Thomas Bryant’s motor never stops. Whether it’s running the floor
on a fast break or using his 7’5” wing span to create havoc in the full court
press, Bryant is always moving at full speed. The 6’9” power forward is
currently a five-star recruit and sits at No. 11 in Scout.com’s 2015 rankings.
He recently played in his first EYBL tournament in Sacramento with
Team Scan. While Bryant’s performance was fairly quiet averaging just 7.3
points and 6.7 rebounds per game he did finish with a block percentage of 6.4%.
“It’s been going good,” said Bryant when asked about his EYBL
experience. “I’m just getting into the flow of things, playing against bigger
and stronger competition.”
This past season before his junior year started, Bryant
transferred from Bishop Kearney in Rochester, NY to Huntington Prep in West
Virginia. As a sophomore, Bryant played an integral part in Bishop Kearney’s
state championship run averaging 13.7 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks per
game while earning third team All-State. In order to improve his game he
transferred to Huntington Prep where he played against national competition and
went up against high major players in practice each day.
“It helped me a lot in my overall improvement of the game,
rebounding, scoring, talking on defense,” said Bryant. “They put me in a place
where I can succeed. I just want to keep getting better both offensively and
defensively. Never lose that motor on offense and defense. Always talking.
There is always room for improvement.”
In AAU play, Bryant teams with 6’9” shot blocker Cheick Diallo, another five-star big
man in the class of 2015. “Oh it’s great,” said Bryant. “We’ve got another shot
blocker down there, which helps out. It’s a dynamic duo.”
Bryant plays the point man in Team Scan’s full-court and
half-court press using his wing span and height to cause chaos and turnovers.
While known for his rebounding and defense, Bryant is also trying to improve
his offensive game. Right now, Bryant is still raw in the post but uses his
broad shoulders to overpower defenders at time down low. In addition, he also
hit a three in Sacramento and was often playing in the high-lo with Diallo.
“I’ve been working on the outside a bit,” said Bryant. “Even when they double
down on Cheick I’ve been working on hitting that 15 footer.”
Recruiting:
For a Top 15 prospect, you would imagine that schools would be all
over Bryant, but so far that really hasn’t been the case. In April, Bryant
talked about a top six which included Kansas, Ohio State, Syracuse, Florida,
North Carolina, and Kentucky. When asked who was recruiting him the hardest,
Bryant recently replied “Nobody really. Nobody has been recruiting me the
hardest. I know West Virginia is recruiting me pretty hard, along with Syracuse
and Kansas.”
Bryant has a close connection to Syracuse given his New York roots
while former Bishop Kearney teammate, Chinonso
Obokoh who will be a redshirt-freshman next season.
Bryant took a visit to Ohio State in the winter, but has not had
much contact with North Carolina. “Nah, I have not heard anything from them
yet,” noted Bryant. “I’ve gotten some letters from them, but that is about it.
Yeah, I would be interested. I would really be interested in hearing from
them.”
Bryant is about to start his second EYBL tournament this weekend
in Dallas and has a busy spring and summer ahead of him. Along with the
tournaments with Team Scan, Bryant will also be participating in the Pangos
All-American Camp, the Nike LeBron James camp, and the USA U17 Men’s Training
Camp.
Bryant might have started slow in the spring, but with his motor
he will be sure to make an impact in the near future.
Dejounte
Murray
is a popular player out on the West Coast right now and one who saw his stock
soar during a junior season at Rainier Beach (WA). Now the 6’4” shooting guard looks to continue
his rise during the spring and summer.
Last week in the first EYBL tournament of the year, Murray
averaged 17 points per game on the Northwest Xpress AAU team which is comprised
of the top players in the Pacific Northwest. The team opened with a loss, but
Murray scored 21 points albeit on 8-19 shooting. With one game under their
belt, the Xpress bounced back on Day 2 winning both of their games.
“I think it was a whole bunch of jitters,” said Murray. “Our team
didn’t know anything about the EYBL, we had never played, I had never played,
but I’m used to playing in big games. As we start growing, we don’t want to
lose so we were able to take care of business today.”
Murray played his best game late on day two of the live evaluation
period. With only two courts of action going on, coaches were soon drawn to the
high scoring exploits of the athletic guard. In a 66-53 win Murray scored 25
points on 9-14 shooting, including 4-5 from the three point line. Murray came
down and drained three’s off the dribble and also utilized the pick and roll
for open looks. Along with his outside shooting, Murray got to the basket off
the dribble and finished at the rim for several and-one’s. All in all, it was
one of the most impressive performances in Sacramento in front of a handful of
college coaches.
Who
are those college coaches?
“The whole PAC-12 is after me, but only several have offered,”
said Murray. “Oregon, Washington, Cal, Wazzou, USC are the ones that have
offered. Gonzaga has offered me and been in touch. I’ve talked to Kansas and
Kentucky a couple times. They didn’t offer yet, but they said I was on their
watch list.
This past season, a senior laden Rainier Beach team led by
Louisville commit Shaqquan Aaron
went 29-1 and finished No. 5 in the country per Max Preps. While the team
featured big names such as Aaron, Djuan
Piper, and 2015 point guard David
Crisp, Murray was still the main attraction for coaches such as Lorenzo
Romar of the local Washington Huskies. Rainier Beach will lose a lot going into
next year, but this shouldn’t stop them from winning a fourth straight title.
First off, we are going to be a talented team next year,” noted
Murray. “Khalil Shabazz (2017) and Keith Smith (2016). All we need is a
big man, but I’m sure we can find someone to transfer in. I think we are going
to be better than we were this year. We’ve won 3 in a row and going for 4 next
year.”
Scouting
Report:
Murray is a long and wiry guard that shoots well from the outside
and can break down a defender off the dribble similar to 2014 five-star
shooting guard Rashad Vaughn. In his
first EYBL experience Murray averaged 4 rpg and 2 apg, to go along with his 17
points. He shot 47% from behind the arc and had a true shooting percentage of
53.3%. He is a high usage player and often has the ball in his hands. When he
is on, he is on and there isn’t much any defender can do, but this also can
lead to some forced shots at times. While quick and athletic, Murray will also
need to continue to hit the weight room. During his junior season, Scout.com
bumped Murray up from No. 80 to No. 46 in the class of 2015. The high scoring
guard is one of the most exciting players in his class and with a few more impressive
performances in the EYBL; Murray will start to increase his popularity across
the country.
The first EYBL of the 2014 season took place in Sacramento and
drew college coaches from all over the country. While the overall talent level
might have been down a bit from last year, the overall talent pool increased. In just under 48 hours numerous players significantly increased their stock and / or college offer list. Here are a six:
Stock
Risers:
Kenny
Williams, 6’3”, SG, L.C. Bird (VA), Boo Williams
2015 SG Kenny Williams shot 62% from 3
Williams gave all of the coaches that stayed around for the final
game on opening day a treat. Despite severe jet lag, Williams went 6-9 from
behind the arc in a loss to the NY Lightning. His hot shooting didn’t stop
after this game as the talented shooting guard shot 62% from behind the line
over a four game stretch. More than just a three point specialist, Williams
showed off his one dribble jump shot and quick feet on the defensive end. Shaka
Smart is recruiting Williams hard and the guard had initial offers from VCU,
William & Mary, Old Dominion, George Mason, and Hofstra. Now he has
additional offers from Richmond, Virginia Tech, Minnesota, Cincinnati, and
Memphis along with interest from UNC, Indiana, Wichita State, and Temple. Last
year VCU was on Devin Robinson and Robert Johnson before losing out on them,
will the same happen to Williams?
Deyonta
Davis, 6’9”, Muskegon (MI), Spiece Indy
The future Michigan State Spartan certainly made quite an impact
in his first EYBL experience averaging 19.5 points and 7.8 rebounds as Spiece
Indy went 4-0 despite a completely new team from last season. In his first game,
the sinewy forward recorded a double-double which made most of the college
coaches in attendance extremely jealous of Tom Izzo. Davis has long arms and is
a quick leaper which led to some tremendous throw downs in the paint. He is
more than just a dunker though and went 2-4 from the three point line as well.
Quinndary
Weatherspoon, 6’5”, SG, Velma Jackson (MS), Jackson Tigers
On Saturday night, Weatherspoon was on fire hitting NBA style
three’s and picking up and-one’s while driving to the basket. Against Team
United he scored 23 points on 9-13 shooting and drew several oooh’s and aaah’s
from the crowd. While Weatherspoon averaged 18.5 points per game, he struggled
with his outside shooting in the other three games. Despite making 4-6 in his
efficient performance against Team United he finished the weekend just 5-27.
Weatherspoon picked up his first offers from Mississippi State and Middle
Tennessee State after the Real Deal In the Rock tournament but now has interest
from Tennessee and Wake Forest.
Out of all the athletic wings in Sacramento, Austin might have
been the most explosive. He threw down a few nasty dunks, including one on DJ
Hogg and just like Deyonta Davis, an extremely quick leaper. While not a knock
down shooter from the outside, Austin did average one made three per game. Over
the four game stretch he averaged 12 .2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He
committed to Anthony Grant and Alabama last summer.
Jahshire
Hardnett, 5’10”, G, Gulfport (MS), Team Louisiana
In his first game Hardnett put up one of the most impressive
performances of the weekend against Playground Elite. The 5’10” lightning quick
guard scored 30 points on 11-12 shooting in a six point win. He drained both of
his three’s and beat his man off the dribble time and time again. He might be
short, but with his speed and explosiveness got a good look any time he wanted.
Hardnett cooled off after his initial explosion but still averaged 17.8 points
per game. He has offers and initial interest from Ole Miss, South Alabama,
Middle Tennessee, Murray State, Clemson, Florida State, UTEP, and Penn State.
Levan
Alston, 6’4”, SG, Haverford (PA), Team Final
While he did not hit as many three’s as Williams, Alston shot a
sizzling 87% from behind the arc. In a double overtime win on Friday night,
Alston scored 28 points while going 10-15 from the floor and 5-5 from behind
the arc. On Saturday he went 2-4 from three in a loss to CIA Bounce but then
went 6-6 in a win over rival NJ Playaz. Alston has an extremely quick release
and is also able to hit a pull-up jump shot if his defender gets too close.
Before the EYBL, the Philly product had local offers from Penn, LaSalle, Saint
Joe’s, and Temple along with Rhode Island, ECU, Penn State, and Harvard. After
the explosion Alston also heard from VCU, Wichita State, Seton Hall, Notre
Dame, and Western Kentucky.
After
almost one month of AAU action, the first and only live period of the spring
begins for college coaches on Friday night. With limited time and recruits
playing in all parts of the country there will be lots of frequent flier miles
earned in a three day span. Big time recruits and big name coaches will be seen
in Pittsburgh and Kansas (Under Armour), Dallas (Adidas), and Sacramento
(Nike). While the EYBL talent level might be down a bit from last year, it will
still be the premier stop for high major college coaches. This year six out of
the top seven ranked players in the class of 2015 will be playing on Nike teams
and 14 out of the top 25. In addition seven of the top 10 players in the class
of 2016 will also be playing. Last year it was players such as Kelly Oubre and Reid Travis that made the leap with the play during the spring and
summer Nike AAU circuit. Who will it be this year?
New Faces: Who are the
top players that made the leap from other shoe circuits to the Nike EYBL?
Ben Simmons, 6’8”,
220, F, Montverde (FL), Each 1 Teach 1, Committed to LSU, No. 4 - 2015
The
native of Australia will suit up for the defending Nike champions this year.
After staying away from the AAU circuit last year, the smooth and versatile
forward will join up with some of Florida’s finest in hopes of becoming the
first team to win back to back titles. The future Tiger is a hard cover for
anyone on the high school level with a smooth game. He has the size and
strength of a power forward, but can handle the ball like a guard.
No longer sophomores, Rabb, Newman, & Zimm are ready to roll
Fresh
off another state title at Bishop Gorman, Zimmerman made the jump to the EYBL. No
longer will he team with high school teammate Chase Jeter on Dream Vision opting to play with five-star and No. 1
ranked Ivan Rabb and the Oakland
Soldiers instead. Early on it looks as though the Soldiers will have the top
offensive frontcourt in the EYBL, but how Rabb and Zimmerman mesh remains to be
seen.
Henry Ellenson, 6’9”,
PF, Rice Lake (WI), WI Playground Elite, No. 62 - 2015
Ellenson
noted that he wanted to test himself against the best players and play in an up-tempo
style when discussing why he switched AAU teams. He will be able to do just
that with the Playground Elite this year. Fresh off a Duke offer, Ellenson will
be able to show off his ball-handling and shooting skills to all of the coaches
watching the EYBL action.
The Debut: Who are the
top young guys playing one year up?
On
Saturday at 9am PST, all eyes will be on either Court 1 or Court 4 in Sac-town.
Harry Giles, 6’8”, F, Wesleyan
Christian (NC), CP3, No. 1 - 2016
The
number one player in the class of 2016 is scheduled to make his first public
appearance after tearing both his ACL and MCL in June playing for the 16U USA
team. Last April, coaches such as John Calipari, Roy Williams, and Coach K
would line up for Giles’ 8am AAU games on the 16U circuit. While there will no
doubt be a lot of rust you can be sure that all of the big name college coaches
will be there to see Giles back in action. One new face that will be seen
following Giles throughout the summer will be that of Danny Manning now at Wake
Forest which is right in Giles’ backyard.
Jayson Tatum, 6’7”,
G/F, Chaminade College Prep (MO), St. Louis Eagles, No. 2 - 2016
Tatum
is ranked number two in the current sophomore class and could easily be the top
player soon. Last year the lanky guard destroyed the 16U circuit and scored
basically at will. Now that he will be playing on the 17U level it will be hard
for Tatum to score so easily, but his advanced skill-set will serve him well.
In early April he led his young Eagles team to the championship game of the
Swish N’ Dish and just like Giles will also be a main draw for the blue bloods
in college basketball.
The King Is Back: Malik
Newman, 6’4”, G, Jackson Tigers
It
seems like just yesterday that combo guard Malik Newman was dropping buckets in
the Dallas EYBL in 2012. Now, after another state championship under his belt
the EYBL veteran is ready for his third year on the circuit. Last year Newman
led the EYBL in scoring with 24.1 points per game despite having just finished
his sophomore year. Some of his games were simply amazing such as the 36 point
performance he put up on Spiece Indy last year on 13-20 shooting and the 32
points he put on Arkansas. Newman can score in pretty much any situation and is
almost impossible to guard in one on one situations. He can drive with either
hand, shoot off the dribble, and can utilize the pick and roll. It will be fun
to watch Newman, the No. 2 ranked recruit up close again which will begin on Friday
night against Each 1 Teach 1.
Don’t Forget About Me:
Mickey Mitchell, 6’7”, SF, Texas Titans
After
his freshman year Mitchell was considered a top five player in the class of
2015. After an ACL injury that forced him to miss action last summer Mitchell
is now ranked No. 31 in the class. Mitchell committed to Ohio State last August
and currently remains a Buckeye despite having his older brother transfer out
of the football program in February. Before he tore his ACL, Mitchell was a do
everything type of player. He could handle the ball comfortably and shoot
efficiently from the outside. He will play for one of the top teams in the
country and will look to become a topic of conversation once again.
Last
year Evans played for the SC Raptors Elite AAU team and the Clemson staff was
in full pursuit. Evans subsequently moved to the Dallas area and had a stellar
junior season for Kimball High. Arguably the quickest point guard in his class,
Evans is now ranked No. 38 in the country and will be playing in the EYBL
circuit. With a strong spring, Evans could rise up in a class void of five-star
point guards.
Antonio Blakeney,
6’3”, Oak Ridge (FL), E1T1, No. 39 - 2015
Blakeney
was the leading scorer in the City of Palms tournament this past weekend and
will look to bring his high scoring ways into the EYBL circuit. The 6’3”
shooting guard has his choice of suitors right now and after a significant rise
in the rankings sits at No. 39 in the country. He can get by defenders in one on
one situations and can also hit multiple threes per game. If the wiry guard can
show an improved mid-range game he could become one of the top scorers in the
EYBL.
Jarvis Johnson, 6’0”,
PG, De La Salle (MN), Howard Pulley, No. 71 - 2015
Last
year Johnson came off the bench for Howard Pulley and showed his explosive
athleticism at times, but was forced to play behind future Duke guard Tyus Jones. Now with free reign at the
point guard spot, Johnson should become one of the most exciting players to
watch. Last year he averaged 8.7 ppg and 2.2 apg, but bumped that up to 12.6 ppg
during five Peach Jam games. He currently sits at No. 71 in the class of 2015.
Raymond Spalding,
6’9”, PF, Trinity (KY), The Travelers, No. 75 - 2015
Spalding
averaged about five points and four rebounds per game last year in the EYBL,
but given his height and length he is an extremely intriguing prospect. He
averaged 13.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this past high school season
and will look to build on that during the AAU season. Spalding currently sits
at No. 75 in the rankings, but oozes potential which has in-state programs
Kentucky and Louisville interested in the junior.
Esa Ahmad, 6’7”, F,
Shaker Heights (OH), All Ohio Red, No. 92 - 2015
The
powerful 6’7” Ahmad got off to a strong start in April beginning with a
championship run at the NY2LA Swish N’ Dish. Right now, Ahmad is too strong for
most wings and too quick for most power forwards. He can drain threes from the
wings and finish with muscle down low. The top teams in the Big 10 are
interested and will be keeping a close eye on Ahmad going forward. He is
currently ranked No. 92, but will most likely make a big jump when the next
rankings come out.
Josh Reaves, 6’5”, SF,
Paul VI (VA), Team Takeover, No. 98 - 2015
The
junior swingman had a coming out party this past season playing for Paul VI in
the WCAC. After barely playing as a sophomore, Reaves was one of the big
surprises during the high school season. He has drawn interest from ACC and Big
East schools in the mid-Atlantic and also just cracked the Top 100 at No.98
this past winter. Playing for the always strong Team Takeover should help
Reaves continue to develop as the interest continues to grow.
The
relatively unknown Davis committed in December to the in-state Spartans. He led
his Muskegon team to the Class A state championship in Michigan this past year
by scoring 26 points on 10-12 shooting while adding 13 rebounds and three
blocks. Max Preps named him a second team junior All-American.
Aaron Folzan, 6’8”,
SF, Northfield Mount Hermon (MA), Expressions Elite
Folzan
averaged almost 10 points and six rebounds per game last year in the EYBL but
also knocked in 47 three pointers at a 36% clip. He has range on his jump shot
and is comfortable shooting beyond NBA range. He should see his scoring rise by
at least five points per game this year.
Rainier
Beach was one of the top high school teams in the country this past year and
shooting guard Dejounte Murray was their top underclassman. Murray currently is
being pursued by the majority of PAC-12 schools and received a big rankings
boost with his high school play. With a strong AAU performance his stock could
continue to rise.
Five Teams to Watch:
1)
Oakland Soldiers – With Rabb and
Zimmerman playing together the Soldiers will have two top five players in the
same front court along with 6’10” Chimezie
Metu, 6’6” Rex Pflueger, 6’1” Max Hazzard and possibly Derryck Thornton from the class of
2016.
2)
Team Scan – Just like the Soldiers,
Team Scan has a formidable front court with 6’9” Cheick Diallo and 6’10” Thomas
Bryant. While they might not be as talented on the offensive end it will be
tough for any opponent to score in the paint. Team Scan also gains the services
of Tyus Battle, one of the top wings
in 2016.
3)
Texas Titans – The Titans return
pretty much their entire team and they are led by a group of top ranked players
from Plano, TX in Mickey Mitchell, D.J. Hogg, and Tyler Davis. Powerful guard King
McClure also returns as does 6’11” Djery
Baptiste.
4)
Texas Elite – Another Texas team that
was predominantly underclassmen last year features a loaded squad. The top
players on this team are 6’9” Elijah
Thomas, 6’5” guards Austin
Grandstaff and Matt McQuaid, and
also 5’10” point guard Juwan Evans.
5)
All Ohio Red – As noted above this
team won the Swish N’ Dish and finished second in The Real Deal In The Rock
tournament. They blew out Mac Irvin and the St. Louis Eagles a month ago and
are a well balanced team. They push the pace and have players that can score
inside and outside. D’Mitrik Trice
is a sparkplug at the point position.
Bonus Teams:
6)
Each 1 Teach 1 – The defending
champions lose a lot, but they also add Ben
Simmons and big man Daniel Giddens.
These two will team with the Charles Barkley of the EYBL in Alex Owens. Last year Owens was huge
off the bench in the Peach Jam. Along with these guys down low, Antonio Blakeney will light things up
from the outside.
7)
Arkansas Wings – The Wings took home
the 16U crown last year in North Augusta and feature high scoring guards in Malik Monk and Melvin Frazier. They also added 6’10” Skal Labissiere.
Five Games to Watch:
1. Team CP3 vs.
Oakland Soldiers (Saturday, 3PM PST)
The
return of Harry Giles for CP3 and the first game for Rabb and Zimmerman in the
EYBL.
2. Jackson Tigers vs.
E1T1 (Friday, 8:30PM PST)
High
scoring Newman goes against Blakeney and the defending champions.
3. Texas Elite vs.
Team Scan (Sunday, 8AM PST)
Elite
will be without big man Elijah Thomas but has plenty of fire power at the guard
spots when taking on the twin towers of Bryant and Diallo.
4. Houston Hoops vs.
Mac Irvin Fire (Saturday, 3PM PST)
Top
point guard in Jalen Brunson and De’Aron Fox match-up while Luwane Pipkins will
provide plenty of three's.
5. Texas Titans vs.
All Ohio Red (Sunday, 3PM PST)
