Andrew Force:
Future150 National Analyst. Covering High and Middle School basketball.
Sharon, MA (Future150) -- The biggest mistake an evaluator can make is confuse one game for a complete evaluation.
Take Jordan Mello-Klein for example. Wednesday night at the adidas Gauntlet Finale Mello-Klein scored just a single bucket in ten minutes of action. He looked a little lost. Quick, but lost.
It was his first game ever with NE Playaz 17u. He was wearing NIKE shoes just two months ago with Expressions Elite.
Hours later Mello-Klein had more than settled in with his new team. Thursday morning the left-handed guard scorched the nets for 25 points (10-18 FG's).
For his closest friends the explosion was not unexpected. Mello-Klein has been expanding his game month-by-month.
"One of my go-to moves is the floater," said Mello-Klein. "Over the (high school) season I developed a mid-range pull-up. At the beginning of the season I was using the floater a lot. My averages weren't good and when I went to the pull-up I begin to knock it down. Now my averages are up to 50-60%."
Mello-Klein attends Thayer Academy (MA), outside Boston. He gets to face some sizable bigs when Thayer meets Worcester Academy, Belmont Hill, and the like.
"When you are playing against 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-10 kids every game you kind of have to adjust your game," said Mello-Klein. "I am always working on handles, just keeping them sharp. Another thing I am doing with my trainer is creating contact and finishing over bigger guys."
Peers have compared him to Goran Dragic or Mike Conley.
"But I try to play like Chris Paul because he does everything well. He thinks the game through and then my favorite player is Kobe, so I kind of look at him for my jumpshot."
Two Visits
Early June Mello-Klein discussed two campus visits. In a matter of days he stopped by Northeastern and Brown.
Northeastern was first (June 2nd).
"That is my dream school," said Mello-Klein. "That is where I want to go, but we will see. My parents both work there, so I kind of have it all there."
Three days later the sharpshooter was able to evaluate Brown University.
"It went really well," said Mello-Klein. "The campus, the coaches, and the fact that they focus on academics. It all came together on all fronts. It was amazing."
Iona, Holy Cross, and Northeastern all invited him to ELITE camps. Because he is entering his junior season Mello-Klein has awhile to narrow his list or decide. This will also allow college coaches to see his maturation.
Remember it is not just one game that makes a complete evaluation. Jordan Mello-Klein is always getting better.
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