War In The Valley was the second stop on our Prep Hoops Next Middle School circuit. The event took place in Inspire Courts, in Phoenix, AZ April 10h, and 11th. The event, a follow-up to our Kick-Off in California, provided…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inWar In The Valley was the second stop on our Prep Hoops Next Middle School circuit. The event took place in Inspire Courts, in Phoenix, AZ April 10h, and 11th. The event, a follow-up to our Kick-Off in California, provided another opportunity to take a look at several outstanding young prospects. The event featured buzzer-beaters, heart-stopping moments, and some fantastic performances. In this article, we take a look back at the War In The Valley.
Top Storylines: Fantastic Finishes
It was a wild weekend with several last-second finishes. Perhaps nothing highlighted that more than the 14U bracket which saw Multi-Level advance to the Championship game on a Jake Hall Buzzer Beater, only to be defeated at the buzzer in the Championship game on a Jevon Yapi coast to coast layup.
Breakout Player: Mason Abittan
This was an easy one for me. I’ve been fortunate to watch Abittan train and develop over the years, so it was fun to see him perform so well. He slashed his way into the paint and showed a nice mid-range pull-up game. Abittan was a big part of All Vegas’s championship run as he provided clutch scoring, and quality complementary play.
Stars In Their Roles: Mason Schweitzer (All Vegas) Malachi Henningham (AEBC Skyriders) Daniel Lovato (JB White Elite)
Schweitzer did any and everything that needed to be done for All Vegas. The ultimate glue guy, in games where defense was needed, Schweitzer was the stopper, when the team needed buckets, he was able to come up with big shots. Henningham was a high motor, high energy player for the 13U champs Skyriders. His ability to rebound and score in transition was crucial in helping them to the title. Lovato is a walking double-double that consistently brings it every night. His rebounding, and inside scoring helped a deep and balanced JB White team.
Memorable Moment: Jevon Yapi’s walk-off layup
With 8 seconds left in the game and down by 1, the jitterbug PG took an outlet pass and raced up the floor. He used a reverse crossover to allude his defender, before getting into the lane and finishing with a high arcing layup over an outstretched defender.
Top Sleeper: Jefferson Exinor
It’s difficult to think of a high-flying athlete like Exinor as a sleeper, however, the Maryland transplant was relatively unknown, before his War In The Valley Debut. After a weekend of jaw-dropping dunks, Exinor firmly implanted his name on the radar of players to keep an eye on.
Top Prospect(s): Jake Hall (Multi-Level) Jevon Yapi (All Vegas)
Isaiah Cunningham
Isaiah
Cunningham
6'2" | WG
WA
(Team AON) Lonnie Bass (Progress Feels Best) Andrew Miller (Hard 2 Guard)
Simply to many to name. Hall and Yapi are a given, however, Cunningham is an uber-athletic big guard with a high ceiling. Bass is a developing young big that rebounds the ball well, and Andrew Miller showed he can score the ball against anyone, and from multiple levels.
