Adidas Unrivaled: Thursday Session 1 Recap

The Adidas Unrivaled camp kicked off this morning beginning with two hours of drills for the top prospects on the Adidas AAU circuit. A few head coaches showed up early including Billy Donovan along with a handful of assistants from high major schools but the big turnout came for the first set of games in the afternoon. John Calipari, Tom Crean, Tad Boyle and many others were present for the five games that made up the first session of games in Chicago. 

Players That Impressed:

Brandon Ingram, 6’8”, Forward, Kinston (NC), 2015

Brandon Ingram

Aggressive is not a word usually used to describe Brandon Ingram. A 6’8” string bean that always looks like the youngest player on the court came out firing. First he found himself on the left wing in an isolation situation. After a hesitation dribble, Ingram drove to the basket for a contested left hand lay-up and you could see his confidence rise. Soon after Ingram curled to the left elbow for a jump shot and then also hit a three from the left side of the court. Ingram’s team jumped out to a huge lead and Ingram finished the first half with 14 points on 6-6 shooting. He ended the game with 16 points on 7-8 shooting and his one basket in the second half displayed his more aggressive mindset. Upon seeing a smaller defender on him, Ingram posted up in the middle of the lane and backed his man down finishing with a two hand dunk. The North Carolina native also added six rebounds. Can he continue his aggressive play going forward?

Tony Bradley Jr., 6’9”, Forward, Bartow (FL), 2016

While Ingram started the game with a bang, Tony Bradley Jr. was the team’s leading scorer finishing with 20 points. The athletic forward was extremely aggressive around the rim finishing with his monstrous wing span. He caught almost everything thrown to him and finished 10-15 from the floor. 

Deng Adel, 6’7”, Forward, Rock Prep (FL), 2015

One of the top wings in the country put on an efficient performance during the first session. Adel got started on the break finishing with two consecutive fast break dunks. He also added in a few deep jump shots from just inside the arc and finished with 12 points and five rebounds on 6-9 shooting in a five point win.

TJ Leaf, 6’9”, Forward, Foothills Christian (CA), 2016

Leaf put together a 14 point, six rebound effort on 7-12 shooting. He showed off his versatility on several drives from the three point line including an acrobatic reverse finish. Leaf also attacked the glass and added three rebounds. He missed both of his three’s, but even the threat of his outside shot kept defenders off balance. 

Braxton Blackwell, 6’7”, SF, Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN), 2016

Blackwell scored 16 points on 8-10 shooting and displayed a variety of aspects of his offensive arsenal. All of his points came from around the basket; however they came in different ways. He posted up smaller defenders, drove by slower defenders, and used strong body control to avoid the taller opponents. He guarded the opposing power forwards and also helped his own team initiate offense by playing point forward on numerous possessions. Blackwell played with a bounce to his step and finished with one of the better performances of the afternoon.

Other Notes:

The top prospects at the Adidas camp are small forward Jaylen Brown and power forwards Carlton Bragg and Chase Jeter. All three struggled in the first set of games going a combined 9-30 from the floor. Brown struggled with his jump shot and ball control while going 2-10 and Bragg went just 2-6 in his game. Jeter finished 5-14 and while he had a brief stretch with several impressive baskets in the post he also forced the action at times. Jeter showed good foot work, but also displayed a propensity to always go to his right.

2017 point guard Jaylen Hands went just 2-8 from the field, but the upcoming sophomore appeared to be one of the quicker guards in camp. The 6’1” guard from California displayed an initial quick burst and solid ball handling skills throughout.

Junior shooting guard Curtis Jones scored 16 points on 6-12 shooting including 3-6 from deep. A few weeks ago Jones was showing off his athletic prowess in Charlottesville and now he is looking to show off his all-around game. 

6’7” guard / forward Maverick Rowan got off to a hot start hitting three three’s in early action. He cooled off from deep, but still finished 5-11 overall. His counterpart was 6’7” Brendon Bailey out of Utah how made two three’s and finished with eight points which came in a matter of minutes in the second half. 

7’1” center Khadim Gueye from Florida was only credited with two blocks, but the rangy big man appeared much more devastating in the paint than the stats would lead to believe. He didn’t make a field goal, but Gueye is a shot blocker to watch going forward.

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.