City of Palms Preview

Each year the City of Palms classic brings some of the top prep players and teams from across the country for a weekend full of sun and basketball at Bishop Verot High in Fort Myers, FL. Over a six day period, the 41^st classic will feature their standard 16 team classic, a four team Signature Series, and four Sunshine Series games. The City of Palms is commonplace for future number one draft picks which have included John Wall and Kyrie Irving over the past few years. It will be hard to top last year’s tournament which featured the number one player in the 2013 (Andrew Wiggins), 2014 (Jahlil Okafor), and 2015 (Malik Newman) classes along with a title game that pitted the most talented team in the country (Montverde Academy) versus the most entertaining team in the country (Lone Peak). 

16 Team Classic

Top Teams:

Montverde Academy (FL)

Russell and Montverde are looking for a repeat

The number one team in the country is looking for a repeat. Last year head coach Kevin Boyle led Montverde Academy to their first City of Palms title behind the play of Kasey Hill (Florida), Dakari Johnson (Kentucky) and Devin Williams (West Virginia). All of the aforementioned players are now in college but they do return five-star shooting guard D’Angelo Russell, an Ohio State commit. Along with Russell, Montverde re-loaded and now features five-star junior Ben Simmons, senior point guard Ahmaad Rorie, shooting guard Justin Bibbs, and power forward Makinde London. Montverde is favored to advance out of their side of the bracket; however they certainly won’t have a cake walk with potential match-ups against Isaiah Whitehead of Lincoln (NY) and possibly Daniel Hamilton and St. John Bosco who recently pulled a buzzer-beater upset in the Chicago Elite Classic.

St. John Bosco (CA)

The Bellflower, CA team will have its hands full making it to the semi-finals on Saturday evening to face Montverde; however they certainly have the talent to do so with Connecticut bound Daniel Hamilton and five-star junior Tyler Dorsey on the wings. Bosco opens with Providence Christian (FL), the No. 20 team in the country which features Duke recruit Grayson Allen in addition to a possible match-up between the winner of No. 22 Denver East and the Jaquan Newton led Neumann-Goretti (PA) squad. If they make it through the first two days of the tournament expect a high scoring and entertaining game with Montverde.

Whitney Young (IL)

Led by the top player in the country, 6’10” Jahlil Okafor and Whitney Young are looking for a little revenge. Last year the Dolphins barely escaped bad weather conditions in Chicago and just made their 10pm tip time with Montverde. Despite the travel woes the Dolphins pushed the game to overtime before falling 68-63 in a breakout game by shooting guard Miles Reynolds. This year marks the third trip in four years for Whitney Young with the 2010 trip serving as the tournament where Okafor and forward Paul White were first recognized on a national stage as freshmen. After suffering a heart breaking loss to St. John Bosco two weeks ago, Whitney Young is looking to make their first national statement of the year. 

Paul VI (VA)

The top team in TheWashington Post is back in sunny Florida trying to make-up for their first round exit last year in the City of Palms tournament to Lake Wales (FL). Despite losing early last year, the sophomore laden Panthers bounced back to win their remaining three games. With one more year under their belts the junior duo of Marcus Derrickson and Kevin Dorsey lead the way while the middle is manned by big man Quadree Smith who is headed to UNC-Greensboro next year. Sophomore combo guard Curtis Jones has stepped up this year and gives Paul VI another outside scoring threat as a lot of the local ACC and Big East schools have shown strong interest.

Top 15 Players to Watch:

1. Jahlil Okafor, 6’10”, Senior, C, Whitney Young (IL) – Committed to Duke (#1 – 2014)

2. Isaiah Whitehead, 6’4”, Senior, SG, Lincoln (NY) – Committed to Seton Hall (#12 – 2014)

3. Tyler Dorsey, 6’4”, Junior, SG, St. John Bosco (CA) – (#7 – 2015)

4. Ben Simmons, 6’9”, Junior, PF, Montverde (FL) – Committed to LSU (#8 – 2015)

5. V.J. King, 6’7”, Sophomore, SF, St. Vincent-St. Mary, (#9 – 2016)

6. D’Angelo Russell, 6’4”, Senior, SG, Montverde (FL) – Committed to Ohio State (#16 – 2014)

7. Daniel Hamilton, 6’7”, Senior, SF, St. John Bosco (CA) – Committed to UConn (#18 – 2014)

8. Ja’Quan Newton, 6’2”, Senior, G, Neumann Goretti (PA), Committed to Miami (#56 – 2014)

9. Grayson Allen, 6’4”, Senior, SG, Providence Christian (FL) – Committed to Duke (#36 – 2014)

10. Jaylen Brown, 6’5”, Junior, SF, Marietta Wheeler (GA), (#10 – 2015)

11. Antonio Blakeney, 6’3”, Junior, SG, Oak Ridge (FL), (#68 – 2015)

12. Dominique Collier, 6’2”, Senior, G, Denver East (CO) – Committed to Colorado (#98 – 2014)

13. Marcus Derrickson, 6’7”, Junior, PF, Paul VI (VA) – Committed to Georgetown (#54 – 2015)

14. Paul White, 6’8”, Senior, F, Whitney Young (IL) – Committed to Georgetown (#49 – 2014)

15. Daniel Giddens, 6’9”, Junior, PF, Marietta Wheeler (GA), (#34 – 2015)

 Signature Series:

Top Teams:

Wichita Sunrise Christian (KS)

Sunrise Christian is ranked No. 7 in the country with one loss on their resume which came at the hands of a junior college in Texas. Led by future Michigan State point guard Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn the Kansas based school will face off against London Barking Abbey which was the Great Britain Division 4 champ last year. While not much is known about the Brits, they do play several players from the various British national teams including 7’1” junior center Nathan Smith. 

Brewster Academy (NH)

The nationally acclaimed New England prep school features a star studded line-up with players headed to Georgetown, Oklahoma State, and San Diego State next year. Along with the seniors, Brewster also starts shooting guard Donovan Mitchell who has offers from most of the schools in the Northeast and is rapidly gaining steam as a junior.

Top 5 Players:

1. Lourawls Nairn, 5’10”, PG, Wichita Sunrise Christian (KS) – Committed to MSU

2. Jared Terrell, 6’3”, SG, Brewster Academy (NH) – Committed to Ok State (#77 – 2014)

3. Isaac Copeland, 6’8”, F, Brewster Academy (NH) – Committed to Georgetown (#48 – 2014)

4. Jeff Garrett, 6’7”, SF, Oldsmar Christian (FL)

5. Isaiah Manderson, 6’10”, PF, Oldsmar Christian (FL) – Committed to Oregon State

Sunshine Series:

Top Team:

Lake Highland Prep

Led by North Carolina commitment Joel Berry, the Highlanders are currently 7-2 and ranked No. 4 by the Orlando Sentinel. The 6’0” Berry helped Lake Highland Prep win the Florida 4A State Championship last year; however he was not able to play in the 2012 16 Team Classic due to a leg injury and the Highlanders went 1-2 in the tournament. On Monday night, Berry will face off against future Georgia Tech guard Tadric Jackson and Tift County (GA).

Top 5 Players:

1. Joel Berry, 6’0”, Senior, PG, Lake Highland Prep – Committed to UNC (#21 – 2014)

2. Dwayne Bacon, 6’5”, Junior, SF, IMG Academy, (#20 – 2015)

3. Tadric Jackson, 6’2”, Senior, PG, Tift County – Committed to Georgia Tech (#87 – 2014)

4. Prince Ali, 6’3”, Junior, SG, Weston Sagemont – Committed to UConn (#78 – 2015)

5. Gyorgy Goloman, 6’10”, Senior, C, Weston Sagemont – Committed to UCLA

Chicago Elite Classic Recap

The second annual Chicago Elite Classic took place at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion over the course of a full day on Saturday featuring seven games. Last year the event was a crowd pleaser, but this year there were numerous Top 100 players, nationally ranked teams, and even a buzzer-beater in a wild day of action. Here is a look at what transpired when several of the top teams from Chicago faced opponents from all over the country.

Game of the Night:

The final match-up of the night featured Whitney Young, the top ranked team from Chicago versus St. John Bosco from California which was a pre-season Top 10 team. Whitney Young was led by the top ranked player in the country in center Jahlil Okafor along with Georgetown commitment Paul White and St. Louis commitment Myles Reynolds. St. John Bosco featured five-star small forward Daniel Hamilton (UConn commitment) and five-star junior guard Tyler Dorsey. Going against a thin frontline, Okafor was dominant early on and scored 15 first half points. In his first game of his senior season, Okafor looked to be in the best shape of his high school career and ran the floor well while establishing a solid post presence down low. In the third quarter senior guard Myles Reynolds emerged and went on a personal 7-0 as he constantly broke free for fast break lay-ups and open three pointers. Whitney Young took a 49-44 lead into the final quarter and with just under six minutes to go, Okafor stopped receiving touches in the paint. At the same time, St. John Bosco slowly began their comeback and took a 56-55 lead momentarily with 1:18 to go. After Reynolds put Whitney Young up 57-56, sophomore guard Vance Jackson calmly nailed a deep three early on in the possession to give Bosco a 59-57 lead. Whitney Young answered again, this time with guard Anthony Mosley hitting a short jumper to tie the game and give St. John Bosco the final possession. With 4.6 seconds on the clock, Hamilton caught the ball at half-court, dribbled to his right and launched a fade away three at the buzzer. Swish. As the ball ripped the net, Hamilton and his California teammates celebrated joyfully as the hometown favorite walked off the court in shock. 

Top Players:

Daniel Hamilton, 6’7” G/F, 2014, St. John Bosco

To go along with his game winning shot, Hamilton scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds and four assists. Playing in front of his future college coach Hamilton came out firing with a mix of deep jumpers and baskets from close range. With his length, there were times when Hamilton had the opportunity to attack Okafor in the paint, and attack he did scoring on a short right hand hook in the 4th quarter. At times Hamilton got too comfortable launching three’s from the wing but he did come through in the clutch and propelled St. John Bosco to the upset win.

Jahlil Okafor, 6’11” C, 2014, Whitney Young

In the first Chicago Elite Classic, Okafor dominated Dematha big man Beejay Anya and put up 34 points and 8 rebounds. Okafor did not match that stat line this year, but he was every bit as dominant if not more so. As mentioned above, he had 15 first half points and finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds on 10-13 shooting. As usual he dominated down low, but also displayed better conditioning and stroke at the free throw line (4-5). In the first half, Okafor utilized his favorite left to right spin move in the lane and hit a soft 7 footer and in the second half he caught the ball at the top of the key and scored while driving down the lane in a half-court set. Despite the loss, Coach K and Jeff Capel surely enjoyed watching their top recruit play as they envisioned him down low in the post in Durham.

Myles Reynolds, 6’3” G, 2014, Whitney Young

Last year Reynolds was often the fourth option on Whitney Young. This year he might be the second option and in his first game he led the way scoring wise with 25 points. Reynolds worked the two man game well with Okafor which resulted in several open three point looks. He also scored on numerous fast break lay-up attempts as he used his speed to beat the Bosco guards down the court. His personal seven point scoring run got Mayor Rahm Emanuel out of his seat in the second half.

Tyler Dorsey, 6’4”, G, 2015, St. John Bosco

The athletic shooting guard from the class of 2015 struggled with his shot going scoreless in the first half but he picked it up in the second half and played fairly well down the stretch. Given his ball handling, quickness, and jumping ability Dorsey is one of the best at creating his own shot. In the second half he drove down the lane and scored while getting fouled by Okafor and he also hit a three from the wing. This was not one of Dorsey’s finer games but the talented shooting guard didn’t get discouraged and was a key part in Bosco’s last second win.

Vance Jackson, 6’7” G/F, 2016, St. John Bosco

The surprise of the nightcap, Jackson led the way for Bosco with 19 points, five of which came on three pointers. His biggest shot came with under one minute left when he launched a deep three from the top of the key to give his team a two point advantage. In addition to his three point barrage, Jackson mixed in a few drives to the basket. Just a sophomore, Jackson is quite an addition to this talented California team.

Cliff Alexander, 6’8”, PF, 2014, Curie

Alexander went up against Stephen Zimmerman and Chase Jeter who are both ranked as Top 20 players in the class of 2015. Given the strength advantage Alexander had on these two the match-up turned one sided very quickly. In a Curie win, Alexander went for 22 points, 20 rebounds, and 5 blocks. He did all of his damage from inside the paint and had some ferocious tip dunks throughout the game. His motor and jumping ability allowed him to dominate the paint all game long as he got both Zimmerman and Jeter in foul trouble. By controlling the paint on both ends of the court, Alexander put on the most impressive display seen throughout the day.

Stephen Zimmerman, 6’11”, C, 2015, Bishop Gorman

Zimmerman’s final stat line was 10 points and 13 rebounds but that was a bit misleading as he was pretty much a non-factor throughout the game going 4-13 from the field. In the second half he hit a nice looking 12 foot jump shot to go along with an easy finish in transition; however Curie’s zone defense was too much to handle as was the thought of facing Alexander down low. 

Chase Jeter, 6’10”, PF/C, 2015, Bishop Gorman

Similar to Zimmerman, Jeter also struggled throughout the game and was pretty much a non-factor on offense for the majority of time on the court before he fouled out in the fourth quarter. Jeter scored six points on 3-6 shooting. He started the game off guarding Alexander and despite a significant weight disadvantage he wasn’t scared and attacked Alexander on the offensive end when he had the chance. In the fourth quarter, Jeter scored on a lefty hook over Alexander and looked to pick up some confidence but unfortunately fouled out almost immediately afterwards. While he was silent scoring wise, Jeter did have nine rebounds and also looked to have put on some strength while getting a bit taller during the fall. 

DJ Williams, 6’7”, SF, 2015, Simeon

In the post Jabari Parker era, Williams helped Simeon to a blowout victory in their first game of the season. The silky smooth wing who committed to Illinois in the fall scored 13 points in a variety of ways. In the first half he put together a right to left handed crossover and finished with a left handed lay-up. In the second half he hit a 15 foot jump shot and then followed that with a pull-up from 10 feet. Williams is expected to be one of the go-to guys for the new look Simeon squad and in his first game of his junior season he delivered.

Zach Norvell, 6’4” G, 2016, Simeon

Norvell got Simeon started on the right foot knocking down two three’s to start the game. In the second half he added several shots inside the lane and finished with 13 points. The left hander was strong throughout and will give Simeon a strong guard presence throughout the season.

Ed Morrow, 6’6”, F, 2015, Simeon

Morrow came alive in the second half when Simeon began its run to put the game out of reach. Despite being undersized for his position, Morrow attacked the basket hard and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. As Simeon’s main big men, Morrow attacked the taller Hamilton (TN) front line and used his length and motor to make up for his height disadvantage.

Keelon Lawson, 6’7” F, 2015, Hamilton

The older Lawson brother had the green light to shoot and shoot he did as he filled up the box score and kept his team in the game during the first half. In the second half, Lawson kept on attacking but he also forced up a fair amount of tough shots. He has good size and can play at almost every position but at times can be careless with the basketball. He was an integral part of Hamilton’s play in the first half, but tried to take the burden fully on himself in the second half. 

Tyler Ulis, 5’8”, PG, 2014, Marian Catholic

It didn’t take long for Tyler Ulis to win over the fans that hadn’t seen the Kentucky commitment play before. While he struggled from the outside going 0-6 from three, Ulis was hard to stop off the dribble although Etiwanda guard Dominick Alexander did an admirable job in trying. Ulis finished with 30 points and attacked the basket at will. Despite his height, Ulis has great body control and never once got his shot blocked in the lane. With the ball being used like a yo-yo, Ulis got free for lay-ups, floaters, short jumpers and fade-aways. Despite the loss, no one doubted the diminutive point guard afterwards.

Bryant Crawford, 6’2”, PG, 2015, Gonzaga

It was a forgettable shooting day for junior guard Bryant Crawford in the windy city as he went 1-11 from the field and finished with five points. Crawford settled for deep jump shots throughout the game despite his ability to get into the lane against St. Rita’s. On two possessions in the half court set, Crawford exploded to the basket and got to the rim on one dribble. He also attacked the right side well when coming off a pick and roll. Despite the trepid shooting performance, Crawford did register 10 assists and had numerous nice looks to teammates in the half court as well as transition.

Dominique Matthews, 6’2”, G, 2014, St. Rita

Matthews stole the show in the morning session and put up 34 points which was the high amount for the Classic. He got into the lane at will and spurred a 3^rd quarter run that gave St. Rita’s a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Matthews showed off some fancy moves in getting to the basket including an around the back spin move that resulted in an And-1. The senior guard is over-shadowed by his younger brother but Dominique has put on an impressive showing to kick off his last year. 

Other Notes:

·         Etiwanda (CA) defeated Tyler Ulis’ Marian Catholic squad and did so with the largest cheering section of the day. With a fan base of 60 wearing gray Etiwanda shirts it appeared as though a large contingent had made the trip from California. Instead it was a homecoming of sorts for head coach Dave Kleckner who was one of eight children growing up in Aurora. His brother’s, sisters, nieces, and nephews attended the game and cheered throughout.

·         The top player on Etiwanda is senior point guard Jordan McLaughlin who is committed to USC. He scored 17 points on 7-10 shooting and put together a solid performance. Senior forward Kenny Barnes led the way with 24 points and junior forward Kameron Edwards added in 16 points and nine rebounds. 

·         6’9” center Jordan Naughton was forced to sit out the game due to California transfer rules but becomes eligible on January 6 for one of the top teams in Southern California.

·         Senior guard Noah Robotham scored 30 points for Bishop Gorman and kept his team in the game with three point shooting. The 6’0” guard hit 6-10 three’s on the night.

·         6’8” junior forward Sam Miller had a solid game for the Gonzaga Eagles as he tallied 20 points and 6 rebounds. Miller was an effective scorer in the low post and had a nice touch on his jump shot.

·         Two freshmen to keep an eye on are 5’6” point guard Chris Lykes from Gonzaga and 6’8” forward Billy Preston from St. John Bosco. Lykes might have been the smallest player to take the court in Chicago but also turned out to be the quickest. In the first half he blew by defenders and scored on several soft floaters. Meanwhile, Preston started the game for St. John Bosco and ran the floor well showcasing a promising future.