5 Champions - Superstar Leaders of Their Packs from 6th Grade AAU Nationals

Kyree Walker the versatile 6’3 165lbs Swiss-army knife of the Oakland Soldiers  and who scouts refer to as possibly the “most promising prospect in the class of 2020”  - used his frame and immense skill set to drop two triple doubles during the Soldiers run at the national championship. He continued to do things with the ball that players his size only dream about and on the national stage his ability to operate on the wing, act as the primary ball handler, or provide facilitation from anywhere on the floor solidified Walker as a national fixture a top the ranking boards. Walker’s dominance while leading the Soldiers to the championship came with the realization and focus on exploiting mismatches; all week and all year for that matter – Walker shot over small guards, drove by bigs, and finished in the lane and mid-range over anyone standing in his way.  The 1-2 punch of Walker and Morrow was best tandem of the tournament.

Dillon Dipena is a star in any system any style star; already taking the country by storm after a 2^nd place appearance in the 7^th grade D1 nationals with City Stars playing up a year; Dipena has further impressed with another phenomenal showing as a member of the 2020 Oakland Soldiers.  Dillon literally played all over the floor and scored from all over the floor.  He dominated as a rebounder and was especially effective on the offensive glass.  Due to Dipena’s high motor he will not be denied, every game he was relentless in his effort and his attacks – a player who is capable of taking the ball off the glass, handle it in transition, and finish for you if needed and can also throw the no-look pass off the dribble which we witnessed multiple times. He does everything he’s asked to do and care nothing about accolades or stats even with him being a stat sheet stuffer; he only cares about winning.  One of the best at transitioning from offensive to defense he is difference maker and game changer on both end.

Jaden Springer proved again that he is one of the nation’s top players; the name Jaden Springer is quickly becoming synonymous with winning his finals runner up was preceded by a 5^th grade national championship title as well as a 3^rd place D2 7^th grade finish with the same team we say in the 6^th grade national championship.  Please understand this is no coincidence, the intensity and will to win is next level and contagious to teammates, coaches, and fans.  Throughout the tournament his high flying antics seemed effortless.  From his diving on the floor to his swoops to the basket there is no one who plays harder than Springer period.  Every game we watched a consistent scorer and contributor and never took a bad shot – he shot an excellent percentage taking what the defense gave while playing his best against the best when his team needed it the most.  His natural ability was apparent the kids is special in ways beyond the basketball court, you will see and hear from the player again on a championship level. 

Had WACG captured the national championship Burnett would easily have been considered the MVP of the tournament.  He amazed all week with his consistency and the ability to not only sense when a big play or shot was needed but to step up each and every time to knock it down.  No situation was too big and he may not have touched the rim on any of his jump shots. Having seen him earlier this year we can qualify that his scoring prowess is emerging as one of the nation premier shooters and scorers, the progression is similar to a young Steph Curry prior to his conversion to the lead guard position. His length and strength  and breakdown ability keeps defenses off balance.  Namari also boast a very high basketball IQ knowing when to push and when to pull; he thinks the game just as well as he plays it.  We spoke to his trainer and found out he works with an individual who has developed multiple pro’s – this makes sense to watching the overall skill set of Burnett.  Our analysis earlier this year was the Burnett needed to develop that “killer instinct” – we apologize to the rest of the country; this was on display during his run for the national championship and only means bad things for competitors in the future.

Juwon Carpenter WACG’s tough and nasty point guard displayed quickness and speed in the open court, his handle could not be questioned and he showed a firm understanding of how to use that handles and the different passing angles to kill opponents with or without scoring a single point.  When he turns on the switch and goes into his scoring mode he was very difficult to contain and propels his team to another level with him at the lead position.  We like his knock down shooting ability and we can see the catch and shoot skill set along with the ability to get into the lane on penetration.  Carpenter thrived in the fast tempo game but showed equal skill in settling down the team and running them in the half court.  Very complete players and with his size and length has a bigtime future on this stage on the national ranking boards.