EYBL Dallas: Preview

Part two of the Nike EYBL series kicks off this weekend in Frisco, Texas with 80 games scheduled to take place Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately real world events keep me from attending this event for the third year in a row, but there are several games, player match-ups, and storylines that I am paying close attention to. 

Storylines:

1. Will Stephen Zimmerman Play Like A Top 5 Player?

In his first EYBL experience with the Oakland Soldiers in Sacramento, the No. 5 ranked prospect struggled mightily. In three games he averaged 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds with a 90.9 ORTG. His mid-range jump shot was off and he did not necessarily look comfortable on the block, but he did show glimpses of his talent when put in the high-lo offense with Ivan Rabb. The Soldiers have a tough four game stretch in Dallas, but Zimmerman will have a chance to show that his first experience was just a fluke.

2. Will The Outside Shooters Stay Hot?

Kenny Williams of Boo Williams and Levan Alston of Team Final were two of the top three point marksmen in the first EYBL. Williams went 6-9 in his first game and 16-26 over four games, good enough for 62%. The recruiting increase in Williams picked up rapidly afterwards and now teams will focus on pushing the 6’3” guard off the three point line. While Williams shot 62%, Alston went 13-15, or 87%. He shot 5-5 on opening night and then 6-6 the next day.

3. Will Bam Bam Continue His Strong Play?

The Top 25 sophomore is a physical freak. It’s no secret that Edrice Adebayo can run the floor, block shots, and dunk, but how is his actual offensive game coming along? In Sacramento, Adebayo looked raw in the post playing against the older and larger Jessie Govan. After that game, one could see Adebayo’s confidence start to grow as he scored 16, 12, and 14 in his next three games. While a lot of his points come off tip-backs, against Baltimore Elite he did score several times off of quick moves in the post. In the first EYBL series, Adebayo led all players with a 24.0% Offensive Rebounding rating and also finished with a 121.6 ORTG.

4. Will Malik Monk Catch Fire Again?

At 6’3” and 185 pounds, Monk has the strength and athletic ability to get a shot at almost any time. He certainly did so in Sacramento when he dropped an EYBL high of 59 points which included 10 three’s. Before Monk exploded, the talented sophomore scored 19 and 20 points in his first three games. What type of show will he put on in Texas?

5. Will Any Ringers Show Up?

The EYBL is the premier tournament this weekend with Adidas and Under Armour gearing up against next weekend. Last year this led to players such as Isaiah Whitehead, Tyler Dorsey, and Daniel Hamilton playing for teams in Dallas. Will anyone make the switch this week?

Top Games:

1. Oakland Soldiers vs. Texas Titans (Sunday, 10:30 AM)

In Northern California, the Soldiers were the big draw given the easy drive for families and friends. Even Nick and Stanley Johnson showed up to cheer. Needless to say, when the Soldiers took on their rival California Supreme the stands were packed. While the Texas Titans don’t face off against Texas Elite, the stands will surely be packed for this big time match-up. The Soldiers have Top 5 big men in Ivan Rabb and Zimmerman, but the Titans feature 6’9” Tyler Davis and 6’11” Djery Baptiste off the bench. They also feature recent Baylor commit King McClure and sharp-shooting forward D.J. Hogg. Oh yeah, senior forward Mickey Mitchell should also receive increased playing time as he works his way back from injury. 

2. Team Scan vs. Each 1 Teach 1

Australian junior Ben Simmons will look to continue to make a claim for the top spot in the national rankings against Team Scan big men Cheick Diallo and Thomas Bryant. Simmons averaged 18.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in the first EYBL, while Diallo averaged 17.2 and 7.5. E1T1 features high scoring guard Antonio Blakeney who is coming off an impressive performance at the Bob Gibbons tournament this past weekend while five-star junior Tyus Battle will look to bounce back from a 5-19 shooting performance with Team Scan.

3. Mac Irvin Fire vs. Southern Stampede

Mac Irvin point guard Jalen Brunson looks to continue his bid for top point guard in the country after averaging a league leading 9.3 assists per game. He also added 16.3 points. 5’10” sparkplug Luwane Pipkins recently committed to UMass and led the fire with 19.7 ppg. On the Southern Stampede side, 6’4” guard Prince Ali made Kevin Ollie look like a genius with his 20 points per game and point guard Troy Hudson averaged 13.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. Also 6’3” freshman Jatrious Smith averaged 8.7 points.

Other Notes:

·         Just four teams finished the first session undefeated. BABC, Spiece Indy, and Athletes First went 4-0 while Each 1 Teach 1 went 3-0. BABC is led by Terrance Mann, a do-everything 6’5” wing while Athlete’s First is led by Allonzo Trier who averaged a league leading 28.5 points per game. Spiece Indy was the surprise team in Sacramento as all viewers got to watch the underrated Deyonta Davis and Caleb Swanigan wreck shop. Davis led the EYBL with a 141.2 ORTG while Swanigan led the league in rebounding with 11.5 boards per game.

 

·         The talented, but young St. Louis Eagles were one of three teams to go winless along with Baltimore Elite and the Georgia Stars. The Eagles feature Jayson Tatum, one of the top players in America but also have big man Tyler Cook, and guards Quentin Goodin and Jordan Barnes. They will get a win this weekend.

·         Two high scoring guards face off on Sunday morning. Dejounte Murray, a newbie to the EYBL averaged 17 points per game for the Northwest Xpress while veteran Isaiah Briscoe averaged 13.8 for the NJ Playaz. In an East / West battle, the two shooting guards will take their turn trying to one up each other on the offensive end.

EYBL-Dallas - Day 2 Continued

While Tyus Jones and Joel Berry were going head to head and Malik Newman was going off for 36 points there were numerous other standouts throughout the 40 games that went on during Day 2 of the Dallas EYBL. 

Theo Pinson, 6’6”, 2014, CP3

In the first set of Saturday games, Theo Pinson made his presence known on both sides of the ball early and often in helping his team to a 13 point halftime lead against Team Texas Elite. Pinson went 5-9 in the first half including 1-2 from the three point line. Outside shooting is usually the main weakness associated with Pinson, but he showed off an improved form in this early morning tilt. From the start Pinson had shots go in and out from fifteen feet and the top of the key. Despite the close misses, Pinson didn’t lose confidence and shortly thereafter knocked in a twelve foot jump shot and a three from the right wing. On the defensive side of the ball, Pinson forced two early turnovers and converted both of those steals into a fast break dunk and lay-up. In the second half, Pinson added in eight more points for good measure as CP3 became the only team in the tournament to break 100 points in a 35 point win. Pinson finished with 19 points on 8-14 shooting and added seven rebounds. 

Gary Clark, 6’7”, 2014, CP3

Clark had a very efficient game in the morning set scoring 17 points on 7-9 shooting. Several times, CP3 ran specific play sets to get Clark the ball in the low post and he responded with a few quick right handed hook shots and also a face-up medium range jump shot. Clark showed off a soft touch, good hands, and quick moves when catching the ball in the post.

Matt Mcquaid, 6’5”, 2015, Team Texas Elite

While the young Texas Elite squad was overwhelmed against CP3, the skinny sophomore took charge in the first half attempting to keep his team within striking distance. After miss-firing on his first two outside shots, Mcquaid calmly drained four three pointers in the first half including one he hit from the left corner while getting fouled. After knocking in his first three, he gained confidence and became more aggressive calling for the ball and moving through the half court sets in an effort to get open looks. Mcquaid ended up going 5-9 from behind the three point line throughout the game. 

Justin Jackson, 6’7”, 2014, Houston Hoops

In one of the most anticipated match-ups against Expressions Elite the lanky forward got off to a slow start but quickly caught fire during the middle of the first half. After starting out 1-4, Jackson hit his patented floater from seven feet out and added in a three pointer from the top of the key while also hitting several baskets down low off of drives or basket cuts. With the score tied 36 all at the half, Jackson continued his stellar playing scoring 16 second half points as his Houston Hoops team ended up winning 81-65. Jackson added seven rebounds and played hard on both sides of the ball throughout the contest. 

Kelly Oubre, 6’7”, 2014, Houston Hoops

Another one of the talented Houston Hoops wings, Oubre scored 17 points on 4-9 shooting. Oubre hit two threes from the corner and also used his size and athleticism to get to the free throw line nine times. Oubre was very active on the defensive end and also helped with ball handling duties on occasion. The size and strength combination that Oubre possesses makes him one of the most challenging covers in the circuit.

Abdul Malik Abu, 6’7”, 2014, Expressions Elite

Malik-Abu struggled mightily with his shooting during the game against Houston going 3-19, but he also managed to grab 14 rebounds. Malik-Abu is one of the strongest forwards in the country and showed off his power and athleticism with a violent dunk off a stand still jump at one point early in the second half. 

Aaron Falzon, 6’8”, 2015, Expressions Elite

Falzon looks a bit like Klay Thompson and while he does not have the same shooting ability he did manage to knock in four three pointers throughout the game. After forcing a bad shot from the top of the key to start the game, Falzon settled into the flow and went for 14 points and 7 rebounds. With Expressions Elite trying to make a comeback at the end of the game, Falzon turned into the go-to guy on offense as his teammates tried to find him for open looks behind the arc as he showed off range from several feet behind the arc.

Grayson Allen, 6’4”, 2014, E1T1

Allen continued his hot shooting off the bench in a blowout win against Howard Pulley to cap off the Saturday morning session. After scoring 30 points the first night, Allen went for 17 points on 6-8 shooting. Playing off the ball, Allen wasted no time getting into the action as he fired up shots the first two times he touched the ball resulting in two swishes. Allen got to the basket a time or two and even lofted a nice alley-oop to Trayvon Reed after working his way into the lane.

D’Angelo Russell, 6’4”, 2014, E1T1

The first two EYBL sessions were a struggle for Russell as he tried to adapt to a new team and new system. His game against Howard Pulley could potentially signal his turnaround. Russell went 6-7 from the floor including 3-4 from behind the line. It seems as though Russell’s favorite three-point spot is a few feet below the free throw line extended and this is where he did his damage. After Russell knocked in a three over Tyus Jones, he started to show off a little of his helter-skelter type game that made him one of the top players on the 16U Adidas and UA circuit last year. He also added in 7 rebounds for good measure. 

Trey Lyles, 6’9”, 2014, Spiece Indy

Despite an early deficit due to the 36 point Malik Newman point barrage, Spiece Indy stayed within striking distance and eventually took the lead in the final minutes. This was in large part due to the play of their big man Trey Lyles who is one of the smartest big men on the circuit. Lyles knew he had a strength advantage down low and went to work. Lyles backed his man down for baskets coming off turns to both the right and left shoulder near the basket and also hit a few five to seven foot jumpers when given space. 

Ivan Rabb, 6’10”, 2015, Oakland Soldiers

Rabb showed off why he is considered to be one of the top players in the class of 2015 playing against Athletes First from Oklahoma. The tall and lanky big man can run the court and finished in the low post. Rabb got his Oakland squad off to a quick start scoring six early points down low off of offensive rebounds and quick post moves. He finished the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds on just seven shots. 

Stanley Johnson, 6’7”, 2014, Oakland Soldiers

Johnson was unstoppable at the end of his second game and wouldn’t let Athletes First back into the game. In the last few minutes Johnson isolated his defender(s) at the top of the key and scored several times off of simple crossovers at the three point line. After getting his defender to switch directions, Johnson used his strength advantage to bully his way to the basket. He finished with 22 points on 7-12 shooting and got to the line 12 times. Overall, Johnson is one of the toughest covers in the game. 

Rashad Vaughn, 6’6”, 2014, Wisconsin Elite

Vaughn had another sub-par shooting effort going 4-12, but managed to get to the line 11 times where he converted eight. After taking the EYBL by storm and cementing his rep as the best shooting guard in the country, opposing teams have started to make it harder on Vaughn to get open looks. On Saturday afternoon, Team Louisiana employed a box and one approach on Vaughn which kept him from getting into a rhythm. Vaughn often brought the ball up the court in the second half but was forced to play distributor as he often had two defenders on him anytime he got close to the three point line. At the end of the day, Vaughn finished with 18 points 8 rebounds, and only one turnover. Most importantly his team got the win.

Tyler Ulis, 5’8”, 2014, Meanstreets

Meanstreets was in dire need of a win after starting play in Dallas with a 0-2 record. With a one point lead at the half against Team Final, Ulis seized control in the second half and led the Chicago based Meanstreets to a 75-69 win. Despite his size, Ulis controls the game better than any point guard on the Nike circuit. He hit open three’s when his team needed a bucket (2-4 3-pt) and got into the lane for floaters and foul shots at will. He went 11-11 from the line and finished with 23 points and 8 assists.

Mikal Bridges, 6’7”, 2014 and Malachi Richardson, 6’5”, 2015, Team Final

These two wings scored 16 and 13 points respectively in their loss to Meanstreets. The talented and lengthy wing duo each hit a combined six three-pointers and provided Team Final with offensive miss-matches throughout the game. While both players can shoot the ball, they also possess the athleticism to get to the basket and impact the game in other ways as they combined for 10 rebounds.

Luke Maye, 6’6”, 2015, Team United

An under-sized power forward, Luke Maye can put up points in a hurry. Despite starting his last game of the day against 7’1” center Trayvon Reed, Maye was active on the offensive end getting 23 shots up for a total of 23 points. Maye has a quick release and a high arc on his jump shot which allows him to turn and face against almost any defender. He also doesn’t tire easily and was constantly crashing the boards looking for put back opportunities. 

Kameron Chatman, 6’7”, 2014, ICP

Chatman led ICP to a close rivalry win with Seattle Rotary scoring 16 points including several baskets as the game winded down. Despite sitting out this past high school season, Chatman got the best of another high profile wing in Shaqquan Aaron who did not score until the final shot of the game. Chatman performed well in all of his games and benefited from an influx of Southern California talent to improve the competiveness of his team.