by: Ethan Reece
2023 Tracy Stephens (Carolina Pressure)Tracy made his presence felt big time Friday night in a win, and made it look easy with his mature frame. Standing at 6’4 and absolutely built, he bullied defenders down low by just clearing out so much space on both the post up and boards. Also ran the court really well which gave him easy looks for his guards to dish off
2023 Preston Smith (Carolina Sonics)Preston impressed me with his hustle and motor in multiple games this weekend. He operates as the primary ball-handler for his team but had no problem playing down low when his team needed, especially on defense. He’s got good length with a solid frame which goes well with how hard he plays. Simply refused to be outworked
2022 Spencer Hairston (Gate City Grizzlies)Spencer is simply put, a bucket getter. He torched the nets this weekend, starting off with a 42 point performance Friday night that included 10 threes. He followed that up with 34 and 24 points the next two games on Saturday. He’s got such a smooth stroke, looks like it’s going in every time and most of the misses I saw were rim-outs. Couldn’t be left alone because he’s basically within range after crossing half-court.
2023 Khamani Olivaccee (Alliance)Khamani led his team to several commanding wins this weekend. He was an absolute pest on defense, not sure how many he had but I can’t remember the last time I saw one guy get that many steals in a game. He has great feel for the open court, pushing the ball in transition and finishing through contact due to his strong ball control.
2024 Nykel Franklin (QC Ballers)Nykel intrigued me because he was obviously a long and athletic guard, but his team primarily used him in the post-up option. His length allowed him to take advantage of smaller guards and he just went to work for bucket after bucket down low. Had a nice fading bank shot that was highly reliable and led the charge defensively with his active hands