The young guys from the 11U group came to play at the Generation Next Invitational. With some highly talented teams from around the region, there were plenty of standouts, here are the ones that had tremendous weekends for themselves.
Sentrell Gray – PG – Martin Brothers
The floor general behind a terrific Martin Brothers team that won the 11U platinum championship. Gray is a good scorer attacking the basket but excelled the most with his ability to distribute the ball. He sees the floor well on the move in addition to being a skilled passer. As well, Gray was a force with his full court pressure coming up with plenty of steals.
TT Hughes – PG – 24Up
Hughes is a quick and highly active guard that is a highly impactful player. He is a good playmaker with great moves and speed to get plenty of paint touches breaking down defenses. The young guard was often getting all the way to the basket and finished well there. Defensively, he uses his quickness to put great pressure on the ball.
Jayden Jackson – PF – NESYB
A strong post with good size that was such an impactful player inside on both ends of the court. Jackson is an incredibly active defender patrolling the paint and could just shut down the middle entirely with all his tools. Even with two or even three bodies around him on each paint touch he still found a way to score some buckets getting it done right through and over opponents.
Triston Lowery – F – Louisville Legends
One of the top forwards at the 11U level with his ability to do so much for his team to win games. He is an active and versatile player with a good all-around game that excels on both ends of the floor. Lowery is a good defender down in the paint and out on the perimeter as well as in the press with his size and agility. He showed a good scoring ability doing it strong down inside as well as being able to handle the ball and attack the basket.
Max McMullen – PG – Team Herro
One of a few highly skilled players on Team Herro that made it to the final four of the platinum division. He is quick with the ball in his hands and moves so well with great change of direction ability attacking the basket. He showed a good ability to find any space in the defense and hit them quickly getting plenty of paint touches. Not only did he score it well on the attack but also made some nice passes on the move.
Caleb Miller – PG – MTXE
Play after play, Miller continuously displayed very good point guard abilities all at his young age. He moves well with the ball and has strong handle with a good ability to handle plenty of pressure with ease. Miller plays well attacking the defense getting plenty of paint touches for himself in addition to being a skilled passer that can distribute it out effectively.
Drew Paulson – F/C – Flight Academy
A truly dominant big man that could not be stopped at times in the paint. With his size, strength, and physicality, Paulson simply overpowered multiple defenders at a time to score at a high rate including 21 points in his opening game of the tournament. More than just an interior scorer, he defended the paint well contesting everything, was big on the glass rebounding, and got to the free throw line often and knocked them down.
Kellan Russell – G/F – NESYB
An incredibly versatile player that was doing it all for his team throughout the weekend. With his size, length, and agility he is a tough defender that can get all over the ball and is very tough to beat. He can match up with nearly anyone on the floor and was effective pressure the ball coming up with plenty of steals for himself. Russell also has good handle and played well attacking the paint.
Johnny Udoiwod – PG – Illinois Flight
Not only is Udoiwod a strong scorer on the attack but also made a huge impact on the defensive end. With his moves and quickness, he was often getting to the basket and finishing in the half-court game and in transition. Defenders could just not stay in front of him and he finished the ball very well getting all the way to the basket as well as around the paint. Udoiwod was also incredibly active on the defensive side pressuring the ball and was a disruptive force.
Lincoln Waldsworth – F – Martin Brothers
Another incredibly key piece for this championship winning 11U Martin Brothers squad. He is a big, long, and aggressive forward that dominated inside for long stretches but also has a good array of skills. Whether it be posting up or on put backs, he could just not be stopped from scoring in multiple games.