Chicago Best Buy Classic

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:

Damontrae Jefferson, 5’8” PG, 2015, Milwaukee Rebels

Damontrae Jefferson

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.