NBPA Top 100: Friday Afternoon

Five sessions down, one more to go before the NBPA Top 100 playoffs begin Saturday morning. Despite this being the third day of a long and tiresome camp there were some quality performances in the Friday afternoon session at John Paul Jones arena in Charlottesville.

Top Performers:

Omari Spellman, PF, 6’8”, McDuffie (MA), 2016

The future Villanova big man put together quite the performance off in the auxiliary gym earlier today. While he looks the part of Kennedy Meeks, Spellman is light and quick off his feet and is a loud and vocal player on the court. He scored consistently throughout the game from all areas of the court. He hit several three’s including one in the remaining minutes from the right wing. He also displayed his touch from 12 feet and out when he caught the ball in the post and sized up his defenders which included anyone from Deandre Ayton to Sasha Killeya-Jones. While he used his footwork for open jumpers he used his wide body to create space down low converting on a handful of attempts at the rim. Not known for his leaping ability, Spellman attacked the rim at times and almost converted a spectacular alley-oop. He had his offensive game going on, but he was also a force on defensive as well. Spellman used his body aggressively against the skinnier offensive players, blocked shots, and wasn’t afraid to talk trash. All in all, it was an extremely impressive performance for the senior power forward.

Deshawn Corprew, SF, 6’5”, Quality Education (NC), 2016

If anyone in the Top 100 had future NFL potential, it would be the 6’5” Corprew. With a powerful physique, Corprew is tough for anyone to stop once he makes his mind up to drive through the lane. He is explosive at the rim and scored time and time again in the second half of his game. While not known for his outside shooting he also let loose and deep jumper that found the bottom of the nut. His style is a little herky and jerky and he could stand to improve on his ball-handling, but Corprew knows his strengths and loves to attack, attack, attack.

Sasha Killeya-Jones, PF, 6’11”, Episcopal (VA), 2016

Despite recently de-committing from Virginia, Killeya-Jones looked right at home early on in Charlottesville. With a tall frame and thin build, SKJ preferred to start outside of the arc on the offensive end. He dropped in a deep jumper to start and followed that up with a tough fade-away jumper over Spellman before hitting another jumper from the sideline. In the second half, his made shots came closer to the basket with a short five foot jumper and a tip-in and he remained engaged and active throughout the game. He has great length and uses that to challenge shots on the defensive end, but struggles with his agility when trying to contain shorter and quicker ball-handlers in pick and roll situations.  

Myles Powell, 6’1”, G, South Kent (CT), 2016

The Jersey guard looks more like a fullback, but he’s also been one of the most productive scorers at the Top 100 camp. He does not do one thing exceptionally well, but he does a lot of things very well. Powell knows how to create space for jump shots and when to attack the rim. Fresh off a 21 point outing, Powell didn’t suffer a letdown on Thursday and continued to score at an impressive clip.

Sam Cunliffe, 6’6”, SG, Rainier Beach (WA), 2016

The recent Arizona State commitment was lighting up the nets throughout his game on Friday afternoon. The smooth looking guard from Seattle had his good looking shooting stroke on point early on connecting from the wing on several occasions. Cunliffe has good footwork and is effective curling off screens for shots or hitting shots off the dribble. Shooting is Cunliffe’s main strength, but he also surprised a few people with a fancy above the rim finish on a two hand dunk. Cunliffe’s game is fun to watch and one that should make an immediate impact in Tempe.

Other Notes:

Alex Barcello hit a trio of three’s in his game this morning. After hitting his first one, Barcello went cold for a spell before finding his shot in the fourth quarter knocking in two in a row.

Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome, two future UVA guards were highlighted on Thursday, but both players had their moments again on Friday. Guy got the stanza going early with a three from NBA range and also had former Cavalier Justin Anderson celebrating after a fancy pass. Guy connected on several shots, but he also got tunnel vision in the second half forcing the issue which led to difficult shots off the dribble when it would have been wiser to pass the ball. Despite a poor stretch, Guy knocked in a spot up three towards the end of the game. Once again, Ty Jerome slid under the radar due to his quiet demeanor and while Jerome was silent early on, he converted a difficult lay-up in the second half after splitting the pick and roll. Jerome functions well as a shooting guard but he also proved he could play spot minutes at the point if necessary.

Power forward Duwan Huell had several high flying finishes above the rim and several put-backs off of offensive rebounds but struggled with his stamina throughout the game looking a bit winded throughout. Huell struggled at times catching difficult passes and also turned the ball over off the dribble.

7’0” junior center Brandon McCoy is an extremely intriguing prospect given his height and length. Right now he is struggling with the physicality of some of the players, but as they say, you can’t teach height. 

National Prep Showcase: Day 1

Each year the National Prep Showcase brings in the high school basketball season. A three day tournament held at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT brings many of the top prep powers together. College coaches gather in hope of finding an unknown prospect and talented players try to get that next offer. The 2014 kicked off with an overtime game won by Notre Dame Prep and continued with six more games throughout the day. 

Top Players:

Danjel Purifoy, 6’7”, SF, Hargrave Military Academy, 2015, Auburn

Purifoy was a man amongst boys in his first game of the Prep Showcase. Known for his physical strength and slashing abilities, Purifoy played to these attributes early on. With a powerful right hand dribble, Purifoy attacked the basket consistently. In the second half, he hit back to back deep three’s showing a new look to his game. Next year Purifoy will head to Auburn and there is no doubt that he will be an impact player from the get go. He finished with 29 points and 8 rebounds on 10-19 shooting and 4-7 from three.

Tremont Waters, 5’10”, PG, South Kent School, 2017

Waters put his name on the map at this tournament last year with clutch shooting. This year, South Kent School belonged to the older and more confident Waters. Despite just being a diminutive sophomore, Waters controlled the ball and the game for South Kent. Not the quickest of guards, Waters uses hesitation dribbles and constant pace changes to get into the lane for lay-ups or assists. In the first half he hit a three but also had a propensity to force shots at times with his increased role. He finished 1-7 from behind the arc and was a bit careless at times getting called for a carry in the second half. For the game Waters finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 7 turnovers on 6-19 shooting.

Trey Grundy, 6’8”, PF, Hargrave, 2015, UNC Wilmington

A strong and powerful forward, the UNC Wilmington commit put together a strong game with 21 points and 8 rebounds on 9-13 shooting. Grundy finished down low and also attacked the basket off the dribble from the high post. He was often over-shadowed in AAU play and that trend continues on a talented Hargrave team, but on Friday Grundy was a dominant force around the basket.  

Omari Spellman, 6’8”, PF, MacDuffie, 2016

A Kennedy Meeks look alike, Spellman put up 21 points and 8 rebounds in a losing effort. Looking slimmer than when he was at the Global Challenge, Spellman beat his man off the dribble several times in the low post for baskets. While his three point shot was off, his soft touch was on display when his coach selected him to shoot any technical fouls that came up throughout the course of the game. Spellman still gets winded a little too easy and just like Meeks, will need to continue to work on his body.

Kealen Ives, 5’9”, PG, Putnam Science Academy, 2015, Rider

In all of the Friday games, Ives was the best coach on the floor. He quickly picked up the opponents half-court and out-of-bounds sets and instructed his teammates where to go. He also stepped up his scoring in the second half with several crucial late baskets to push his team to a victory. Ives hit several pull-up jump shots from 15 feet and also added in a three off the dribble finishing with 14 points, 5 assists, and 0 turnovers. 

Andrew Robinson, 6’6”, SG, Putnam Science Academy, 2015, Quinnipiac

Robinson was lighting up the arc in the second to last game. He hit three first half three’s against IMG Academy and then added two more in the second half. Robinson preferred letting it fly from the wings and had range several feet beyond the arc. In addition, Robinson showed a great vertical when spotting up for the deep outside shots. He also proved much more than a shooter with athleticism and a quick first step to get to the basket. 

Quadree Smith, 6’7”, PF, IMG Academy, 2015

Smith used to play for Paul VI in Fairfax, VA and was a steadily improving big man on a talented team. Despite being undersized for his position, Smith has always used his body well to create space and has soft hands and light feet around the basket. Smith came off the bench for IMG and was a difference maker finishing with a monster double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Left Wanting More:

Steven Enoch, 6’8”, PF, St. Thomas Moore, 2015, UCONN

Talented big man Steven Enoch blew up in the spring and summer and didn’t take long committing to his hometown UConn Huskies once the offer came. In his early afternoon game, Enoch started the game with a pretty three from the right wing. Showing good body control and agility it looked like Enoch was set to dominate throughout the game. Unfortunately foul trouble and a shortness of breath hampered his ability. Not in tip top shape, Enoch was forced to come out for continuous breathers when he wasn’t in foul trouble. He certainly has the size and skill to dominate, but Enoch did not perform up to his high potential on Friday. He’ll have another shot as St. Thomas Moore has the first game of the morning on Saturday. 

Biggest Mismatch:

Northfield Mount Hermon vs. Lee Academy

The fifth of seven games was over just a few minutes in. Northfield Mount Hermon jumped to a quick 15-2 lead which was stretched to a 41-16 halftime lead. It didn’t matter that senior forward Josh Sharma (Stanford) was out with a fractured wrist as the four out one in offense flowed seamlessly. Northwestern bound Aaron Falzon rained three’s from well beyond the NBA arc and the two powerful guard in senior Jashanti Allen and senior Dequon Ervin penetrated at will. 6’10” Collin McManus (Penn) also got into the action with a fundamental left hand hook shot. 

Other Notes:

Leroy Butts, from the DC area has landed at Elev8te prep in Florida after stints at Bishop O’Connell (VA) and Riverdale Baptist (MD). In the first half, Butts hit a nice one footed fade-away over a smaller defender but was relatively quiet after that. Butts lives in the mid-range and while he caught several passes in the high post he didn’t affect the game as expected. 

Future Ole Miss guard JT Esobar isn’t afraid to let the outside shots fly. The 6’0” guard from Florida scored 18 points in a losing effort and was more than just an outside shooter as he crashed the boards on numerous possessions. 

Junior guard Christian Vital from South Kent finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds and was the spark plug off the bench in a win. His defensive intensity also frustrated the opposing guards. 

Kamau Stokes from Fork Union Military Academy led the way on Day 1 with 33 points on 9-14 shooting.

Nike Global Challenge: Day 1

The NIKE Global Challenge kicked off last night at Whitney Young High School in Chicago, IL. The tournament takes place over a four day span with the championship occurring Saturday afternoon..

There are eight teams overall, four from the USA along with a team from Canada, Brazil, China, and Africa. The first night featured two games: USA Midwest vs. Canada and USA West vs. Brazil. 

Game 1: USA Midwest 97 Canada 82

The USA team had an athletic advantage and used that to jump to an early double-digit lead in the first quarter and pulled away in the 3^rd quarter after a Canadian run cut it to 5 points.

Malik Monk, 6’3” SG, Bentonville (AR), 2016

The junior shooting guard would have rather been in Dubai playing for the 17U USA team; however he made the most of his opportunity at the Global Challenge on opening night. Monk finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals on 7-13 shooting (0-5 from three). Coming off the bench, Monk dished out a few assists early on. He had a driving lay-up in the first half and finished over one of Canadian’s 6’10” post players. In the second half, his high flying abilities were on display as Monk got out on the break several times for dunks and finished several lay-ups off of basket cuts in the half court set. 

As noted earlier, Monk missed all of his three’s and also a 17 footer after a vicious right to left cross. There is no doubt that Monk can knock down three’s in a hurry, but today he didn’t take any three’s in rhythm. Instead of going straight up and straight down on his shots, he floated either right or left which caused the ball to go in that direction. 

While his shot wasn’t on target, Monk was very active on the defensive end with several deflections and steals on the perimeter. In his first game, Monk was the second leading scorer finishing right behind another junior in Omari Spellman.

Omari Spellman, 6’9”, PF, Macduffie (OH) 2016

Spellman, a 6’9” junior from Ohio resembles UNC big man Kennedy Meeks in body type but is still extremely light on his feet. He can pound down low on the defensive end and got into some heated battles with several of the Canadian big men throughout the game. On the offensive end he prefers to do most of his work outside of the paint. 

Spellman hit 2-3 three’s and added in a 15 foot jump shot off a curl to finish with 15 points on 6-10 shooting. The big man also converted a right handed scoop on a drive, a one handed reverse dunk alone under the basket, and a coast to coast lay-up. All fairly impressive feats for someone that is listed at 268 pounds. On the downside, Spellman only grabbed one rebound.

Jalen Brunson, 6’2”, PG, Stevenson (IL), 2015

In his first game, Brunson looked at home playing in the Chicago area. The top point guard in the class of 2015 scored 11 points and dished out five assists while registering only one turnover. He hit 3-5 three’s including a nifty looking step back in the second half. Brunson uses his shoulder to create space on his drives and found Malik Monk on numerous occasions in the second half. Brunson played with a calm and steady demeanor and only turned the ball over once.

Team Canada:

Despite the loss, the Canadian talent shined in their opening loss to the USA Midwest team. Three players scored in double figures including 6’4” guard Jalen Poyser who finished with a team high 17 points. Poyser rivaled any of the American players with his athleticism and was usually able to free himself for a shot any time he wanted. He finished with 17 points which came on a variety of quick and explosive moves which included a euro-step in traffic and a two hand dunk off a drive from the right wing. 6’0” guard Munis Tutu ran the show for the Canadians and he showed off his play making skills with six assists. Tutu is extremely quick and was also very active on the defensive end. Wide bodied Jordy Tshimanga finished with eight points and eight rebounds. Tshimanga displayed solid footwork in the post, but will need to improve his lift when going up for a shot going forward. Long and lean Kyle Alexander, a 6’10” big man also scored eight points in just 13 minutes and was active attacking the glass. 

USA West 94 Brazil 80

After a tough first couple minutes, the talented USA West team quickly put some separation between the Brazilians and had a double digit lead for almost 35 out of 40 minutes.

Stephen Zimmerman, 7’0”, C, Bishop Gorman (NV), 2015

Zimmerman got the start for the West and seemed to be in a much better position than during the AAU season with the Oakland Soldiers who lacked strong play from the guard and wing spot.

Zimmerman was quiet in the first half finishing with just 2 points on a left handed lay-up in coverage but came alive in the third quarter. An offensive rebound turned into a put-back to start the quarter and Zimmerman was off and running. Soon after he got fouled on a dunk attempt and calmly swished two free throws. He then recorded an assist from the high post, grabbed rebounds on both sides and threw several pin point outlet passes. Zimm scored on a short hook shot off of another offensive rebound in addition to a well run pick and roll opportunity, and a strong two hand dunk in the paint. 

The three time state champion from Nevada can go long stretches without making an impact but when he plays with the energy and intensity shown in the third quarter it is easy to see why he is so highly regarded. One of the better passing big men, Zimmerman is very comfortable operating from the high post.

West Shooters:

The West team is loaded with outside shooting capability. Shooting guard Austin Grandstaff got the start and immediately hit a three from the wing. Combo forward DJ Hogg got in on the outside action along with shooting guard Matt McQuaid, and Dejounte Murray. 

West Point Guards:

Junior point guard De’Aaron Fox got the start while future UCLA Bruin Aaron Holiday came off the bench. Both guards were too quick for their Brazilian counterparts. Fox got into the lane and dished out assists while he also got in on the three point action while Holiday showed off his speed and body control by pushing the ball on the break and weaving in and out of defenders for contested shots in the lane.

Marques Bolden, 6’11”, C, Desoto (TX), 2015

The youngest big man on the team put together quite the performance including the dunk of the night when he elevated and released a crushing two hand dunk. Bolden ran the floor well and was active on the glass and in the paint. On the court he looks like Darien Townes, a former big man at Georgetown and Arkansas and definitely impressed the NBA scouts in attendance. 

Brazil:

The two most impressive players for Brazil were 6’3” guard George Lucas Alves de Paula and 6’9” power forward Lucas Teodoro de S. Colimerio. George Lucas took it to the Americans to start the game and with his strong build resembled a powerful running back on the court. The lefty hit a three early on and finished at the rim on several occasions. The long and lean Lucas Teodoro gave up size down low; however he ran like a gazelle up and down the floor. He blocked shots, scored down low off of put-backs and also hit a 15 foot jump shot from the corner.  Just like Bolden, Lucas Teodoro had the NBA scouts taking notes from their courtside seats.

Individual Focus: Corey Johnson, 6’4”, SG, Vermont Academy (VT), 2015

The top shooter award on opening night belongs to shooting guard Corey Johnson from Team Canada who hit 5-10 three’s on the night to finish with 15 points. He recently hit 6-15 from three in Canada’s silver medal run at the U18 FIBA America’s tournament and quickly showed off his perfect shooting form in Chicago. In the first quarter Johnson knocked down an open three from the left wing with his body square and strong rotation on his shot. He then added three’s off the dribble, from the corner, and with a hand in his face. Consecutive three’s in the third quarter got Canada to within five points before losing steam. 

After the game, Johnson noted, “Overall, we did good. It was the first time we were all together. We were able to grow as a team even though we had just one practice together. It was a slow start, but once I found my feet I hit some shots. I think I can do a few things better such as attacking and facilitating for my teammates.”

Next year Johnson plans to suit up for the Vermont Academy and will play against high level competition in the New England prep school ranks which will help him increase interest and “get the highest D1 scholarship” that he can get. 

“Interest wise I have Virginia Tech, Harvard messaged me, UMASS, Creighton is going to offer me soon, Lehigh, and a bunch of other mid majors like Delaware, Northern Illinois,” said Johnson.

While he did hit five three’s, Johnson is more than just a shooter. He has good size and a good build for a shooting guard and also finished with six rebounds and pushed the ball in transition when given the opportunity. With increased exposure during the high school season, it isn’t a stretch to say that a lot more high majors will come knocking on the Canadian’s door.