There were plenty of standouts from the highly competitive 16U field at the first session of the NY2LA Grassroots Showdown Series. Here are ten of the top performers. 

Steven Clay – TH-2022 – G/F
Highly talented 6’4” wing that gets a lot done on both ends of the floor. Clay greatly impressed with his defensive ability on the perimeter as he is so tough to get by but also forced plenty of turnovers with his length and quickness. Scores the ball well with a smooth jumper from three and glides to the basket with long strides. 

Connor Essegian – Focus Premier – G
Skilled scorer with a good all-around game. Essegian has some size at the guard position at 6’4” plus some bounce. He did a good amount of his damage attacking the basket. Was able to get into the paint often and finish around the rim nicely. Defenders struggled defending him off the dribble. However, the junior can also make defenders pay by knocking down jumpers from the perimeter with a quick release. In addition to scoring the basketball, the shooting guard contributed with his passing and rebounding from the guard position.

Amhad Jarrard – George Hill All Indy – G
Skilled guard with some size at 6’4”. With all his skills, he can make a big impact playing on or off the ball. Jarrard is at his best attacking the basket. Has good quickness plus he does a good job changing direction and speed to get by his man often. Explosive athlete that finishes strong above the rim. 

Jagger Landers – Focus Premier – F
Versatile 6’6” forward who proved he gets plenty done on the floor. Scored the ball well inside and out. He showed off a good-looking jumper from deep knocking down multiple threes. Though, Landers also scored the ball around the paint posting up and on dump-offs to score in good numbers. He rebounds well around him as well as out of area, really attacking missed shots. 

Rob Pulliam – Midwest Prospect Academy – G
Highly explosive and electric playmaking point guard with great athleticism and quickness. Strong with the ball and attacks the basket hard. Quick first step and gets to the rim in a hurry. Beats his man often to score at the rim and create for his teammates. Pulliam gets up and finishes at the rim with his great bounce. 

Donavan Short – TH-2022 – PF/C
Short is a 6’9” post that showed more and more abilities over the two days. Not only can he score it strong on the block, but Short can also put it on the floor and drives it well to the basket for his size. Has some good strong post moves to score it well with his back to the basket. Quality rim protector who blocked several shots and altered even more. Plays with a good motor and runs the floor hard. 

Jordan Streeter – Illinois Jaguars – G/F
Long and athletic wing that can get so much done on the floor to make a huge impact. Tough matchup with all of his abilities and size at 6’6”. Very good at taking defenders off the dribble and finishing at the rim at a high rate, but can also hit jumpers from three. Good versatile defender who showed the ability to take on smaller quicker players but could also matchup with stronger opponents. A name college coaches will want to be familiar with moving forward. 

Brady Titus – UTS Elite – G
Titus showed some impressive point guard skills and is very good with the ball in his hands. Very quick with the ball and handles it strong. He knows where to go with the basketball and does a nice job of getting everyone involved. Attacks the basket well and also knows when to pull up and hit shots off the dribble. Does a lot to contribute on the floor. 

Seth Trimble – TH-2022 – G
Incredibly explosive point guard that greatly impressed on both days of the tournament. Trimble is so difficult to defend out on the perimeter with all of his abilities. He has tight handle and tremendous acceleration to simply blow by his man with ease. Gets to the rim in a hurry and finishes above the rim with great athleticism. Puts great pressure on defenses as he is always attacking and is so difficult to stay in front of. Also showed off his ability to hit the three to be a very dynamic scorer. One of the top 2022 guards in the Midwest. 

Elijah Whitley – Yanders Law – G
Talented guard who showed a good ability to score the basketball in bunches. Has good quickness plus great acceleration to get to the basket in a hurry and beat his defender often. Highly active and athletic guard who is able to finish around the rim. Able to put up points in big numbers as he can also shoot the ball from the perimeter.