National Prep Showcase: Day 1 Recap

Each year the start of high school basketball is marked by the National Prep Showcase held at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT. On Friday morning at 10:30am the 2013-14 season kicked off in front of a variety of college coaches featuring prep school powers from New England, the East Coast, and even Spain. 

Most Impressive Player:

Tremont Waters, 5’10”, PG, South Kent School (CT), 2017

Freshman Sensation

In a day filled watching prep school players that were more often than not in their 5th year of school leave it to a young freshman to make the biggest impression. The Prep Showcase preview from the New England Recruiting Report noted that Waters “is widely projected to be among the top freshmen in the entire country.” After one game of action it’s safe to say that sentence is fairly accurate. Waters came off the bench for South Kent and quickly showed poise beyond his years along with a deft ability to handle the ball. He knocked in a three-pointer from the wing and showed that he could compete against the older, stronger, and taller players as well. With his team facing a double digit deficit, Waters went off in the second half. He started his run with a nice stop and go hesitation move in the lane for a five foot floater and then followed that up with two free throws a possession or two later. After that, Waters got hot from beyond the arc and hit deep three’s from both the left and right wing and then added another three from the left wing as he got fouled. With the game neck and neck, Waters added in a driving lay-up and floater for good measure. Overall, the freshman finished with 26 points on 8-14 shooting and 5-10 from behind the arc. While just beginning high school he showed range on his jumper, ball-handling skills, a floater, and athleticism. One thing that stuck out about Waters was his over-sized feet given his 5’10” height. Already a terror on the court, Waters could be deadly if he continues to grow. In his first major tournament, it didn’t take long for Waters to introduce himself to a host of college coaches playing in his hometown of New Haven. 

The Foreigners:

Earlier in the week two surprise commitments came to Louisville and Pittsburgh via the Canarias Basketball Academy (CBA) in Las Palmas, Spain. While not much was known about the players who committed or the team they came from it certainly didn’t take long to realize they possessed a fair amount of height.

Matz Stockman, 7’2”, C, 2014, Louisville

Stockman is a 7’2”, 240 pound center from Norway that gave his commitment to the Louisville Cardinals earlier in the week. Going up against a tough, although shorter Massanutten Military Academy team, Stockman finished with 14 points on 6-6 shooting. He ran the floor well for a big guy and competed hard every play, sometimes getting under the skin of his opponent. Stockman worked to establish a strong post presence on every possession despite his frail frame. Upon catching the ball in the post he showed off several nice post moves which ended with a variety of left hand finishes. Stockman only played in four minute spurts throughout the game and finished with just one rebound in 20+ minutes. While he shot 100% from the field, he was not able to make a move to his right side and also had slow reactions at times. Given his size it will be interesting to see how Stockman develops over the years but it’s clear that he is already fundamentally sound and will provide a large body for Pitino and the Cardinals.

Shaquille Doorson, 6’11”, 270, C, Pittsburgh

Doorson already sports a college ready body and is much more advanced than his future Louisville rival but his skills are still a few years away. The Holland native ran the court and rebounded aggressively finishing with four rebounds in seven minutes. The size and strength are there but it will take him a bit longer than Stockman to contribute in the ACC.

Michal Cekovsky, 7’0”, 220, F/C

Cekovsky is the piece of the CBA towers that remains uncommitted, but he might be the one that can contribute the most at a college program early on. In 26 minutes he finished with 12 points on 5-6 shooting and 10 rebounds. He displayed a jump hook in the second half and then followed that up with a 15 foot jump shot. He missed his only three but also added on three steals. Expect all of the college coaches in attendance to inquire of the 7-footer from Slovakia.

Most Exciting Player:

Demontrae Jefferson, 5’7”, PG, Believe Prep Academy (SC), 2015

The Milwaukee native played a stellar and under control first half for his prep team and entertained the crowd as well. Jefferson scored 14 first half points which included a three from the wing along with several tough drives to the basket and fast break lay-ups. Sometimes Jefferson can get a bit out of control and jack up too many shots or turn the ball over too many times, but in a structured setting the good Jefferson came out. Not only was he the high scorer as his team jumped out to an early lead but he also distributed the ball to his teammates for easy shots. In the second half, Jefferson had the highlight of the day as he attacked the basket from the right side on the break turned his defender around with a fake and then gave the ball up to another Milwaukee native in David Burrell for the two-hand slam.

Top Shooter:

Robert Harris III, 6’6”, SG, Fishburne Military School (VA), 2014, Kansas State

Thwack, thwack, thwack. That was the sound of the net when Harris was raining three’s at the start of his evening game. The future Wildcat couldn’t miss and hit four shots from outside early on. After the initial barrage, Harris went quiet for awhile but eventually added in a deep jumper from 17 feet. On his shots, he had perfect rotation and a quick release which will serve him well against quicker defenders than those guarding him tonight. He ended the game with 23 points.

Best Effort(s) in a Losing Cause:

Despite a loss to South Kent and freshman Tremont Waters, three players from Elev8 Sports Institute in Delray Beach, FL stood out. Western Kentucky commitment D.J. Clayton was on fire from deep as he hit several pull-up three’s in the second half. He finished with 22 points on 4-5 shooting from outside the arc. 6’9” Keondre Dew put together a solid effort and finished with a double-double. He went 9-16 from the field for 18 points and 11 rebounds. Meanwhile point guard Reggie Reid consistently split the defense for floaters and open looks for teammates. The trio was clicking in the first half, but couldn’t hold off the point barrage from Waters.

Strongest Player:

Rashard Kelly, 6’7”, F, Hargrave Military Academy (VA), 2014, Wichita State

The Shockers have themselves a player in Kelly. The 6’7” forward was a solid player over the summer for his DC Assault AAU team and he continued that play in one of the early games. With his strength advantage Kelly scored in the paint and off drives to the basket as his team cruised to a 92-73 victory. Kelly ended the game with 18 points and 9 rebounds.

College Coaches in Attendance:

Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), assistant coaches from Louisville, Georgia Tech, Miami, Colorado, Penn State, Hofstra, Wagner, Drexel, Pacific, St. Peter’s, Miami (OH), George Washington, and many others. 

Famous Celebrities:

Darryl Strawberry was in attendance to watch his son Jordan play.

UA Summer Jam: Day 2 Recap

Two days down in Mequon, Wisconsin for the UA Summer Jam and this time the 16U age group got to share the main stage at Homestead High School. On Day 1, the who’s who of college basketball filled the bleachers to watch Cliff Alexander take on Myles Turner and while several big time match-ups occurred it was the young kids that drew the coaches in the morning.

Top Players (16U):

Diamond Stone, 6’10”, 2015, PF/C, Young Legends

photo from NY2LA Sports

One of the top players in the class of 2015 drew the most attention early in the morning on Day 2. For Stone’s game against Dream Vision, he had head coaches such as Roy Williams, Rick Pitino, Tom Izzo, Travis Ford, Buzz Williams, and Bo Ryan front and center. Stone flashed his skills for the coaches and while he struggled at times he still finished with 22 points. He scored off put-backs, on the break, and in post-up situations. While Stone dropped weight this spring, he still has his strength which allows him to overpower opponents in a graceful manner. He didn’t connect on his jump shots in the first game, but nailed a three in his second game against DC Assault. One area that Stone will need to continue to fine as he continues to play in the 16U age group relates to his concentration. He missed on four dunks during the day which should not happen with a player his size and athletic ability. Despite the misses, all of the coaches were imagining how good he would look suiting up for them in two years.

Ray Smith, 6’6”, 2015, G, LV Prospects

In the first game of the day, Smith had UNLV head coach Dave Rice front and center at 8am along with a variety of other west coast schools. Smith is a long and lean wing player with a high arching shot. He didn’t waste any time as he nailed a three to start the game en route to seven first half points. In the second half, Smith helped spur a comeback from double digits with his all around play. He grabbed key rebounds and also dished to cutting teammates when he wasn’t too busy driving to the basket. He had a key assist off of penetration in the remaining seconds of the game before the opponent forced overtime. Smith is a talented wing that can do a little bit of everything and a guy that all the west coast schools would love to have.

Daquan Bracey, 5’11”, 2016, PG, Baltimore’s Finest

Bracey is a jet quick guard that wanted the ball in his hands even though he was the youngest player on the team. He made his mark early on coming off the bench with his quick first step and ability to get by defenders off the dribble. He hit one three in the first half but then turned up his play which led to increased playing time. After a basket by the LV Prospects which put them up two with five seconds left, Bracey went coast to coast for a right handed lay-up that sent the game into overtime. He eventually miss-fired on a three pointer to put the game into a second overtime, but one has to admire his cojones. 

Kani Coles, 6’6”, 2015, SF, Baltimore’s Finest

Playing forward for Baltimore, Coles attacked the offensive boards throughout the game. In the first half he scored 10 points with six of them coming off offensive put-backs. On all the put-backs Coles flew through the air for the rebound before tipping the ball in or going back up for a contested lay-up. He continued his domination on the glass in the second half and created many additional scoring opportunities for his team.  

John Davis, 6’2”, G, 2015, DC Assault

DC Assault went 2-0 on the day with Davis playing a huge role as a key scorer. The combo guard was explosive and strong with the basketball and mixed in outside shots with athletic drives to the basket. In both games, Davis went for double digit points and kept the defense off balance all day long. Upon penetration, if Davis did not have a lay-up he also had enough court vision to find the open man for a lay-up.

Leroy Butts, 6’7”, F, 2015, DC Assault

The senior to be at Bishop O’Connell was the leader of the DC Assault team and led through his stellar play in both the morning and afternoon games. The lanky left-hander showed a smooth touch on his jump shot and excelled in knocking down anything within 15 feet. He also could score in the post and often caused problems on the defensive end when he guarded the other team’s center. The DC Assault team had a variety of east coast college’s at their games with Butts being a major recipient of their attention. 

Nick Blair, 6’4”, SF, 2015, Dream Vision

In an early morning loss to Diamond Stone and the Young Legends, Nick Blair was one of the bright spots for the west coast based AAU team. Blair combined his leaping ability and strength to score off drives to the basket. He also showed off an outside shot connecting on two three pointers. Overall, Blair finished with 18 points and was a tough wing to contain.

Players of Interest (17U):

Daryl Gaynor, 6’2”, 2014, G, LV Prospects

A combo guard out of Nevada, Gaynor played a key role in two wins for the Las Vegas Prospects. His key attribute is his quickness which he showcased frequently in transition. In an up-tempo first game, Gaynor pushed the pace and knifed his way to the basket. In his second game, Gaynor continued to push the pace and put defenders back on their heels. Against Team Loaded – NC, Gaynor went off for 24 points on 10-17 shooting.

TJ Haws, 6’3”, 2014, G, LV Prospects

Gaynor’s back court mate in the two wins was TJ Haws, the star from Lone Peak. With Gaynor pushing the pace, Haws was able to slide over to his more natural shooting guard position. Haws scored 13 points in the first game on 5-8 shooting and 14 points in the second game on 5-10 shooting. During the games he used several basket cuts for right and left handed lay-ups while also draining several smooth looking outside shots. 

DJ Wilson, 6’8”, 2014, SF, Team Superstar

In the morning session against the LV Prospects, DJ Wilson had the college coaches buzzing with his play. Standing at 6’8” with a skinny frame, Wilson showed off a text book jump shot and went 3-3 from behind the line in a strong first half performance. His shot was smooth and effortless with range several feet behind the arc. When pressured Wilson used a pump fake to drive to the basket and finished with a soft floater. A Sacramento native, Wilson could see his stock start to rise after his first game in the tournament.

The Headliner:

Similar to Day 1, there were two top notch individual match-ups going on at the same time. Unfortunately coaches had to choose one or the other as the Cliff Alexander vs. Karl Towns Jr. match up was going on in a side gym, while the Myles Turner vs. Kevon Looney match-up was going on in the main gym. 

Both Turner and Looney had their moments in their match-up, but it was the 5’7” Demontrae Jefferson that stole the show and helped lead his Milwaukee Rebels team to a win. While super athletic, Jefferson can often play out of control and force shots from all over the court. For the most part that wasn’t the case as he went 11-21 for 23 points and dished out six assists. Jefferson got out on the break and finished at the rim time and time again and also ran the pick and roll with Looney and other teammates leaving them with pin point passes for easy baskets. Looney finished 13 points and eight rebounds while Turner scored nine points to go along with nine rebounds. Looney’s offense came primarily off drives to the basket and shots down low, while Turner hit a deep jump shot and turnaround over Looney to go along with two baskets down low. The coaches came for the big men, but were instead treated to highlights from Jefferson.

Other Notes:

Joe Burton scored in the 30’s again as he went for 31 points on 12-20 shooting.

The Utah Prospects put on a rare performance in the afternoon holding ISTI Elite from Houston scoreless in the first half. At halftime, the Prospects had a 28-0 lead behind the shooting of Brekkott Chapman and Jared Stutzman. ITSI featured center Tacko Fall who was listed at 7’5.” He went 1-3 from the field in a 48-12 ball game.