Adidas Invitational: Day 2 Recap

The who’s who of college coaches were out in Indianapolis for day 2 of the Adidas Invitational which included Bill Self, Rick Pitino, Billy Donovan, Thad Matta, and Roy Williams. They were all there to see their committed recruits or hopefully future committed recruits, many of whom played in the top games of the day.

Florida Elite vs. Garner Roads:

Florida Elite defeated Garner Roads to win the Adidas VIP Exclusive tournament in April, and the rematch was no different. The Elite squad led for most of the game, however the final eight minutes featured many lead changes until Kasey Hill made a lay-up over UNC commit Isaiah Hicks to cement the victory.

The anticipated match-up was supposed to be the big man battle of Isaiah Hicks and Chris Walker, however this never really came to fruition as Florida Elite started out in a zone and the game turned very guard dominated. Hicks caught an alley-oop from half court in the first half and became more aggressive in the second half to finish with 14 points, while Walker hit a three pointer and had several athletic forays to the basket. Despite this action, Kasey Hill was the star of the game hitting 3 pointers over defenders and driving into the lane at will. It’s easy to see why he has shot up the rankings this spring. Anton Gill of Gardner Roads also had a strong game hitting several three pointers but was limping noticeably on his already injured ankle by the time the buzzer sounded.

Dream Vision vs. Michigan Mustangs:

Dream Vision was without one of its top players, Stephen Domingo, as the recent Olympic gold medal winner decided to enroll in Georgetown a year early. Dream Vision got off to a slow start Thursday morning and trailed the Mustangs by almost 20 points at one point. This didn’t matter to shooting guard Isaac Hamilton as he knocked down jumper after jumper leading his team to a comeback victory. For the Mustangs, Michigan commit Derrick Walton played extremely well showing off an improved jump shot and ability to blow by his defender.

Florida Elite vs. Louisville Magic (16U’s):

The Louisville Magic used their suffocating pressing defense and deep bench to jump on Florida early in the game. Led by Deangelo Russell and Quentin Snider, the Elite squad suffered numerous turnovers to begin the game. The Magic used a hockey style substitution pattern for the first half and their reserves led them to a 19 point halftime lead and never looked back. Despite being played in an auxiliary middle school gym all of the top coaches from the Southeast were in attendance.

Other Notes:

CC stole the show

The 16U Louisville Magic and Florida Elite game featured many highly ranked recruits; however it was a sub off Louisville’s bench that had everyone’s attention. Point guard, Christen Cunningham took over for Snider a few minutes into the game and soon had everyone in the crowd asking who that number 1 guy was. Cunningham was quick off the dribble and drove to the basket at will finishing with both his left and right hand in traffic. He also had several sharp passes and was the main reason his team was up 19 points at the half. “CC” is definitely a name to keep in mind for the remainder of the summer. 

The Houston Hoopstars Elite suffered two losses during the day, however their point guard Derrick Gaston showed off the most impressive ball handling skills of the tournament. Looking like a miniaturized version of Rajon Rondo, Gaston had his defenders on ice skates as he used his dribbling skills to breakdown defenders left and right. At one point during his first game, he made his defender fall with and back and forth cross-over that resulted in an assist.

The dunk of the day came during Dream Vision’s come from behind victory over Michigan. Guard Namon Wright stole the ball at half court and despite having a defender on his back was able to bounce the ball up in the air with his left hand and catch it one handed off the bounce for a fantastic finish. Extremely ballsy, but extremely well-executed.

After struggling on Day 1, Noah Vonleh stepped his game up. After jacking a lot of outside shots on Wednesday evening, Vonleh did most of his damage on the inside against the Eric Gordon All-Stars. Vonleh finished with 22 points and showed to the coaches in attendance why he is such a highly regarded recruit in the class of 2014.

  

Adidas Invitational: Day 1 Recap

The first July evaluation period kicked off in Indianapolis, IN yesterday where the high schools are as big as some colleges and the middle schools are the size of most high schools. Some of the top action took place at North Central High and Northview Middle School under the eye of Billy Donovan, Bill Self, Thad Matta, and a plethora of other D-1 head and assistant coaches. Day 1is in the books:

Game of the Day:

In a 17U Super Pool game, the Memphis Magic Elite held on at the end to beat the Eric Gordon All-Stars 64-61. Despite having a large crowd contingent on hand, the Eric Gordon All-Stars could not capitalize on a Memphis turnover with 15 seconds and down one point.

Comeback of the Day:

Devonte Graham

Garner Roads came back from a 9 point halftime deficit to defeat the New Orleans Elite by 10 points. Garner Roads looked half asleep through the first 12 minutes of the first half as they fell behind 20-10. At the 4 minute mark, Garner Roads got a few consecutive buckets and the team seemed to pick up their energy. Down 29-20 at the half, the Garner Road guards picked up the slack for missing guard Anton Gill, especially 6’2” Devonte Graham who hit a few 3 pointers. Garner Roads took the lead, 43-42 with 4 minutes left and cruised to a victory the rest of the way. 5-star UNC commit, Isaiah Hicks had a solid game mixing in 15 foot jump shots with athletic drives to the basket. He also had a handful of blocks. 

Statement of the Day:

The 16U Louisville Magic squad jumped on the Compton Magic to kick off the 5pm action. By halftime, Louisville had scored 53 points and was already up 20 points. Guards DeAngelo Russell and Quentin Snider suffocated Compton with their defensive pressure and attacked at all times on the offensive end. The Louisville squad showed they are serious about defending their championship. 

Surprise of the Day:

Coming off a dominant Lebron James Skills Academy performance, star 2014 forward, Noah Vonleh struggled mightily against the Atlanta Celtics. Vonleh scored on a few put-backs, but for the most part settled for contested three-pointers which did not connect. Vonleh was also careless with the ball and committed a handful of turnovers. Despite this performance, the talent that Vonleh possesses was evident. Vonleh spent time bringing the ball up the court for his Mass Rivals team, while also playing on the wing and in the post. While his outside shot was not on, he did show the ability to play both inside and outside.

Dunk of the Day:

In the Northview middle school gym with coaches ranging from Kentucky to Cal Poly, the 16U Ohio Basketball Club and Dream Vision teams faced off. At one point in the first half big man Ray Kasongo, of Ohio Basketball Club threw down a vicious one hand power jam over a hapless Dream Vision defender. The dunk came off one power dribble and woke the crowd and the coaches up.