UAA Finals: Day 4

The Championship: We R 1 (66) Sports U (44)

Another championship for We R 1

The battle between tough Northeast teams initially resembled a classic old school Big East match-up. Players were physical with bumps and shoves as the game got underway and scoring was at a premium. Several minutes in both teams got into a scuffle with technical fouls awarded to each. After the ruckus, the Philly based We R 1 began their separation from their Jersey counterpart. Led by point guard Otis Livington We R 1 continued their physical play but began penetrating and moving the ball with precision. Extra passes were made and the open man was found as the team went 7-15 from the three point line. Livington led the way with 19 points and four assists and six other players scored at least six points in the game. Reserve guard Kwade Green hit two three’s and Derrick Jones provided a highlight reel dunk to end the game. Last year, We R 1 was a prominent team on the 16U circuit and now they leave Atlanta with the UAA finals championship to their name. As for SportsU, only two players ended up in double figures. 6’8” lanky power forward Chris Silva and 6’6” athletic wing Markis McDuffie.

16U Championship: New Heights (46) ATL Xpress (44)

It was fitting that a back and forth affair ended with a buzzer beater in the 16U final. New Heights from New York and the home town Atlanta Xpress were going back and forth the entire game with neither team getting a lead of more than five or six points. With 45 seconds left, New Heights regained a two point lead after shooting guard Ty Jerome hit a three from the wing. With the pressure on the Xpress, point guard Aaron Augustin got into the lane and dished it to 6’9” power forward Chris Clerkly for a lay-up. After a timeout and several misses, 6’5” Sayon Charles was all alone for a tip in as time expired.  

Other Notes:

LaGerald Vick, 6’5”, SG, 2015, Team Thad – In a competitive game with DC Premier, Vick was always a threat to score from the wing. An athletic shooting guard, Vick possessed quickness to get by his defender and also had a nice looking jump shot from inside the arc. In the 15 point win, Vick led the team with 14 points on 6-9 shooting.

Alani Moore, 5’9”, PG, 2016, DC Premier / Nate Darling, 6’4”, SG, 2016, DC Premier

The Dematha duo spearheaded a hard fought win over Team Felton in an intense game. The shifty junior point guard sliced and diced his way through the lane for lay-ups and assists. He made the defense pay for sagging off him with a wing three in the first half and then followed that up with a between the legs assist. Meanwhile, his high school teammate Nate Darling was lighting up the scoreboard in the first half hitting several deep three’s that grazed nothing but the bottom of the net. Not just a standstill shooter, Darling didn’t shy away from attacking the rim on fast breaks and found himself at the line several times. 

Larond Williams, 6’9”, PF, Team Superstar (CA) – The Team Superstar big man was all over the court on Saturday despite having a minimal impact on the scorebook. Williams finished with 6 points and 5 rebounds, but it was his intangibles that got him noticed from another court. The rising senior sports a Serge Ibaka type body and was constantly beating guards down the court. He was also a threat in the middle with several blocked shots. 

Nate Kennell, 6’5”, SG, 2016, Illinois Wolves – The 16U Wolves got off to a very slow start in the morning, but they were able to cut the halftime deficit to just a few manageable points. In the second half, Kennell caught fire from the corner and propelled his team to a blowout win. Once he saw the ball go through the net, Kennell picked up a bit of a swagger and couldn’t miss. Along with his threes from the wing, he also added a driving and one to finish in the high teens. 

Tomas Murphy, 6’8”, PF, 2017, NE Playaz – The youngest Murphy brother put on a show in the first half of his 16U game and later played in the Playaz 17U game. A long and lean 6’8”, Murphy played well in the post using his length to secure several shots in the paint. After scoring eight points over a few minute span, Murphy knocked in a three from the top of the key before coming out for a breather. Already advanced for his young age, Murphy had Florida coach Billy Donovan and an assistant in to see the last of the Murphy brothers. 

Mickey Bell, 6’4”, SG, Philly Pride – In a blowout of Canada Elite, Bell performed well on both sides of the ball. He hit three treys from outside the arc and also did a fairly decent job on the taller and more skilled Justin Jackson. Bell used his strength to bump Jackson on the defensive end and found open shots on the wing on the offensive end. Once the defenders were afraid of the jump shot, Bell was able to pump fake and get to the line on his drives.

Jon Davis, 6’3”, SG, DC Premier – Last year Davis led his 16U DC Assault team to the UA Summer Jam championship in Milwaukee. This year his team lost to rival Team Thad, but the 6’3” scoring guard was still the team’s leading scorer with 15 points. Not the most athletic of guards, Davis just has a knack for scoring the ball and did so in his last game going 5-9 from the field.

Prentiss Nixon, 6’1”, G, Illinois Wolves – On a talented Illinois Wolves team, Nixon finished an easy win with 8 points and 4 rebounds on 4-5 shooting in a blowout win of Diamond Stone’s team. The lead guard only dished two assists, but he created easier shots for teammates almost every time he looked to drive.

UAA Finals: Day 3

After a long day at the Suwanee Sports Academy for the Under Armour Finals, Day 3 concluded with a bang. First, Net Gain out of Minnesota hit a buzzer beater to upset Jaylen Brown’s highly touted Game Elite squad and then the Utah Prospects lost on a short fade-away to Earl Watson Elite.

Heading into the final day, the semi-finals are set in the 17U age bracket. The South Carolina Raptors face off against Sports U and We R 1 goes against KC Run GMC.

Day 3:

Justin Jackson, 6’8”, F, 2016

Jackson was impressive in a win against Team Felton on Friday afternoon. Driving down the lane for dunks, running the floor, and hitting outside jump shots propelled his 16U Canada Elite team to a win. Jackson showed good court awareness and seemed to always be in the right place at the right time while presenting a match-up nightmare due to his size and skill.

Jalek Felton, 6’4”, SG, 2017

Going against Jackson, was the 6’4” rising sophomore Jalek Felton. Raymond Felton’s nephew finished with 19 points after falling just short in their comeback attempt. Felton’s talents were on display early as he used his quickness to get to the basket for lay-ups or assists. Felton gets the ball out of his hands extremely quickly and always puts a good zip on the ball so that it arrives to his teammate in the knick of time. During the game, Felton hit two deep three’s including an and-one towards the end of the game, but at the same time he also forced some shots from well beyond the NBA arc and struggled with his shooting percentage. After the game, the Canada Elite coach let Felton know how impressed he was saying “I haven’t seen too many kids like you.”

Frank Jackson, 6’2”, G, 2016

BYU commitment Frank Jackson plans to keep the Lone Peak state title tradition alive and if his performance Friday night is any indication, he might just be able to do that himself. A superb athlete, Jackson single handedly brought his team back before they fell on a last second attempt. He got by his man off the dribble and finished at the rim with right and left hand lay-ups, while also adding in a nice two hand alley-oop dunk. He also hit a three from the wing showing off the complete scoring package. The one negative for Jackson related to his free throw shooting as he missed several shots throughout the second half.

Derrick Jones, 6’7”, SF, 2015

Jones led his team to the semi-finals with one two fairly easy wins over Team Charlotte and Baltimore’s Finest on Friday. In his first game, Jones finished with 13 points on a cool 5-5 from the floor. The athletic and long swingman threw down several highlight worthy dunks and competed on the defensive side of the floor hardly breaking a sweat.

Donovan Mitchell, 6’3”, G, 2015

Built like a fullback, Mitchell used his upper body strength to create several easy scoring opportunities yesterday. In a loss he went 6-9 from the field to finish with 16 points. The fast rising senior also knocked down a three in addition to his strong drives to the basket. Despite playing on the farthest court in the gym, a few head coaches were seen checking out Mitchell including Brian Gregory of Georgia Tech and Mark Gottfried of N.C. State.

Marquese Chriss, 6’9”, PF, 2015

Playing in front of his future head coach Lorenzo Romar, Marquese Chriss scored 23 points to go with four rebounds against two four-star big men in the class of 2016 in Juwan Durham and Dewan Huell. In the first half, Chriss spun down the lane and finished with an authoritative two hand dunk that got the crowd off of their feet. The California big man also showed a soft touch from just outside the paint.

Jaylen Brown, 6’7”, SF, 2015

One of the top players in the senior class, Jaylen Brown put on a show scoring 20 out of a team total 48. Brown’s team lost at the buzzer, but the wing put on a scintillating performance. Several times he caught the ball at the high post before turning to face up his defender. With one quick move, Brown was usually by his defender and finishing at the rim with a powerful dunk. With a strong upper body, Brown often sought out contact on his drives and ended up with eight trips to the line. 

Other Notes:

He only scored two points, but rising sophomore Darius Perry showed no fear playing with kids two years older. One of the ball handlers for Game Elite (GA), Perry was extremely quick and put his man on ice skates for his only basket of the game, a 15 foot step back. In addition to his quickness, Perry can handle the ball and is one to watch going forward.

6’6” Tevin Mack scored 18 points in a loss to Baltimore’s Finest and put up a hefty amount of three’s in the process. Mack took 10 three’s and connected on three of them as he tried to bring the Carolina Wolves back from an early deficit. With his size, Mack can often get his shot off whenever and wherever he pleases.

Roy Williams took a quick break from the Peach Jam to check out 6’4” wing Rayjon Tucker and 6’6” guard PJ Dozier. Tucker struggled with an injury suffered on opening night and scored six points while going 0-3 from the floor. Dozier finished with eight in an easy win and had a nice dunk down the middle of the lane after working his way in between two defenders.

There is a lot of talent in Las Vegas in the 15U level. In the 9pm games last night on side by side courts the Las Vegas Prospects and Team Vegas Elite were playing. The Las Vegas prospects were extremely impressive and probably could compete with almost every team at the 16U level. Led by superstar, Troy Brown, a 6’5” point, the Prospects put on a show in front of various Pac-12 assistants and Kansas. Brown got to the basket anytime he wanted and put together a highlight show and Austin Nelson, Carmelo Bright and Darian Scott got in on the action. For Vegas Elite, 6’4” Charles O’ Bannon impressed as a 6’4” wing.