Adidas Invitational: Day 1 Recap

The first July evaluation period kicked off in Indianapolis, IN yesterday where the high schools are as big as some colleges and the middle schools are the size of most high schools. Some of the top action took place at North Central High and Northview Middle School under the eye of Billy Donovan, Bill Self, Thad Matta, and a plethora of other D-1 head and assistant coaches. Day 1is in the books:

Game of the Day:

In a 17U Super Pool game, the Memphis Magic Elite held on at the end to beat the Eric Gordon All-Stars 64-61. Despite having a large crowd contingent on hand, the Eric Gordon All-Stars could not capitalize on a Memphis turnover with 15 seconds and down one point.

Comeback of the Day:

Devonte Graham

Garner Roads came back from a 9 point halftime deficit to defeat the New Orleans Elite by 10 points. Garner Roads looked half asleep through the first 12 minutes of the first half as they fell behind 20-10. At the 4 minute mark, Garner Roads got a few consecutive buckets and the team seemed to pick up their energy. Down 29-20 at the half, the Garner Road guards picked up the slack for missing guard Anton Gill, especially 6’2” Devonte Graham who hit a few 3 pointers. Garner Roads took the lead, 43-42 with 4 minutes left and cruised to a victory the rest of the way. 5-star UNC commit, Isaiah Hicks had a solid game mixing in 15 foot jump shots with athletic drives to the basket. He also had a handful of blocks. 

Statement of the Day:

The 16U Louisville Magic squad jumped on the Compton Magic to kick off the 5pm action. By halftime, Louisville had scored 53 points and was already up 20 points. Guards DeAngelo Russell and Quentin Snider suffocated Compton with their defensive pressure and attacked at all times on the offensive end. The Louisville squad showed they are serious about defending their championship. 

Surprise of the Day:

Coming off a dominant Lebron James Skills Academy performance, star 2014 forward, Noah Vonleh struggled mightily against the Atlanta Celtics. Vonleh scored on a few put-backs, but for the most part settled for contested three-pointers which did not connect. Vonleh was also careless with the ball and committed a handful of turnovers. Despite this performance, the talent that Vonleh possesses was evident. Vonleh spent time bringing the ball up the court for his Mass Rivals team, while also playing on the wing and in the post. While his outside shot was not on, he did show the ability to play both inside and outside.

Dunk of the Day:

In the Northview middle school gym with coaches ranging from Kentucky to Cal Poly, the 16U Ohio Basketball Club and Dream Vision teams faced off. At one point in the first half big man Ray Kasongo, of Ohio Basketball Club threw down a vicious one hand power jam over a hapless Dream Vision defender. The dunk came off one power dribble and woke the crowd and the coaches up.