The second
live July recruiting session kicked off Wednesday evening with the UA Summer
Jam held at Homestead High School in Mequon, WI. Normally this tournament has
to play second fiddle to the Nike Peach Jam, but this year the Summer Jam sits
alone at the top as 450 coaches passed through the doors on Day 1.
Battle of the Big Men
The most
anticipated game of the evening pitted two of the top big men in the country
against each other in Cliff Alexander
of the Mac Irvin Fire and Myles Turner
of Texas Select. Both big men drew rave reviews throughout the spring and
summer with their dominant play and were set to go head to head in an evening
tilt. Alexander, a Chicago native has been climbing up the recruiting rankings steadily
over the past year and now sits as the 2nd best player in the
country per ESPN. Myles Turner, on the other hand came out of nowhere in the
spring and vaulted into everyone’s top 10 almost overnight. While the two
players missed each other at the Lebron James Skills Academy two weeks ago they
were ready for each other once the game began.
Despite all
the hype and attention, the one on one match-up did not live up to its billing.
While Turner guarded Alexander on defense, the Mac Irvin Fire spent most of
their game in a three quarter court trap or a zone defense. From the outset,
Alexander was initially bothered by Turner’s height and length as he was giving
up a few inches. He missed his first four shots as Turner gave him space to
operate just outside of the post.
On the other
side, Turner was bothered by Alexander’s strength and seemed to float around
the perimeter. His first shot was a missed three from the top of the key, but
he then hit a corner three a few possessions later which was quickly followed
by an eight foot jumper from the baseline.
In order to
combat Turner’s length, Alexander realized he needed to attack Turner in the
post, which he began doing every time he got the ball midway through the half.
His first basket came on a right hand hook from the left post. Turner blocked
the next shot, but then Alexander hit another right hand hook on Turner, this
time from the right post. Alexander called for the ball on the next possession in
the post and was blatantly fouled by Turner but the refs let the play go on.
After his
two jump shots in a row, Turner was fairly quiet on the offensive end until the
end of the game when his team was down twenty points. Towards the end he scored
on a reverse pivot in the post and then on a tip dunk.
Overall:
 |
| Cliff vs. Myles Shot Chart |
Alexander
finished with 10 points on 5-15 shooting with eight rebounds and two blocks.
One of his blocks came on a Turner three pointer. Turner finished with 9 points
on 4-8 shooting with ten rebounds and three blocks.
Neither player
got it going offensively throughout the game. Alexander was initially bothered
by Turner’s length and while he put together a few right hand hook shots he was
far off on all of his jump shots. Turner was bothered by Alexander’s strength
and floated around the perimeter and didn’t touch the ball during Mac Irvin’s
second half run. Tom Izzo and Bill Self were front and center for this
match-up.
While these
two players did not dominate, the young Mac Irvin guards sure did. Juniors to
be Jalen Brunson and Luwane Pipkins took turns running the
point guard spot to perfection. Brunson showed off his feathery left handed
touch from deep, while the speedy Pipkins hit two as well. Along with these two point guards, shooting
guard Miles Reynolds hit two three’s
to start the second half which turned a four point halftime lead into a route.
Other top performers included Ed Morrow
of the Mac Irvin Fire and Nick Babb
of Texas Select.
The Other Big Man Match-Up
While
Alexander and Turner faced off on Court 2 in Homestead High, Kevon Looney and Karl Towns Jr. went to work on Court 3. Towns started off with the
advantage as he used his size and strength for a few baskets down low to go
along with a three from the wing. Looney started to heat up in the second half
and also forced Towns into contested shots as well. The game went into
overtime, but Towns’ teammate Tarin Smith delivered quite the performance down
the stretch giving Sports U the victory over the Milwaukee Running Rebels.
Smith finished with 21 points on 6-7 shooting while Towns scored nine and
Looney 17.
Last Game of the Night:
As 11pm
approached, the last game of the night featured a back and forth affair between
DC Assault and Dream Vision. Similar to some earlier games, this one went into
overtime as well forcing college coaches to continue their viewing for an extra
few minutes. DC Assault won in overtime thanks to a Donte Grantham tip in, but it was point guard Romelo Trimble who led the way with a game high 23 points. In
regulation, Trimble hit a three pointer off a set play to take the lead and
constantly drove to the basket for contested lay-ups and trips to the free
throw line. While Trimble gave a stellar performance in front of his future
coach Mark Turgeon it was a pair of high school teammates that impressed for
Dream Vision. Junior big men Chase Jeter
and Stephen Zimmerman ran an
effective high-low offense and showed off their potential. Jeter is a Brandon
Wright clone and primarily used a soft hook over the right shoulder while
Zimmerman enjoyed shooting from 12 feet and out. Dream Vision guard Namon Wright led the way on the
perimeter with 18 points and had one of the best shooting performances on the
night. He hit several contested three’s throughout the game as well as
mid-range jumpers from various spots on the court. Despite the loss, both teams
showed off their talented players to all of the coaches still remaining in the
gym.
Best Shooting Performance:
While Namon
Wright shot well, it was the 6’2” Riley
LaChance from Ray Allen Select who stole the show in one of the first games
of the tournament. In the first half of his game, LaChance put on a shooting
clinic going for 20 points. He started with a quick five points and then added
in a mixture of mid-range jump shots and driving lay-ups before closing the
half with two consecutive three’s. Thanks to a strong first half, LaChance was
able to take it easy in the second half as his team won via the mercy rule.
Top Scorers:
Joe Burton, 6’6”, SG, 2014, Houston
Defenders
Burton led
the way in a closely contested win over Team Loaded (NC) as he went 12-24 from
the field for 35 points. He shot 3-9 from three and also put a defender on a poster
with an and-one dunk in the second half which had the crowd buzzing.
Brekkott Chapman, 6’8”, F, 2014,
Utah Prospects
Chapman shot
a sizzling 10-13 from the field for 27 points in a close win over the Atlanta
Xpress. He hit one three and also went 6-8 from the line. While Chapman’s
performance came in one of the side gyms, he will have plenty of chances to
perform on the main stage the rest of the way.
Other Notable Players:
Darrell Davis, 6’4”, 2014, G,
Michigan Hurricanes
A lanky
guard that provided the majority of ball-handling got to the basket at will for
his Michigan team. What he lacked in strength, he made up for in wing span and
quickness. Davis constantly got by his defender and showed a unique ability to
finish with his left hand. He scored on three consecutive half court possessions
against Team Charlotte and when he wasn’t scoring he was providing scoring opportunities
for his teammates.
Daryl Bigham, 6’6”, 2014, F,
Michigan Hurricanes
Bigham was a
recipient of several Darrell Davis assists. To start the game he scored on two
deep jump shots and also added on a few blocks down low on the defensive end.
In the second half, Bigham began to play down low on more possessions and
converted on several short shots.
Jaylen Fisher, 6’1”, 2016, Team
Thad
While he was
one of the few upcoming sophomores playing in 17U play on opening night, Fisher
did not show any fear. In a close game against the Illinois Wolves he went to
the basket hard to give his team a four point lead in overtime. He finished
with 13 points but was also aggressive throughout the game with his full court
defense and on the ball pressure.
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