Jason Morrow:
Future150 National Editor/ Midwest Recruiting. Covering high and middle school basketball. OH,IN and IL.
WHEELING, WV (Future150) -- The second and final day of the Cancer Research Classic in Wheeling, WV did not disappoint, as there was plenty of Division I-talent on the floor at Wheeling Jesuit in the first weekend of 2015.
Saturday's Top Perfomers:
Quade Green (2017/Neumann-Goretti): Going for Saturday’s event-high in points was the sophomore Quade Green from Neumann-Goretti. The 5-foot-11 guard played a nearly flawless game all around, and the stat sheet proves this point perfectly; Green finished with 31 points on 12-of-16 shooting, four rebounds, three assists, and no turnovers while playing 31 of 32 minutes on Saturday. His performance helped the Saints stay undefeated on the season at 7-0.
Miles Bridges (2016/Huntington Prep): As other Cancer Research Classic records falling by the wayside this weekend, a new one was written thanks to Miles Bridges. The junior recorded the first triple-double in CRC history, finishing with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. There was no trouble for him on Saturday, as he dazzled the crowd with assists to Thomas Bryant for easy dunks, and Bridges led his Huntington Prep squad to a dominating 89-49 win over a struggling Whitney Young squad. If he continues to put up numbers like that, even more high-major coaches will be calling the junior to offer him a scholarship.
Phil Bledsoe (2016/Wheeling Park): One of the biggest risers in Saturday’s action at the CRC was the hometown big man Phil Bledsoe. The junior was extremely impressive all game long, using his length to pull down a near-tournament record 17 rebounds to go along with his team-high 29 points. Bledsoe made a quick splash in the game and never went away, much like his Wheeling Park team who kept fighting to stay in the game against a solid Neumann-Goretti. He only boasts one offer, Navy, but that will change very quickly if he keeps putting up numbers like this.
Connor Cashaw (2015/Stevenson): There was no shortage of offense on either side of the ball in Saturday’s opening game, and Rice-signee Connor Cashaw was a key factor in his Stevenson team getting the win. The senior was solid on both sides of the ball, pulling down seven rebounds to go along with his 20 points. While playing 31 of 32 minutes, the future Owl did not have a turnover, and actually added in two steals as well.
E.J. Montgomery (2018/Montverde): When discussing Montverde’s performance, one could feasibly write about LSU-signee Ben Simmons all day and night, but there are certainly plenty of other great players on a loaded-Eagles squad. One rising player to note is freshman E.J. Montgomery, who finished with a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) in an easy victory over Paul VI. Standing at 6-foot-9, Montgomery has all the tools to become an extremely skilled post player, and playing alongside seven-footer Doral Moore certainly does not hurt either.
Bryant Crawford (2015/Gonzaga): Going head-to-head with Villanova-signee Jalen Brunson, Crawford had a dominant and extremely efficient performance in the opening game of Saturday’s action. The future Demon Deacon had 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists for the Purple Eagles. Even more impressive was his shooting consistency, going 10-for-13 from the field in his 26 minutes of action. The senior was able to score in spurts to help keep his Gonzaga team in the game until the end.
Zachary Norvell (2016/Simeon): In an absolute dismantling of Bishop Gorman, the junior did a little bit of everything offensively, and when it mattered most, as 18 of his 22 points came in the first three quarters that saw Simeon build up a 54-36 lead. Norvell was especially proficient from beyond the arc, hitting 5-of-7 triples and stretching out Gorman’s two top-ten big men in Stephen Zimmerman and Chase Jeter. He also played a very key role defensively, locking down the Gaels’ guards with five steals.
Stephen Zimmerman (2015/Bishop Gorman): Although his team struggled to get going, the big man tried to impact in every way possible. Zimmerman’s game has definitely developed since my last viewing of him, and one thing that is quickly noticeable is his ability to handle the basketball everywhere on the floor, playing more like a forward than a center in some times. The highly sought after senior finished with only 12 points and four rebounds, but was 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, and also had five steals in his 27 minutes of action.
Joseph Toye (2015/Whitney Young): Leading his team with 17 points, the Vanderbilt-commit Toye was able to find a way to get to the rim on Saturday against a very stout Huntington Prep front line. Toye’s big moment on Saturday was a ridiculous high-flying dunk that cut the margin to 12 points midway through the second quarter.
VJ King (2016/Paul VI): With such size, Montverde makes it difficult for any team to score at a high rate, but junior VJ King was able to do a fair amount of damage on Saturday night, scoring a team-high 16 points in the loss to the top-ranked squad. King, who transferred from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, has been working hard to fit into head coach Glenn Farello’s system, and it looks as if he has found his way in some regards. King also pulled in seven rebounds for the Panthers on Saturday night.
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