talented 2032 Mila Rivers, the previous being at a GYBC showcase in Charlotte earlier this month. At that event, which draws some of the very best middle school players in the southeast, Rivers stood out in the skills portion and dominated when the campers were divided up into teams and played games. No one could keep Mila from getting downhill and driving the ball to the basket, where she scored several times. She also did a nice job controlling the glass, especially on the offensive end resulting in several put backs. Long term, she will probably be a guard and is already showing very good skill in that area of her game. Both parents were college athletes and that should come as no surprise when you look at Mila's size and strength. She is much bigger and can do things physically that other kids her age cannot. She does not rely on just physicality and strength, Mila is very skilled and advanced offensively for her age. Most kids her age are shy, but Mila is already a vocal, positive leader who her teammates look to for leadership. Rivers has a very bright future and the potential to be a really special player.

There was not just excellent guard play at Phenoms of the Future, but several posts and wings did the majority of their damage in the painted area. The three point shot has become the great equalizer in basketball, but players who can provide offensive production, defend the post, and rebound the ball are equally as important. Each one of these players brings something different to the table and each one had a big impact on the outcome of their team's games.