GASO: Venzant, Liddell, Cunningham and more

San Antonio - Analyst Blue Zertuche breaks down the game of Daniel Venzant, Gerald Liddell and Brock Cunningham. Check back on TexasHoops.com for more player recaps.

Daniel Venzant finished with 33 as he powered his way to the basket against Nike D1 Premier in a one-point victory (76-75) and dropped 35 versus Houston Defenders 16U in a 79-72 loss. Venzant was able to use his body and get to the free-throw line to hit a combined 22-of-29 in those two games, and he added a few three-pointers along the way. Suiting up for TX D1 Ambassadors-West Texas, Venzant's game is based on speed and getting to the paint drawing contact.

"I feel comfortable getting the ball to my teammates and scoring when I have to," said Venzant. "I try to get the defense off balance and get them on their heels. I look to attack the basket to score and make plays for my teammates."

When racing up the court, the 5-foot-9 point guard from Midland Christian, used his upper body to create the contact with his opponents and take them with him to the basket. He has a strong body for his size and bounces off defenders. He has a good feel for the game making passing in traffic to teammates and sets them up for easy scores. Venzant can go too fast at times, but he is hard to deal with when he is poised.

Venzant said that the only offer he holds is from Sam Houston State.

The state's No.2 ranked player in the class of 2018, Gerald Liddell of HARDWORK (San Antonio) showed flashes of high-level playmaking ability, and would have an NBA executive drool over his raw talent that goes along with his length and skill. Liddell does coast from time to time, but he turns on the switch when he needs to. Liddell had scoring outputs of 23 (vs Texas Thunder), 20 (vs Texas PRO 17), and 13 (vs Urban ASAK 17U), in the three games for HARDWORK. Out of his 56 total points, only nine came from behind the arc, and he made 20-of-31 free throws.

The 6-foot-7 Cibolo Steele product was extremely productive heading to the basket where he allowed himself to fight through contact to get to the free-throw line. He gets on the boards and is good for a couple of tip dunks per game. Liddell also has a great mid-range game.

During the high school season, Liddell plays inside and out, but with HARDWORK, he is out on the wing showing a more aggressive style.

"I do whatever I need to for my teammates, and this team is a big team with size and it allows me to play on the wing. During the season, I do what coach (Lonny) Hubbard ask me to do, and here I am getting ready for college, and in college, I will be a wing."

Liddell list Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, TCU, Baylor, and Arizona as offers.

The TexasHoops.com staff has already crowned Brock Cunningham the toughest player in the entire state by his tenacious style of play. The 6-foot-7 power forward who suits up for Urban ASAK 17U will lean on his opponents and sacrifices his body for a rebound or to make a hustle play. When you watch Cunningham leave the court after a game, you can measure his success not by his number of points in the box score, but by the number of scratches and bruises he has visible.

On the offensive side of the ball, Cunningham brings his hard-nosed play with him, but he is developing more into a stretch four with the ability to take his game down low. The Austin Westlake standout was exciting to watch as he revealed off the dribble skill and the ability to finish in traffic as he made his way to the rim (see below).

Cunningham is not a finished product and he has a high ceiling. The current 26th ranked player in the 2018 class has some room to move up, and may wind up being a top 10 player state if he continues to show more explosive moves to the basket.

Houston Defenders 16's 69 Texas Tigers Gold 67

The Texas Tigers were 1.9 ticks away from having the upset of the tournament, but when the ball was given to Bryson Etienne in the right corner with space, the TexasHoops.com No.10 ranked player in the state finished 21 points with four three-pointers.

Carter Elite 17 74 RYTES Warriors 69

Burone Edwards (2017 San Antonio Roosevelt) dropped 22 and Aundre Jenkins hit 20. Edwards was explosive to the basket finishing above the rim and knocking in shots behind the arc. George Wilkerson scored 18 points. Wilkerson is a long athletic forward who can leap off the floor and finish through contact.