Nike Global Challenge: USA Recap

The USA teams were the class of the Nike Global Challenge with the USA West team handing the USA East their first loss in the championship game on Sunday afternoon. The West team was stocked with talent from Texas and also got some help from Stephen Zimmerman and Dejounte Murray. Throughout the challenge, the four USA teams suffered just one loss to the foreign teams with the USA South falling to China on Day three.

Best Duo:

Stephen Zimmerman, 6’11”, C, 2015 & Tyler Davis, 6’10”, C, 2015 – USA West

Back in April before the start of the EYBL season, Zimmerman and Ivan Rabb were supposed to be a fearsome frontcourt duo. That wasn’t necessarily the case and Zimmerman rarely broke double digits in EYBL competition. Playing with Davis and a plethora of outside shooters gave Zimmerman the space he needed to operate down low. With a 17.5 point and 11.5 rebound average, Zimmerman grabbed the MVP of the Challenge and looked more confident and fluid in the process. He did a lot of his work in the paint, whether it was dunks, lay-ups, or short hook shots but he also displayed his outside shooting ability (at times) as well as his passing skills from the high post.

While Zimmerman got the MVP, Tyler Davis was the workhorse down low using his 270 pound frame to his advantage. Before sitting out the championship game, Davis averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds including a 19 point, 14 rebound effort in his last game. Throughout the challenge, Davis ran the floor and banged down low in the post. The majority of his baskets came in the paint on follow-ups or fundamental post moves, but he also stepped outside of the paint and knocked in a few mid range jump shots and delivered several assists to Zimmerman.

Both players noted they enjoyed playing with each other and the chemistry was evident from the opening tip on Wednesday night.

Toughest Competitor:

Chris Clarke, USA East, 6’6”, SF, Cape Henry (VA), 2015

Chris Clarke and the words “motor” have been synonymous all summer long and certainly nothing changed in the Challenge. Clarke was all over the floor attacking the basket or hounding opposing players in the full court press. For his efforts, Clarke was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 16 points per game and shooting 71.8% from the floor (21-38). In addition Clarke also grabbed almost 3.3 offensive rebounds per game. Anytime Clarke got the ball he went straight toward the rim. When China went to a 2-3 zone in the first game, Clarke flashed to the middle, caught the ball in the zone and in one quick movement turned and was at the rim in one dribble. He never seemed to get tired and Clarke never went away from his strengths. Whoever winds up with Chris Clarke will get a difference maker from Day 1 in college. 

5 USA Notables:

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

Hailing from the Chicago burbs, Brunson looked right at home playing within the city limits. While Brunson is known for his three point stroke in high school play he only shot 23% during EYBL action. Well, in four games at the Challenge Brunson finished 10-15 from behind the arc. He had no trouble with the FIBA distance and hit several tough step backs in addition to NBA three’s. Brunson controlled the game for his Midwest team throughout their third place finish and averaged 14 points and 6.25 assists per game. The class of 2015 is weak at the point guard spot, but over the past two weeks at the CP3 camp and the Nike Global Challenge, Brunson definitively established himself as the top point guard in the class and an impact player at the next level. 

Edrice Adebayo, USA East, 6’8”, PF, Northside (NC), 2016

Bam’s offensive game continues to improve. Known as “raw” on the offensive end, Adebayo’s skill-set is starting to catch up to his athleticism. In his second game against Africa, Adebayo jumped out to a quick start with a fast break dunk, reverse lay-up in traffic, and a 12 foot jump shot. He already has a college ready upper body and is quick off his feet. With good form on his free throws and jump shot, Adebayo is starting to get more confidence in his 12-15 foot jumper. He hit several over the three day stretch and did so off a pick and pop or face-up. He led his East team in scoring at 17 points a game and also grabbed 7 rebounds. With continued skill work, it won’t be long before Adebayo rises rapidly up the rankings. 

De’Aaron Fox, USA West, 6’4”, PG, Cypress Lake (TX), 2016

The talented USA West team had Zimmerman and Davis down low and a plethora of shooters on the wings, but they also had junior De’Aaron Fox running the show. Fox led the Challenge with 7.25 assists per game and also turned in a strong 3.2 A/TO rate. Fox hit shots when he needed, but for the most part the talented guard was content to push the pace, break down his man off the dribble, and find an open teammate. Fox didn’t make the cut for the USA 17U team, but he did showcase his skills in Colorado Springs and continued to do so in one of the last big time events of the summer.

Dejounte Murray, USA West, 6’5”, SG, Rainier Beach (WA), 2015

Murray was the only representative from the Pacific Northwest, but the future Washington Husky won a few NBA scouts over with his skill set. Murray averaged almost 14 points per game and hit some clutch baskets in a closely contested win over the USA Midwest team. With his length and quickness, Murray got to the rim on the break and usually got by his defender on the wing in the half court set as well. He did turn the ball over too much, but Murray also provided some highlight reel plays in addition to his timely scoring.

Jaylen Brown, USA East, 6’7”, SF, Wheeler (GA), 2015

The USA South team went just 2-2 in the Challenge, but Scout.com’s new number one player in the class of 2015 still played up to the lofty expectations set for him. Using his brute strength and improved mid-range game, Brown averaged 21 points per game and 9.3 rebounds while shooting 48% from the field. He did most of his damage in the paint but showed enough ball-handling skills for all the scouts that wanted to see him in action. 

Top Shooters:

Playing under FIBA rules, the three point line was set at 22.1 feet compared to a high school arc of 19 feet and 9 inches. To no surprise the USA teams struggled from behind the arc more so than the international teams. With the extended arc, there were still a few players that demonstrated their shooting ability from all areas of the court.

Malachi Richardson, USA East, 6’6”, SF, Trenton Catholic (NJ), 2015

Only five USA players made over seven three’s in the Challenge and the future Syracuse Orangeman was one of them. Richardson finished the week hitting 7-18 good enough for 39%. Richardson went 5-7 in his first game against China and wasn’t really affected by the longer three point line. With his 6’11” wing span, Richardson’s shot is pretty hard to block and he also has a quick release. To go along with his mechanics, Richardson also gets a tremendous amount of backspin on the ball reminiscent to Gilbert Arenas back in his heyday. He averaged 14.5 points for the tournament and while he only made two more three’s after his first game he established himself as one of the top shooters from the USA.

Austin Grandstaff, USA West, 6’3”, SG, Rockwall (TX), 2015

Looking purely at the stats, it was teammate Matt McQuaid that shot better from behind the arc going 7-20 compared to the 8-26 that Grandstaff shot. That being said, Grandstaff makes his way into the top shooters listing for when he made his shots. They usually came at the beginning of games rather than towards the end in blowouts. Grandstaff made his attempts look easy with a quick flick of the rest and hit several from well beyond the FIBA international line.  

Mr. Consistent:

Esa Ahmad, 6’7”, SF, Shaker Heights (OH), 2015

The talented wing from Ohio is never flashy in his performance, but he seems to always get the job down. This held true in Chicago with Ahmad averaging 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. His field goal attempts through four games went this way: 5-7, 6-8, 3-9, and 8-9. He took advantage of a porous Chinese defense in the third place game with his strong drives to the basket. Ahmad is not going to blow you away with athleticism, but he is strong and just quick enough to consistently get to the rim. He is not a deadly outside shooter, but he went 5-10 from behind the arc. His stock improved over the summer, but Esa Ahmad is still overlooked in the class of 2015 despite his consistent nature.

Quietest Performance:

Deyonta Davis, USA Midwest, 6’8”, PF, Muskegon (MI), 2015

Davis averaged just less than 13 minute a game, but managed to score 8.8 points and grab seven rebounds while shooting a ridiculous 85% from the floor. Davis only attempted 20 field goals, but he converted 17 of them. The jumping jack from Michigan is one of the quickest leapers in the country and cleaned up down low. Coming into the AAU season, Davis did not have much exposure but the future Spartan certainly showed that he was worthy of such a high offer. 

Disappearing Act:

Donovan Mitchell, USA East, 6’3”, G, Brewster Academy (NH), 2015

It’s hard to blame Mitchell for one lackluster performance after being one of the hottest players throughout the July period. After jumping up to five-star status and committing to Louisville, Mitchell struggled in Chicago averaging just four points and 2.5 assists per game. Mitchell had talented guards around him, but in 82 minutes he shot just 7-20 from the field and was a relative non-factor in three out of four games. In the championship game, Mitchell went against one of his clones in King McClure and he let the Texan get the better of him. It’s been a long summer for Mitchell and one subpar tournament should be nothing to worry about, even though it did end his hot play on a down note.  

Nike Global Challenge: Day 3

A full slate of games took place on Day number three of the Nike Global Challenge yesterday at Whitney Young high school. The USA teams went up against each other producing some entertaining fireworks and the Chinese team pulled a huge early morning upset to propel themselves to the third place game. 

Best Game: USA West 115 USA Midwest 100

Played in front of a packed house in the middle of the afternoon the two USA teams went back and forth until the final minutes with the talented West squad prevailing. Six players scored in double figures for the West including Stephen Zimmerman, Tyler Davis, King McClure, Matt McQuaid, Dejounte Murray, and DJ Hogg. Junior point guard De’Aaron Fox paced the team with 12 assists after facing a 60-49 halftime deficit. On the losing side, senior point guard Jalen Brunson put together a monster performance finishing with 20 points and seven assists.

Shuai Yuan

Biggest Upset: China 114 USA South 110

After losing their first game by 35 points, not much was expected from the Chinese team. Instead they bounced back in a high scoring close win over the USA South team featuring Jaylen Brown. China was led by 6’5” Shang Gao who scored 26 points on 9-16 shooting and guard Shuai Yuan who added 23 points. Later in the day, the Chinese team beat Pan Africa by 21 propelling them to the 3^rd place game on Saturday. Yuan led the way in the evening with 33 points on 7-12 shooting from behind the arc.

Top Five Performances (not including Shuai Yuan)

Chris Clarke, 6’6”, SF, Cape Henry (VA), USA East, 2015

The energetic small forward was a monster in an early morning win over Pan Africa. Clark relentlessly attacked the rim and finished with 19 points and four rebounds on 9-10 shooting. Whether it was on the break or off the wing, Clarke continuously put pressure on the defense and got to the rim. When the opponent went to a 2-3 zone, Clarke flashed to the middle, caught the ball, and was at the rim in one hard dribble. While he rarely shoots from outside the paint, Clarke did hit on his only three point attempt in the second half. In the evening session Clarke added 13 points on 5-8 shooting.

Stephen Zimmerman, 6’11”, C, Bishop Gorman (NV), USA West, 2015

Zimmerman continues to play well in the Global Challenge and might have had one of his best games of the summer against the undersized Midwest team with 21 points and nine rebounds. Zimm did most of his damage down low with lay-ups, dunks, and alley-oops. He ran the floor well and co-existed down low with Tyler Davis. While most of his buckets came in the paint, he did hit a soft seven foot jump shot in the first half and finished 10-16 from the floor. 

Tyler Davis, 6’9”, C, Plano West (TX), USA West, 2015

The 270 pound Davis was too much to handle down low. The big Texan grabbed 14 rebounds, including five on the offensive end and also added 19 points. Despite playing on a hurt foot, Davis got up and down the court and showed some nice foot work on his shots in the paint. He worked the high low with Zimmerman and was solid catching the ball down low or delivering a pin point pass from the top of the key.

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

Despite the loss, Brunson was almost impossible to stop for the USA West team. In the first half he was scoring off the dribble with floaters and lay-ups and then in the second half he started to hit on deep three’s from well NBA range. Overall, the steady point guard finished with 20 points on 7-11 shooting and 3-4 from behind the arc.

Jalen Poyser, 6’4”, SG, Canada, 2015

The Canadian team got their first win of the tournament over Brazil Friday afternoon and Poyser led the way with 23 points including eight of the team’s first ten points in a quick first half burst. Poyser drained two three’s and then beat his man down the floor for a lay-up off of a steal. The athletic guard continued to make a difference throughout the game and kept Brazil just out of reach with his timely shooting. For the game, Poyser went 7-14 from the field and a perfect 6-6 from the line.

EYBL Dallas: Preview

Part two of the Nike EYBL series kicks off this weekend in Frisco, Texas with 80 games scheduled to take place Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately real world events keep me from attending this event for the third year in a row, but there are several games, player match-ups, and storylines that I am paying close attention to. 

Storylines:

1. Will Stephen Zimmerman Play Like A Top 5 Player?

In his first EYBL experience with the Oakland Soldiers in Sacramento, the No. 5 ranked prospect struggled mightily. In three games he averaged 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds with a 90.9 ORTG. His mid-range jump shot was off and he did not necessarily look comfortable on the block, but he did show glimpses of his talent when put in the high-lo offense with Ivan Rabb. The Soldiers have a tough four game stretch in Dallas, but Zimmerman will have a chance to show that his first experience was just a fluke.

2. Will The Outside Shooters Stay Hot?

Kenny Williams of Boo Williams and Levan Alston of Team Final were two of the top three point marksmen in the first EYBL. Williams went 6-9 in his first game and 16-26 over four games, good enough for 62%. The recruiting increase in Williams picked up rapidly afterwards and now teams will focus on pushing the 6’3” guard off the three point line. While Williams shot 62%, Alston went 13-15, or 87%. He shot 5-5 on opening night and then 6-6 the next day.

3. Will Bam Bam Continue His Strong Play?

The Top 25 sophomore is a physical freak. It’s no secret that Edrice Adebayo can run the floor, block shots, and dunk, but how is his actual offensive game coming along? In Sacramento, Adebayo looked raw in the post playing against the older and larger Jessie Govan. After that game, one could see Adebayo’s confidence start to grow as he scored 16, 12, and 14 in his next three games. While a lot of his points come off tip-backs, against Baltimore Elite he did score several times off of quick moves in the post. In the first EYBL series, Adebayo led all players with a 24.0% Offensive Rebounding rating and also finished with a 121.6 ORTG.

4. Will Malik Monk Catch Fire Again?

At 6’3” and 185 pounds, Monk has the strength and athletic ability to get a shot at almost any time. He certainly did so in Sacramento when he dropped an EYBL high of 59 points which included 10 three’s. Before Monk exploded, the talented sophomore scored 19 and 20 points in his first three games. What type of show will he put on in Texas?

5. Will Any Ringers Show Up?

The EYBL is the premier tournament this weekend with Adidas and Under Armour gearing up against next weekend. Last year this led to players such as Isaiah Whitehead, Tyler Dorsey, and Daniel Hamilton playing for teams in Dallas. Will anyone make the switch this week?

Top Games:

1. Oakland Soldiers vs. Texas Titans (Sunday, 10:30 AM)

In Northern California, the Soldiers were the big draw given the easy drive for families and friends. Even Nick and Stanley Johnson showed up to cheer. Needless to say, when the Soldiers took on their rival California Supreme the stands were packed. While the Texas Titans don’t face off against Texas Elite, the stands will surely be packed for this big time match-up. The Soldiers have Top 5 big men in Ivan Rabb and Zimmerman, but the Titans feature 6’9” Tyler Davis and 6’11” Djery Baptiste off the bench. They also feature recent Baylor commit King McClure and sharp-shooting forward D.J. Hogg. Oh yeah, senior forward Mickey Mitchell should also receive increased playing time as he works his way back from injury. 

2. Team Scan vs. Each 1 Teach 1

Australian junior Ben Simmons will look to continue to make a claim for the top spot in the national rankings against Team Scan big men Cheick Diallo and Thomas Bryant. Simmons averaged 18.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in the first EYBL, while Diallo averaged 17.2 and 7.5. E1T1 features high scoring guard Antonio Blakeney who is coming off an impressive performance at the Bob Gibbons tournament this past weekend while five-star junior Tyus Battle will look to bounce back from a 5-19 shooting performance with Team Scan.

3. Mac Irvin Fire vs. Southern Stampede

Mac Irvin point guard Jalen Brunson looks to continue his bid for top point guard in the country after averaging a league leading 9.3 assists per game. He also added 16.3 points. 5’10” sparkplug Luwane Pipkins recently committed to UMass and led the fire with 19.7 ppg. On the Southern Stampede side, 6’4” guard Prince Ali made Kevin Ollie look like a genius with his 20 points per game and point guard Troy Hudson averaged 13.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. Also 6’3” freshman Jatrious Smith averaged 8.7 points.

Other Notes:

·         Just four teams finished the first session undefeated. BABC, Spiece Indy, and Athletes First went 4-0 while Each 1 Teach 1 went 3-0. BABC is led by Terrance Mann, a do-everything 6’5” wing while Athlete’s First is led by Allonzo Trier who averaged a league leading 28.5 points per game. Spiece Indy was the surprise team in Sacramento as all viewers got to watch the underrated Deyonta Davis and Caleb Swanigan wreck shop. Davis led the EYBL with a 141.2 ORTG while Swanigan led the league in rebounding with 11.5 boards per game.

 

·         The talented, but young St. Louis Eagles were one of three teams to go winless along with Baltimore Elite and the Georgia Stars. The Eagles feature Jayson Tatum, one of the top players in America but also have big man Tyler Cook, and guards Quentin Goodin and Jordan Barnes. They will get a win this weekend.

·         Two high scoring guards face off on Sunday morning. Dejounte Murray, a newbie to the EYBL averaged 17 points per game for the Northwest Xpress while veteran Isaiah Briscoe averaged 13.8 for the NJ Playaz. In an East / West battle, the two shooting guards will take their turn trying to one up each other on the offensive end.