The Winter Invitational took place at the Kroc Center in Phoenix, AZ from Friday, November 12th until Sunday, November 13th. The event, hosted by Team Cezer featured boys teams from 5th grade through 8th and attracted teams from Arizona, Nevada,…

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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inThe Winter Invitational took place at the Kroc Center in Phoenix, AZ from Friday, November 12th until Sunday, November 13th. The event, hosted by Team Cezer featured boys teams from 5th grade through 8th and attracted teams from Arizona, Nevada, and California. The format is two days of pool play followed by bracket play on Sunday. I was amazed at how many skilled passers were on display. In this article, we take a look at the top Dime Droppers from the event.
LJ Diamond 5’7 PG Skyriders 2027 – Diamond’s wiggle is legit. He has the kind of playground game that freezes defenders and keeps them off balance. Once he was able to do that, he showed terrific vision and accuracy. Diamond was one of the top off the dribble passers at the event, identifying and delivering pinpoint passes in an instant.
George Mihilli 5’10 CG Hunter Elite 2026 – Mihilli was one of the top overall players at the event. The bully combo guard was unstoppable when driving downhill, however, he didn’t always drive to finish. Mihilli is what I call a contagious passer, as his unselfishness was infectious throughout his team allowing for great ball movement. The combo was equally effective making the spectacular pass as he was making the next pass.
Jaxon Yancy 4’6 PG Up Tempo 2028 (featured image) – Sometimes the smallest player on the floor plays with the biggest heart. That was Yancy this week. The diminutive PG orchestrated the offense using his passing to set up teammates. Yancy displayed the ability to make the simple pass, getting the ball out of his hands quickly and accurately whenever he identified an open teammate.
Johnny Rios 5’8 PG Skyriders 2026 – Rios was must-see basketball this weekend. There was nothing physically impressive about the 5’8 PG, but his skill level is off the charts. He did a little of everything for the 8th-grade gold champs, including taking over the Championship game. I thought the best thing he did, was create, the PG is an uber unselfish passer who at times drove to pass, his timing on his passes was spectacular, making it easy for teammates to catch and finish. He was the perfect PG for the talented Skyriders group.
Mekhi Parker 5’8 CG AZ Select 2026 – Parker is getting some love this weekend, for his ability to create. The combo had a slick handle, using it to collapse the defense time and time again. Once drawing, he did a good job of either kicking to shooters or delivering to teammates for layups. He was at his best when he was in transition, as he killed opponents with his ability to make the correct pass on 2 on 1 or 3 on 2 breaks.
Christopher Harris 5’3 PG Gremlins 2028 – Harris played with a nonchalant handle, using it to easily evade defenders. He controlled the tempo of the championship game with his passing. Harris would either quickly hit ahead in transition or break down and dish to cutting teammates. His passing and leadership helped his Gremlins squad take down the 6th-grade gold title.