Brandon Jennings Invitational

The third annual Brandon Jennings Invitational held outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin featured nationally ranked teams and players sprinkled with various local top Midwest schools. The event was held at Brookfield Central High school and treated spectators to come from behind victories, upsets, and even a buzzer beater throughout the day. 

 Game 1: St. Frances (MD) 60 Bogan (IL) 44

The opening game of the Invitational tipped off at 11am and it looked like neither team was fully awake early on. Senior guard Maurice White woke up first for St. Frances as they took an early first quarter lead which turned into a 27-15 halftime lead. White will be headed to play for Loyola (MD) next year and finished the first half with 10 points. His backcourt mate, senior Tevon Saddler took over in the second half as St. Frances kept their double digit lead throughout the second half. The future UNC-Greensboro guard finished the game with 19 points and took home the first MVP of the day. St. Frances is normally led by junior forward Dwayne Morgan; however he was kept scoreless during the first three quarters and finished up with six points. In the 4^th quarter Morgan had a nifty left to right cross over for a driving lay-up along with a ferocious dunk showing off his elite potential. Bogan was led by sophomore point guard LuWane Pipkins who finished up with 14 points, but overall the team struggled shooting all morning.

Game 2: Orr (IL) 50 Shiloh (GA) 45

Shiloh had the height with 7 foot junior center Trayvon Reed; however Orr, one of the top teams in Chicago brought the tenacity and jumped out to an early lead they never relinquished. Junior center Marlon Jones stands 6’8” but brought the fight to the more heralded Reed right away. Jones finished with 17 points and out played Reed throughout the course of the game. He also got some help from fellow juniors Tyquone Greer and Louis Adams who both scored 12 points. Adams helped Orr get off to a quick start scoring nine points in the first quarter en route to a 25-15 first half lead. Shiloh tried to mount a comeback in the final minutes and ended up within two points after a floater closed the lead to 45-43, but their comeback stalled and Orr pushed their lead out one more time. 

Game 3: Denver East (61) Minnetonka (MN) 60

Denver East came into their match-up as the top ranked team in Colorado and they needed all 32 minutes to leave Milwaukee with a hard fought win over one of the top teams in the state of Minnesota. While the first two games of the day lacked outside shooting and a fast tempo, this game got off to a torrid start. Star junior guard Dominique Collier knocked in two quick three pointers to start off the game and junior guard Jevon Griffin contributed nine points in building a 24-17 first quarter lead. Minnetonka then rallied back in the second quarter to take a 33-30 halftime lead. In the second half, it was the Riley Dearring show for Minnetonka. While the Wisconsin Badgers were busy reigning threes in a blowout win over Illinois in Madison, the future Badger was reining three’s for Minnetonka. Dearring scored nine consecutive points at one point and 17 total in the second half in a back and forth affair. With both teams taking turns with the lead, it was only fitting that the game came down to the final possession. As the clock wound down, Griffin controlled the ball on the left side of the floor down one point. While most expected Griffin to rise and fire he instead found a wide open Ronnie Harrell alone under the basket for the game winning lay-up. Griffin finished with 21 points and Collier had 15 despite foul trouble as Denver East escaped with a hard fought victory.

Game 4: Brookfield Central (WI) 64 Chester (PA) 56

Chester came into their game against the host school with a national ranking, but left Wisconsin with a shocking defeat. Despite not having their five star senior in Rondae Jefferson, Chester was still the more talented team on paper and used their speed and athleticism to overwhelm Brookfield Central in the first half. Facing a zone, senior forward Richard Granberry had his way down low early and scored nine first half points as Chester enjoyed a 28-20 halftime lead. The second half was a different story as junior guard Riley LaChance caught fire for the hometown squad. LaChance scored 11 points in the first half, but started the second half with several picturesque three pointers and mid-range jump shots. Brookfield Central grabbed the lead in the 3^rd quarter and never looked back. LaChance finished with 29 points and his teammate junior big man Elijah Goodman finished with 20 rebounds. After losing two games in the City of Palms tournament, Chester added a third loss to their resume.

Game 5: Lone Peak (UT) 63 High Point Wesleyan (NC) 59

After running through teams in the City of Palms tournament on their way to a 2^nd place finish, Lone Peak worked themselves up to a top 3 national ranking. Lone Peak is known for their stellar three-point shooting and they opened up the game knocking down a wide open three in a set play off the opening jump ball. Both TJ Haws and Nick Emery knocked down long jumpers to start the game, but then Wesleyan utilized their athleticism to control the game. Junior Theo Pinson scored 15 first half points as Wesleyan Christian led 35-28 at the half. Lone Peak closed the gap to three points entering the 4^th quarter and regained the lead on two Emery free throws in the final minutes. TJ Haws had the play of the game following up a missed Emery lay-up with a two-hand tip dunk giving Lone Peak a 60-57 lead, one they would not relinquish. Emery finished with a game high 20 points and Haws tallied 17 points. Pinson finished the game with 19 points and freshman big man Harry Giles put up 7 points. Despite only being a freshman, Giles went toe to toe with Lone Peak big man Eric Mika and showed off why he is considered one of the top players in the class of 2016. Despite not playing up to their normal standards, Lone Peak gutted out a hard fought victory as they get ready for Archbishop Mitty in the Hoophall Classic.

Reid Travis Review

In the 2013 Minnesota Timberwolves Shootout, DeLaSalle High out of Minnesota lost to Blue Valley Northwest from Iowa 57-52. While the home team lost the game, their nationally acclaimed big man Reid Travis (#29 – 2014) had himself quite a ball game with 29 points and 15 rebounds. 

1^st Half

5-12 FG’s, 4-5 FT’s

Travis struggled a bit in the first half with his shots close to the rim, but still managed to score almost 75% of DeLaSalle’s points in the first half as the Islanders trailed 19-24. All five of Reid’s baskets came close to the basket in a mixed manner. He cleaned up several of his own misses as Blue Valley Northwest did not have the size to match-up with him while also hitting lay-ups and a short four foot jump shot. Travis did miss his only shot outside of the paint which was a 14 foot jump shot from the left wing. 

 2^nd Half

6-8 FG’s, 3-5 FT’s

Travis established his post presence right off the bat in the 2^nd half as the tempo and scoring increased for both teams. In a much more efficient 2^nd half, Travis led his team back and forced Blue Valley to send double and triple teams in the post. All eight of his shots came from within the paint with six of them connecting.

 Strengths:

Athleticism, strength, and rebounding.

Travis corralled 15 rebounds during the game with several coming on the offensive end. At 6’8” and 240 pounds, Reid is already built for the college game and definitely won’t be one of the freshmen that needs to find the weight room upon his arrival on campus. Travis used his size and strength and dominated in the post against Blue Valley in the second half. A star on the football field as well, Travis brings his gridiron experience to the hardwood.

Weaknesses:

Go-to post moves and outside shooting.

The majority of Reid’s points came from offensive put-backs and over powering his defender with a distinct size advantage. When Blue Valley Northwest began to send extra defenders to the post, Travis struggled with quick decision making. Over the next year and a half, Travis will need to perfect either a short jump hook or one dribble power move to score consistently against defenders with similar size and athleticism. Travis showed off solid form at the line going 7-10; however he will need to establish a consistent 10-12 foot jumper to excel in the college ranks.

Overall:

Despite the loss, Reid Travis was physically superior to his competition. He controlled the glass and the paint in the second half. Travis already possesses the physical traits to become a successful player at the next level and will now just need to continue to hone his post moves and shooting ability.

Timberwolves Shootout

The 2013 Minnesota Timberwolves Shootout featured four games on Saturday and included some of the top teams and players in the Midwest. The Target Center played host to a 43 point performance by future Iowa State Cyclone Matt Thomas in the opener and concluded with a battle between the top two juniors in the state of Minnesota in Tyus Jones and Rashad Vaughn.  

Apple Valley (MN) 80 vs. Robbinsdale Cooper (MN) 70

The last game of the Shootout was also the most anticipated as Tyus Jones, the top point guard in the junior class faced off against Rashad Vaughn, one of the top shooting guards in the junior class. Roy Williams and Hubert Davis, along with Tubby Smith and Fred Hoiberg sat courtside to watch this match-up and they were not disappointed. Vaughn’s Robbinsdale Cooper squad took a 1 point lead into halftime which quickly turned into an 11 point lead with 12 minutes to go. Vaughn hit back to back three pointers from behind the NBA 3-point line during this stretch before Apple Valley tightened up on defense and began their comeback. Jones began attacking the basket for lay-ups, runners, and assists. While Apple Valley was led by the steady play of Tyus Jones, they also received a 21 point performance from 3-point marksman Dustin Fronk along with 22 points and 12 rebounds from junior forward Dennis Austin. What once was a double digit deficit turned into an 80-70 victory.

Tyus Jones (6’1” - #1 2014)

Stat line: 18 points, 8 assists, 7-10 FG’s, 4-4 FT’s

Playing his second game in two nights coming off a back injury, Tyus Jones was the catalyst in Apple Valley’s 80-70 win. Jones was extremely efficient all game and did not force any shots or passes. In fact, all 10 of his field goals came within 12 feet. Jones went 4-5 from the field in the first half which included two floaters in the lane and two lay-ups, one of which that came off a steal and beat the buzzer to end the half. In the 2^nd half Jones continued to use his floater while utilizing the pick and roll to get to the basket shooting 3-5 from the field. On the defensive side, Jones had two steals off Vaughn passes that turned into lay-ups and also defended Vaughn on a key 2^nd half possession and forced a deep contested jumper. Overall, Jones shot 70% from the field, found the open man, and led his team to a victory so there isn’t too much to nitpick, but as the number one player in the class of 2014 Jones will need to dominate from start to finish instead of just in stretches.

Rashad Vaughn (6’6” - #10 2014)

Stat line: 35 points, 7 rebounds, 14-33 FG’s, 3-4 FT’s

The 6’6” shooting guard knows how to put the ball in the bucket and might be the best scorer in the country. Any time he touched the ball on the offensive end, the crowd of 5,122 was on the edge of its seat. While Vaughn took an extremely high amount of shots, they were all out of necessity as he tried to keep his team in the game. 

1^st Half

Vaughn started the game off quickly showing his impressive athleticism. He attacked the basket strongly on his first drive to the basket and converted a left hand lay-up. He followed that up with a two hand dunk and another left handed drive for a quick 6 points. Vaughn also hit a Kobe-esque 15 foot fall away jumper and a nice floater from 6 feet out that avoided a charge. While Vaughn finished the first half with 15 points he struggled from outside the arc going 0-4 from the three point line. 

15 points, 7-14 FG's, 0-4 3's

2^nd Half

The various players guarding Vaughn from Apple Valley had no help side responsibility and tried to stay attached to him on every move. Vaughn countered this type of defense by posting up from 12 feet out to start the half. The first shot of the 2^nd half was a crowd delight as Vaughn banked in a 15 foot fade away off one foot. Vaughn’s next two shots were of the same one footed variety, although neither one had the same success rate. The first half outside shooting struggles disappeared and all of a sudden Vaughn was knocking down back to back three’s from the NBA line. At this point in time, Vaughn had 25 points and his team an 11 point lead. As referenced above, Apple Valley tightened their defense and Cooper’s offense soon turned into Vaughn catching the ball at the top of the key and trying to maneuver past defenders which in turn dragged down his shooting percentage and the quality of shots taken. Vaughn still managed to hit a contested three to go along with another NBA three. With the game out of reach, Vaughn also got a lay-up off of an inbounds play, one of the few shots he got off of a set play.

20 points, 7-19 FG's, 4-7 3's

Overall:

Vaughn’s versatile skill set was on display for Roy Williams and Tubby Smith all game long. Vaughn created for himself off the dribble and got to the basket going one-on-one with defenders or by utilizing the pick and roll. He knocked down lay-ups, floaters, fade-aways, and NBA range three’s. At 6’6”, Vaughn also showed off an impressive handle for a player his size constantly bringing the ball up the court. At times he was a bit careless with the ball and two of his passes were picked off by Tyus Jones and converted into points for Apple Valley. Vaughn played the entire game (36 minutes) and was forced to work for extremely hard in the second half. Despite the high quantity of shots, Vaughn showed the crowd that he is an elite shooting guard and one of the best scorer’s in the country. 

West Des Moines Valley (IA) 69 Roseville (MN) 53

Peter Jok

6’6” Iowa commit, Peter Jok led the way for the Tigers with 34 points as they turned a four point halftime lead in to a 2^nd half blow-out. Roseville was playing without their leading scorer Mackenzie Johnson and had no answer for Jok all game. Once deemed one of the top players in the country, Jok is making a return after an injury plagued past two seasons. Jok was looking spry in the shootout scoring a quick 14 points in the 1^st half before sitting down with foul trouble and ten minutes left in the half. 12 of Jok’s first half points came from athletic drives to the basket and put backs from offensive rebounds. This was a common theme throughout the game although Jok also hit a 17 footer jumper and a three-pointer from the wing in the 2^nd half. It was an impressive game for Jok by all means; however he did go 1-7 from the three point line. Despite the struggles from deep, Hawkeye fans should be looking forward to watching him in an Iowa uniform next year.

Blue Valley Northwest (KS) 57 DeLaSalle 52

In a back and forth affair, future Iowa State Cyclone Clayton Custer hit a driving lay-up to take a 52-50 lead with 1:35 to go giving the Huskies a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Custer led the way with 26 points mixing in lay-ups and a variety of outside jump shots. Reid Travis (6-8” - #29 2014) of DeLaSalle looked to be too much to handle in the post at times as he went for 29 points and 15 rebounds. After struggling in a low scoring first half, Travis got it going despite constant double teams and went 6-8 from the paint in the 2^nd half. Despite the dominance down low, Custer and junior guard Ben Richardson were too much to handle and brought their coach, Ed Fritz, his 500^th victory. 

Onalaska (WI) 77 Lakeview Christian (MN) 62

Matt Thomas (6’5” - #34 2013) started the morning off dropping 43 points for Onalaska, which was one point less than the tournament record of 44 set by Rick Rickert in 2001. Thomas is considered by many to be the best shooter in high school and he showed his stroke off going 16-31 from the field. Thomas also added 14 rebounds to his stat line. Lakeview Christian was led by senior guard Anders Broman who scored 26. Broman is Minnesota’s all time leading scorer and has over 4,000 points in his career and is headed to South Dakota State next fall. 

Matt Thomas

Indiana Elite - Blast from the Past

In May 2008, the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions (TOC) was the country’s premier spring AAU tournament. As the top tournament in the land, numerous high major prospects were busy running up and down the hallowed courts of Cameron Indoor and the Dean Dome. While spectators were drawn to the run and gun style of John Wall and the powerful dunks of Derrick Favors throughout the tournament, there was a squad from Indiana that quietly went about their business. This 17-U Indiana Elite squad fell short as they lost to Favors’ Atlanta Celtics squad in the semi-finals; however it is this AAU team that is impacting the 2012-13 college basketball season. Mason Plumlee (Duke), DJ Byrd (Purdue), and Jordan Hulls (Indiana) were integral components of this high powered AAU squad, and now this senior trio is playing a key role for their respective college teams almost five years later. 

Mason Plumlee (6’11 – Ranked #20 by Scout.com)

Plumlee

As a senior, Mason Plumlee is currently putting together the best season of his college career. After debating about going pro following his junior season, Plumlee is currently a leading candidate for player of the year. Plumlee is averaging 18.8 points per game and 11.2 rebounds with a 118.5 offensive efficiency rating for the #1 team in the country. During the Tournament of Champions, Plumlee notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in his first ever game at Cameron Indoor. Already a Duke commit, Plumlee was the top player on the Indiana Elite squad and a top 20 player nationally. During the tournament he out-played his fellow Duke teammate Ryan Kelly before falling to Derrick Favors and his Atlanta Celtics squad. While Favors moved on quickly to the NBA after one season in the ACC, Plumlee is in the midst of putting together an extremely impressive senior campaign.  

DJ Byrd (6’5” – Ranked #28 SF by Scout.com)

DJ Byrd

Bryd was the rough and tough sharp shooting wing for the loaded Elite squad and the made his name knocking down three pointers from the wing similar to what he is currently doing for the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette, IN. Byrd scored 15 points including several three pointers during a 16-3 second-half run that fueled an upset of the favored Illinois Illini in the first Big 10 match-up of the season. With the departure of Robbie Hummell, the former 3-star small forward is playing a career high 30 minutes per game and will be a key factor in determining how this young Boilermaker team fares in the stacked Big 10 this year. 

Jordan Hulls (6’0” – Ranked #51 by Scout.com)

Jordan Hulls

Prior to the TOC in North Carolina, Jordan Hulls, a Bloomington native gave new Indiana coach Tom Crean his 4^th commitment in the class of 2009. Upon seeing Hulls run the point for Indiana Elite and bury three pointers during the TOC it was easy to picture him as the prototypical Hoosier point guard. Upon committing to Indiana, Hulls noted that he was looking forward to running Crean’s offense and that “within the next couple of years IU will be back for sure.” While Hulls has spent many times running Crean’s offense through his first three years he has currently been playing more off the ball with prized freshman Yogi Ferrell in the mix (also a former Indiana Elite player). With Ferrell running the point, Hulls’ utilization rate has decreased approximately 17%; however his offensive efficiency rating has increased 17%. Hulls currently has an outstanding 141.2 offensive efficiency rating (#2 in the country) and is shooting a career best 51.4% from behind the three point line. Years after committing to Indiana, Hulls is still burying three pointers and helping fulfill his prediction of returning Indiana to national relevance.  

This Indiana Elite AAU squad took a backseat to the Atlanta Celtics during this particular tournament in 2008 and the trio discussed above did not make the flashy headlines during their inaugural freshman campaign in 2009 like John Wall and Derrick Favors. Despite falling short in this tournament, the Indiana Elite squad racked up numerous championship trophies during the spring and summer and now as seniors this trio has grabbed the college basketball headlines of 2013. Plumlee has turned into a player of the year candidate, Byrd turned into a go-to guy on an up and coming team, and Hulls turned into the most efficient player on IU. While a championship eluded this group in the most prestigious spring AAU tournament in 2008, individually each of these players hopes they can capture the prestigious NCAA tournament championship in 2013.