HoopHall Classic West: Top Performers, part II
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - The annual HoopHall Classic took over The Valley last week and some of the top players and teams came through for a major December. Our team has a lot to run through. Let's start with the next round of the top overall performers.
RELATED: Part I | HoopSeenTV Podcast
EVENT STATS: 18.5 points per game (14-30 FG, 8-14 FT), 14.5 rebounds per game, 5 assists per game, 2.5 blocks per game
I wrote about his ability to stay calm under pressure in big games and deliver last week after watching him anchor his team’s big in-state win over Liberty. On Friday night, he was the toughest player to guard against Cardinal Hayes out of New York. Peat was at it once again, this time on the big national stage of the Hoop Hall Classic right here in his home state. Peat is effortless in his physical domination of a high school game. You may hear Paolo Banchero comps from the same age. They are warranted. Peat was brilliant is his showing on Friday, proving every time that he’s one of the premier youth basketball players in North America.
EVENT STATS: 28 points (11-17 FG, 6-9 from 3), 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. It was a rapid-fire attack from the Gonzaga-bound guard from California in the first half of Notre Dame’s win over Brophy on Thursday afternoon. Stromer was doing his best Kyle Korver impression from behind the arc in the first 16 minutes of action. He was picture-perfect in his footwork, catch, shot and follow-through in the offensive flurry. Every time the leather left his hands, you knew it was going to be dropping through the bottom of the nylon on the other end without even hitting the iron. Stromer had the hottest hand in the field on Thursday.
EVENT STATS: 13.5 points per game (10-22 FG, 6-13 from 3), 9 rebounds per game
We saw two different verions of Kaiser in this setting and both were very good. On one occasion we saw the big wing from Virginia crash the boards as an effective interior player that posed some serious mismatch problems. In another game, we saw him as a corner three-point specialist. You love the physicality that he brings to the position right away for the Maryland lineup and you can see how his game can translate to instant impact status. Kaiser is one of the best players in this class when you think about his four-year value at the collegiate level.
EVENT STATS: 20 points per game (18-34 FG, 2-5 from 3, 2-5 FT), 5.5 rebounds per game, 3 assists per game, 1.5 steals per game
The competitive fire is there. And we’ll start there. The sophomore guard wanted to win so badly that you could feel it in every step of his motion. And he was always in motion. Dixon is a sparkplug in Milton’s offense. We’ve seen some really good guards come out of the north metro Atlanta program over the years and with this club, he has the permission to out and plays free. His speed and ability to drive into the paint with ease is probably his best trait at this juncture of his game.
EVENT STATS: 28 points (7-19 FG, 4-13 from 3, 10-11 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists
If you’ve read HoopSeen.com over the last year, you’ve seen word after word and sentence after sentence raving about the value of him at Northern Arizona. Madi was matching his opponents with his own three-point shooting show in the first half of action. He can really stretch a floor and is confident in his ability to be a shot-maker from deep. His ability to get inside and play at the iron is the perfect balancing act to his offensive attack. Madi has a transferrable game and now a long history of big performances against terrific players on big stages. He’s prepared for college and should prove to be a very valuable asset in the NAU rotation during his career.
