Nike Global Challenge: Day 2

Day Two of the Nike Global Challenge started with a blowout but also featured two games involving USA teams that came down to the wire. 

Game of the Day: USA South 121 Africa 116 (OT)

In an intense game that went back and forth throughout the second half all came down to free throws in regulation. After a crazy last 10 seconds the ball ended up with future Providence big man Alex Owens under the basket. Going up for a lay-up as time expired; Owens was fouled and sent to the line with no time on the clock. One free throw would win the game, but Owens missed both and the exciting game continued in a five minute overtime period. 

For Africa, lead guard Ehab Amin got things started with back to back three’s, but Antonio Blakeney’s pull-up game was too much and the USA pulled away for a five point win.

Top Five Performers:

Ted Kapita, 6’9”, C, Pan Africa, 2015 – 36 points, 16 rebounds, 15-22 FG’s, 6-9 FT’s

Ted Kapita

It was quite the performance for one of the fastest rising big men in the country. Sporting close to a 7’3” wing span and a Dwight Howard esque upper body, Kapita was on top of his game throughout the long affair. Kapita can run the floor and bang down low. He scored in a variety of ways including alley-oops off the pick and roll, behind the back moves on the break, and a 15 foot jump shot. Kapita’s size gave the USA team fits all day. 

Ehab Amin, 6’4”, G, Pan Africa, 2014 – 28 points, 6 assists, 10 steals, 10-23 FG’s, 5-13 3PT

Amin ran the Pan Africa with a sense of confidence and poise yesterday. He started the game off attacking the USA team and established the fact that his team was not going to back down. Amin shot well from behind the arc including back to back three’s in overtime before running out of steam at the very end. He was strong in the pick and roll and enjoyed lobbing the ball up to a variety of high flyers on the African team. While he was the second leading scorer he also exerted effort on the defensive end and finished with 10 steals. He put ball-pressure on the USA guards and was aggressive in the passing lanes.

Amin is scheduled to start play at Texas Corpus Christi in a few weeks; however if any big name schools come calling with an offer he would most likely jump at the chance to test his skills. He was hurt for the majority of his prep year in Wisconsin and believes he can play at a high level. If his first game in the Global Challenge was any indication he certainly can. 

Antonio Blakeney, 6’4”, SG, USA South, 2015 – 24 points, 4 rebounds, 10-19 FG’s

Blakeney is one of the top shooting guards in the country and the Florida native started slowly in his first game. After taking some time to get warmed up and facing a halftime deficit, Blakeney showed why he is now a five-star player. He hit a three from the corner and exploded down the lane for a high flying two hand dunk. Throughout the second half and overtime, the USA team turned to Blakeney for a bucket and he responded with numerous one or two dribble pull-up jump shots. In the winter his baskets came primarily from outside the arc and around the basket, but now with a mid-range game he has become extremely tough to stop.

Jaylen Brown, 6’7”, SF, USA South, 2015 – 22 points, 14 rebounds, 7-12 FG’s, 2-3 3PT

Just like Blakeney, Brown was able to step up his game in the second half. As Scout’s new No. 1 player in the class of 2015, Brown showed why with his powerful drives to the basket and timely outside shooting. He crashed the boards and also registered three assists. On the downside, Brown at times tried to do too much or got himself in trouble around the basket turning the ball over nine times.

Malachi Richardson, 6’6”, G/F, USA East, 2015 – 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5-7 3PT

In a blowout win over China in the day’s first game, the future Syracuse wing was on fire from deep. Richardson hit five out of seven three’s and finished with 21 points. He hit three’s from both wings and has deep range on his outside shot. Richardson gets a lot of backspin on his shot similar to Gilbert Arenas many years ago.

Bonus:

Matt McQuaid, 6’4”, SG, Duncanville, TX, 2015

After de-committing from SMU in the summer, McQuaid had an extremely strong July proving to be one of the top shooters in the country. In two games at the Global Challenge, McQuaid hit two three’s in each game. 

As far as recruiting goes, McQuaid said that he doesn’t have a timetable, but definitely wants to take visits which is something he didn’t do before committing to SMU.

Right now he is hearing the most from four schools. Texas, Michigan State, Indiana, and Creighton.

Peach Jam: Day 1

The first day of Peach Jam is in the books and big name college coaches popped in and out of North Augusta, SC all day long. With each team playing two games a piece there was plenty of spectacular play from kids with scholarship offers and those trying to get new offers.

Session 1: 17U

Top Performers:

Aaron Holiday, 6’2”, G, 2015, California Supreme

Holiday came off the bench for Cal Supreme and immediately provided the team with a boost thanks to his slick passing. Right off the bat Holiday got in the lane and found a teammate for an easy lay-up despite a crowded paint area and received several “wow, nice pass” comments from the coaches in attendance. After dropping a few more assists, Holiday started his scoring barrage. At 6’2”, Holiday exhibited superb body control when driving the lane. Several times he got to the basket, drew the foul, and then finished the shot. He did not look to shoot at all from the outside, but instead attacked his defender at every opportunity. Even with coming off the bench, Holiday finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists while providing a spark to help his team knock off one of the favorites in Team Takeover in the first game of the day.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright, 5’9”, PG, 2014, California Supreme

The future Arizona Wildcat did all he could to impress the numerous Pac-12 coaches on hand that will be tasked with slowing him down in the future. Despite his small frame, PJC was not afraid to go after the taller defenders and finished on a consistent basis at the rim. He went 3-6 from the field, but also got to the line 12 times. After beating his defender off the dribble, PJC also found the open man for a game high 10 assists. While he put up 15 points and 10 assists, it was his aggressiveness attacking the glass that was even more impressive. Numerous times, PJC was in the middle of the lane fighting for rebounds with defenders a foot taller than him and finished with a total of five. Along with Holiday, PJC got the best of the Team Takeover guards and put together a mighty fine stat line.

Malachi Richardson, 6’5”, SG, 2015, Team Final

Down nine points at the half, Richardson caught fire to start the second half and quickly closed the deficit. After scoring four points in the first half, Richardson scored 14 points in a five minute span. His first basket came off a pick on the right wing in which he curled to the basket and finished in the paint for a lay-up and the foul. After a short jump shot, Richardson hit back to back three pointers from the wing and then followed that up with a few free throws. Unfortunately after this burst, Richardson didn’t touch the ball in a scoring position for a long stretch. Despite only being an upcoming junior, Richardson has ideal height for a shooting guard along with strength and an outstanding 6’10.5” inch wing span. In his first game at Peach Jam Richardson used his physical attributes and also showed off his jump shot and the ability to score around the rim. He finished with 22 points on 6-12 shooting.

Shep Garner, 6’2”, G, 2014, Team Final

The newly committed Penn State guard played well in front of his future college coach on Thursday morning. With star guard Jaquan Newton struggling at times, Garner took control and played with poise throughout the game. He displayed a quick burst when driving to the basket and also went 2-3 from the three point line, one of which came at a crucial time in the ball game. His final stat line included 14 points on 6-8 shooting with two assists and zero turnovers. 

Angel Delgado, 6’8”, PF, 2014, NY Lightning

Delgado did not play up to his expectations in the first half, but he definitely out worked everyone in the second half. The rugged rebounder finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds and began to dominate the defensive boards as the game got tight towards the end. He also had a strength advantage down low and went to work with power moves in the post off one dribble and two handed dunks in the lane. It took the leading rebounder in the EYBL some time to get going, but once he did the Team Final big men were relatively helpless to stop him.

Game of Interest:

Team Penny vs. Mokan Elite

Mokan Elite jumped out to a surprising lead against Team Penny early on and took a four point lead into halftime. For Mokan, speedy point guard Lourawls Nairn penetrated time and time again and 6’1” guard Noah Knight knocked in shots from the outside. The second half turned into a close back and forth affair in large part due to the play of the Lawson brothers for Team Penny. Keelon Lawson Jr. went for 17 points and 5 rebounds while his younger brother Deedrick Lawson scored 18 points with 15 rebounds. Even with these efforts, it was their senior leader Anton Beard who knocked down a clutch three to give Team Penny a 57-54 lead that they would not relinquish.

16U:

Jayson Tatum, 6’7”, G/F, 2016, STL Eagles

One of the top players in the class of 2016 put on another strong performance in front of a slew of head coaches in the early afternoon. Going against All-Ohio, Tatum played his normal point forward position and used his ball handling skills to get into the paint where he finished with floaters or at the basket. Not an overly dominant performance by Tatum, but he did hit a floater off a spin move for the go ahead basket. In the last game of the 16U pool play he helped lead his team to a victory and will have at least one more chance to play in front of the who’s who of college coaches in the playoffs.

Jalen Poyser, 6’4”, G, 2015, CIA Bounce

In a back and forth affair with Southern Stampede, Poyser made enough key plays in the final minutes to help CIA Bounce get the win. In this stretch he drove by his defender on the wing for a lay-up, hit a three pointer and then got an and-one finish off another drive. To go along with these baskets, Poyser might have had the most exciting miss of the Peach Jam. With 1:30 to go he went behind the back from the left to right side causing his defender to fall. Once the ball reached his right hand he exploded to the lane and tried to dunk over a defender. Unfortunately he got to high and the ball caromed off the back rim as the crowd screamed in disbelief. A high level athlete, Poyser made key plays for his team when it counted not including the missed dunk attempt.

Luke Kennard, 6’5”, G, 2015, King James Shooting Stars

Courtesy of UM Hoops

While Jayson Tatum’s game drew some big names, the game between Kennard’s King James team and Team Final drew everyone in town. Calipari, Coach K, Izzo, Matta, Groce, Roy, Larry Brown, and Josh Pastner were just some of the high major coaches that stopped in for a look. Kennard, the flashy shooting guard did not disappoint in the first half. He hit a three of the dribble and another one off the catch early on. He also added in a few no look passes for good measure. Kennard cooled off in the second half, but hit a running lay-up and added in some free throws at the end to finish with 20 points. While not an elite athlete, Kennard can do more than just shoot. He is a solid ball handler with decent quickness and he combines those two factors to beat his man off the dribble on occasion. After his game it was easy to see why some of the top schools are after him.

Tyus Battle, 6’5”, G/F, 2016, Team Final

His team got down from the start, but this did not deter Tyus Battle from putting on a show. He hit two three’s right off the bat and finished with 15 points in the first half and 25 for the game. On his outside shots, Battle had a nice release and rotation on his shot. He is also quite the athlete that allows him to do more than just shoot jump shots. Battle attacked off the dribble and went to the line nine times. On the defensive end he used his strength to push players off their spot and also blocked several shots by the basket. Battle went against another 2016 stud in V.J. King and it’s safe to say that Battle “won the battle.”

Session 2: 17U

Chieck Diallo, 6’9” C, 2015, Team Scan

Continuing on his strong NBPA Top 100 Camp, Diallo dominated Houston in the second half of a very competitive game. While still raw on the offensive end and lacking many true post moves, Diallo still scored 20 points on 7-11 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds. Time and time again, Diallo finished on dunks or lay-ups in traffic. He also scored off a power one dribble move to the right side of the basket and an 18 foot jump shot that he actually meant as a lob for a teammate. Diallo is one of the most explosive big men on the circuit and nobody runs the court harder. With his quick leaping ability he also blocked four shots and was the main reason momentum changed hands in the second half. 

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

Jackson did not have his normal performance, but still went for 15 points on 7-15 shooting. As he does every game, he hit a variety of floaters from 6-10 feet and also added a nifty one dribble move through traffic for a left hand lay-up. In the second half, he hit two floaters in a row, but then disappeared for a stretch. With the shot blockers on Team Scan, Jackson stayed active on the glass and was credited with four offensive rebounds. 

Robert Johnson, 6’3”, 2014, Boo Williams

Another player who has been playing out of his mind recently is Robert Johnson who lit up the Texas Titans for 23 points (despite the forfeit). Johnson went 4-9 from three and had the college coaches in attendance wondering if he shot like this all the time. With two stellar performances and two wins on the court it’s a shame that his team was forced to forfeit both games due to an ineligible player. 

Game of Interest:

Mac Irvin Fire vs. Jackson Tigers

The last game of the night drew a capacity crowd to court 3 with the top players in the senior and junior classes facing off. Big man Jahlil Okafor is the top ranked player in the class of 2014 while scoring sensation Malik Newman is the top player in the class of 2015 and was coming off a 40 point explosion in the morning. Even though these players at the top, it was Big Cliff who stole the show with a 23 point, 13 rebound, and 4 block performance. Alexander was dunking everything in sight and tried his best to rip the rim off in the second half. With the Alexander dunk fest, Mac Irvin pulled away in the last seven minutes to win by 10 points. Before this run though, the game was very tight and even tied at one point in the second half. For the Tigers, Newman scored nine first half points and then scored a quick 10 to start the second half as the crowd started buzzing about the “Malik show” beginning. Unfortunately the Mac Irvin coaches had other plans and threw every type of junk defense at Newman to keep him out of his comfort zone. Box and one’s, double teams at half-court, traps, triple teams, you name it, and Newman saw it. He scored 25 points, but struggled mightily from the field after his initial second half explosion. To go along with Alexander, Okafor added in 17 points and 16 rebounds while Torry Johnson came off the bench to score 12 points on 3-4 shooting from behind the arc.