City of Palms: Championship

The 40^th annual City of Palms championship featured two of the top teams in the country Saturday night at Bishop Verot High School. Lone Peak came into the championship game 3-0 in the tournament having defeated their opponents by an average of 19 points per game. Despite this margin of victory and their three future D-1 players, the championship game more closely resembled the battle of David and Goliath, with Montverde playing the role of Goliath. Montverde had the edge in athleticism with their four high major Division 1 starters, but this advantage had not stopped Lone Peak before. The close to capacity crowd backed Lone Peak in its previous games and was ready to see the public school from Utah take on the private academy from Florida.

Game of the Night:

#4 Montverde 66 #7 Lone Peak 45

As mentioned in the Day 4 recap, the keys to this game were going to be how Lone Peak dealt with the size of Montverde and how they handled their pressure. While Lone Peak previously carved up any type of trapping press that other teams had thrown at them, Montverde went for the full-court man-to-man pressure as their guards had the length and quickness to frustrate the star duo of Nick Emery and TJ Haws. In addition, Montverde featured PF Devin Williams (6’8” 230) as Lone Peak’s PF; Talon Shumway stood 6’4” 200. 

Montverde came out of the gates firing on all cylinders with senior guard Miguel Cartegena and junior guard D ‘Angelo Russell knocking down three’s and Williams dominating down low. On the defensive side it was almost impossible for Lone Peak to get a clean shot in the lane with Dakari Johnson and Williams patrolling the paint and the long arms of Russell made it hard for sharp shooter TJ Haws to get an open look. Lone Peak miss-fired on countless three point attempts and fell behind 22-12 after the first quarter and 39-22 at the half. Russell led the way with 13 points and the big 3 BYU trio of Haws, Emery, and big man Eric Mika only scored 13 points combined.

Despite their struggles in the first half, Lone Peak came out aggressive and angry in the 2^nd half. Coach Quincy Lewis ran a set play for Haws which resulted in a picture perfect three point swish. Lone Peak turned the pressure up on defense and swarmed Johnson and Williams any time they touched the ball resulting in numerous turnovers. Lone Peak held Montverde to only four points in the 3^rd quarter, but could only muster 10 themselves trimming a 17 point lead to an 11 point lead entering the 4^th. Once the final quarter began, the Montverde sized played a deciding factor. Both Williams and Johnson finished with double doubles and Lone Peak struggled to get open looks. Star guard Kasey Hill was quite on the offensive end for Montverde but finished off Lone Peak with a steal and two hand reverse jam that got the Florida faithful out of its seat.

Williams finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds on 6-8 shooting while Dakari Johnson had 10 points and 11 rebounds. TJ Haws was the high scorer with 21 points, but needed 19 shots to do it. Emery was held to 8 points and Mika was held to 5 points on six shots. Montverde utilized its size and athletic advantages to ensure that David did not pull the upset of Goliath in the 40^th City of Palms championship game.

Top Performer:

D ‘Angelo Russell: 15 points, 3 steals

Russell had a quiet semi-final game with 4 points, but made his mark early in the championship game. Russell went 3-3 from the three point line in the first half knocking down corner threes from both sides of the court. He also added two impressive drives to the basket. As mentioned earlier, Russell also drew the defensive assignment of TJ Haws, who scored the second most points in the tournament. With his long arms and quick feet, Russell contested every jump shot Haws took. Russell dominated both the offensive and defensive sides of the court in the first half and was a key reason Montverde jumped out to a 17 point lead. 

Breakout Performer:

Miles Reynolds, Whitney Young (6’3” Junior Guard)

With the transfer of guard L.J. Peak to the Whitney Young Dolphins this year, most people have referred to Whitney Young as having a junior led trio of Jahlil Okafor, Paul Young, and L.J. Peak. Now, it will have to be called the Big Four. Junior guard Miles Reynolds made a name for himself in a 3-day stretch. He started off the tournament scoring a team high 18 points against Montverde including three free throws to send the game into overtime. In his second game against a tough and athletic Omaha squad, Reynolds went for 15 points on 5-6 shooting and was a perfect 3-3 from the three point line. In his final game of the tournament against Chester, Reynolds scored 17 points in the first half going 3-4 from the 3-point line.

Overall, Reynolds finished the tournament shooting 79% from the field and 72% from the three point line. This hot shooting came against teams that are all ranked in the top 15 nationally as well. Not only can Reynolds shoot the ball, but he also can slash to the basket with his speed and quickness. Reynolds caught the eye of LSU on Thursday and picked up an offer from them. Expect more offers to be coming soon.

Other Notes:

Long Beach Poly defeated Southwind (TN) to take home 3^rd place. Senior forward Jordan Bell led the way for Poly as he had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 7 blocks. Jajuan Johnson led the way for Southwind with 23 points but needed 24 shots.

Huntington Prep easily took home the Signature Series championship over Arlington County Day with a 74-57 victory. Andrew Wiggins, the #1 player in the country went for a cool 20 points, but this was not one of his finer games. Instead it was big man Moses Kingsley who did the most damage to Arlington County Day on 11-14 shooting for 26 points.

Junior, Guard / Forward Justin Jackson scored over half his team’s points (28) in a loss to Kiski. Jackson has his floater game down pat and scored many of his points with shots in the paint.

Whitney Young dominated Chester in the 5^th place game to hand Chester its 2^nd loss of the tournament.

Paul VI dominated Callaway 50-34 in the 9am game and frustrated star sophomore guard Malik Newman all day long. Newman went 1-8 from the three point line as Paul VI hounded him all day long. Big man Quadree Smith scored 16 points to lead the way for Paul VI.

City of Palms - Day 3

Day 3 of the City of Palms brought out a variety of college coaches along with ESPN’s Dick Vitale. The star studded event did not disappoint with the game of the day wrapping up close to 1am between Montverde and Whitney Young. This game was the most competitive game of the day as several of the other hyped match-ups turned into early blowouts. Despite a lack of close games, there were a few strong individual performances, notably the 31 point exhibition that Andrew Wiggins, the number 1 player in America put on. In addition, a 61 game winning streak was snapped.

Game of the Day:

Montverde (FL - #4) vs. Whitney Young (IL - #17)

Okafor vs. Dakari - Rd. 2

The most anticipated game of the day, not to mention the most anticipated individual big man match-up of Jahlil Okafor (#2 – 2014) vs. Dakari Johnson (#12 – 2013) tipped off at 11pm in Fort Meyer, FL. Despite the late start and the travel that Whitney Young had incurred (plane flight to Tampa, drive from Tampa to Fort Meyer), the Dolphins got off to a strong start with a 17-11 1^st quarter lead. Montverde made a strong second quarter run to take a 29-26 halftime lead before a back and forth second half. Okafor started off slow going 1-4 early, but finished the half with 9 points and 5 rebounds on 3-6 shooting. Okafor ran the floor well and attacked Johnson in the post when not facing double teams. Dakari held his own in the first half with 7 points. The 2^nd half was a bit more guard dominated by players such as Whitney Young’s L.J. Peak (#53 – 2014) and Miles Reynolds (2014) along with Montverde’s Kasey Hill (#9 – 2013) and DeAngelo Russell (#13 – 2014). Peak and Reynolds hit several timely three pointers towards the end of the 4^th quarter to keep the game in reach and Reynolds hit three free throws to send the game into overtime after being fouled on his game tying three point attempt. With players beginning to foul out in overtime, Montverde’s other big man; Devin Williams (#85 – 2013) came up large with several clutch free throw attempts and buckets. Junior guard LJ Peak missed a last second 25 foot three in overtime to try and tie the game again. Williams and Russell led Montverde with 17 a piece and Reynolds led Whitney Young with 18. Okafor finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Johnson finished with 10 points and 17 rebounds. Okafor may have won the individual battle, but Johnson goes to 2-0 against Whitney Young at the City of Palms (both matched-up in 2010).

Mismatch of the Day:

Lone Peak (UT - #7) vs. Chester (PA - #3)

In the early quarterfinal match, Chester carried a 61 game win streak into their match-up with everyone’s new favorite team, Lone Peak. Chester took a 2-0 lead to start the game before Lone Peak completely dismantled them. Junior TJ Haws (#66 – 2014 Scout) began the game with two threes along with a buzzer beater three to end the first quarter up 17-8. Haws continued to stay hot in the 2^nd quarter while big man Eric Mika (#76 – 2013) joined the action down low and dominated the boards. Chester was still within striking distance at the half only down 33-22; however senior guard Nick Emery (#61 – 2013) put the game out of reach leading a 9-2 run for Lone Peak. Emery continued to knock down shots and went for 16 2^nd half points as Lone Peak led 59-36 after the 3^rd quarter and 73-50 at the end. Both Haws and Emery scored 23 points for Lone Peak while Chester was led by Arizona commit, Rondae Jefferson (#17 – 2013). Jefferson’s strong performance was not enough to keep his teams win streak going. Chester pressed the entire game and apparently did not get the memo from Proviso East (IL) that it is futile to press this Utah squad. Next up for Lone Peak is the number 12^th ranked team in the country, Southwind (TN).

Player of the Day:

Andrew Wiggins (#1 – 2013)

Wiggins started the day off taking pictures with Dickie V during lay-up lines and finished the day with 31 points on 15-22 shooting. Wiggins came out of the gate a bit slow going 2-5 in the first quarter for 4 points, but picked it up in the 2^nd quarter where he went 4-5 for 9 points. He showed off his ridiculous hops with a two handed alley oop and his head at the rim to get the crowd off its feet and added in a three for good measure. Wiggins also guarded 6’7” Justin Jackson (#16 – 2014) and made his life miserable in the first quarter. In the second half, Wiggins showed why he is the future number 1 pick in the 2014 draft by going 9-10. All 10 of his shots came within a few feet of the basket either on powerful two-hand dunks or strong forays to the basket. Wiggins dominated the game on both sides of the ball and helped his team to a 77-50 victory.

Wiggins Domination 

Other Notes: 

·         Paul VI (#16) suffered an upset loss in Day 2 of the tournament and needed a last second free throw to defeat an injury riddled Prestonwood squad. Despite having a double digit deficit primarily the entire game, PG Marquan Botley led the Lions back and scored 5 points in the last minute before Paul VI won on a free throw.

·         Jonathon Williams III (#37 – 2013) and Jujuan Johnson (#64 – 2013) combined for 48 points in a blowout win against Lake Wales, FL.      
  Jujuan Johnson

·         Kiski defeated Brewster Academy and Tilton in the New England Prep School Showcase, but met their match in Arlington County Day (FL). Breakout star Rashad Richardson, who had 30 against Brewster went 2-15 for 5 points.     

·         Malik Newmann (#3 – 2015) was in foul trouble for most of the game but still scored 12 points to lead his Callaway team to a 47-44 win.

·         Day 4 of the City of Palms tournament features a Lone Peak vs. Southwind semi-final followed by a Montverde vs. Long Beach Poly semi-final.

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