The names might
have changed, but the results are still the same. Class of 2013 stars Kasey Hill and Chris Walker are off to the University of Florida, but their Florida
Elite AAU teams is still winning tournament championships. This past weekend in the northern Chicago
suburbs, Florida Elite took home another spring title with a victory over the
Nashville Celtics. In the April, Florida Elite also took home the hardware at
the Adidas VIP classic (just like in 2012) and will enter the Adidas Invitational
in July with a target on their backs. They are led by small forwards Dante Buford and Brandone Francis who both gained notoriety this past high school
season playing for Arlington Country Day in Florida. While Florida Elite
dominated the team play, let’s take a look at five individuals that performed
well:
Jefferson
was the smallest player each time he stepped on the court, but also the most
energetic and entertaining from an offensive standpoint. The tiny point guard
knocked down several three-pointers from behind the NBA line with ease and got
to wherever he wanted on the court with his ball-handling ability. Off of
penetration Jefferson showed a soft floater, but normally liked to attack the
basket and any defenders that stood in his way. When attacking the basket, he jumped
from his left foot and showed off his extreme hops with either a lay-up or a
trip to the foul line. While Jefferson wowed the crowd, he did force difficult
shots which led to fast break opportunities for the opponent. He also did not
show much interest in playing defense (actually it was the least amount seen
all spring) and often hovered by the three-point line without guarding a
defender. Overall, Jefferson is extremely entertaining to watch on the
offensive end from a fan’s standpoint, but needs work on decision making and
defensive effort to become a complete point guard.
Kevon
Looney, 6’8”, F, 2014, Milwaukee Rebels
With all of
the five star talents competing in Dallas and Minnesota over Memorial Day
weekend, Looney was left to fend for himself in Chicago. Despite the watered
down talent, Looney did not disappoint. He used his quickness to blow by
defenders from the top of the key and then also his long arms to control the
boards and block shots. Looney was always active on both sides of the ball and
led his team to a final four berth. He is a great athlete that is still trying
to adept to taking on more of an advanced role from the wing position on the
offensive end. Over the weekend, Looney showed off his penetrating skills but
will need to continue to work on improving the consistency of his outside shot.
Eron Gordon,
6’3”, G, 2016, Eric Gordon All-Stars
Gordon
definitely doesn’t look like he just finished his freshman year and definitely
doesn’t play like it either. In a Saturday morning game, Gordon quickly took
charge and scored in a variety of ways showing that he was comfortable knocking
in three’s from the wing or scoring off the dribble. One of the elite scorers
in the class of 2016, Gordon showed strong body control in the paint to avoid
getting blocked by defenders. Talent wise, he could turn out to be the best
Gordon brother, but it will be interesting to see his physical and mental
improvement over the course of time.
J.P. Macura,
6’4”, SG, 2014, Minnesota D1
Macura liked
to show off during warm-ups with high flying dunk attempts and deep high arcing
three’s, but he also delivered once the game started. Standing at 6’4” with
long arms, Macura took advantage of his defender’s shorter reach throughout the
game. In the first half of a pool play game, Macura drove baseline twice and
executed several highlight reel reverse lay-ups in traffic. In the second half
he took his defender into the post a few times while also utilizing a nasty
right to left cross-over for a 15 foot jump shot. Macura plays with confidence
and proved that his high scoring junior year in Minnesota was no fluke. While
he needs to gain added upper body strength, Macura could see an increased
interest in the July period from schools in the Midwest.
Delshon
Strickland, 6’4”, SG, 2014, Minnesota D1
Another 6’4”
player from Minnesota D1 that could see an increased amount of interest during
July is Delshon Strickland. While not as flashy on the court as Macura, he gets
the job done. Strickland’s strength lies in attacking the basket from the wing
and does so using his speed and quickness. He is also the type of player that
you can stick on the other team’s top player without a second thought. Quick
and aggressive, Strickland will look to parlay an impressive spring into a
stellar summer.
The final
installment of the Nike EYBL takes place this Memorial Day Weekend outside of
Minneapolis, MN as teams try to position themselves for a coveted spot in the Nike
Peach Jam. 24 teams make the prestigious Peach Jam tournament which will take
place during the first live recruiting period of July. With many teams lumped
together in the standings the five games played by each team will go a long way
in determining the make-up of Nike’s playoff. After two months of competition,
here is a look at some of the most intriguing storylines this weekend:
Top Games:
Team Takeover (13-0) vs.
Meanstreets (9-4)
Time: Friday, 9pm
Dion Wiley - Takeover
Team
Takeover is the lone remaining undefeated team in the EYBL at 13-0. Last year
CIA Bounce entered their last EYBL session with a similar 13-0 record and got
trounced by Meanstreets on the opening night in the Bay Area 68-49. This year,
Takeover looks to avoid that same fate. The undefeated team from DC is led by
sharp-shooter Dion Wiley who is
currently averaging 14.1 ppg while shooting 48.1% from the three-point line. On
the opposite wing is guard Phil Booth
who is averaging 10.6 ppg and is shooting 45.5% from three.Getting the ball to these sharp shooters is
the recent Georgetown commit, Tre
Campbell who is averaging 4.1 assists per game with a 2.7 assist to
turnover ratio. On the other side, is the Chicago based squad who is looking to
knock off another team from the undefeated ranks. Tyler Ulis leads the way with 15.7 ppg and 5.5 apg. Despite
standing only 5’8”, Ulis can get into the lane at will which leads to easy
baskets for his teammates or frequent trips to the foul line. Just like last
year, Meanstreets has the potential to cause an upset on the first night.
Each 1 Teach 1 (9-4) vs. Mac
Irvin Fire (7-6)
Time: Sunday, 8am
Two of the
most talented teams face off bright and early Sunday morning. E1T1 blew through
its opposition two weeks ago in Dallas by an average of 24 points per game.
They already featured a top notch backcourt in Joel Berry and D’Angelo
Russell, but recently picked up Grayson
Allen and big man Trayvon Reed.
To go along with these highly ranked players, E1T1 received breakout
performances from small forward Boubacar
Moungoro and power forward Michael
Gilmore. This heavily balanced team will go against a Mac Irvin team that
is finally at full strength. The top two big men in the country finally teamed
up in Dallas, and despite losing their first two games, Jahlil Okafor and Cliff
Alexander were a treat to watch. Both players averaged near double-doubles
and after winning their last two games could be ready for a long win streak.
Top Match-ups:
Theo Pinson (CP3) vs. Rashad
Vaughn (Wisconsin Playground Elite)
Time: Sunday, 11am
Two of the
top wings in the country get to go at it on Sunday morning. Playing in his home
state, Rashad Vaughn will look to cement his place as the premier wing in
America and prove that he has overtaken all of the players like Pinson that
were ranked higher earlier in their careers. This past Wednesday, Pinson
committed to the University of North Carolina after being a top target for the
past three years. While Pinson recently committed the Tar Heel staff had seemed
to make Vaughn their top target over the past five months with both players taking
visits during the same weekend in March. Vaughn is currently averaging 19.2
points and 6.4 rebounds per game despite facing constant double teams and box-and-one
defenses. Pinson on the other hand is averaging 13.6 points and 5.5 rebounds
per game. Vaughn will look to show off his offensive prowess and one up one of
the better defenders in the EYBL.
Malik Newman (Jackson) vs.
Allonzo Trier (Athlete’s First)
Time: Saturday, 11am
These two
standout guards in the class of 2015 are also two of the premier scorers in the
EYBL. Newman currently leads the league with 23.7 points per game, while Trier
is not far behind with 19.2 points per game. Both guards can score in multiple
ways and like the ball in their hand on the offensive end. In Dallas, Newman
put on the most impressive scoring display seen this year with 36 points in 24
minutes. This scoring barrage was still not enough to top the 37 points put up
by Trier a few hours earlier. Both players are the stars of their teams and
they will each get their fair share of shots.
See You Later:
ICP Elite (4-9)
Despite
adding two highly ranked players from Southern California in Daniel Hamilton and Tyler Dorsey last session, ICP stands
at 4-9 and is most likely out of the running for the Peach Jam. Despite their
lackluster record, ICP could prove to be one of the more entertaining teams this
weekend. To go along with Hamilton and Dorsey, is an ICP regular in Kameron Chatman. While Chatman’s EYBL
rise is no surprise, he has been quietly gaining steam each weekend and will
most likely see a nice jump in the recruiting rankings. Standing at 6’8”
Chatman is currently averaging 15.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. ICP ends
their session on Memorial Day Monday against Each 1 Teach 1.
Southern Stampede (5-8)
The team from
Georgia stands just 5-8 despite having stockpiled a plethora of talent from the
southeast. This team is led by studs such as Jalen Lindsay, Ahmad Hill,
and Jakeenan Gant and also added two
guards from the Florida Elite program in Lance
Tejada and Adonis Hernandez for
a few games in Dallas. After suffering an opening night loss to Seattle Rotary
in Dallas, the Stampede reeled off three consecutive wins. Small forward
Lindsay had one of the most impressive weekends averaging 18.5 points on 53%
shooting. Their last game comes on Monday morning against the Mac Irvin Fire.
Theo Pinson,
a 6’6” small forward from Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) became the latest
recruit from the class of 2014 to make his college selection. In an
announcement from his high school gym on Wednesday afternoon, Pinson selected
North Carolina over Indiana and other suitors. With this commitment, Pinson
becomes the third 5-star recruit in the class of 2014 to join the Tar Heels and
will team with point guard Joel Berry and small forward Justin Jackson in the
future.
High School:
The Pinson
name has been familiar in basketball circles for a few years now as it first
popped up on UNC’s radar during a freshman season where Pinson averaged 12
points and 6 rebounds per game for Oak Ridge Military Academy. After helping
Oak Ridge to a 35-6 record during his freshman year he transferred to Wesleyan
Christian and led them to a 3A state title in North Carolina as a junior.
AAU:
On the AAU
circuit, Pinson is a three year veteran of the 17U Nike EYBL and plays for the
CP3 All-Stars. He follows in the footsteps of Reggie Bullock and PJ Hairston,
both athletic wings that played for CP3 before committing to UNC. As a freshman
while playing two divisions up, Scout.com had the following to say about
Pinson:
“He is being touted as one of the contenders
for the top spot in the 2014 class, and with good reason. Pinson is athletic,
was making shots out to the three point line, and finishing with authority
around the rim. Add in a tight handle, and Pinson was causing all sorts of
problems for the defense.”
Last year, Pinson helped his CP3 team reach
the semi-finals of the Peach Jam while averaging 16.4 points and 5.1 rebounds. This
year, CP3 currently sits atop their division with an 11-2 record while he
averages 13.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Strengths:
Throughout his high school and AAU career,
Pinson has always been known for his athleticism. He uses his speed and size to
attack the basket and then his length and jumping ability to finish close to
the basket. These attributes that Pinson uses on the offensive end, also help
him excel on the defensive end. He currently is averaging two steals and one
block per game and can hound a point guard up the court or lock down a guard or
forward on the perimeter. Right now, Pinson is best known for his athletic
abilities and defense.
Weaknesses:
Shooting. The one constant knock on Pinson
relates to his outside shooting ability. Over the years, Pinson has displayed
an errant jump-shot with misses going to the left and right of the rim, as well
as going short and long. His form has shown progress over the past year and in
two recent viewings an improved touch was noticeable. In February, Pinson put Lone
Peak High, one of the top teams in the country in an early hole when he scored
12 first quarter points (which included several outside shots). Most recently,
Pinson went 3-6 from three in the Dallas EYBL and also connected on several
mid-range jump shots. Overall, Pinson is currently 9-28 (32%) from the three
point line and will need to continue to show improvement from this range so
that college defenders respect his jump shot.
UNC Tar
Heels:
Roy Williams targeted the 2014 wing class
early on in their high school tenure and the Tar Heel staff watched both Pinson
and Jackson numerous times over the past three summers. While Pinson was
offered early on, it looked as though Rashad Vaughn had moved to the top of the
Tar Heel priority list with several Minnesota viewings in addition to a March
visit to Chapel Hill. While Vaughn came close to committing, he decided to keep
his recruitment open which allowed Pinson to commit. With the recent decision,
it remains to be seen if Williams will target an additional shooting guard to
team with Pinson, Jackson, and J.P. Tokoto on the wing for the 2014-15 season.
This commitment keeps the top individual talent in the state of North Carolina
at home and adds to an already impressive recruiting haul for the class of 2014.
Over the
past weekend many of the top players in the class of 2014 and 2015 competed
against each other in Plano, TX in the third Nike EYBL session of the spring.
While there were many standout games and standout players, here is a look at some
of the top performers:
Jackson’s
team went 4-0 over the weekend and the lanky wing was a big reason why. In
Houston’s biggest game against Expressions Elite, Jackson went for 27 points
and 7 rebounds on 11-17 shooting. While on the court, Jackson does a little bit
of everything and never tries to go outside his skill set. He can hit the
three, but prefers to operate from inside the arc whether it’s shooting his
patented mid-range floater, posting up smaller defenders, or slashing to the basket.
Jackson’s height and reach help him make up for a lack of strength and those
qualities allow him to play an active role as a defender and on the boards.
Despite
being listed as a five-star player, Lindsay often falls under the radar when it
comes time to talk about the top wings. Over the weekend, Lindsay quietly
performed well averaging 18.5 points and 5.3 rebounds on 53% shooting. In each game
he scored between 16 and 20 points with all of his shots coming within the
framework of his team’s offense. In his first game of the tournament Lindsay
went 3-4 from three and also went 3-4 from three on Saturday night. He mixed in
efficient outside shooting with his athletic drives to the basket. At times, he
also used his height advantage to post up smaller defenders. While other wings
might have received more recognition, Lindsay was the most efficient this
weekend.
While Howard
Pulley struggled over the weekend, it was in no fault due to the play of Tyus
Jones. In four games, Jones averaged 25.5 points on 63% shooting. On Friday
night Jones had a dominant game against CIA Bounce going for 27 points on 11-11
shooting. While he did not have his typical standout game against Joel Berry on
Saturday afternoon, he still scored 18 points including several NBA type three’s.
In his final game he went for 32 points. Over the years, Jones has always been
considered the best point guard in the class of 2014 and he did nothing to
dispel that notion in Texas. Some analysts have mentioned his athleticism as a
concern, but at one point on Saturday night Jones brought the crowd to its feet
with this spectacular dunk:
On Saturday
afternoon, Newman put on the best scoring barrage seen on the AAU circuit this
year and cemented himself as possibly the best scoring guard in high school.
Against the talented Spiece Indy team, Newman had all facets of his game working
for the first 24 minutes. Attacking the basket off the pick and roll – check,
beating his defender for lay-ups – check, hitting floaters down the lane –
check, hitting deep jump shots off a curl – check, hitting step back three’s
with his defender draped all over him – check. Newman had 22 points at halftime
and soon increased this total to 36 with eight minutes to go. At this point in time
Newman was shooting 13-16 from the field. Unfortunately this performance caused
him to cramp up and forced him to sit for a few minutes before returning to finish
13-20. Overall, Newman averaged 24.4 points per game and proved to be the
toughest cover on the perimeter. With his quickness, ball-handling ability, and
length, Newman can create a shot anytime he wants and made defenders look
helpless all weekend long.
Lyle is another
standout performer that led his team to a 4-0 record over the weekend. While he
plays on an extremely talented team, Lyle managed to shine each game, none more
so than his 30 point, 6 rebound, and 4 assist performance Saturday morning.
Lyle prefers to operate within the three point line and used his strength and
athletic ability to create shots from all areas. In each victory, Lyle shot
over 50% from the field.
When it
comes to being a true floor general, Ulis is at the top of the pack despite
usually being the shortest player on the court. Meanstreets suffered two
defeats to start the tournament, but quickly turned their play around thanks to
Ulis. In the second half against Team Final, the diminutive point guard stepped
up by hitting big three’s and creating shots for himself or teammates off
dribble penetration. This performance got Meanstreets their first win which was
then followed up the next morning by a solid 31 point, 6 assist game against
Texas Pro. Once Ulis beats his defender off the dribble he can finish in the
lane with a high floater or create contact to get to the free throw line. In
four games, Ulis got to the line a remarkable 38 times. He also had better than
a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. He might be small in size, but plays much
bigger than listed.
Stanley Johnson, 6’7”, 2014,
Oakland Soldiers
Stats: 19.3 PPG, 8 RBG, 27-52 (52%)
FG’s
Right now,
Johnson would be one of the more physical players in the college game, let
alone on the AAU circuit. In all four games he attacked the basket and the
boards over and over again scoring no less than 17 points in any game. Against
the Oklahoma based Athlete’s First, Johnson took advantage of his weaker
opponents by getting them off balance with a right to left crossover and then
used his strength to bully his way to the basket for lay-up after lay-up. His
outside shot still needs some work as he only shot 3-14 from the three-point
line; however is usually uncontainable in the lane.
Malik Newman’s
36 point performance was the most impressive sight of the weekend, but Trier
bested his point total with a 37 point performance against the St. Louis
Eagles. After going for 37 points on a 10-20 performance, he followed this up
with a 9-20 performance on his way to 28 points. The current sophomore can
shoot the three, but does most of his damage with the ball in his hands and
likes to attack the basket (witness his 19 free throw attempts against St.
Louis).
Bonzie Colson, 6’5”, 2014, BABC
Stats: 19 PPG, 2.5 RBG, 33-61 (54%)
The
under-sized forward playing for the famed BABC squad played arguably the
toughest four game stretch over the weekend going against Meanstreets, Team
Takeover, Team Scan, and Houston Hoops. Despite this formidable line-up, Colson
and BABC almost handed Takeover their first loss as he went 11-17 from the
field for 23 points. In his other games, Bonzie put up totals of 14, 15, and 24;
however he rarely got to the free throw line and rarely rebounded the ball.
Colson established himself as a top low post scorer but will need to work on
other areas of his game to further capture the attention of high major coaches.
Jahlil Okafor, 6’9”, 2014, Mac
Irvin Fire / Cliff Alexander, 6’8”, 2014, Mac Irvin Fire
The two best
big men in Chicago and the country finally joined forces in Plano, TX this
weekend, but somehow the Mac Irvin Fire only went 2-2. In their first game
together, Okafor and Alexander were dominating down low on their way to a
double digit halftime lead. Okafor was scoring off his spin move in the post
while Alexander was running the floor and dunking on defenders left and right.
Unfortunately, Okafor went out with a sore foot and Mac Irvin gave up their
lead in the final minutes losing to ICP. Mac Irvin then went on to lose their
next game before putting things together. In their two wins Okafor went for 24
and 10 and 18 and 15, while Alexander went for 11 and 16 and 15 and 7. Okafor
provided the post moves down low and recorded a double-double in each game
despite not playing over the past month. Alexander led the tournament in dunks
over the weekend and was his usual destructive self when catching the ball
close to the basket.
While many
top performers were in Dallas this weekend putting up gaudy numbers there were
five players that didn’t affect the box score that much but are ones to keep an
eye on in the future:
Kobie Eubanks, 6’5”, 2014, Each 1
Teach 1
This small
forward came off the bench for E1T1 and had his best game against Howard Pulley
scoring 12 points on 5-8 shooting. Eubanks has an athletic build and can also
shoot from outside.
Chris Baldwin, 6’8”, 2015,
Expressions Elite
Baldwin
plays behind the powerful Abdul Malik Abu on the talented AAU squad out of
Massachusetts and saved his best game for last scoring nine points on 4-8
shooting. He has a big body and quick feet that will serve him well down the
road.
Chimezie Metu, 6’9”, 2015,
Oakland Soldiers
In his first
EYBL action, Metu got the start in three out of the four Oakland games. The
tall center is very raw, but showed glimpses of future potential. In his first
game he took down seven rebounds and in his third game he went 4-4 with 8
points and a block. For good measure, Metu hit a three in his final game. He
weighs only 210 pounds but runs the floor and has good hands in the post.
