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:
Justin Jackson, 6’7”, 2014,
Houston Hoops
Stats: 15.8 PPG, 5.8 RBG, 3.3
APG, 26-48 (54%) FG’s, 3-5 (60%) 3PT
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.
Jalen Lindsay, 6’6”, 2014,
Southern Stampede
Stats: 18.5 PPG, 5.3 RBG, 25-47
(53%) FG’s, 10-17 (59%) 3PT
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.
Tyus Jones, 6’2”, 2014, Howard
Pulley
Stats: 25.5 PPG, 5.0 APG, 1.8
RBG, 36-57 (63%) FG’s, 8-16 (50%) 3PT
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:
Malik Newman, 6’3” 2015, Jackson
Tigers
Stats: 24.3 PPG, 5.8 RBG, 3.5
APG, 32-68 (47%) FG’s, 9-25 (36%) 3PT
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.
Jaquan Lyle, 6’4”, 2014, Spiece
Indy
Stats: 19.5 PPG, 4.8 RBG, 3.8 APG
29-43 (67%) FG’s, 3-6 (50%) 3PT
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.
Tyler Ulis, 5’8”, 2014,
Meanstreets
Stats: 21 PPG, 2.5 RBG, 5 APG, 21-40
(53%) FG’s, 8-16 (50%) 3PT
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.
Allonzo Trier, 6’3”, 2015,
Athlete’s First
Stats: 25.5 PPG, 5.8 RBG, 2.3
APG, 30-71 (42%) FG’s, 7-17 (41%) 3PT
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
Stats: 17.3 PPG, 11.5 RBG, 2.3
APG, 29-39 (74%) FG’s, 11-20 (55%) FT’s (Okafor)
Stats: 14.8 PPG, 11.3 RBG, 1.3
APG, 23-40 (58%) FG’s, 13-23 (55%) FT’s (Big Cliff)
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.
