City of Palms: Top Performers

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 4^th 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.

City of Palms: Day 2

On day number two in Fort Myers, FL, spectators were treated to a full day of action. The City of Palms kicked off with West Linn (OR) redeeming their 39 point day one performance with a 21 point win and concluded with Westerville South (OH), the number 15 ranked team in the country turning in a 14 point win over Michael Porter’s Father Tolton squad. In between, Mike Rice, the former Rutgers coach made his high school debut and Jayson Tatum and Tony Bradley matched-up in a preview of next year’s Tobacco Road rivalry.

3 Stars:

Jayson Tatum, 6’7”, G/F, Chaminade (MO)

It didn’t take long for Jayson Tatum, a consensus top three player in the country to get going. In the first half, Tatum hit five three-pointers turning in one of his finer outside shooting performances. He scored 19 points in the first half and finished with 36 on the night going 10-20 from the floor. The smooth wing attacked the basket and had his Kobe-esque step backs and fade-aways going as well. The Red Devils have been taking on opponents from all over the U.S. so far this season and next-up they will have a match-up with Wheeler (GA) before a pending game with defensive minded Patrick School.

HIGHLIGHTS (HomeTeamHoops)

Tony Bradley, 6’10”, C, Bartow (FL)

Bradley’s team was over-matched by Chaminade throughout as Bradley squared off against two twin towers in 6’9” Tyler Cook and 6’10” Will Gladson. Despite the size, Bradley was a beast in the paint and went 14-20 from the floor while recording his sixth double-double of the season with 33 points and 13 rebounds. There wasn’t a player all day that played with the intensity that Bradley did. As the game progressed, Bradley’s energy increased and in the fourth quarter he was a man possessed on the boards and running the floor. Bradley scored on four of his last five shots and used his right-hand hook several times against Cook and Gladson.

Bam Adebayo, 6’8”, PF, High Point Christian Academy (NC)

In a 23 point, nine rebound performance, Adebayo looked like a mini Dwight Howard. With a chiseled physique that is too much for most high schoolers to handle, Adebayo was dominating in the paint and throwing down ferocious dunks all throughout the second half. With an ever evolving offensive game, John Calipari certainly won’t need to teach effort-level next year in Lexington.

Other Notes:

-Mike Rice made his debut for The Patrick School. In a game against Norland (FL), it was only a 6-6 game after one quarter, but then TPS started to make a run behind its guard play of Jordan Walker and Bryce Aiken. TPS uses its length and intensity on defense to shut down Miami bound Dewan Huell, who Rice referred to as a “young LaMarcus Aldridge.

-Tyler Cook missed the first quarter of action for Chaminade, but finished with 12 points. He was impressive early on at the basket and with an elbow jumper. He should make an immediate impact for Iowa.

-Bam Adebayo was definitely not a one-man team for High Point. Ty Graves scored 18 points while going 4-5 from three. He was tough to contain off the dribble although he did finish with six turnovers.

-Westerville South was led by a balanced team effort against Michael and Jontay Porter. Overall, the team shot 8-12 from the three-point line and had six players score in double figures.

-Montverde Academy took it to Spain Park (AL) early, but junior forward Austin Wiley finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman R.J. Barrett led the way for Montverde with 16 points.

City of Palms: Day 1

Day number one at the 2015 City of Palms tournament in Fort Myers, FL started off with a plethora of five-star talent putting on a show. In a “light” day of action, five games were on the docket beginning with the defending City of Palms champ in Wheeler (GA) taking on the Harry Giles-less Wesleyan Christian (NC) squad and ending with an old fashioned east coast vs. west coast shoot-out.

Game of the Day:

Chino Hills (CA) 91 Thomas Jefferson (NY) 90

Chino Hills won the opening tip and all of a sudden junior guard LiAngelo Ball was knocking in a three from just below the left wing. 3-0 just a few seconds in and it was off to the races. At times this east coast vs. west coast match-up didn’t even feel like an actual basketball game, but instead it was more like an old school NBA Live video game. Chino Hills came into the game known for their ability to put up over 100 points, and of course, the Ball brothers, who have all committed to UCLA. The California boys ran a pressing and trapping style of defense that was conducive to steals and leak outs. As the younger Ball brother’s (LiAngelo and LiMelo) set-up shop around the perimeter, it was the older brother Lonzo Ball who controlled the action. With Jason Kidd like vision, Lonzo Ball finished with 10 assists. Many of the baseball pass variety from ¾ court including one, where he hit his brother in stride after throwing a pass almost the length of the court with his left-hand. With these highlight reel plays, Chino Hills took a 54-52 lead into the half. As for Thomas Jefferson, they took it right at Chino Hills and found numerous openings for their forays to the basket. 6’2” guard Shamorie Ponds ended up finishing with 40 points on 14-25 shooting. As one would expect, the game came down to the final minute. First, it was Ponds hitting two free throws to go up one point and then with time winding down it was the muscular LiAngelo Ball who hit two free throws to go up 1. With 3.1 seconds left, Thomas Jefferson had the ball under their own basket and instead of running a set play, the player inbounding the ball threw a pass off the back of a Chino Hills defender. With an undefeated season hanging in the ball, Lonzo Ball came in to save the day with two straight blocked shots. A crazy ending to a crazy game, one in which the two teams combined for 53 three’s. Chino Hills stays undefeated and advances to the next round to play the winner of Montverde Academy and Spain Park (AL).

Top Performances:

Shamorie Ponds, 6’2”, G, Thomas Jefferson (NY)

Despite coming out of the final game with a loss, Shamorie Ponds was the only player to top the 40-point mark on day one. The “slick” guard scored in a variety of manners including one three in the first-half that was well beyond NBA range. He also maneuvered to find the openings in the defense for short jumpers while also showing off his ability to finish in traffic. Despite the crazy nature of the game, Ponds was always under control and only finished with two turnovers despite having the ball in his hands for a majority of the game. Overall, Ponds was a very efficient 14-25 from the field and almost led his team to a first round upset.

Lonzo Ball, 6’5”, PG, Chino Hills (CA)

Defensive rebound in the paint, no dribble, spin, left-handed ¾ court pass right on the money for an easy lay-up. Lonzo Ball is easily the best passer in high school hoops and his skills were on display as the future Bruin went for 22 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 5 blocks in a 91-90 win. He can fire a bullet pass with either hand and knows exactly how far to drive on a defender before kicking it to a wide open teammate. He can attack off the dribble and knows how to use his height once in the paint. Ball knocked down two three’s, but will need to fix his form in order to excel at the higher levels of basketball. Right now the shot is released almost from the top of his left shoulder and it won’t be as easy to get off in the Pac-12. Besides for the shot mechanics, Ball is a maestro with the ball in his hands and the unquestioned leader of the Chino Hills juggernaut.

Michael Porter Jr., 6’8”, SF, Father Tolton (MO)

If there is such a thing as an easy 34 points, then it happened in the Father Tolton / Lehigh Acres game. Porter, the five-star junior went for 34 points on 9-17 shooting and added 17 rebounds. He took advantage of a scrappy Lehigh team who did not have anyone over 6’5” and did his damage with highlight reel dunks and 15 out of 16 free throws. Porter Jr. corralled the ball on the boards and began the break as well. He knocked in his only three of the game in the first half and then he started the second half with an alley-oop off of a set play. It was a very smooth game for Porter Jr. who was surrounded after the game for picture and autograph requests.

Highlights

Kevin Knox, 6’7”, F, Tampa Catholic (FL)

The five-star junior has been on a tear starting with his performance at the USA U16 tryouts last spring. Now, the explosive forward is expanding his game now that he is fully focused on basketball after previously playing football in the fall. Knox scored 27 points on 11-22 shooting and added 12 rebounds. He put together numerous highlight reel plays including dunks on the break, coast to coast lay-ups, and a powerful drive from the left wing. In the first half he hit a three from the left wing showing that he was comfortable shooting from deep, but finished just 1-5 from three. Despite the misses from three and a few from just inside the arc, Knox’s form still looked compact and similar to his 15 foot jump shot which he makes with ease. The skill level required to play the small forward position in college is expanding as is his offer list. Knox recently received UNC and Duke offers and is expecting a Kentucky one soon.

Dewan Huell, 6’9”, PF, Norland (FL)

The future Miami Hurricane put together a solid 24 point, seven rebound performance in a fairly easy win over Peyton Pritchard’s West Linn (OR) team. Huell got started early hitting a few soft jumpers from inside the paint and he also showed some body control driving baseline for a short bank shot with a smaller defender trying to take a charge. Huell had a definite height advantage in this game and controlled the paint. Today he will have a tougher test going up against the Patrick School.

Other Notes:

-Assistant coaches from UCLA, UNC, Boston College, Alabama were all seen at Day 1. With many big time games going off today expect to see some head coaches rolling in later.

-Peyton Pritchard finished with 22 points, but the Oregon commit struggled to find his shot going 7-22 from the field. His team was at an athletic disadvantage and it was hard for his teammates to get open shots. Pritchard was able to penetrate, but just didn’t have things falling in his first game.

-6’10” sophomore Jontay Porter finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Lehigh Acres. On Saturday, Porter will face off with Caleb Wesson, both of whom are more in the Big Baby mold which should make for an interesting match-up.