UA Summer Jam: Playoff Edition

In an old-school Adidas match-up and with a Summer Jam quarterfinal berth on the line, DC Assault and the Atlanta Celtics squared off in the final game of the night. Despite the lights being out in the main gym and the majority of coaches and spectators already having left the premise, this game did not disappoint. Down two points and the clock ticking down, point guard Nate Britt calmly dribbled to his left and nailed a game winning 3 pointer from the top of the key as time expired. This shot sent the Celtics home and gave DC Assault at least one more game. Despite struggling in both of his playoff games, Britt came through with a clutch play at the end of the game. 

Shaqquan - Kelly Kline/Under Armour

While Britt had the play of the day, if it had not been for his teammates Roddy Peters and Robert Johnson, DC Assault would not have been in a position to win against the Celtics and most likely would have bowed out in the first round of the playoffs to LAX Hoops. This game featured a NBA coaching match-up of Eddie Jordan, the former Wizards and 76ers coach and Reggie Theus Jr., the former Kings coach pacing the sidelines in Homestead High’s auxiliary gym. LAX Hoops was led by the tall and sinewy Shaqquan Aaron who spent the game driving to the basket for one handed dunks in traffic and nailing high arching three pointers. Aaron was definitely one of the cockiest players on the day and even turned around to walk down the court before his 3-pointer had found the basket at one point. Fortunately for Eddie Jordan, former Wizard Gilbert Arenas is the only player that can make a three while turning his back on the basket. Despite Aaron’s strong play, Roddy Peters, a 2^nd team All-Met selection led DC Assault with steady forays to the basket. Despite hurting his shoulder with 2 minutes left, Peters gave DC Assault a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Saturday’s action featured buzzer beaters, overtime games, and highly contentious match-ups. While the stars came out to play let’s take a look at the players that do not receive top billing on their team, but who still play an integral part in their teams success:

Damontre Jefferson (Milwaukee Rebels)

Despite being the shortest player on the court at 5’7,” this fire cracker could not be contained in either of his team’s playoff games. Early in the morning against the Las Vegas Prospects, the Rebels were down almost double digits and looked as if they were going to make an early exit as the hometown team. Jefferson had other thoughts and brought his team back by creating steals that led to breakaway lay-ups and hitting from deep several times. Jefferson used his crafty dribbling to blow by defenders and then used his leaping ability to finish at the rim no matter the size of the defender. 

Robert Johnson (DC Assault)

This 2^nd team all-State Virginia Preps selection might not be widely known outside of the East Coast, but his knock down shooting helped his team to a quarterfinal playoff berth. Johnson led the state of Virginia in three-pointers the past two years which apparently the Atlanta Celtics were not aware of. Starting off the game in a 2-3 zone, Johnson hit threes from both wings in the first few minutes and drained several more over the course of the game. With starting guard Roddy Peters most likely out for the final day, Johnson will get several more chances to show off his stroke to coaches outside Virginia.

TJ Haws (Utah Reign)

A 2014 shooting guard, TJ Haws is often mentioned behind high school and AAU teammate Nick Emery, both BYU commits. Despite not getting the attention of Emery, Haws was dynamic in a win over Team Nebraska featuring Akoy Agau and the Wisconsin Swing who featured future Wisconsin guard Bronson Koenig. Haws did it all whether it was hitting threes from deep or slicing to the basket for an athletic finish over the 6’9” Agau. Haws also took it to the Big 10 boys on the Swing and will be matched-up with the Harrison twins to start off the quarterfinals.

Other Notes:

While there was a lack of quality shooters at the Adidas Invitational, the same cannot be said about the NY2LA UA Summer Jam. The first day of playoffs started with Iowa State commit, Matt Thomas hitting nine three-pointers. Yes, nine! He followed that up at night with at least four three pointers despite being hounded by defenders at all times. Aaron Harrison also hit six three pointers in the first half of one of his games. Other top shooters included Bronson Koenig, Nick Emery, Jared Jones, and mentioned above TJ Haws and Robert Johnson.