NBPA Top 100: Thursday Morning Recap

Day Two is underway at the NBPA Top 100 camp at John Paul Jones arena in Charlottesville, VA. With over three hours of action to kick off the morning session there were numerous standout performances and highlight real plays as he participant played around 24 minutes per game.

Impressive Performers:

Tyler Dorsey, 6’4” G, St. John Bosco (CA)

This past spring Tyler Dorsey de-committed from Arizona while also seeing his ranking plummet. Despite this, the athletic guard was impressive in his morning game showcasing his quick first step. In a close loss, Dorsey utilized a quick cross-over to pull up just outside the paint for a soft jump shot. He attacked the basket off the dribble and constantly put pressure on his defender, no matter the size. Not only was his quickness on display, but so was his hustle. It’s fair to say that Dorsey put out a maximum effort which resulted in an offensive rebound and easy put-back under the basket. Dorsey might have stumbled in the spring, but now with a chip on his shoulder he should be just fine going into July.

Edrice Adebayo, 6’8”, PF, Northside (NC)

In the EYBL, Adebayo was known for his rebounding prowess and second jump ability. Both of these were on display this morning, along with a more aggressive offensive outlook. Going against 7 foot Doral Moore, Adebayo looked for his shot throughout the game. While he was a force on the glass he also hit an eight foot jump shot and connected on several free throws. Feeling a little confident after, Adebayo stepped a bit outside his range and launched a 17 foot jump shot which didn’t connect. Minus this deep jumper, Adebayo was a force to be reckoned with down on the block with his newfound offensive mindset. He ended the game with 17 points and 10 rebounds on 7-10 shooting. 

Jalen Coleman, 6’4”, SG, La Lumiere (IN)

In this day and age most 6’4” scoring guards want to be known as point guards or combo guards. Jalen Coleman is refreshing as he knows he is a true shooting guard. In the EYBL, Coleman shot 50% from three connecting on 46-92 attempts. His textbook jump shot was on display today as he knocked in numerous outside shots. He started with a feathery 15 footer from the right corner and then started knocking in three’s from a variety of areas. Coleman is a pure scorer, but one that is more than just a standstill outside shooter. While his points came from outside the paint, Coleman has the athletic ability to get by his defender.

Cheick Diallo, 6’9”, PF, Our Savior (NY)

Underclassmen tend to struggle at the NBPA Top 100 camp, but last year Diallo took home the MVP despite several standout players in the class of 2014 in attendance. It didn’t take long for Diallo to make his mark in the first game of the morning. Blocking shots, sprinting the floor on both offense and defense, and finishing in the paint led to 18 points and eight rebounds. All of these skills make Diallo one of the most intimidating players in the country.

Other Notes:

·         Class of 2016 point guard Derryck Thornton dropped seven dimes in a two point loss and only committed one turnover. He also added 10 points and was the most impressive true point guard in the morning session. 

·         5’8” sparkplug Demontrae Jefferson is back in C-Ville and he was right back to his high scoring ways. The leading scorer in the Adidas Uprising scored throughout the game while frustrating his opponent, Bryant Crawford on the defensive end. Jefferson scored 23 points on 9-15 shooting. He is always the shortest player on the court, but can get by his defenders with ease and finish against much taller opponents with his ridiculous leaping ability.

·         Five-star Carlton Bragg has a tendency to float outside of the paint at times, but today he was fairly dominant down low. With long arms and a quick first jump, Bragg was able to finish in the post early and often.

·         Brevin Pritzl, the future Wisconsin Badger had the tough task of guarding Tyler Dorsey, but he was able to match Dorsey offensively in the second half. He started the third quarter with a steal and a pull-up three and then nailed another three off a set inbounds play.

·         Georgetown bound Noah Dickerson was a load to handle down low. He used his size to back down defenders in the paint which resulted in both right handed and left handed hook shots. He also operated extremely effectively in the pick and roll. He set good, strong screens that punished the smaller guards and also rolled to the basket for easy buckets. Dickerson finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds. 

·         YouTube sensation Seventh Woods was quiet offensively in the second half (besides a blow by) but put on a defensive clinic. He hounded the opposing point in the half-court set with his quick feet, fought around screens, and also kept the taller Malachi Richardson from getting to his sweet spot at the three point line. 

·         Thon Maker was fairly quiet in his game until the last few minutes. After making the block of the morning by volleyball spiking an opponents shot, Maker hit a five foot shot in the post and then finished with a strong two hand dunk. The versatile big man exerted more energy at the end of the game and his performance rapidly improved. Earlier in the game, Maker showed a propensity to force a foul on contested jump shots. 

Dunk of the Day:

On a fastbreak Gonzaga High point guard Bryant Crawford passed up an easy two points by bouncing the ball off the floor for a strong one handed finish by Carlton Bragg.

Bonus:

During the breaks at the NBPA camp, another showcase is going on right across the street at UVA’s UHall arena. Put on by ScoutsFocus, the camp features a fair amount of players in the 2016 and 2017 classes. One who stuck out early, was Curtis Jones a 6’3” shooting guard out of Paul VI High School in Virginia. Jones hit a three from the top of the key and finished a fast break with a monster tomahawk jam. With his size and ball-handling ability, Jones was the best player in his game.