Andrew Force:
Future150 National Analyst. Covering High and Middle School basketball.
Birmingham, AL (Future150) -- Team Penny 15u mowed through the entire division, capping it off with a Championship Sunday afternoon. This particular Team Penny squad features two state champions and two state runners up.
Alex Lomax, Martrell Brooks, Spencer Washington, and Jordan Johnson were impossible to contain for the duration of the Birmingham Main Event. Lomax is a big-bodied point guard. Moss hit from the outside. Brooks and Washington jumped over people.
Johnson supplied the rock during a truly dominant showing by the Memphis troops.
The Silver Championship was captured by Lexington Future (4-1). Only the Team Penny boys could knock off the Future. On their road to the title, Future defeated teams from three states: Knoxville Free Agents, Georgia Man Up, and Louisiana Rockets.
Memphis Disciples Elite won their Bronze Title at Homewood Middle School. Credit Coach Eric Perry with turning their fortunes around. After two pool losses the Disciples won three straight to capture the crown.
The list below contains many of the top performers from the Birmingham Main Event.
TJ Moss, 2018 SF, Team Penny: Perhaps the best shooting performance of the Main Event came from the hands of Moss. The 15U shooter scorched the Birmingham Nets Saturday morning in his Main Event debut. He is long, skilled and showed the ability to play multiple positions on the floor. Even though his primary position is the PG, he scores like a shooting guard. Look for him to make a jump in national rankings at our next update as he takes home the MVP honors in the 15U division.
Shaterick White Jr., 2018 PG, Tuscaloosa Thunder: His bravery makes White Jr. a handful. During the opening ten minutes the Thunder were pummeled by a barrage of buckets from the Whalers. White gave his team needed confidence and he did this by drawing fouls and shifting the defenders around. At 5'5" White Jr. will be tested throughout high school. Thankfully he doesn't show fear.
Fred Micken, 2019 PG, Tuscaloosa Thunder: The left-handed guard, Micken injected his body into the crowded lane with regularity. Each time the Thunder's offense stalled Micken initiated by penetrating.
Malik Tucker, 2019 SG, Mobile Hurricanes: Tucker has one creative hesitation dribble move and the quickness to add more elaborate fakes. He does not shoot from the outside just yet. His free throws look steady.
Kameron Peoples, 2018 C, Mobile Hurricanes: Peoples lead the Hurricanes in scoring Saturday morning with 10 points. He has power to operate in the low blocks at 6'4". If he incorporates some pump fakes, Peoples will draw more fouls. He did not shoot a single free throw despite living in the paint.
Demontay Dixson, 2018 PF, Music City Heat: Dixson gets a lot of rebounds. In the future he will need to be stronger with the ball to keep poking guards from prying the rock loose. His feet are good and his speed is impressive. At 6'9" Dixson will be given every chance to prove he can't play before being discounted.
Jaden Lewis, 2018 PG, Music City Heat: Lewis scores in flurries with a remarkable shooting touch. Scoring will always be there for Lewis. For a freshman he has good introductory strength and great quickness. The basketball IQ is very high and most impressively Lewis' movements are all purposeful. High ceiling.
Tim Burrage Jr., 2018 CG, Chattanooga Elite Navy: Burrage is a player who can play both guard position. He has a good feel for the game and can score like a SG. The one thing you can't teach is his aggressiveness and he is alway in attack mode. You gotta love how hard he plays on both ends of the floor. Glue guy.
Mack James, 2018 PG, Music City Heat: Typically a pass-first point guard, James opened up the hatches a bit Saturday morning. Just after the sun rose so too did his lofty jumper. James nailed two triples. As a 5'5" point, James will always be able to get around defenders. He needs to keep building his chest strength and establish that jumper early to keep defenses honest.
Christopher Hunter, 2018 SG, Tennessee Mainstream: The passing of Hunter separates him from his peers. From the jump, Hunter was finding defended teammates with no-look passes and innovative feeds. He is a husky 5'11" wing that loves to set up scorers. Defensively, he gets a lot of deflections.
Davon Kimble, 2019 PG, Tennessee Mainstream: Kimble is going to have some exciting opportunities in his game and it all starts with his athleticism. Kimble can jump and likes to jump. This helps him score amongst the trees. He will need some more upper body strength to finish after contact at the high school level.
Spencer Washington, 2018 SF, Team Penny: In this tournament Washington scored around the rim. He looks like a power forward that gets off the floor well. Right now Washington is listed 6'4". Against the Louisiana Rockets Washington exploded for 16 points.
Jordan Johnson, 2018 PG, Team Penny: When you have a team full of scorers it is great to have a willing passer like Johnson. He is always looking for his mates. Johnson probably can be a great alley-oop passer in the years to come.
Martrell Brooks, 2018 SG, Team Penny: Athleticism oozes out of Brooks. He is that rare high octane grinder. Coaches will never request more effort from the energetic Brooks. The springy wing is going to be a high impact player for reigning State Champions Hamilton High School next fall. He might even start as the Lawson brothers head to the University of Memphis.
Darnell Duggin, 2018 SG, Louisiana Rockets: Duggin knocked down three triples in the first half of a Silver Bracket Quarterfinal win. The guard gets off the floor very well and his rebound with 29 seconds left was enormous. At the time the Rockets were up 45-41. Earlier Duggin contributed 56% of his team's scoring in a Saturday afternoon win.
Tammrick Thomas, 2018 WG, Louisiana Rockets (Friday): Thomas netted a remarkable 15 second half points in the Rockets proud quarterfinal victory. His one weak spot is frree throw shooting. Thomas and Duggin are from the same home town in central Louisiana.
Jamari Blackmon, 2018 SG, Alabama Wolfpack: Blackmon converted four points in the final minute. His team needed all of them because they were so deeply down. Blackmon can hang in the air to score. He is an undersized off guard that loves to pressure all over the court.
Scott Morrison, 2018 PG, Alabama Wolfpack: Morrison's slick passing and crafty ball-handling helped the Wolfpack mount a massive comeback against Georgia Man Up. Morrison can play fast and still find a dangerous recipient for each pass.
Brandon Young, 2018 SF, Memphis Disciples Elite: Young's six second half points helped the Disciples win the Bronze Championship. The 6'4" wing changes direction so quickly. His team did not shoot well beyond the arc, so they relied upon Young and Johnson to create separation in the crowded areas. For a slasher as adept as Young his free throw shooting must improve (44.4% in title game).
Joe Johnson, 2018 SF, Memphis Disciples Elite: Johnson was productive the entire weekend. In the Bronze Championship, Johnson poured in a game-high 19 points. Johnson has really nice feet for a 6'5" freshman. He doesn't have to live down low.
Greg Robinson, 2018 PF, Memphis Disciples Elite: Robinson was one of, if not the tallest 2018 player in attendance. The 6'7" Mississippi man helped with 12 points in the final. It will be interesting to see how well he does when opponents get taller. For now he is absolutely a good option underneath the basket.
Jeremy Elston, 2018 PG, Chattanooga Elite Grey: Elston is a dependable defender and also a reliable dribbler. With good speed, he knows how to push the ball up the floor. When Coach Mark Smith wants to run a halfcourt operation, Elston keeps the tempo realistic. The Grey of Chattanooga Elite (4-1) only lost once, to the buzzsaw that was Team Penny.
Patrick Moffatt, 2018 SF, Tennessee Mainstream: Though the Mainstream had a tough weekend, Moffatt showed a few flashes. He possesses a nice baby hook. Average speed keeps him from being a threat in transition.
Jordan Corvette, 2018 SG, Knoxville Free Agents: Corvette and his compatriots sparked an inspired comeback in the Silver Bracket quarterfinals. It was not enough to overtake Future. Corvette is an accomplished spot shooter. He enjoys the wing three pointer.
Trevon Faulkner, 2018 SG, Lexington Future: The Future gets plenty of poise from Faulkner. His left-handed jumper looks comfortable and steady. From the wing he can get up and challenge for rebounds. It is a bit early for certainty, but Faulkner appears to be a college prospect. What is encouraging is that his potential has already begun to be realized as the skills round into form. At this point in his development Faulkner reminds of a more powerful Tamron Manning (Marshall). Of course Trevon is left-handed, but their explosion and mid-range capabilities are similar.
Max Sparkman, 2018 PF, Lexington Future: Sparkman is an exciting prospect. As a 6'6" power forward, he glides around the floor. Look for Sparkman to mature into a combo forward because his handle and agility are great. Unlike many mobile posts he comfortably finishes in traffic. Sparkman is tough and primed for college recruiting.
Trenton Gibson, 2018 PG, Team ARG: Gibson has good size, long arms and deceptively quick with the ball in his hands. His size allows him to play off the ball where he seems to be more comfortable at times due to he shoots the ball so well. He's add a floater to his game when he gets in the lane and can knock down the 3-ball if left open. Everytime we see him he gets a little bit better and if this is trend look for him to be a no brainer D1 prospect.
Raheem Ramsey, 2018 SF, Georgia Man Up: Ramsey plays spirited defense. More impressive he can defend four positions on the floor. With his help Man Up finished 4th place in the 15u Silver Bracket. Like many of the Georgia Man Up players, Ramsey plays winters with Stockbridge High School.
Kavonte Ivery, 2018 SF, Georgia Man Up: Ivery did most of his damage off the dribble and was a main stay in the lane. He is a good rebounder from the wing position and loves scoring in transition. The one thing he can do at 6-foot-5 inches is guard multiple positions on the floor. As his skill level increase look for his game to take the next step in his development.
Nathan Nelson, 2018 SG, Team ARG: The 6'4" guard Nelson managed 10 points ina blowout win Saturday. He gets to the basket for his points. Eventually he will need to add an outside shot. He competes for Murfreesboro Oakland High School.
Jakkorian Edwards, 2018 PF, TNA Heat: With small, quick feet, Edwards hunts like offensive rebounds like Dennis Rodman once did. He tracks the ball and beats his man to the spot. Instead of relying on the athleticism he does have Edwards does the early work.
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