USA U16: 17 Remain

USA Basketball whittled their roster down to 17 members after the Saturday morning session in Colorado Springs. With cuts looming after the early practice, the coaches didn’t waste any time getting the scrimmages going.

Prospect Watch:

Jaylen Hands, PG, 6’2”, 2017, Foothills Christian (CA)

Jaylen Hands

After having a quiet Friday, Hands came alive Saturday morning trying to impress the coaching staff before they discussed the first round of cuts. Playing on the best team of the day, Hands was active in all areas. He hit a tough three to beat the shot clock early on and showed off his explosiveness on the fast break with a rim-rattling two hand dunk. Hands also pushed the pace on the break and got by his defender and into the lane where he found teammate Kevin Knox for multiple easy finishes at the rim. Hands was one of four players 6’2” or under that made it through the first round of cuts and given his speed and quickness, the California point guard has a strong shot at making the final 12 man roster.

Kevin Knox II, PF, 6’7”, 2017, Tampa Catholic (FL)

Knox’s play was one of the top storylines from the first four practices and the athletic power forward was one of the leading scorers in the scrimmages on Saturday morning. He ran the floor and finished with powerful two hand dunks throughout the practice. Knox also showed a good pair of hands in catching all of the passes from Jaylen Hands in the paint. With the ball in his hands, Knox was able to either finish explosively above the rim or contort his body to avoid getting his shot blocked. He also displayed his pick and roll ability with hard cuts to the rim. After his exceptional play, Knox made it through the first round of cuts with ease.

Carte’Are Gordon, PF, 6’8”, 2018, St. John Vianney (MO)

The powerful big man continued his best Caleb Swanigan impression and also made it to at least a few more practice sessions before the final round of cuts. Gordon hustled throughout the scrimmages and used his strength advantage down low for a plethora of baskets. On most of his made shots, Gordon utilized solid footwork and pump fakes to create easy shots at the rim.

Jarred Vanderbilt, PF, 6’8”, 2017, Victory Prep School (TX)

The self-proclaimed “point-forward” played to his strengths today and had one of his better performances. A future starter for the U16 team, Vanderbilt was active on the defensive hand creating steals with his long reach and quick leaping ability. He turned the steals into one man fast breaks and had several fancy finishes as he beat the opposing team down court. Vanderbilt also was aggressive on the boards and hit his point guards with pin-point outlet passes.

Elijah Hardy, PG, 6’1”, 2018, Bishop O’ Dowd (CA)

The diminutive point guard from Oakland is looking to follow in the footsteps of former high school teammate Ivan Rabb in earning a spot on the final U16 roster. One of the quickest players in the tryouts, Hardy had his pin-point passing on point hitting teammates with no look and behind the back passes. He pressured the opposing point guards and also showed the ability to hit shots off the dribble. Hardy will have his work cut out to make the final roster, but given his tenacity and court vision he has already impressed the various USA coaches.

Quick Hitters:

Sophomore point guard Troy Brown was in attendance on Saturday and made his presence known immediately. The top rated point guard in the 2017 class was vocal and out-going on the court. He didn’t waste any time getting shots up and connected on his second attempt from the deep left corner. Brown will not play on the U16 team due to school commitments, but his play early on raised the level of competition almost immediately.

Charles O’ Bannon Jr., the son of former UCLA Bruin Charles O’ Bannon made it through the first round of cuts. The wing from Bishop Gorman can do a variety of things on the court and uses his 6’10” reach to his advantage. While he didn’t always get a lot of shot attempts in the scrimmages, O’Bannon was a solid wing defender and could attack the basket off the dribble. He averaged 14.1 points per game in the EYBL regular season as well.

Robert Woodard, the 6’5” freshman guard is one of the more physically imposing guards in his class. With a Tyus Battle like physique, Woodard hit multiple mid-range jump shots off the catch in the morning session. He missed his first shot, but came back immediately on the next possession and knocked in a jump shot.

The top shooters in the camp were Markus Howard and Gary Trent Jr. Both players are in the 2017 class and were two of the top three scorers in the EYBL despite being a year younger than most of the players. Both hit outside shots in the scrimmage with Trent connecting on a three from the wing early on while Howard added in a swish from the left corner which looked to be his favorite spot. Howard and Trent Jr. have also been adding scholarship offers lately and they also both showed an ability to attack the rim off the dribble.

One player that did not make the cut was 6’6” freshman shooting guard Cameron Reddish. While this wasn’t a big surprise given his limited shot attempts, I am extremely, extremely high on his potential and would not be surprised to see Reddish on the U17 team next year. The lanky guard has a nice looking outside shot with a quick release that found the bottom of the net several times. He also scored on a reverse lay-up which started from the right wing. Right now, Reddish needs to work on his aggressiveness, but his potential is as high as anyone that played in the camp.

USA U16 Tryouts: Friday Recap

The USA U16 tryout continued on Friday in Colorado Springs with both a morning and evening practice session. For the 30 players in attendance, the morning session featured a plethora of drills before moving on to a set of three scrimmages, while the evening session consisted of position work and a set of intense 10 minute scrimmages used as evaluation tools for the coaches involved in the selection process.

Morning Session:

On Friday morning, the freshmen and sophomores participating in the tryouts were exposed to a variety of basketball drills that are standard at every USA basketball session. The players participated in passing and dribbling drills where they were required to use both their left and right hands, half-court and full-court shooting drills, and also some 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 action. Towards the end of the practice the players were divided into four teams with each team playing the other three teams one time each with two games going on at the same time.

Top Performer:

Markus Howard, PG, 2017, Findlay Prep (NV)

It’s safe to say that Markus Howard stole the show in the morning session. The third leading scorer in the EYBL with 20.2 points per game continued his high scoring ways in both the drill portion and the scrimmages. In the shooting drills, Howard was the most lethal player from behind the arc as he calmly drained three’s from all over the court. In the scrimmages he continued to hit outside shots, but he also attacked the basket off the dribble for lay-ups or floaters while also having the court-sense to find open shots for teammates. On the defensive side of the ball, Howard was also very active routinely picking up the opposing point guard full-court and moving his feet to stay in front of the ball-handler. It’s clear that Howard can score at the highest levels, but he can also run a team efficiently while also providing a defensive presence at the guard spot.

Evening Session:

The intensity was at a high gear on Friday night at the USA Olympic complex. The players started the night with various drills to get them loose before moving to position drills which were broken up into three groups: point guards, wings, and big men. Former Arizona Wildcat, Miles Simon took the point guards and had them practicing floaters with both hands and quick, creative moves for attacking the basket. The wings spent time working on their mid-range and outside jump shots, while the big men practiced their post moves down low. After the position drills were over, the four teams were matched-up again with just one game played at a time. Each team played several 10 minute scrimmages at a high level that left most everyone tired and sore towards the end.

Notable Players:

Jordan Brown, 6’10”, PF, 2018, Woodcreek (CA)

In the fourth game of the day, the talented freshman showed that yes, while he does possess an extraordinary amount of potential he is also productive as well. Despite his thin frame, Brown battled for baskets down low in traffic while also displaying the ability to hit turn and face mid-range jump shots and attack the basket off of a few productive dribbles. Brown excelled as a freshman in California being named the freshman of the year and now he is showing he belongs with the top big men in the 2017 and 2018 classes.

Gary Trent Jr., 6’5”, SG, 2017, Apple Valley (MN)

Gary Trent Jr. 

There are not a lot of quality three point shooters among the 30 players competing for a spot on the U16 team, but Gary Trent Jr. certainly does not fall into that category. In the EYBL he hit 55 three’s at an almost 40% clip, while also leading the league in scoring at 22.1 points per game. Throughout both sessions, Trent Jr. routinely connected from deep, but also scored off the dribble showing his multi-faceted skill-set. He has good height and strength for a shooting guard and was able to take advantage of his physical prowess at several points when smaller defenders were guarding him down low.

Jaylen Nowell, 6’4”, SG, 2017, Garfield (WA)

The Seattle native labels himself as a scorer and despite not being fully recovered from an ankle injury, Nowell has certainly played to his strengths so far. Throughout the scrimmages, Nowell was slicing to the basket and finishing contested shots at the rim. He also knocked in several mid-range jump shots and stayed away from forcing too many deep jumpers which is not currently a strength.

Naz Reid, 6’9”, PF, 2018, Roselle Catholic (NJ)

At times Naz Reid is a dominant force. Blessed with arms that are both long and strong, Reid caused havoc at various points on both the offensive and defensive ends. At one point, Reid scored on two consecutive possessions where he first caught the ball on the right post and made a quick spin move towards the paint before lofting a soft five footer that found the bottom of the net. He followed that up with a thunderous dunk on the next possession. Throughout the stanza, Reid ran the floor which led to easy one handed dunks and he also protected the paint with several blocked shots.

Quick Hitters:

Connor Vanover is the tallest kid at camp with his listed height of 7’3”, but he is also the skinniest at 210 pounds. At times, Vanover’s slight frame leads to missed bunnies around the basket on the offensive end, but for a brief stretch in the evening the center from Little Rock had things cooking. With a tight compact shooting form, Vanover made a deep jumper before connecting on a three from the wing and a put-back off of an offensive rebound. 

Someone that doesn’t have an issue with his frame is Wendell Carter Jr. The 6’10” big man from Atlanta used his power to knock a few defenders out of the way before finishing with powerful two hand dunks around the rim. He also spiked several shots on the defensive end and drained a three at the end of one scrimmage.

6’6” shooting guard Cameron Reddish didn’t get a lot of shot attempts but you almost wish he did. The lanky guard from The Haverford School has a quick release on his three as he connected on several during the scrimmages.

California point guard Jaylen Hands did not standout in the scrimmages today, but he did stand out in the passing and dribbling drills. While not at the level of Tyus Jones, Hands flew through the drills with both hands leaving his teammates in the dust. Speaking of flying, another California point guard in Elijah Hardy from state champion Bishop O’ Dowd showcased his quickness in a variety of ways whether it came to firing a lefty shot from the outside, whipping a pass across the court, or attacking off the dribble.

Big men Kaleb Wesson, a 6’10”, 265 pound sophomore and 6’8”, 245 pound freshman Carte’Are Gordon used their mass to own the paint down low. Both players had a size advantage on their opponents and used their girth to score around the basket. Gordon slightly resembled Caleb Swanigan from the U17 tryouts last summer with his hustle and aggressiveness down low.

Freshman Jaedon LeDee from Houston already holds a Kentucky offer and it’s easy to see why. At 6’7”, 195 pounds, LeDee already has the build. He can also surprise people with his explosive mid-range jump shot. 

Power forwards Jalen Hill, a 6’9”, sophomore from Corona, CA, and Kevin Knox II, a 6’7” sophomore from Tampa, FL were intriguing with their size and ability to run the floor. 

6’0” point guard Darius Garland from Nashville, TN, might be the smallest player on the court, but that fact does not slow him down. With a quick release, Garland connected on several deep jumpers in a row in the second scrimmage of the night. Garland was active throughout and might be the second best shooter of the point guards. 

Inside Look: USA U16 Tryouts

Marvin Bagley - A lock for the U16 USA team

College is still a few years away for members of the 2017 and 2018 high school classes, but tonight marks the start of tryouts for the USA U16 basketball team. 33 of the top players from the rising sophomore and junior ranks were selected to participate in these tryouts with the goal of forming a 12 man team to compete in the FIBA America’s U16 championship held this June in Argentina. The tryouts take place at the USA Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs, CO under the watchful eye of USA head coach Don Showalter and his assistants. The coaching staff previously conducted the USA Men’s Developmental camp this past October which gave 27 of the current players a chance to show off their skill-set despite having spent no more than a year in high school. While this year’s team will compete against teams such as the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Brazil for the America’s gold medal, the primary objective is to win and qualify for the U17 World Championship that will take place next year.

History:

This year’s USA U16 team has big shoes to fill. Starting with the inaugural 2009 U16 team, the USA has won their FIBA America games by an average of 30 points per game. All three of the U16 teams have won gold medals in both the FIBA America’s and the World Championships. In 2009, the team was led by Bradley Beal and James Michael McAdoo as the USA took out Argentina 101-87 in the championship.

Name	Pos.	PPG	Year	Rank	U17?
Brad Beal	G	19.0	2011	7	Y
James McAdoo	F	16.8	2011	5	Y
Quinn Cook	G	15.6	2011	38	Y
Adonis Thomas	G/F	13.8	2011	10	N
Sterling Gibbs	G	9.2	2011	NR	N
André Drummond	C	8.6	2011	2	Y
Tony Parker	C	8.2	2012	20	Y
Johnny O'Bryant	F	6.8	2011	40	Y
Chasson Randle	G	6.2	2011	61	Y
Brandan Kearney	G	4.4	2011	NR	N
L.J. Rose	G	3.0	2012	62	N
Justin Anderson	G/F	1.4	2012	63	Y

Two years later, the talented 2011 U16 team was led by Aaron Gordon, Jabari Parker, and Jahlil Okafor. They also went 5-0 and defeated Argentina by 40 points in the gold medal game. The team also included players such as Stanley Johnson, Tyus Jones, and Justin Jackson.

Name	Pos.	PPG	Year	Rank	U17?
Aaron Gordon	C	17.0	2013	4	N
Jabari Parker	F	15.4	2013	3	Y
Jahlil Okafor	C	14.6	2014	1	Y
Theo Pinson	F	11.5	2014	19	N
Justin Jackson	G	10.4	2014	10	N
Kendrick Nunn	G	9.6	2013	52	Y
Conner Frankamp	G	8.6	2013	46	Y
Stanley Johnson	F	8.0	2014	3	Y
Larry Austin	G	7.2	2014	NR	N
Johnathan Williams	F/C	5.4	2013	34	Y
Tyus Jones	G	4.6	2014	9	Y
Dom Collier	G	3.2	2014	NR	N

The 2013 team dominated the competition just like their predecessors. While they won their games by an average of 53 points, including a 99 point win over Mexico, they also recorded the first under 100 point scoring effort in their second game against Argentina. Once again, the U.S. was matched-up with Argentina in the gold medal game which they won 94-48. This team, which included current juniors and seniors in high school and was led by Malik Newman, Diamond Stone, and Ivan Rabb. Other top players in the current 2016 class included Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum, and Harry Giles who suffered a gruesome leg injury in the second game of the tournament.

Name	Pos.	PPG	Year	Rank	U17?
Malik Newman	G	16.2	2015	10	Y
Diamond Stone	F/C	13.6	2015	6	Y
Ivan Rabb	F	12.0	2015	5	Y
Josh Jackson	G/F	11.4	2016	2	Y
Thomas Bryant	F	10.0	2015	28	N
Jayson Tatum	G	10.0	2016	3	Y
V.J. King	G/F	8.2	2016	12	Y
Harry Giles	F	7.0	2016	1	Y
Daniel Giddens	F/C	6.8	2015	53	N
Terrance Ferguson	G	5.8	2016	6	Y
Seventh Woods	G	5.8	2016	29	N
Devearl Ramsey	F	4.2	2016	55	Y

By The Numbers:

43 – Average margin of victory in the U16 FIBA America’s

99 – Largest point differential (2013 – USA 130 Mexico 30)

14 – Smallest point differential (2009 gold medal game against Argentina)

17 – Total number of rising sophomore’s that have been selected (2018 class this year)

19 – Total number of rising juniors (2017 class)

3 / 9 – Rising sophomores / juniors in 2009 (Justin Anderson, Tony Parker, L.J. Rose)

7 / 5 – Rising sophomores / juniors in 2011 (Okafor, Jones, Johnson, Jackson, Theo Pinson, Larry Austin, Dom Collier)

7 / 5 – Rising sophomores / juniors in 2013 (Giles, Tatum, Jackson, King, Terrance Ferguson, Seventh Woods, Devearl Ramsey)

67% - # of players in 2009 that made the U17 team in 2010

58% - # of players in 2011 that made the U17 team in 2012

75% - # of players in 2013 that made the U17 team in 2014

4 - # of Lottery Picks from 2009 and 2011 team (Beal, Andre Drummond, Gordon, Parker)

4 - # of potential 1^st round picks in 2015 (Okafor, Jones, Johnson, Justin Anderson)

19 – Highest points per game by a USA player (Bradley Beal – 2009)

Selection:

One key thing to remember when it comes to selecting the 12 man team is that the coaches are not necessarily selecting the best individual players, but the best players that will make a cohesive unit. Last year for example, point guard Dennis Smith and shooting guard Malik Monk were cut from the U17 team despite both being ranked as top 10 players. Meanwhile, a guy like Devearl Ramsey made the team. Not ranked nearly as high as Smith or Monk, but he brought other characteristics that made him valuable to the coaching staff.

Team USA Predictions:

The Locks:

Marvin Bagley III, 6’10”, PF, Corona del Sol (AZ), 2018

Troy Brown Jr., 6’5”, PG, Centennial (NV), 2017

EJ Montgomery Jr., 6’9”, F, Montverde (FL), 2018

Highly Probable:

Jarred Vanderbilt, 6’9”, PF, Victory Prep (TX), 2017

Wendell Carter Jr., 6’10”, C, Pace Academy (GA), 2017

Jaedon LeDee, 6’7”, SF, The Kinkaid School (TX), 2018

Ja’Vonte Smart, 6’3”, G, Scotlandville (LA)

Naz Reid, 6’8”, PF, Roselle Catholic (NJ), 2018

Good Fits:

Markus Howard, 6’1”, PG, Findlay Prep (NV), 2017

Marquis Brown, 6’1”, PG, Simeon (IL), 2018

Remaining:

Gary Trent Jr, 6’5”, SG, Apple Valley (MN), 2017

Connor Vanover, 7’3”, C, Arkansas Baptist H.S.

The Jarred Vanderbilt File

Name: Jarred Vanderbilt

Height: 6’8”

Position: Power Forward

High School: Victory Academy (TX)

AAU: Houston Hoops

Grade: 2017

Background:

Vanderbilt was named an Honorable Mention All-Sophomore this year by Max Preps’s after completing his second season at Victory Prep in Houston, TX. In the fall Vanderbilt attended the USA Developmental Camp and he will compete for a spot on the USA U16 team in late May.

AAU:

Vanderbilt was one of only a handful of freshmen to play in the 17U EYBL last year and he averaged a very respectable 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds. This year, as one of the key cogs on a 9-3 team, Vanderbilt is averaging 15.4 points and 10. 2 rebounds per game. He exploded during the second live period averaging 17.8 points and 13.8 rebounds per game which included a double-double in each contest. Against Each 1 Teach 1, Vanderbilt went for 26 points and 12 boards in his top EYBL performance of the year so far.

At this point in time, Vanderbilt is an athletic, sinewy, forward that can defend multiple positions on the court. He has the quickness, coordination, and dribbling ability to play the wing on offense, but right now his shooting is still a work in progress as he is just 2-20 from three. He does most of his basket above the rim off of drives to the paint or offensive put-backs. He’s an extremely quick leaper and usually corrals several rebounds by using his elite second jump.

Schools:

“I’m not leaning toward anyone yet, I haven’t narrowed anything down,” said Vanderbilt. “I’m just taking it slow. I’ve still got two years and just trying to build relationships. Kentucky, I’ve heard from Duke, Kansas State, Kansas, a lot of Big XII schools like Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and U of A.”

Quotes:

“The EYBL has been great. Really strong competition. When everyone is playing together we are real good and tough to beat.”

“It’s like a 1-2 punch. If you try to stop him (De’Aron Fox) then you got me, If you try to stop me, then we’ve got him going backdoor. You can’t stop both of us! Its good having a player like that so he can draw attention and leave me open or I can draw attention and it will leave him open. We feed off each other and that’s how we excel.”

“Yeah, I say I’m a point forward. I’m versatile and can switch different positions. I’m trying to be a more definite wing and I can cause miss-matches when I have a smaller defender on me and I can cause miss-matches. I’m rebounding, I’m blocking shots, defending everyone, making plays for my teammates. I want to be the defensive stopper. I’ve been working on it. On this team they want me to guard the best player. I can guard the 1 or I can guard the 5.”

“For one, I’ve gained some weight. I’ve got my frame a little bigger. I’ve put on about 13 pounds since my freshmen year. I do push-ups and sit-ups at home, but at the weight room I’m doing bench presses, squats, calf raises, stuff for my hips. I’ve worked on my ball-handling so that way I can play in and out. Just my outside shooting really, that way I can play all positions.”

“I kind of like LeBron and James Harden, really. That’s who I try to model my game after.”

The Kevin Huerter File

Name: Kevin Huerter

Height: 6’5”

Position: Shooting Guard

High School: Shenendehowa

AAU: Albany City Rocks

Grade: 2016

Background:

Huerter just wrapped up his junior season at Shenendehowa in up-state New York where he led “Shen” to their first state title since 1987. Along the way he averaged 17.3 points per game and knocked in 75 three’s on the season while being named second team all-State in class AA of New York. His father previously played at Sienna.

timesunion.com photo

AAU:

Huerter is averaging 12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game for the 8-4 Albany City Rocks. He is also shooting 46% from the floor and is 29-69 (42%) from three. The 6’5” guard scored an EYBL high of 21 points against the Oakland Soldiers and has hit three or more three-pointers in seven out of 12 games.

Schools:

Kevin Huerter has been one of the hottest names from the spring AAU period. He is currently rated a three-star by Scout.com, but that is sure to increase shortly. During the second live period, Huerter noted the following, “I had in-home visits with Maryland and Marquette on Monday. Then I have Creighton, Villanova, and Michigan coming to my school and then I had Davidson for an in-home visit on Wednesday. Then I had Iowa and Penn State calling me.”

After playing in Lexingon Huerter was offered by Notre Dame, Clemson, and Vanderbilt. Syracuse also offered although they would want him to do a year of prep school in order to join their 2017 class. Other schools that have made phone calls include Gonzaga, Stanford, and UNC (per Chris Watson).

Huerter is a sneaky athletic guard that has a quick first step and can bring the ball up the court if necessary. He hunts his shot on the wings and fires them up with his quick release. Right now, Huerter needs to develop more in his upper body, but he uses his court awareness to get to specific spots on the court resulting in open shots or dishes to teammates.

Quotes:

“My strengths are that I can really shoot it. I can shoot it anywhere on the court. I think I see guys. I have good vision out there. I can find guys. I’m very unselfish.”

“My weaknesses are that I’m still just trying to get stronger. I just need to get stronger this summer. Get in the weight room, all the basketball drills I do. The heavy ball, ropes, that have all the resistance on them and just trying to get stronger.”

“I think it’s always been natural,” Huerter noted when talking about his speed. “When you look at a guy like me you wouldn’t think he’s quick, so it kind of takes people by surprise.”

“My personal goals are to get stronger, keep working on my ball-handling, and try to make another run at it next year. I want to get back in the gym with my high school team and try to make another run at the state championship.”

"When we made our state championship run, I had people calling my high school and AAU coach, but after Hampton that’s when I really blew up."