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2013 Aaron and Andrew Harrison – Houston Defenders – Houston played DC Assault in one of the championship games on Sunday. Similar to Friday, the twins didn’t have excellent offensive showings but are a treat to watch. So much athleticism and will throw down anything close to the rim. Their jumpers weren’t falling in any game I saw, but excellent form and release.

2013 Robert Hubbs – M33M – I got to watch M33M twice more today and I was glad I did. They won one of the championships and didn’t have a close game en route to the title. They blew out nationally ranked New Heights out of NY.  Hubbs and Nichols were absolute beasts. Hubbs’s shot was falling all tournament. Hit several long range threes both off the bounce and from being spotted up. Could drive to the basket at any time. Great body control and touch around the basket allows him to finish almost every time he gets in the paint.

2013 Austin Nichols – M33M – Wow. Would probably be named the MVP of the tournament if they gave out such an award. Standing around 6’9″, Nichols can do it all. He dunks the ball any chance he gets and always finishes with authority. His jumper barely touched the rim all weekend and I can’t remember him missing but maybe one or two shots outside of 5 feet. A surprisingly good athlete, he finished several alley oops and pulled down double digit rebounds in each game. I’ve seen several of the top 2013 players between this and the Nike EYBL and he’s one of the best I’ve seen. He will be a major contributor the first day he steps on campus. Tennessee, Memphis and Oregon head coaches were at every game.

2015 Skal Labissiere – M33M – Another stud in the class of 2015. Skal is a slender 6’10″ but very skilled. Hit several threes but not afraid to mix it up inside. As he continues to gain weight, he will a major recruit. The city of Memphis has a never ending abundance of talent.

2013 Nate Britt – DC Assault – Britt lead his team to one of the titles with a win over the Houston Defenders. Britt is a great floor general with good all around game. Didn’t get to the rim a lot in the finals because of the size and strength of the Harrisons but was able to get teammates involved and knock down several outside shots to get his team the victory.

A ton of talent on display in this morning’s games in both the morning and afternoon sessions.

2013 Aaron and Andrew Harrison – Houston Defenders – The Harrison brothers are both highly ranked – top 5 by most services. Neither had stellar offensive games but you can see why they are ranked so highly. Both are around 6-4 with athletic, muscular bodies. Both have sweet jumpers and defend the ball really well. Andrew is a PG and Aaron a SG but their games are similar. They will be attending the same college and whoever gets them will be instant Final Four contenders. Several coaches watched their every move this weekend including Baylor’s Scott Drew.

2014 Craig Victor – New Orleans Elite – I wasn’t familiar with Victor before this weekend but he’s an outstanding talent. A 6’8″ PF, he shows excellent athleticism and a great mid range game. He’s a top 20 player in the class of 2014 and definitely worth the ranking.

2013 Jerrell Martin – New Orleans Elite – Martin and Victor have similar games. Martin was more aggressive on the offensive end. Like Victor, Martin has an excellent mid to long range game for a 6’8″ PF.  They dominated the inside on the game I watched. Tennessee had multiple coaches watching their game.

2013 Karviar Shepherd – Urban DFW Elite – Shepherd and Jordan Mickey both run the floor like gazelles and provided an excellent 1-2 combo on the inside. Shepherd is a very good shot blocker and rebounder. Still some work to do on his offensive game, but he’s a great player with a ton of upside.

2013 Jordan Mickey – Urban DFW Elite – Mickey is a SF/PF combination with great athleticism and length. Knocked down a few jumpers but did most of his work around the basket. Very active on the glass and runs the floor extremely well.  New SMU coach Larry Brown was in attendance for Urban’s game.

2013 Kendal Harris – Urban DFW Elite – Kendal Harris doesn’t get as much attention as Mickey and Shepherd but is an explosive SG. A tad undersized at around 6’2″, his length and leaping ability make up for it. His stock should continue to go up this summer.

2013 Stephen Domingo – Dream Vision – Domingo was one of the biggest surprises of the tournament for me. Some services have him a 3* but he’s as highly ranked as 28th overall on another. After watching him, I’d put him in the top 20. Standing around 6’7″ with a good frame, Domingo was the best shooter and scorer of the tournament. Knows how to get open off a screen and catches and releases the ball extremely quick. Gets excellent height on his jumper and is impossible to block. Very athletic too.

2013 Isaac Hamilton – Dream Vision – I wasn’t aware Hamilton would be playing for Dream Vision until the first game. I knew he looked familiar when I saw him and after he dominated the first half of the game, I went to find out his name from the scorer’s table. Hamilton is a 5* PG. Very good size for a PG – around 6’3″ and long arms. A bit slender but doesn’t get pushed around. Can stop on a dime and drain the jumper. Showed excellent range. Great vision too as he found teammates on several kickouts and dunks.

2015 Stephen Zimmerman – Dream Vision – A 6’11″ center, Zimmerman is one of the top prospects in the class of 2015.  Several big time offers already. For a near 7 foot high school freshmen, you’d think there would be some awkwardness but he showed none. Very athletic and runs the floor well. Great touch on his shot. Attacks the rim well and showed off some nice post moves. Needs to get bigger in his upper body but has a solid base. Zimmerman will remain a top 5 prospect in his class and have his choice to go wherever he wants.

2013 Dederick Lee – Nolan Richardson Mustangs – The Lee brothers and Mustangs were matched up against Sports U in tournament play Saturday evening.  The Mustangs kept the game within 10 points which is a good accomplishment against a nationally ranked team such as Sports U.  Lee didn’t have a great game but was solid. Knocked down a few jumpers and got to the basket a few times. Didn’t have the athleticism of some of the Sports U players he was matched up against and had to guard bigger players when his brothers were on the court. Mike Anderson was in attendance for the game.

2013 Kasim Chandler – Sports U – Played against Atlanta Celtics. Very Impressive PG. Not currently ranked very high but he will be soon if he continues his play like he did tonight. A bit small at 5’11”, but extremely quick with a great handle and plays under control. Able to get to the rim and knock down a jumper off the dribble. Several coaches were asking his name after the game was over.

2013 IJ Ready – Arkansas Hawks – Matched up against 5* UNC commit Nate Britt, Ready more than held his own. Very quick hands and was Britt’s shadow all game. Had several steals as did the entire Hawks team. His jumper was falling all game. Hit game tying 3 to send it to OT and then the game winner in OT over Britt. He earned a few offers after his play tonight. After tonight, I’m not sure who I’d prefer between Ready and DeShawn Watkins, who plays for the Wings, but both can play.

2014 Trey Thompson – Arkansas Hawks – Big, wide bodied. Good athelete…not great. Rebounds the ball really well and strong. Had 16 boards last night. Needs to show that same effort and strength at the offensive end. He got blocked several times but was playing against a good front line in DC Assault. He is still learning the game but the potential is there.

2014 Kahron Ross – Arkansas Hawks – Played dual PG with Ready but probably better suited to SG. Ross played really well too. He and Ready formed a difficult backcourt to guard, although both are a bit undersized. Showed a really good shooting touch. If Ross can grow another couple of inches, his interest will really pick up.

2013 Nate Britt – DC Assault. 5* PG committed to UNC. Although Ready played close to even with Britt, I think that was more a testament to Ready than any knock on Britt. Britt looked the part of a star. Britt possesses more size and potential which sets him apart as far as the recruiting services are concerned. He got his pocked picked a couple of times but handles the ball really well. Gets to the rim more than just settles for a jumper. Explosive around the rim. He will fit in well in Carolina’s continuous run of great PGs.

2013 Robert Hubbs – M33M. Didn’t get to see much of their game and they had comfortable lead all of what I watched. Smooth, athletic wing player. Finished the game with 18 points. Hope to catch more of him and the rest of M33M Saturday.

2013 Austin Nichols – M33M. Power forward. 6-9. Good size and athleticism. Has an offer from Duke and Coach K was there watching.

2013 Sam Edwards – M33M. Hogs are looking at him. He’s a legit 7 foot with muscular body but he’s still figuring out how to use it. Enormous potential but needs a year or two of development.

Spiece (IN) vs. King James Shooting Stars (OH)
D’Vante Smith-Rivera (6-3, 205, #28 Prospect 2012, Spiece) – Built like a linebacker. Great shooter. High scoring guard. Likely a SG at the next level.

Kellen Dunham (6-4, 175, #23 SG 2012, Spiece) – Lanky, slender guard committed to Butler. Great shooter. Fits perfectly into Butler system. 21 pts.

Aaron Hammons (7-0, 260, #53 Prospect 2012, Spiece) – Good touch around the basket. Is a little soft for his size and needs to improve quickness. High ceiling though.

Bryson Scott (6-0, 170, #40 Prospect 2013, Spiece) – Has a twin, Brenton, on team. Bryson is committed to Purdue. Great all around game. Good defender, passer and scorer. Finished with 27 pts.

Alabama Challenge (AL) vs. CIA Bounce (CAN)
Negus Webster-Chan (6-7, 185, #68 Prospect 2012, CIA) – Had off game. Didn’t score. Looked like a solid athlete.

Sim Bhullar (7-5, 300, #17 C 2012, CIA) – A mountain of a man. As you can imagine, he is on the slow side but altered almost every shot that came in the paint. Played more minutes than I expected. Committed to Xavier.

Anthony Bennett (6-8, 220, #85 Prospect 2012, CIA) – Bennett has been playing very well in the league so far. Big, physical forward who dunks anything in sight. Finshed with 13 and 10.

New York Gauchos (NY) vs. Georgia Stars (GA)
Omar Calhoun (6-3, 185, #56 Prospect 2012, Gauchos) – High scoring SG. Can score from both inside and out. Finished with 27 pts. 

Alex Poythress (6-7, 215, #25 Prospect 2012, Stars) – One of my favorite players to watch in this class. So rangy and athletic. Rebounds very well. Can bring the ball up if needed. Had two consecutive possessions where he was isolated with his defender, drove baseline and finished with a two handed dunk over the defender.

Tony Parker (6-9, 275, #14 Prospect 2012, Stars) – Played better and harder than he did at the Real Deal. Finished with 20 and 11. Can be close to impossible to stop when motivated.

Other Players Watched This Weekend
I didn’t necessarily get to watch full games of the following players but checked out a few minutes where I could.

Jarnell Stokes (6-8, 250, #23 Prospect 2012, Memphis YOMCA) – Simply put, he’s a man. Works harder than anyone on the court. Not the flashiest game but consistent. I like the comparisons to Corliss Williamson.

Ricardo Gathers (6-7, 240, #27 Prospect 2012, Louisiana Select) – Similar to Stokes. Just a beast inside. I wouldn’t take a charge from him.

Nerlens Noel (6-10, 210, #3 Prospect 2013, BABC) – The sky is the limit for Noel. Very tall and athletic. Great defender. Needs to add some weight.

Rodney Purvis (6-4, 185, #10 Prospect 2012, CP3) – Purvis plays a lot of PG but I still don’t think he will at the next level. His game is similar to Archie Goodwin. Excellent in transition and getting to the rim but inconsistent jumper.

Willie Cauley (6-11, 210, #46 Prospect 2012, MoKan Elite) – Tall, athletic C. Runs the floor very well. Great shot blocker and rebounder. Raw offensive game.

Metro Hawks (NY) vs. Mac Irvin Fire (IL)
Jabari Parker (6-7, 210, #2 Prospect 2013, Mac Irvin) – The #2 prospect in the class of 2013. Nice ball handling skills for his size. Lots of juking but didn’t always get him anywhere. Plays from the outside in. Scored mostly in paint but has good outside game. Already has body to play in college. 17 pts.

Billy Garrett Jr. (6-3, 165, #49 Prospect 2013, Mac Irvin) – Smart PG. Doesn’t force anything. Committed to DePaul already.

Steve Taylor (6-7, 175, #89 Prospect 2013, Mac Irvin) – Great athlete and finisher. Needs to work on outside shot. Only made 2 of 9 threes. Excels in transition.

Playaz Basketball Club (NJ) vs. Boo Williams (VA)
Anthony Barber (6-2, 165, #48 Prospect 2013, Boo Williams) – Played an outstanding game. Finished with 25 pts. Shot the ball extremely well off the dribble.

Troy Williams (6-6, 190, #19 Prospect 2013, Boo Williams) – Explosive, athletic wing. Showed good shooting skills as well. Finished with 22 pts.

Kyle Anderson (6-7, 210, #24 Prospect 2012, Playaz) – Anderson is a nightmare matchup at PG. Can post up any other guard he plays against. He has trouble guarding other PGs as he’s not as quick, but could move off and guard another position if needed. Tall enough to see over the defense and find the open man. Can raise up and shoot over anyone.

Myles Davis (6-3, 190, #36 SG 2012, Playaz) – Davis had a great weekend. Not a true PG and a little small for a SG, but excellent shooter and scorer.

Savon Goodman (6-6, 190, #30 Prospect 2012, Playaz) – Strong bodied, athletic wing. Good rebounder. Finishes well around the rim. Needs to work on outside offensive game. Had 12 and 10 this game.

Houston Hoops (TX) vs. California Supreme (CA)
Grant Jerrett (6-8, 200, #6 Prospect 2012, California Supreme) – Watched him at the Real Deal as well. Shows great touch around the basket, good shooter, long arms. Not an elite athlete. Needs to get more physical down low.

Rasheed Sulaimon (6-3, 175, #17 Prospect 2012, Houston) – Houston is loaded at the guard position. Rasheed is more of a 2 guard but can play point. He and Reese are the best scorers on the team. Shows versatile game. Can go inside and out. Finished with 18. Committed to Duke.

J-Mychal Reese (6-1, 170, #41 Prospect 2012, Houston) – Another high scoring guard. Like Rasheed, can score both from outside and getting to the rim. A little more of a true PG than Rasheed. Finished with 17 and 7 assists.

Brian Bridgewater  (6-5, 230, #49 Prospect 2013, Houston) – He looked taller on the court, so I was surprised to see him listed at 6-5. If he gets to around the 6-8 range, he will be one of the more highly recruited PFs in the country next year. Built like a football player. Plays strong inside. 11 pts 8 rebs.

LJ Rose (6-3, 180, #20 Prospect 2012, Houston) – Rose is the most pure PG on the team. Didn’t score in this game but had 10 assists. Doesn’t have great explosiveness, but another smart PG that can use his large frame at the position.

My son and I traveled to Dallas on Friday to attend the 2nd session of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (http://www.nikeeliteyouthbasketballleague.com). The league features the top Nike travel teams from across the country and culminates at the Nike Peach Jam in July.  I didn’t get to watch every team but tried to watch as many top players as possible. Player rankings below are from ESPN.

Albany City Rocks (NY) vs. Mean Streets (IL)
Ricardo Ledo (6-6, 180, #11 Prospect 2012, Albany City Rocks) – Extremely smooth wing player. Could play the 2 or 3 spot. Creates his own shot off the dribble. Probably the best pure scorer I saw all weekend. Finished game with 24 pts.

DaJuan Coleman (6-10, 280, #2 Prospect 2012, Albany City Rocks) – Didn’t score a ton in this game or the other moments I watched him, but the AAU games don’t always favor the pure post player. Huge, wide body kid. He looked to be in much better shape than previous photos and reports of him. Very active shot blocker and strong rebounder. Will need to work on stepping out and hitting the mid range shots but will be a force on the low block.

Oakland Soldiers (CA) vs. Charlotte Royals (NC)
Tyree Robinson (6-3, 190, #11 Prospect 2013, Oakland Soliders) – Very athletic and powerful SG especially for a 2013 prospect. Good scorer and shooter.

Tyrell Robinson (6-3, 190, Oakland Soliders) – Twin brother of Tyree. Same athletic ability but not as dangerous a scorer.

Brandon Ashley (6-8, 210, #7 Prospect 2012, Oakland Soliders) – Smooth forward. Not real  powerful. A little thin but lots of finesse. Good length and blocks several shots.

Jabari Bird (6-6, 190, #41 Prospect 2013, Oakland Soliders) – Another smooth SG or SF. Very good scorer. Good body and strength for 2013 prospect. This team will be even more loaded next year. Should receive a boost in his rating if he continues playing as well as he did here.

All Iowa Attack (IA) vs. Arkansas Wings Elite (AR)
Archie Goodwin (6-5, 180, #16 Prospect 2012, Arkansas Wings) – Have seen Archie play multiple times and he had his typical game. There isn’t a more explosive finisher in the class of 2012. He can get to the rim at will. He sometimes forces his shot when he gets there, but draws a lot of fouls on his way in. Him jumper has to get more consistent. Had a few highlight reel dunks in this game. Finished with 30 pts.

Jalen Jackson (6-6, 190,  2012, Arkansas Wings) – Athletic wing, long arms and showed improved offensive game. Finished game with 16 pts. Would fit well into Mike Anderson’s system.

Dusty Hannahs (6-3, 200,  2012, Arkansas Wings) – Outstanding shooter. His range is when he crosses mid-court. Stocky build so he doesn’t get pushed around but has trouble staying in front of other, quick guards.

Dayshawn Watkins (6-0, 170, 2013, Arkansas Wings) – Ran the point for the Wings. My first time seeing him and I was impressed with his ball handling skills and shooting. Should be a solid mid major recruit next year.

Moses Kingsley (6-9, 190, 2013, Arkansas Wings) – Good athleticism and length and solid defender but he has to work on his offensive game. He was basically the only true post player for the Wings and had trouble matching up with the much bigger All Iowa team.

Marcus Paige (6-1, 160, #21 Prospect 2012, All Iowa) – Watching him in warm ups, I thought he looked too thin and small, not a great athlete and may be a bit overrated. My mind changed once the game started. Lefty PG who plays mature beyond his years. Very intelligent. Can create own shot, pull up off dribble or get to the hole where he excels in dishing off or finishing himself. Committed to North Carolina. Still needs to gain a little weight, but will be a factor from the year he steps on campus.

Adam Woodbury(6-11, 220, #19 C, All Iowa) – Fundamentally sound C. The Wings had no one to match up with him. I’d like to see him against better post competition, but I was impressed with his ability to finish around the basket. Benefited from having two great PGs to get him the ball.

Mike Gesell (6-1, 185, #18 PG 2012, All Iowa) – When he and Paige are on the floor at the same time, you have two of the better ball handling, more intelligent players in the class of 2012. Didn’t have a great shooting game but you can tell it’s there. Strong and physical at the PG position.

Top 5 Players

1. Jarnell Stokes – Memphis YOMCA
2. Shabazz Muhammad – Dream Vision
3. Gabe York – Compton Magic
4. Isaiah Austin – Compton Magic
5. Kaleb Tarczewski – New England Playaz

Top 3 Guards

1. Shabazz Muhammad – Dream Vision
2. Gabe York – Compton Magic
3. Rodney Purvis – CP3

Top 3 Forwards

1. Jarnell Stokes – Memphis YOMCA
2. Shaquille Goodwin – Atlanta Celtics
3. Alex Poythress – Georgia Stars

Top 3 Centers

1. Isaiah Austin – Compton Magic
2. Kaleb Tarczewski – New England Playaz
3. Andre Drummond – Connecticut Basketball Club

Best Shooter – Gabe York (Compton Magic)

Best Dunker – JP Tokoto (Wisconsin Playground Warriors)

Most Talented Team – Atlanta Celtics

I didn’t make it back until the semi-final games. Thanks to my water heater, I was preoccupied this morning.

Semi Final matchups are Southern Select vs. Memphis YOMCA and Connecticut Basketball Club vs. New England Playaz

CBC vs New England Playaz
This game featured a showdown of two of the best centers in the nation. Andre Drummond vs Kaleb Tarczewski. Was hoping it would be an inside battle but the game really came down to the guards. Alex Murphy finished with 8 but most of those came at the end on breakaways. Kaleb had 12 and Andre had 9, but it was really a stalemate between the two. New England won and advanced to the finals to play Memphis YOMCA.

Memphis YOMCA vs New England Playaz
Championship game. Tarczewski was really bothered by the strength of Jarnell Stokes inside. He only had two points. Murphy finished with 8. Stokes was a beast all tournament and that continued in the finals. He had 18 points and double digit rebounds. Tarczewski was able to block a few of his shots, but that will happen with any player going against him. The game went down to the wire with Memphis hitting a 3 with a couple seconds left to take home the title. Stokes was named tournament MVP.

Top 3 Players today
1. Jarnell Stokes
2. Andre Drummond
3. Kaleb Tarczewski

Tournament play has begun. Headed over to JA Fair High School to catch a couple of games.

Georgia Stars vs Tulsa Elite
The Stars are led by top 40 PF Alex Poythress. The Razorbacks are after Poythress heavy and he seems to fit the Mike Anderson system better than Ricardo Gathers and Perry Ellis. He’s a longer, rangier PF. Not the wide body of Jarnell Stokes or Gathers, but he isn’t too skinny by any means. Had a couple of big dunks to go along with a couple of threes. Finished with 19 points. 6’6″ PG Montay Brandon has a nice game as well. Tall and rangy PG but still enough quickness to stay in front of smaller guards. The Stars advanced with an easy win.

Connecticut Basketball Club vs Clutch Players
CBC is led by #1 player Andre Drummond. Drummond played better in this game than the first time I saw him and finished with 17 points. He didn’t dominate as expected, but he shows flashes of brilliance that show you why he is considered the #1 prospect. CBC won easily.

Moved over to LR Hall HS to catch the last games of the night.

ATL Xpress vs Midstate Ballerz East
ATL Xpress features top 50 C Robert Carter. Carter showed off some nice post moves and runs the floor extremely hard even though he doesn’t have the natural athleticism of other players.  PF Chris Walker also played well this game and weekend and will turn into a highly recruited prospect throughout the summer. ATL Xpress advanced to the next round.

Dream Vision vs Team Nashville
I caught the final 10 minutes of this game. Shabazz Muhammad is an unbelievable talent and hard for anyone to guard. Dream Vision pulled out the win.

New England Playaz vs Kansas City Keys
Alex Murphy and Kaleb Tarczewsk led the Playaz to the win. Tarczewsk didn’t dominate like he did in his first game, but had a solid outing. The Playaz were bothered some by the speed and quickness of the Keys. Murphy had several transition baskets and can knock down the outside shot. He didn’t show much of a mid-range game, but I think it’s there. He just didn’t have to showcase it today.

Southern Select vs Southern Phenoms
Just caught the tail end of this game. Devonta Pollard (6’7″ SF) had a great weekend and I was hoping to catch more of him. I only got to watch for a few minutes, so no scouting report. Southern Select advanced on to the next round.

Top 3 Players this evening
1. Shabazz Muhammad
2. Alex Poythress
3. Kaleb Tarczewsk