By Jerome Reed
Saturday’s “The Cage Showcase”, hosted by Rangeman Films, saw some of the best Palm Beach has to offer when it comes to up & coming talent. Hoopers who were anywhere from sixth grade to seniors in high school came through to learn how the game is played at a higher level. Coaches from Hoop Dynasty & The Hoop Vibe led the players in various drills, then put the knowledge into action with a couple of 5-on-5 runs to end the day. Here’s Part Two of the top standouts from the event.
Louis Stoitchkov: This shifty guard made a statement the entire event due to his performance on both ends of the floor. Louis did an awesome job of taking the ball to the hoop with strength & power, finishing tough layups over larger defenders. He proved himself as a three-level scorer, consistently sinking the midrange jumper and three-ball with ease. Defensively, Louis is a pest. His on-ball defense was pesky & was able to force turnovers throughout the games.
Dakota Izard: One aspect of Izard’s game that stood out the most, was his ability to push the break in-transition and either finish with a strong slam, or kick it out to open teammates in the corner for jumpers. A wing player with a strong offensive bag, Izard proved that his courtvision is up there with the best of them. He’s another hooper who can absolutely drill it from deep, as well. Keep an eye out for Izard this upcoming season.
Tyler Desilma: Introducing a player who gave new meaning to the term: “big dog”. Desilma stands at about 6’4”-6’5”, and was an absolute MENACE on the rebounding glass. Whether it were on offense or defense, Desilma would pursue the rock with passion as it came off the rim. He will be an asset as a paint defender and rim protector, this season. His activity in the paint makes it easy to cause turnovers. With the ball in his hands, Desilma has solid touch, and can score from close range with the best of them.
Robert Spriggs: Standing at 6’5” as a junior, Spriggs demonstrated that he is capable of getting you a needed bucket at any given moment. An understated area of his game that stood out? Shot-selection. Spriggs did a great job of picking his spots, not forcing the game, and taking the best shot for him at the moment. Coming off screens, Spriggs has a knockdown pull-up jumper & can hit the trey for you when needed. Loved what we saw out of him at the Showcase.
Jamir Christie: Christie is a player that when he gets hot, it’s hard to cool him down. There’s no better feeling of when you notice that no one can stop you from outside the arc, and Christie took full advantage. He gathered most of his trey balls of the day via transition offense, and showed that he could take it to the rim while eating the contact that came with it.