On Sunday
afternoon head coach Mark Turgeon and Maryland picked up their third recruit
from the class of 2014 in 6’6” wing Jared Nickens who recently finished his
junior year at Westtown High in Pennsylvania. This commitment gives the Terps
another versatile player to go along with point guard Romelo Trimble and sharp shooter Dion Wiley.
While
Trimble and Wiley made their names early on in their high school careers,
Nickens is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. Although he
did not join his two future teammates at the recent NBPA Top 100 camp, Nickens
was named to the Under Armour Invitational All-Star game that recently took
place in Las Vegas.
Jared Nickens
During the
first live recruiting session in April, Nickens led his Sports U / Team Izod
AAU team to the championship with a win over future teammate Trimble and his DC
Assault AAU team in the Pitt Jam Fest. Nickens was arguably the most impressive
and consistent player during the three day period and Turgeon was one of the
few high major head coaches to appear for all three days in Pittsburgh. While Turgeon
was there to support his future point guard in Trimble he also witnessed
numerous Sports U games and obviously liked what he saw.
Over a three day span, Nickens was the most
impressive player for the tournament champions. One of the many tall and
lengthy wings in the tournament, Nickens possessed the best ability to score at
all three levels in the 17U age group. He knocked down deep threes with
consistency, showed a soft touch on his mid-range jump shots, and finished
above the rim with ease when around the basket. With a game similar to that of Rashad
Vaughn, Nickens churned out impressive game after game in Pittsburgh.
Nickens will need to add some weight to his frame in the future, but for now he
proved to be one of the top scorers on the Under Armour circuit.
Over the
past year, Nickens expanded his game from just a shooter to a well-rounded
offensive threat. While not an amazing athlete, Nickens is athletic enough to
get to the rim off the dribble and finish amongst taller opponents. He also
relies on a nice fade-away jump shot to create additional open space on his
shots.
As noted in
April, Nickens needs to add strength to his frame especially with Maryland’s
move into the Big 10. Right now his lengthy wing span offsets his lack of
strength but that might not always work in the future.
With this
recent commitment, Mark Turgeon made it clear that he plans on having Maryland
basketball back on the map sooner rather than later. Just over one week ago,
Turgeon was being praised for his ability to land the top player from both the
DC area AAU powerhouses in Team Takeover and DC Assault. Now with a commitment
from the under rated Nickens, Maryland is set at the guard and small forward
positions in the years to come and can focus on recruiting quality big men to
College Park.
The 2013
Hoop Group Pitt Jam Fest resulted in another championship win for the
consistently strong 17U Sports U/Team Izod team out of Northern Jersey. While
on their championship run, a college coach noted that playing the Sports U
squad is similar to going 15 rounds in a boxing match. Unfortunately for DC
Assault, they only lasted 14 rounds before relinquishing the lead and falling
in the final seconds, 48-45. The Pitt Jam Fest kicked off the live recruiting
weekend with a bang, and gave a plethora of Division One coaches numerous
opportunities to evaluate potential new recruits.
17U – The Championship Road and Game
DC Assault
started off the weekend with a one point loss to the Louisville Magic on Friday
night and ended the weekend with a loss to Sports U Izod, which came in the
final minute. In between their two last minute defeats, DC Assault won four
games in a row over a two day span. After going 2-0 on Saturday, DC Assault kicked
off the final day with an 8:15am tip time against the Juice All-Stars. The
late-arriving New York based squad scored the first basket despite not having a
chance to warm up but it quickly went downhill from there.
Usually it
is DC Assault’s point guard and future member of the Maryland Terrapins, Romelo
Trimble that controls the game, but Sunday morning it turned out to be
his back court teammate Byron Hawkins who did the heavy
lifting. Hawkins hit several three pointers and got into the lane numerous
times to provide an early double digit lead. In the second half, Trimble came
alive and blew by his defender countless times and finished the game off with
the help of Donte Grantham. Following this victory, DC Assault survived
with a 67-66 victory over Team Charlotte to advance to the championship.
Sports U
advanced to the Elite 8 with a 54-51 win over Team Loaded to finish off
Saturday night, thanks to a Jared Nickens 3-pointer and then held on to
beat We R 1 with another 54-41 victory. In their quarterfinal victory over We R
1, Sports U got strong contributions from point guard Tarin Smith and
big man Jahleem Montague. In the Final Four, Sports U knocked off the
undefeated Atlanta Xpress and earned a chance to defend their 2012 title.
In the
championship game, both teams were on their third game in six hours and fifth
game in three days. Needless to say, tired legs were prevalent for both teams
as shot after shot clanged against the rim. Sports U took an early lead in the
first half, but DC Assault received an energy boost from reserve guard Corey
Henson out of DeMatha Catholic (MD). Henson buried two three pointers in a
quick two minute span to erase DC Assault’s 1st half deficit.
After the
halftime break, both teams picked up the pace and saw shots start to fall. 6’6”
forward Rashard Kelly hit two 3-pointers to start the half and big man Chinanu
Onunaku added in two baskets as well. Tarin Smith and Jared
Nickens kept Sports U within striking distance, but the game appeared to be
close to over when forward Donte Grantham scored consecutive baskets for
DC Assault.
While most
teams would’ve been satisfied with their tournament performance and
called it a day, Sports U went on a quick 5-0 run to bring the score back to
within two at 40-38 with three minutes left. Both teams traded fouls over the
next two minutes before DC Assault missed a free throw to extend their lead to
four points. With a chance to tie, unsung guard Hakim Santil nailed a
deep three to even the game at 45 apiece. While the Sports U bench started to
celebrate the big shot, Santil stayed focused and created a turnover which
quickly turned into the go ahead lay-up. After tacking on a free throw to go up
48-45, Trimble took a deep three that bounced high off the rim and sealed
another slugfest win for the Sports U Izod program.
16U – Champions:
We-R-1 based
out of Delaware capped off a 6-0 tournament run with a 57-37 beat down of Team
Philly in the championship. After a competitive win over the Atlanta Xpress in
the semi-finals, the championship was never in doubt in large part to the
stellar play of 6’7” wing Derrick Jones Jr. who spent the weekend playing
on both the 17U and 16U circuits. Through the three day tournament, We R 1 won
their games by an average of 21 points.
Class of 2014: Stock Riser:
Devin
Robinson – 6’-8” – 2014 SF, Richmond Squires, Christ Church School (VA)
Before this
weekend, Robinson was considered a fringe top-100 player, but now he is one of
the hot names on the AAU circuit. Standing at 6’8”, Robinson is extremely long
and lanky and still coming into his own body. Despite the current lack of
strength, Robinson uses his length to block shots when opponents try to post
him up down low. On Saturday night, Robinson scored 18 points against the
Atlanta Xpress in a losing effort and followed that up on Sunday morning with a
19 point performance against Baltimore’s Finest in a 66-63 win that left many
coaches shaking their head. Despite going against the highly talented Dwayne
Morgan (UNLV pledge), Robinson stole the show with his 8-11 shooting,
which included 3-5 from the three point line. To go along with his outside
shooting (his shots have great rotation), Robinson mixed in some drives and
even a floater for good measure. Robinson was efficient all tournament long and
showed off a strong motor as well. With Robinson’s name circling around this
weekend, Tony Bennett from the Virginia Cavaliers paid a late
visit on Sunday along with an assistant from USC. Despite the newfound
attention it might be hard for schools to catch up to VCU and the Virginia Tech Hokies who have
been putting in work for awhile. One thing is for certain; expect to hear the
name Devin Robinson throughout the remainder of spring and summer.
Class of 2015: Stock Riser:
Joseph Toye,
6’-6” – 2015 SF, Illinois Celtics, Whitney Young (IL)
This past
high school season, the 6’6” wing played behind a star studded junior class
that includes Jahlil Okafor, Paul White, L.J. Peak, and Miles Reynolds at
Whitney Young. While playing time was limited during the high school season, so
far he has seen ample time for the Illinois Celtics who feature a trio of tall,
long, and athletic wings. Toye passes the eye test right off the bat and during
two tournaments has made a living slashing to the basket with both hands while
also showing off a steady mid-range jump shot coming off the catch or the
dribble. On Saturday afternoon, Toye went to work against the Fairfax Stars in
a losing effort with impressive forays to the rim and short pull-up jump shots.
At one point in the second half, he flew down the lane and over a defender for
the dunk of the weekend. With his limited minutes as a sophomore Toye is just
starting to scratch the surface of his potential. With L.J. Peak transferring
back to South Carolina, he will get the chance to step into Peak’s vacated
starting spot to showcase his skills and athleticism for one of the top high
school teams in the county next fall.
Pitt Jam Fest Standouts:
Jared Nickens, 6’-7” – 2014 SG, Sports U Izod, Westtown HS (PA)
Over a three
day span, Nickens was the most impressive player for the tournament champions.
One of the many tall and lengthy wings in the tournament, Nickens possessed the
best ability to score at all three levels in the 17U age group. He knocked down
deep threes with consistency, showed a soft touch on his mid-range jump shots,
and finished above the rim with ease when around the basket. With a game
similar to that of Rashad Vaughn, Nickens churned out impressive game
after game in Pittsburgh. Nickens will need to add some weight to his frame in
the future, but for now he proved to be one of the top scorers on the Under
Armour circuit.
Derrick
Jones Jr., 6′-7” – 2015 SF, We R 1, Archbishop
Carroll (PA)
As noted
above, Jones led his 16U team to the championship while also playing
occasionally for the 17U team. In all contests, Jones showed off his athletic
ability by blocking shots, finishing with authority on breaks, to go along with
solid ball handling skills and a quick release on his jump shots. Jones
dominated all weekend long and is certain to see his stock go through the roof
after his impressive weekend. Jones is currently ranked #13 by ESPN, #37 by
Rivals, and unranked by Scout.com. After this weekend, expect Jones to become a
consensus top 15 player in the country.
Donte
Grantham, 6’-7” – SF, DC Assault
Bob Huggins
showed up to watch the West Virginia native play ball on Saturday afternoon and
while Grantham is considering prep school, he could be the type of player that
helps the Mountaineers bounce back from a horrendous season. Grantham connected
all weekend on three point attempts from the wing and hustled up and down the
court which often led to highlight finishes above the rim. His finest game came
against the NC Redstorm on Saturday night as he went for 20+ with a mixture of
three’s and basket drives.
A DC Assault veteran to
the 17U circuit, Trimble performed strongly under the watchful eye of his
future college coach, Mark Turgeon. Trimble is one of the stronger point guards
you will find this year and uses his strength to bully his way to the basket.
While strong, Trimble is also quick and he showed this off on Sunday morning as
he consistently blew by his defender for lay-ups. As far as shooting was
concerned, Trimble knocked down shots from anywhere on the court with most of
his three point attempts coming well behind the arc. Trimble was the leader for
DC Assault and is the type of player that will help get Maryland back to the
tournament.
Trayvon
Reed, 7’-1” – 2014, C, Atlanta Xpress, Shiloh High (GA)
Without a
doubt, Reed was the top shot blocker in the tournament. Standing at 7’1” with a
large wing span, Reed made it almost impossible for opposing teams to score
against the Xpress in the paint. Reed runs the floor well and can catch the
ball cleanly on the break. While a dominant defensive player, Reed still lacks
assertiveness on the offensive end and can disappear at times when he is not
dunking the ball. With some work on the offensive side of the ball, Reed could
turn into a dominant all-around player.
Isaiah Whitehead,
6’-5” – 2014, SG/SF, Juice All-Stars, Lincoln HS (NY)
With his
physicality it is almost impossible for a defender to stop Whitehead one on
one. With an improved jump shot, defenders can no longer just hope that they
are bailed out by a long jumper. Whitehead spent the weekend attacking the
basket and knocking in jump shots from all sides of the court. While a tough
out on the offensive end, Whitehead will need to work on getting his points in
the flow of the offense as many of his baskets came in one-on-one situations.
Gerry McNamara of Syracuse and Kevin Keats of Louisville attended Whitehead’s
games throughout and would be ideal fits for the talented player.
Chris
Chiozza, 5’-10” – 2014, PG, Team Thad, White Station (TN)
Usually the
shortest player on the court, Chiozza is almost always the toughest. Despite
suffering two losses over the weekend, Chiozza ran his team extremely well
despite missing Leron Black. In the opening game Chiozza connected on four
three pointers but needed 14 shots to do so. In his remaining games, Chiozza
calmed down a bit, but still attacked the basket, pushed the tempo, and knocked
down open shots when needed.
Other Key Players:
Dennis Smith
Jr, 6’-1” – 2016, PG, Karolina Diamonds, Trinity Christian School (NC)
Despite
being just a freshman, Smith is already a hot commodity and had Hubert Davis
watching his opening game Friday night. Smith has long arms for a point guard
and handles the ball like it’s a yo-yo and got into the lane often on Saturday
morning. After beating his man off the dribble or pick and roll, Smith either
knocked down an eight foot floater or lofted a lob to high-rising teammate Kwe
Parker. Smith also already has the euro-step down pat despite and while not a
threat from deep yet, he already has high level athleticism, court-awareness,
and passing ability.
Kwe Parker,
6’-2” – 2016, SG, Karolina Diamonds, Trinity Christian School (NC)
Parker is
the backcourt running mate for Smith in high school and the Karolina AAU squad.
Needless to say there timing is almost perfect as the duo connected on two
alley-oops against the NJ Celtics. Despite the freshman stature, Parker showed
no fear playing in up two age groups and had the best two foot jumping ability
of anyone in the tournament. Parker can sky for dunks, handle the ball on the
break, and can rebound just as well as any big man. The one weakness of
Parker’s game is his outside shooting as he shoots more of a set shot than an
actual jump shot. Once Parker starts to use his vertical on deep jump shots,
the sky is the limit for this high riser.
Already a
You Tube sensation, Woods’ tournament was cut off early due to an ankle injury
Saturday morning. Woods struggled early on with his shot against the New Jersey
Road Runners, but didn’t have a problem showing off his freaky athleticism.
Woods rocked the rim for a fast break dunk in the second half and also had two impressive
blocks as he went flying down the lane. Woods possessed a tight handle on the
break, but will need to slow down to lessen the unforced errors.
Tevin Mack,
6’-5” – 2015, SG/SF, Carolina Wolves (16U), Dreher (SC) – Mack earned himself some
future looks from colleges with his play over the weekend. Against the Road
Runners, Mack scored 26 points. Six of those points came from behind the arc,
while the remaining 20 came from drives to the basket and offensive rebound
put-backs. A strong kid for his age, Mack was a bully down low and almost
impossible to keep off the boards.
While Jordan
does not have the size of his teammate Joseph Toye, he might have the higher
current skill-set. Jordan is athletic enough to attack the basket off the
dribble and also a good enough shooter to consistently knock down the three.
Jordan tried to lead a comeback on Saturday afternoon with back to back three
pointers, but ran out of time.
Myles Stephens,
6’-3” – 2015 SG/SF, New Jersey Road Runners, St. Andrews School
Despite
being a bit under-sized, Stephens was terrific getting to the basket in a loss
to the Carolina Wolves. Stephens was comfortable driving to the right and left
sides and even posting up when he had the chance. While he did most of his
damage from inside the lane, Stephens also stepped out to the wing to nail a
three-pointer. Stephens noted that various Ivy League and Patriot schools were
showing interest.
Will
Ferguson, 6’-0” – 2014 PG, Team Loaded, Massanutten Military Academy
Once ranked
in the Top 100, Ferguson started to slide out of the rankings during his junior
year. Despite a stellar season at Herndon High School, Ferguson will attend
Massanutten next year for prep school. While a lot of schools forgot about
Ferguson over the past year, many coaches quickly opened their eyes upon seeing
the speedy guard this past Saturday. Ferguson was one of the quicker guards in
the tournament and will most likely see the recruiting attention pick up once
again when prep school play begins.
Despite a
loss in his team’s final game against the Richmond Squires, Stokes was the best
guard on the floor. He showed solid court leadership and kept his team in
contention throughout. Stokes got by his man off the dribble and scored in
double figures as many college coaches were on hand taking notes.
On the last
day of the second July evaluation period, a well-known college coach muttered “I
can’t wait to go home.” While this thought was surely shared by many of his
colleagues, the 17U Sports U team based out of Northern Jersey had different
thoughts. Despite being forced to play back to back games Sunday afternoon,
Sports U came away with the NY2LA Under Armour Summer Jam championship with a
mercy rule win over the Illinois Wolves.
The Road to
the Championship:
Sports U - 17U Champs
While Sports
U was methodically defeating TP Elite and the Iowa Barnstormers on their road
to the championship, the other side of the bracket was producing close and
entertaining games. The Houston Defenders, featuring the Harrison twins and
athletic freak Derrick Griffin were considered the favorites to take home the
title on the final day. The morning began against the Utah Reign, led by future
BYU Cougars Nick Emery, TJ Haws and big man Eric Mika. Despite solid
performances from all three of these players (who also play on the same high
school team), the athleticism of Houston took over and they snuck away with a
52-49 win. Despite the win, star guard Andrew Harrison suffered an injury which
turned him into a mere decoy in their semi-final game against the Illinois
Wolves.
While Aaron
Harrison turned into the primary scorer and facilitator after his brother’s
injury, the Wolves featured a balanced attack led by its trio of Big 10
commits, Kendall Stephens, Jalen James, and Nate Taphorn. Houston led a low
scoring first half 24-21, but the intensity picked up in the second half
featuring electric alley-oop dunks on the Houston side and a barrage of
three-pointers from Stephens and Taphorn. After a Harrison free throw that tied
the game at 50 with two minutes left, Jalen James made a strong drive to the
basket for a contested lay-up to go up two. With the Illinois parents cheering
a little louder, the Wolves made two consecutive steals that led to fast break
lay-ups and essentially sealed the game and a berth in the championship.
Once this
game ended, Sports U matched-up with the Iowa Barnstormers, led by two-sport
stars Dondre Alexander and Jeremy Morgan. Alexander came alive in the second
half but Iowa could not get their deficit below three points and Sports U held
on for the victory.
An iso for Chandler
Immediately
following the victory over Iowa, Sports U was given 10 minutes to rest up for
the championship game. On the other side, the Wolves called up Keita Bates-Diop
from the 16U team to provide some fresh legs. Sports U jumped out to a quick
lead behind their guard play. Josh Brown out of St. Anthony’s and Kasim
Chandler from Imani Christian penetrated at will and got easy shots in the
paint or open looks for big man DeAndre Bembry. Bates-Diop did what he could to
keep the Wolves in the game going for eight first half points, but Sports U
took a 32-23 lead into halftime. Coming out of the half, Sports U went to a
spread offense and Chandler ran circles around the Illinois defenders which led
to three consecutive wide-open three pointers by small-forward Spencer Weisz.
With the game out of reach, the Sports U guards essentially ran out the clock
before the game was called in a 64-39 victory.
Game of the
Day
In a 16U
quarterfinal match-up, the Louisville Magic squared off with DC Assault. The
Magic were on a roll coming off an undefeated run at the Adidas Invitational
the week before. Despite the lofty accolades, WCAC guards Romelo Trimble and
Byron Hawkins did not back down. Trimble attacked the basket while Hawkins
drained three pointers to give DC a 43-40 halftime lead. The Magic answered in
the second half behind the play of DeAngelo Russell and Quentin Snider. In a
back and forth last minute, the game went into overtime. When two overtimes
weren’t enough to settle the game, the third overtime was played in sudden
death (first score wins). After the Magic missed three straight free throw
attempts to win the game, Trimble isolated his defender at the top of the key
and finished a contested shot in the lay for the victory setting off a raucous
celebration under the hoop.
Note: All photos were provided by Kelly Kline - Under Armour.
