Brian Flinn:
Future150 National Recruiting Analyst. Covering high school basketball nationally.
North Augusta, SC (Future150) -- De’Aaron Fox, 2016 CG, Houston Hoops: Fox was instrumental in helping his team mount a 2nd half comeback and stay alive with a chance to make the elite 8. He hit shots in the mid-range, started the break, and found his teammates for open looks. At this stage, he is very much a combo guard who excels at getting to the rim, but something needs to be said about his play-making ability, which was fantastic today.
Braxton Beverly, 2016 PG, The Travelers: The pass-first point guard helped lead his team to a big win over Mac Irvin Fire to keep their hoops alive of moving on to the elite 8. While he has been undervalued nationally up until this point, he drew rave reviews from the coaches looking on and should see his recruitment hop up another level. With his shooting ability, as well as his ability to run a team, Beverley has what it takes to win games at any level.
Kevaughn Allen, 2015 CG, Team Penny: The Florida commit absolutely exploded today, hitting 6 of 7 threes and shooting 9 of 12 from the field en route to scoring 29 points. Allen also grabbed 7 rebounds in the same game, showcasing his athletic ability in the process. Overall, he is a hard-nosed guard who can’t be pigeonholed into a position and it’s clear that the Gators have themselves a ball player.
Allonzo Trier, 2015 SG, Athletes First: Trier is the best volume scorer in the country, and further made his case against the NJ Playaz on Saturday. He bullied his way to the rim and took a remarkable 20 fouls shots throughout the game, finishing with 42 points overall. The next step for Trier will be working on his shot selection but it’s hard to nitpick at this complete scorer’s game.
Jair Bolden, 2016 PG, Team Final: With so many high-level prospects, Bolden can sometimes be lost in the shuffle. He has been solid throughout the Sweet 16 alongside Tony Carr and continued to be so on Saturday night. While Carr and Lamar Stevens have taken on the roles of primary scorers, it has been Bolden who has been able to create shots for others. Without his contributions this weekend, there’s a strong likelihood that Final would not be playing for the 16U title.
Justin Robinson, 2015 PG, Boo Williams: Robinson was just what his team needed on Saturday night to advance to the Peach Jam semifinals. The D.C. area point guard had 15 points, three rebounds and two assists—while turning the ball over just once. Robinson is known for being as hard-nosed as they come at the position, and he showed that and much more. He used his quickness and athleticism to get to the basket, and he also hit a few pull-up jumpers in his big-time performance. Robinson isn’t flashy by any means but he simply knows what it takes to win.
Nojel Eastern, 2017 PG, MeanStreets: Eastern makes the list mostly for his outstanding upside at the position, although his production has been key in his team’s run in the 16U bracket. At 6’3”, he creates a mismatch against smaller guards and he has the ability to create for himself and others off the dribble. Chicago has been known to produce a handful of high-caliber point guards, and Eastern is poised to be next in line. He’s a big reason why numerous Big Ten coaches were watching on Saturday night, including Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery and Illinois assistant Jamall Walker.
Antonio Blakeney, 2015 SG, Each 1 Teach 1: Blakeney was fantastic on Saturday morning, utilizing his speed and quickness to take opponents off the dribble and get to the hoop. The five-star shooting guard is one of the best on the circuit at creating his own shot off the bounce. He had 24 points (9-16 from the field) in a win against Team Takeover on Saturday. Head coaches Leonard Hamilton, John Calipari, Roy Williams and Rick Pitino were in attendance—in addition to an assistant from Florida.
Jamal Murray, 2016 PG, CIA Bounce: Murray continues to make a name for himself as one of the premier point guards in the 2016 class. His skill set is multidimensional and nearly limitless. Murray has great length and athleticism at the position, and he has a pure outside stroke. In addition, he is great off the dribble and can create his own shot or set up his teammates. Murray had Michigan, Michigan State and Syracuse watching on Saturday. He totaled 12 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Luwane Pipkins, 2015 PG, Mac Irvin Fire: Pipkins has a good share of knocks on his game, but there’s no denying his ability to score the ball at a high level. At times, he can be a streaky shooter from the outside but when he has it going, he can be deadly. Saturday was one of those games, as Pipkins drilled five threes on his way to a 26-point outing against The Travelers. He is also one of the best on-ball defenders in EYBL, making for a very solid player for UMASS in the 2015 class.
Comments:
Be the first to post. Just use the form below.