Christian Nelson (Atlanta Knicks)Basketball Spotlight spent our final day at the 12U Nationals checking out the Sweet 16 battles. Here are some of the players that caught our eye before we left Hampton.
Day 5 Top Performers
Christian Nelson Forward (Atlanta Knicks)- Nelson played big in their overtime loss to Cali Styles. He attacked the huge squad with Charles Barkley type of style. He had the face up jumper working and showed some versatility before severely injuring his ankle at the end of regulation. I love how this kid attacks slow but smoothly off the dribble.
Zach Cooks Guard (Atlanta Knicks)- One of the top floor generals in the land proved his worth in front of the capacity crowd. He zipped through the defense while finishing or distributing the pill to teammates. As mentioned before Cooks is an extension of the coach on the floor. This kid is a gamer. 
Al Durham Guard (Atlanta Knicks)- The slick lefty broke down defenders with his quickness and ability to change direction. He gets to the rim at will and I love the fact that he wants the ball in crucial situations. He has big time scoring ability.
Nogel Eastern Guard (AI9)-Eastern came up big down the stretch to knock out CBC. The strong scoring guard attacked along the baseline and either scored or traveled to the charity stripe. He stepped his game up when it mattered.
Reggie Crawford Forward (AI9)- Crawford is too quick for most post defenders. He plays with is back to the basket and demonstrates a strong spin move. He has long limbs which indicate he should have more inches to grow in the future. Either way he will be good for him to work on his wing game. 
Jared Simmons Guard (CBC)- Simmons is a confident shooter that will launch it as soon as the ball touches his hands. He stretched the defense with his range but also showed some heart by attempting some floaters in the lane. He can get a little too trigger happy at times.
