The second to last day of The City of Palms tournament had a
whopping eight games on the docket starting at 9am and ending close to 11pm. At
a tournament like this, every game included high-wattage stars and they
certainly delivered time and time again throughout the day.
Jordan McCabe,
Kaukana (WI) – 42 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 13-21 FG’s, 7-13 3PT
McCabe had his white chocolate act on display from the get
go using his elite handle and shooting marksmanship to score 42 points in a win
over Mars (PA). The future West Virginia guard was consistent throughout the
game using a quick crossover to free himself for jump shots and a quick release
to let 3’s fly from all over. To go along with his scoring exploits, McCabe
threw several picturesque no look passes to open teammates and while he did
have six turnovers, McCabe easily turned in the performance of the day.
Bryan Antoine, Ranney
School (NJ) – 30 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 9-20
Five-star junior guard was a participant in the first game
of the day that started at 9am. While everyone in the arena was slowly waking
up, Antoine was cooking early. A high level athlete, Antoine displayed his
athleticism with high-level finishes at the rim and also had his outside game
on display hitting 5-9 from the 3-point line. Antoine shot coming off curls as
well as off the dribble with a compact form and high elevation as one of the
most entertaining players in the 2019 class.
Emmitt Williams, Oak
Ridge (FL) – 24 points, 9 rebounds, 9-14 FG’s, 6-6 FT’s
An absolute rebounding monster. Williams is a junkyard dog
that plays with a tenacity and high effort level that makes him the most
dominant rebounder in high school. He combines a 7’5” wing span, with quick
jumping ability off of two feet to grab any ball that comes in his area.
Williams only recorded two blocks, but forced numerous misses on drives or
short shots in the paint due to the frequent rim challenges he provided. On the
offensive end, Williams did most of his damage around the basket, but did show
a nice touch from the line hitting all six of his free throws.
Vernon Carey Jr., University
School (FL) – 21 points, 10 rebounds, 9-14 FG’s
Vernon Carey put together a dominant double-double in a huge
semi-final win. Playing against McEachern (GA), Carey’s team dug itself a whole
at the beginning, but behind a strong second half won by eight points. Carey
tried his hand from the outside early on without much success, but then started
to catch the ball in the post where he was able to use his size and strength to
his advantage. Carey continues to look in better shape at every step and ran
the floor well. Now, he will get to test himself against one of the top
front-lines in the country.
Robby Carmody, Mars
(PA) – 39 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals, 14-23 FG’s
The Notre Dame bound Carmody was no slouch in a loss to
McCabe and Kaukana finishing with 39 points. A large flurry came in the failed
comeback attempt at the end, but Carmody used his strength and driving ability
to consistently get to the rim. Lacking McCabe’s creative flair, Carmody used
straight line dribble drives as well as frequent long strides to change
direction to get to the rim. Carmody hit two 3’s as well during the game, while
also throwing down a few rim rattling dunks. He should fit seamlessly into Mike
Brey’s offense when he arrives in South Bend next season.
Moses Brown,
Archbishop Molloy (NY) – 25 points, 11 rebounds, 10-14 FG’s
The last viewing of Moses Brown came when he participated in
the USA Men’s Developmental camp in Colorado Springs. Going against the top
players in the country, Brown was often pushed around and lacked any type of
tenacity. In a losing effort, Brown showed some tenacity on the boards grabbing
six on the offensive end. At times, he used his length to finish quickly
without bringing the ball down also altering shots on the defensive end. Brown
still had his struggles, especially catching the ball in traffic, but a
double-double is definitely promising for the 7-footer.
Spencer Freedman,
Mater Dei (CA) – 29 points, 5 assists, 6-7 3PT
Immediately after the McCabe vs. Carmody showdown, Freedman
did his best early on to rival those performances. In the first 12 minutes
against Wesleyan Christian (NC), Spencer scored 22 points in the first 12
minutes. In the first quarter and a half, Freedman hit six 3’s, some of which
came a good 7-8 feet behind the arc. When defenders put too much pressure on
the ball, Freedman blew by them with both his right and left hand. To add on to
his scoring exploits, Freedman also threw several nifty behind the back passes
hitting teammates right on the money as they were spotting up behind the
3-point line. Freedman cooled off in the second half, but still put together a
scintillating first half.
Jahvon Quinerly,
Hudson Catholic (NJ) – 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 10-14 FG’s, 4-5 3PT
Quinerly was held in check for most of the game against a
quick and physical Oak Ridge line-up. Trailing in the 4th quarter,
Quinerly came alive hitting three deep three’s to bring Hudson Catholic back
into the game. Despite the constant pressure, Quinerly kept his turnovers to a
minimum and ran a typical smooth game for one of the top guards in the country.
Tavias Fagan,
Upson-Lee (GA) – 34 points, 6 rebounds, 14-28 FG’s
Tavias Fagan will be the next in line of strong Middle
Tennessee State guards. Fagan went for 34 points in the small school shootout
leading a massive comeback in the final minutes. Fagan scored 8 points in a row
to help take the lead and then created space on his drives for his teammate to
hit the winning basket.
James Wiseman,
Memphis East (TN) – 12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 6-11 FG’s
One of the top juniors in the country had a double-double
against Simeon. Part of an extremely long frontcourt, Wiseman ran the floor
well and grabbed any rebound that came in his area. Along with Wiseman, Alex
Lomax scored 14 points and Chandler Lawson went for 17 points.
