Three-Point Play

Each week the "Three-Point Play" will touch on three topics from the college basketball world. This first version includes the following:

• The improvement of junior forward Isaiah Hicks for UNC
• A look at Washington's 3-0 start in the PAC-12
• USC's improvement from 3-15 last year to 3-1 this year in conference play 

The Isaiah Hicks Improvement

UNC power forward Isaiah Hicks was a McDonald’s All-American and a five-star recruit in the class of 2013, but was the forgotten man coming into this college season after an unremarkable first two years in Chapel Hill. As a freshman Hicks had to watch his lower ranked classmate in Kennedy Meeks (No. 68) outplay and outshine him as Meeks averaged 16.3 minutes compared to just 7.3 minutes for Hicks. Playing mostly on the perimeter, Hicks showed small glimpses of his raw talent, but he scored over five points in just one game. As a sophomore, the minutes doubled for Hicks and he averaged 6.6 points per game, but his performance was still a far cry from the expectations placed on him from the time he committed to Carolina.

Now, Hicks is still not a starter for the talented Tar Heels, but he is one of the most improved and least talked about players in the country. His scoring average has increased to 10.2 points per game in just 18.6 minutes and he currently is ranked No. 4 in the country in KenPom’s offensive efficiency rankings sporting an impressive 140.0 rating. With added strength to go with his fluidity, Hicks has become a more aggressive offensive player and just played a large part in helping UNC pull out a close win over Syracuse last Saturday. He’s converting 82.4% of his shots at the rim per Hoop-Math and has also increased his time at the foul line. Last year, Hicks’ took 2.3 free throws per game which has jumped up to almost four per game this year. A 58% free throw shooter as a freshman, Hicks is now hitting a remarkable 80.6% as a junior. Over the years, UNC has lost numerous games due to its porous free throw shooting, but this year Hicks is a primary reason that UNC is No. 21 in free throw percentage. While Hicks is still not mentioned on any mock draft sites, if he continues his upward trajectory in terms of improvement it will be only a matter of time until the five-star recruit begins to receive NBA attention.

Is Washington Back?

Conference play is only two weeks old for the PAC-12, but so far only one team remains unscathed. After a road overtime victory on Saturday, the Washington Huskies stand 3-0 in the conference and 11-4 overall. After being the class of the PAC-12 for many years, the Huskies have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2011, despite winning the conference regular season in 2012. Now, Lorenzo Romar and crew have gotten back to their up-tempo ways. After regularly playing an up and down style that had them In KenPom’s Top 30 tempo rankings year after year, the Huskies finished No. 183, No. 71, and No. 133 in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. Now, Washington is ranked No. 5 and averaging 78.1 possessions per game (which has been helped by two recent overtime games). Along with the increased tempo, Washington currently has the early leader in the PAC-12 player of the year and freshman of the year. Andrew Andrews is averaging 29.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists while also shooting 48% from three. Also, freshman Dejounte Murray is averaging 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. The road certainly gets tougher for the Huskies with a trip to Arizona coming up this week, but for now Washington is relying on its guard play while getting back to its winning ways.

USC’s Turn Around

Staying in the PAC-12, most pre-season predictions had the USC Trojans finishing anywhere from 8^th to 10^th in the conference standings. After going just 3-15 last year, it was expected that Andy Enfield’s team would be improved, but not nearly enough to challenge the top echelon of teams. Now, three months into the season, USC is rated No. 25 by KenPom and sports a 3-1 conference record which could easily be 4-0 given the 22 point lead they relinquished to Washington (granted, they could also be 1-3 after giving up substantial leads to Washington, ASU, and Arizona). After their four overtime victory at home against Arizona, the LA market is starting to notice USC for its basketball team. Both the offense and defense have made remarkable leaps this year. The offense jumped from No. 244 in adjusted offensive efficiency to No. 36 and the defense has improved from No. 83 to No. 37. As a team, USC is currently shooting 41% from the three-point line including a 10-23 performance against Arizona. Freshman power forward Bennie Boatwright spaces the floor for the Trojans and has been one of the top freshmen in the conference. Julian Jacobs and Jordan McGlaughlin put the pressure on opposing defense’s and Elijah Stewart provides a strong scoring spark off the bench now that Enfield made the decision to start Katin Reinhardt. On defense, the Trojans have employed a soft pac line defense at times and have made a conscious effort to stop the opposing guards off pick and roll plays. With a young and talented team, the Trojans are looking to establish themselves in the PAC-12. Through two weeks they are off to a start that wasn’t anticipated, but now they enter a three game road stretch playing at UCLA before travelling to Oregon. A 2-1 mark for USC would be a dream come true, but even a 1-2 finish would be respectable. It’s not easy to change a culture and establish an identity, but in year three, Andy Enfield is in the midst of doing just that.  

Adidas Invitational: Day 1 Recap

The first July evaluation period kicked off in Indianapolis, IN yesterday where the high schools are as big as some colleges and the middle schools are the size of most high schools. Some of the top action took place at North Central High and Northview Middle School under the eye of Billy Donovan, Bill Self, Thad Matta, and a plethora of other D-1 head and assistant coaches. Day 1is in the books:

Game of the Day:

In a 17U Super Pool game, the Memphis Magic Elite held on at the end to beat the Eric Gordon All-Stars 64-61. Despite having a large crowd contingent on hand, the Eric Gordon All-Stars could not capitalize on a Memphis turnover with 15 seconds and down one point.

Comeback of the Day:

Devonte Graham

Garner Roads came back from a 9 point halftime deficit to defeat the New Orleans Elite by 10 points. Garner Roads looked half asleep through the first 12 minutes of the first half as they fell behind 20-10. At the 4 minute mark, Garner Roads got a few consecutive buckets and the team seemed to pick up their energy. Down 29-20 at the half, the Garner Road guards picked up the slack for missing guard Anton Gill, especially 6’2” Devonte Graham who hit a few 3 pointers. Garner Roads took the lead, 43-42 with 4 minutes left and cruised to a victory the rest of the way. 5-star UNC commit, Isaiah Hicks had a solid game mixing in 15 foot jump shots with athletic drives to the basket. He also had a handful of blocks. 

Statement of the Day:

The 16U Louisville Magic squad jumped on the Compton Magic to kick off the 5pm action. By halftime, Louisville had scored 53 points and was already up 20 points. Guards DeAngelo Russell and Quentin Snider suffocated Compton with their defensive pressure and attacked at all times on the offensive end. The Louisville squad showed they are serious about defending their championship. 

Surprise of the Day:

Coming off a dominant Lebron James Skills Academy performance, star 2014 forward, Noah Vonleh struggled mightily against the Atlanta Celtics. Vonleh scored on a few put-backs, but for the most part settled for contested three-pointers which did not connect. Vonleh was also careless with the ball and committed a handful of turnovers. Despite this performance, the talent that Vonleh possesses was evident. Vonleh spent time bringing the ball up the court for his Mass Rivals team, while also playing on the wing and in the post. While his outside shot was not on, he did show the ability to play both inside and outside.

Dunk of the Day:

In the Northview middle school gym with coaches ranging from Kentucky to Cal Poly, the 16U Ohio Basketball Club and Dream Vision teams faced off. At one point in the first half big man Ray Kasongo, of Ohio Basketball Club threw down a vicious one hand power jam over a hapless Dream Vision defender. The dunk came off one power dribble and woke the crowd and the coaches up.

Preview: Adidas Invitational

The first open evaluation period in July kicks off this week for college coaches, many of which will be in attendance at the talent laden Adidas Invitational. Adidas structured this tournament in the “Super Pool” format allowing the top teams to face off against each other during the first two days of action before the playoffs begin. Last year Kasey Hill helped lead the Florida Rams (now Florida Elite) to the 17U title over New Heights, 89-82. This year Hill and his Florida teammates are back trying to repeat after winning the Adidas VIP Exclusive Run and Best Buy Classic tournaments during the spring. The 16U Louisville Magic squad will look to repeat as well this year after previously winning the 15U tournament in 2011. There are also plenty of top ranked 15U teams trying to grab the attention of the coaches in attendance. Last year all of the college coaches flocked to the battle between the top ranked players in the class of 2012, Shabazz Muhammed and Andre Drummond. Let’s see what games will draw the most attention this year:  

1)      Florida Elite vs. Garner Road (Thursday, 1:15pm)

Chris Walker

In this pool play match-up, Garner Road’s will try to seek revenge against Florida Elite who beat them at the Adidas VIP Exclusive Run 17U Championship to kick off the spring. Since that time, Florida also took home the championship in the Best Buy Classic. Florida’s top players have been on an upward trajectory all spring, specifically Kasey Hill and Chris Walker. Hill jumped from a top 20 player pre-Spring to Scout.com’s 6^th ranked player and 2^nd best point guard. Walker has kept his top 10 status while drawing raves from NBA general managers at the Lebron James Skills Academy. While Florida Elite was heard from all spring, Garner Road was somewhat quite losing early in the Best Buy Classic. Isaiah Hicks, a five-star UNC commit has been hampered by an ankle injury and spent June recovering while also playing with his high school team. Despite the fact that the majority of top players from these teams have committed to schools, this game should be the initial highlight of the open evaluation period as it also includes Kansas commit Brannen Greene and Louisville commit, Anton Gill.

2)      Dream Vision vs. Michigan Mustangs (Thursday, 9:30am)

Based out of the west coast, Dream Vision has been quite since its Real Deal in the Rock championship during the Spring open evaluation period. While this team no longer has Shabazz Muhammed, it does feature Georgetown commit, Stephen Domingo, who is fresh off winning a gold medal, along with stand out shooter, Isaac Hamilton. 4-star point guard and Michigan commit, Derrick Walton will try to carry his Michigan team throughout the tournament.  

3)      Florida Elite vs. Louisville Magic (Thursday, 12pm)

This game features two of the top 16U teams in the country. Last year, the Louisville squad drew the attention of John Calipari and Rick Pitino while capturing the 15U title. Five-star point guard and Louisville commit, Quentin Snider will look to lead his team to another title in Indianapolis, however point guard Lance Tejada, shooting guard Adonys Henriqez, and high riser Jonathan Joseph will try to send the Magic to an early pool play loss. Florida elite performed strongly at the Best Buy classic and will try to build on the playoff run they made over Memorial Day.

4)      Compton Magic vs. Eric Gordon All-Stars (Thursday, 3:45pm)

Both teams are ranked in the top 10 for 15U by fivestarbasketball.com. Compton features a plethora of rising sophomore’s that stand 6’5” and taller, while the Eric Gordon All-Stars feature rising freshman, Eron Gordon. Gordon, the younger brother of the team’s namesake already has offers from local schools big 10 schools, Purdue and Indiana. This game will provide coaches with a glimpse of the future.

Eron Gordon

Other Top Ranked Players to Watch:

·         Noah Vonleh – Mass Rivals

·         Leron Black – Team Thad

·         Anton Beard – Team Thad

·         Milik Yarbrough – Indiana Elite

·         Craig Victor – New Orleans Elite

·         Mamadou Ndiaye – Double Pump Elite

·         Solomon Poole – Atlanta Celtics

·         Roshcon Prince – Compton Magic

·         Stephen Zimmerman – Dream Vision