Big Shots Philly Pride Report

* Any college coach seeking additional information on any players, including projected collegiate level, may make an inquiry at necorridorhoops@gmail.com

*All class of 2022 prospects unless noted

Kaden Claar 6’0 Shooting Guard (Laurel Highland Storm/Portage HS): Claar made his presence felt on both sides of the ball in Laurel Highland Storm’s victory over Penn Playmakers. Has the ability to score the ball in a variety of different ways. While he does not shoot three-pointers at a high rate, only attempting 3.2 attempts per game this past high school season, he does make spot-up treys at a good percentage. Drained a spot-up three from the corner when given too much space by an opponent. Also has good instincts cutting to the hoop or being in position for an offensive rebound. Had three offensive rebounds, one of them resulting in a putback layup. Also scored on a layup off a backdoor cut when an opponent overplayed the passing lane. Claar has a knack for being in the right place at the right time which he showed by scoring the game-winning layup with six seconds left on a drop-off from a teammate in the lane. Finished the contest with 18 points. While he did not make any mid-range pull-ups in this game, he showed this past high school season that he can make them at a very good rate. Defensively, Claar is active around the ball to create steals. Had a theft in transition when an opponent mishandled a pass, and stole another one from an opponent when coming over to double him in the post. Following his game-winning layup, Claar helped seal the victory with a steal when the opposing player lost his dribble and it landed right in Claar’s hands. Had four steals in the game, and averaged 1.9 per game this past high school season.

Edwin Suarez 6’6 Power Forward (Penn Playmakers/Muhlenberg HS): Suarez was a handful for Laurel Highland Storm all game with his size in the paint. Has a soft touch around the basket, finishing at an efficient rate on shots close to the rim. Hit a turnaround jumper off the glass when on the block, in addition to finishing a layup when rolling off of a ball screen. Suarez also shows some flashes of being able to make plays off the dribble. Used a nice crossover move on a drive from the top of the key to get by an opponent and finish at the rim with his left hand. Had a strong drive from the baseline to draw a shooting foul when attempting a reverse layup. Defensively, Suarez uses his size and length to force opponents into lower percentage attempts when guarding them, in addition to making a solid impact on the glass. He blocked an opponent’s shot when they tried to rise up over him for a foul line jumper. Suarez finished with eight rebounds in the game, four of them coming on the offensive end, scoring second chance layups on each of them.

Nix Varano 6’3 Shooting Guard (Philly Pride Gold/LaSalle College HS): Varano spaced the floor very well for Philly Pride Gold in their win over Adirondack Wild. He is a knockdown three-point shooter when spotting up, while needing very little time and space to get his shot off. Hit three spot-up treys, one in transition from the wing, one in the halfcourt from the wing, and one from the top of the key. Varano showed this past high school season and in this game that he can hit threes off the dribble in transition effectively. Drained a one dribble three from the wing on the break on a heavy contest from an opponent. He has also made strides making plays off the dribble both for himself and others. Had a strong drive from the top of the key for a finger roll layup, in addition to another nice take from the top of the key to draw a shooting foul. Made a beautiful cross court pass off the dribble to a teammate in the corner for a trey, along with hitting the pop man off a ball screen for a three from near the top of the key. Finished the game with 16 points and 3 assists.

Mason Courtney 6’4 Combo Guard (Adirondack Wild/Shenendehowa HS): Courtney used his versatile offensive game to put constant pressure on Philly Pride Gold in Adirondack Wild’s loss. Has a quick first step, using it to get by opponents consistently and finish at a good rate around the rim. Had a pair of straight line drives to get by opponents, finishing a tough layup through contact and drawing a shooting foul close to the basket. Courtney also has a smooth mid-range game with his jumper. Drained a two dribble pull-up from the baseline, in addition to hitting a nice step back jumper on an opponent from 12 feet. If opponents play him off to take away his penetration ability, he can also hit three-pointers at a solid rate when spotting up. Nailed a trey from the top of the key when he was left open against the opponent’s zone, as well as hitting a long ball spotting up from the corner when a teammate stole the ball from an opponent. Finished the contest with 22 points. Is also a good passer who can make others better. Had a pair of assists on drive and kicks to teammates from the corner and wing, and also hit an open teammate cutting to the hoop for a layup on a baseline out of bounds play. Defensively, Courtney uses his lateral quickness to limit opponents from getting dribble penetration on him and is rarely out of position when making his rotations on this end.

Ayden Harrison 6’9 Power Forward (Adirondack Wild/Christian Brothers Academy): Harrison did a commendable job of protecting the rim, and showed intriguing offensive upside during Adirondack Wild’s loss to Philly Pride Gold. Has very good timing and instincts when going to block opponents’ shots. One one play after an opponent made a spin move on a teammate, Harrison came over from the help side to block the shot; on another play, Harrison rejected another opponent’s shot at the rim on a drive from the wing. Also had a third block when the opponent tried to elevate over the top of him when posting up on the block. While Harrison is not the strongest player, he still rebounds the ball at a solid rate doing the best he can to use his size to box out opponents and gain advantageous position. Offensively, he has good mobility for his size allowing him to finish high percentage layups on cuts to the basket. Scored on a pair of layups on cuts to the basket coming hard off screens in the mid post, in addition to finishing another layup cutting off a screen on a baseline out of bounds play. Shows flashes of being able to put the ball on the floor when attacking closeouts. Had a straight line drive from the corner to get by an opponent and finish a runner with his left hand. Scored 10 points in the game. While he did not make any three-pointers in the contest, he has shown potential in this area as he has decent form and made spot up three-pointers on low volume this past high school season.

Ronnie Burwan 6’4 Combo Guard 2021 (/L&L Running Rebels-Open/Timothy Christian School): Burwan battled till the end in L&L Running Rebels’ loss to Sharon Knights. Is very effective as a three-point shooter when spotting up. Hit a pair of spot up treys in the game. The first came from the wing when the ball got swung to him after a teammate got an offensive rebound. Burwan’s other long ball also came from the wing, showing a quick release with a heavy contest by an opponent. He also can get to the rim and finish at a good rate when opponents close out too hard on him. Had a nice drive from the wing to finish through contact after his team broke the opponent’s press, in addition to having another take from the top of the key to draw a shooting foul. Burwan does a solid job of playing intense defense leading to easy offense for his team. Stole a lazy cross court pass by an opponent to take it the other way to finish an and-1 with his left hand, as well as doubling the ball in the halfcourt, forcing a steal and getting rewarded with a layup on the break. Finished the game with 19 points and three steals. While Burwan only had one assist in the contest, he has shown in high school to be a solid playmaker who finds teammates well on drop-offs in the lane for layups and drive and kicks for three-pointers. Averaged nearly three assists per game this past high school season.

Jevin Muniz 6’5 Shooting Guard (Philly Pride UAA/Executive Education Academy): Muniz looks to have been a welcomed addition for Philly Pride UAA, playing a key role in their championship win over Laurel Highland Storm. Is an outstanding shooter when spotting up, making opponents pay when helping off him against Philly Pride’s other talented guards in the lane. Drained a three-pointer from the wing on a drive and kick from a teammate in the halfcourt. Also hit a pair of spot up treys in transition from the wing. He showcased his improved athleticism with a one hand slam in transition when running the break hard. Finished the contest with 15 points. Muniz can also make plays for others with his court vision. Hit a teammate for a give and go layup after catching the ball on the block, in addition to finding a cutting teammate for an and-1 on a drive from the baseline. Averaged 5.1 assists this past high school season. His athleticism improvement has also helped him on the defensive end doing a better job of staying in front of quicker players at his position.

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