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
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| 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.
