And finally, we are down to the final two teams remaining to battle it out for the PRO16 League 17u Championship. Today, at 11:30 AM at Iowa West Fieldhouse, 1Family (FL) and AAO Flight (AR) will square off for the third time this season and this time – play for their age division championship game. Everybody remembers what happened in Wichita – with Layne Taylor exploding onto the national stage, Ty Robinson’s recruitment soaring and AAO defeating the once-seemingly unbeatable 1Family squad that had dominated nearly every team they had faced up until that point. Then in Houston – just a few months later – 1Family got its long-awaited revenge with a controlled victory in front of a large crowd.

For AAO Flight, it’s really hard to bet against 2024 PG Layne Taylor in any setting, but it’s safe to say his hands will be full heading into this one. All year long, Taylor has gotten anywhere he’s wanted on the court offensively, creating constant advantages for his team equally as a passer and scorer. The shooting of Ty Robinson (FAU commit) will be huge in this one – as per usual. The 6’4 shooting guard has the ability to shift the momentum of a game entirely when he gets hot from beyond the arc, and he’ll need to be on one today. 2024 Owen Dehrmann has shot the ball at a really efficient clip all tournament long, 2024 BJ Woodruff has been a welcome addition to the fold with the handle that allows Layne Taylor to play off the ball and run off movement, and 2024s Jadyn Haney and Ornette Gaines do all the dirty work defensively and excel in transition. Gaines and Haney will be relied upon heavily defensively today and on the glass as rebounders. Look for 2024s Isaiah McLemore and Mason Simpson to knock down timely threes off the bench.

For 1Family, the team is back playing its best basketball of the year – and after taking a punch from a hungry Tulsa Hawks group yesterday – responded back with a fiery run to end the game and handled a tough Las Vegas Knicks group from start to finish. There has been no drop-off in production from 2024 6’5 Isaiah Brown (Florida commit) over the past few weeks – actually maybe a slight increase – and 2024 6’10 Asa Newell is dominating on the interior on both ends of the floor while flashing his translatable skillset to the next level. 2024s Isaac Celiscar, LJ Cason, Ryan Blount, Kameren Wright, Zion Mitchell, and Marc Angueki have been as solid as ever in their respective roles, with Celiscar potentially picking up the Layne Taylor assignment defensively for his squad. Cason will look to take advantage of AAO’s guards and rack up paint touches, while Blount and Mitchell will be relied upon to knock down timely shots from deep. Kameren Wright has the type of motor that when he starts getting out in transition – elevates the rest of his game.

STAFF PICKS

Ethan: 1Family

Aidan: 1Family

John: AAO Flight

Steve: 1Family

Carter: AAO Flight

Justin: 1Family

Damion: 1Family

Matt: 1Family

Kyle: AAO Flight