Bilal’s Grade School Prime Performers: Kings Of The South

Elijah Bell | 2032 | Nightrydas Elite
5th grade MVP
Bell is an aggressive forward that controlled the boards throughout the entire weekend. No matter where the ball bounced, Bell was there to stick his nose in the mix to win the loose ball battle. His offensive game is seemingly expanding as Bell was able to take advantage down low. Finishing strong in traffic, not allowing the physical play to throw him off of his game and also playing with pretty good footwork. While his offensive game was outstanding, so was his defensive game. Bell altered and blocked a ton of shots down low. Even showed a quick reaction to skip passes to take them the other way. In a year or two, he’ll be hanging on that rim.

Cameron Owens | 2032 | Nightrydas Elite
This three level scorer showed the purity in his game as he was able to not only score the ball from all over but making it look easy while doing so. Owens displayed a consistent and smooth shooting stroke from behind the arc. Never settling for any of his attempts, Owens always looked for the better shot whether it was for himself or his teammates. Owens’ ability to operate out of the triple threat position truly was a head turner for me. Attacking at good angles, using different counters and finishing strong in traffic when it was time to do so.

Maurice Miller | 2032 | Nightrydas Elite
Miller is a highly skilled, southpaw guard that was tough to stop over the weekend. From a scoring standpoint, Miller’s shiftiness allowed him to create enough space to knock down the long ball, break down defenders to get downhill and drawing a ton of attention. Finishing in traffic and through contact was no problem for Miller no matter which hand he decided to use. He always had his head up, showcasing his playmaking skills and making all the right reads.

Raylan Awesome | 2032 | Wood Elite
Awesome knocked down a huge game winner in a big game to set the tone for Wood Elite. They ultimately made it to the Silver bracket championship. That’s not possible without huge shots made by Awesome. He’s a sharpshooter that seems to always been in his spot looking for his shot.

Cainen Bell | 2033 | Phamily
4th Grade MVP
Cainen Bell is a name to remember as this young star in the making has a tremendous feel for the game. In the open floor, Bell used his angles of attack to his advantage, knew when to slow the defense down well enough to attack the man in front of him and used his body well. In a half court setting, Bell played well at his own pace, broke his man down off the bounce and showed his ability to knock down the side step three ball.

Harrison Knotts | 2033 | MDA
Knotts is a small guard that can handle the ball with the best of them. Shifty, quick and simple when the ball is in his hands. Getting where he needs to on the court whether it’s him finding his own shot or feeding an open teammate. Knotts was very poised when being faced with pressure. His smooth shooting stroke off the bounce and catch was really impressive. His consistent stance and rhythm on his jump shots made me think he was always going to connect on his release. Knotts played with pure confidence and showed what it likes to run an offense.

MJ Dean | 2033 | MDA
Dean is another diminutive guard that played with an outstanding feel for the game. Quick and shifty with the ball in his hands, recognizing what the defenses were giving him, taking away and he did an outstanding job at attacking whatever it was. Dean displayed a quick trigger on his releases when defenders decided to go under screens and showed he could use his body well when they fought over. Dean’s confidence to make some of the tight window passes that he made was very impressive to many. Often getting the ball to his bigs through outstretched arms and not turning the ball over is hard to do. That’s something that he excels at well, at a young age.