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. 

NBPA Top 100: Thursday Night Session

Two days down with two more to go at the NBPA Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, VA. Despite the long days the campers did not show any signs of letdown in session number four that took place last night.

Top Players:

Thon Maker, 7’1”, PF, 2016, Orangeville (CAN)

Kelly Kline / UA

Before he announced to a crowd of reporters that he would be staying in the class of 2016, Maker put together his best performance in his three year tenure at the Top 100 camp. Maker started the night off with a soft looking jump shot from mid-range and continued to score from a variety of areas. He finished with 22 points and seven rebounds on 8-11 shooting and 2-3 from outside the arc. After going to the line countless times in the morning session, Maker showcased his skill-set which has made him one of the more talked about high school players over the last few years.

Shamorie Ponds, 6’0”, PG, 2016, Thomas Jefferson (NY)

After a strong spring playing in the Nike EYBL circuit, Shamorie Ponds has continued his high scoring ways in Virginia. He struggled from three in the night session going 0-4, but he still finished 8-15 overall. Despite being one of the smaller players on the court, Ponds was always finding little holes in the defense and converted crafty lay-ups with both his right and left hand. With a strong handle, Ponds also pushed the ball in transition and played a crucial part in his team’s 63-62 victory.

Udoka Azubuike, 6’11, C, 2016, Potter’s House (FL)

The big fella from Florida strung together a 16 point performance on 7-8 shooting in his rematch with highly regarded junior forward DeAndre Ayton. Back at the City of Palms last December, Ayton won the match-up, but this time around Azubuike tried to do his best Shaq impression and bring the house down. Throughout the course of the game, Azubuike was punishing the rim with authoritative two hand dunks. He was engaged throughout and looked to relish the chance to play against another highly touted big man.

Xavier Simpson, 6’0”, PG, 2016, Central Catholic (OH)

Xavier Simpson is a tough, physical point guard from Ohio and he put up easily the most efficient performance on the day. With a session high of 25 points, Simpson helped his Rockets squad cruise to a blowout victory. Playing alongside Maker, Simpson went 11-13 from the field including a perfect 3-3 from long distance. He also added four assists and three rebounds and only turned the ball over two times. It was quite the turnaround performance from Simpson who went just 1-8 in his game earlier that day.

Billy Preston, 6’9”, PF, 2017, Dallas API (TX)

It’s always nice to see when highly touted players improve. After seeing Preston start for an extremely talented St. John Bosco squad as a freshman, it was remarkable to see how the 6’8” forward looks less than two years later. With a stronger upper body, Preston now looks like a pro. After scoring 10 points on 5-10 shooting in the first Thursday session, Preston added 13 points and five rebounds and the game winning free throw in overtime in the night session. Preston has a smooth style to his game and can now attack better off the dribble where he can finish easier down low with his added strength and he still sports his solid looking jump shot.

Top Backcourt: Frank Jackson & Jaylen Hands

Thunder and lightning is a proper nickname for the backcourt of Frank Jackson and Jaylen Hands. Jackson is a 6’1” guard from Utah that has thrown his name into the ring for the top point guard spot in 2016. So far throughout the camp Jackson has been sensational getting to the rim at will. With the guards stock quickly rising, both Duke and Maryland will receive unofficial visits after the camp ends. To go along with Jackson, Jaylen Hands is the lightning piece of the duo and he is playing at an extremely high level now that he has a chip on his shoulder after being cut from the USA U16 team. After a strong morning session, Hands led his team in scoring in the night session with 14 points on 6-9 shooting. The 6’2” guard from Southern California has a slight build, but with a quick first step he can get in the lane almost any time he wants. Hands displayed a soft touch on his floater and also went 2-3 from three.

Future UVA Backcourt: Kyle Guy & Ty Jerome

2016 UVA commits Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome are already getting ready for their next step as basketball players. The two are sharing the same backcourt together at the Top 100 camp while also getting used to the feel of John Paul Jones arena. In a one point loss, both Guy and Jerome scored 13 points. Guy showed some craftiness with the ball in his hands and alluded an air of confidence whenever the ball was in his hands. Jerome only hit two field goals on the day, but both of them were from behind the arc and he also went 7-7 from the foul line. With those two in the fold, Tony Bennett will certainly be keeping the Cavaliers at the top of the ACC in the future.

Biggest Disappointment: EJ Montgomery’s Injury

Before going down late Thursday night with a leg injury, EJ Montgomery, a five-star power forward from the rising sophomore class was having a blast. He was hitting shots from all over the court and doing so with confidence and a smile on his face. The change in body language was great to see after a disappointing stint in Colorado Springs where the 6’8” forward didn’t make it through the first cuts of the U16 camp. During this time, Montgomery was pushed around and did not look like he belonged. Less than a month later, Montgomery was taking it to the older players and was displaying the same skill-set from his freshman year at Montverde.