D' Angelo Russell: Scouting Report

D’Angelo Russell – 6’4”, SG, 2014

High School: Montverde Academy

AAU Team: Each 1 Teach 1 (Nike)

College: Committed to Ohio State (6/7/12)

Background:

Freshman Year: Russell is a native of Louisville, Kentucky and played his freshman season at Central High where his team went 15-10. After his freshman year, Russell joined the Louisville Magic 15U AAU squad and teamed up with another local product in point guard Quentin Snider who is now committed to Louisville. These two gained notoriety for leading the Magic to the Kentucky state AAU championship as well as winning the Adidas Invitational in Indianapolis. 

Sophomore Year: Russell transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida in order to play against a national schedule and practice against some of the top players in the country in Kasey Hill and Michael Frazier. Minutes were limited as he played behind these two future Gators, but Russell still provided a valuable presence off the bench for one of the top teams in the country. After his sophomore year, Russell went back to playing for his Louisville Magic AAU team making appearances for both the 17U and 16U teams. He re-joined Snider in July and helped the Magic 16U team win their second consecutive Adidas Invitational. 

Junior year: As a junior, Russell joined Hill in the Montverde starting backcourt which soon became the top team in the country. Montverde won both the City of Palms in December as well as the famed National High School Invitational in March. Russell averaged 12 points and 4 rebounds a game in the City of Palms and also provided a lockdown defensive effort in their championship win. This past spring Russell joined up with the Florida based Each 1 Teach 1 AAU squad in order to play in the Nike EYBL. Russell struggled during the first two EYBL sessions with his shot, but came alive in Dallas and will look to help his team win the famed Peach Jam in July. 

Strengths:

Defense: Standing at 6’4” with a 6’8.5” wing span, Russell is a tenacious on the ball defender. Over the past two summers, the Louisville Magic unleashed Russell as a defender as they made him the lead defender on their full-court press. In the press, Russell would start off guarding the man inbounding the ball and would then quickly switch to the player bringing the ball up the court.  Russell’s pressure led to numerous turnovers and easy baskets for the Magic over the past two years.

In the high school scene, head coach Kevin Boyle routinely put Russell on the opposing teams’ best player with successful results. In the 2012 City of Palm’s championship Russell guarded TJ Haws, a sharp shooter from Lone Peak high school in Utah. Haws was having an excellent tournament before being matched-up with Russell and struggled mightily with the length and pressure displayed by Russell. Despite having NBA type range, open shots were hard to come by in the half-court set for Haws. While Russell’s role on defense switched when he changed AAU teams this spring, he still is a lock-down defender that is currently averaging 1.4 steals per game. 

Offensive Versatility: Russell is a multi-faceted offensive player that can do a little bit of everything. He is strongest at slashing to the basket for a lay-up, floater, or dishing to an open teammate. He also has the capability to knock down several 3’s throughout the course of a ball game and can handle the ball well enough to provide periodic help at the point guard position. Russell is most comfortable in the open court, but uses his long arms and quickness to get to the basket from either the left or right wing in the half-court. He can also fill up a stat sheet and is currently averaging 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the EYBL.

Weakness:

Shooting: As noted under the “offensive versatility” section, Russell has the ability to knock down multiple deep shots in games and has often produced games where he has made three or four three’s in a game. While he can put the ball in the basket, he is also a streaky shooter who can go through long cold stretches from the outside. Russell is most comfortable shooting just below the foul line extended on either wing, but when he is off his misses are usually all over the place. During the EYBL season Russell struggled mightily with his shot in April and only made 27.5% (14-51) from the three point line with his shots falling short, long, left, and right. The lefty has a quick release but will need to work on adding some arc to his shot to improve the consistency and accuracy of his outside shooting. 

Overall:

D’Angelo Russell is an extremely talented shooting guard that leads with his defensive pressure and offers up a little bit of everything on the offensive end. Over the years he played an integral part in winning highly competitive AAU tournaments as well as a mythical high school national championship. With an improved outside jump shot, there is no doubt that Russell will leave his mark on the Buckeye basketball program.

Pitt Jam Fest - Day 1

The first live recruiting session of 2013 tipped off at North Hills High School last night with a plethora of high major assistant coaches on hand to check out some of the top Under Armour teams going head to head. Here are some quick hitters from the opening night:

Team Thad - Chris Chiozza

1)      The first game on the docket featured Team Thad from Memphis versus the Atlanta Xpress. Team Thad was one of the most entertaining 16U teams to play on the circuit and received a number two ranking from Five Star entering this year’s 17U bracket. Despite the lofty expectations, Team Thad struggled in their first game with one of their stars, Leron Black out with an injury. Team Thad was down 10 at the half before falling down 17 points in the second half before battling back numerous times behind their full court press and defensive intensity. They cut the lead to three points on numerous occasions, but couldn’t get over the hump until a game ending three brought the final score to 79-78 for the Express. Overall, Team Thad showed strong intensity on the defensive end, but struggled mightily with their shooting.

With Black out of pocket, 5’10” point guard Chris Chiozza stepped up to lead the team with 25 points. Chiozza displayed strong ball handling skills the whole game and found the open man when needed. He was active on the defensive end and never quit the whole game in trying to lead his team back. While he did hit four threes in the game, it took him 14 tries. A tough, quick guard will benefit when Black comes back to take some of the scoring load off his shoulders.

2)      On to the winners, the Atlanta Xpress were led by 7’1” center Trayvon Reed. Reed dominated the game on the defensive side with numerous blocked shots and pretty much made Team Thad’s inside game useless. With his lanky frame, Reed ran the court well and finished with some powerful dunks in transition. With his athletic stature, one would like to see Reed play with a bit more of a motor throughout the game. Two players that had their motor going the entire game were juniors Temarcus Blanton (6’4”) and Jabari McGhee (6’7”). Both wings have strong frames and attacked the basket all night long. 

3)      The last time the Louisville Magic and DC Assault teams faced off, future Maryland guard Romelo Trimble hit a lay-up to give DC Assault a triple overtime win in the NY2LA Summer Jam. While some of the faces changed on the teams, the game was another close one with the Magic pulling out a one point win this time around. Trimble had a solid game for DC Assault, while his Louisville counterpart, Quentin Snider led the Magic with 21 points. While they got the win and showed off their trademark full court pressure, it was obvious that the Magic miss guard D’Angelo Russell. The Magic are ranked in the Five Star top 10, but after dominating the 15U and 16U circuits look to have a tougher task ahead of them this year on the 17U circuit.

4)      6’7” forward Derrick Jones Jr. of the We R 1 Delaware team drew a lot of attention from coaches in his first tournament game. Bentil is very intriguing with his length and athleticism. At times, Jones showed off a strong shot blocking ability and also ran the floor with grace and strong finishes at the basket. 

5)      Isaiah Whitehead looked to prove that he is one of the top scorers in his 2014 class. Playing against the Arkansas Hawks in the 10pm night cap, Whitehead used his physicality and athleticism to lead his team to the win. Last year Whitehead had a tendency to disappear in games, but this year he has the potential to become one of the more dominant players on the Under Armour circuit.

6)      Despite playing in a game that started at 10pm and without a single college coach in attendance, the 16U Showtime All-Stars from North Carolina managed to advance to the second round after a win against Wayne PAL. Showtime only scored 16 points in the first half, but showed a strong defensive intensity led by 6’7” shot blocker Jalyn McKoy.

7)      Never assume a team has won the previous game. The 17U Karolina Diamonds team featuring 2016 standouts Kwe Parker, Junior Smith, and Raekwon Long played their first game at 6:05pm EST and then at 8:25pm EST if they won. Despite a combined 36 points from Parker and Smith the Diamonds team lost to Maryland 3D and were not warming up for their 8:25pm game when Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts walked in. Upon seeing this, Roberts got right back in his car and raced back to North Hills High for some more action. 

8)      Some of the head coaches noted in attendance were Jim Laranaga (Miami), Mark Turgeon (Maryland), Mick Cronin (Cincy), Stan Heath (USF), and Paul Hewitt (George Mason) along with assistant coaches from Louisville, Kansas, Florida, UNC, Clemson, Florida State, Syracuse, and Florida Gulf Coast.

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.