NY2LA SPORTS - WEEKEND RECAP
By Antonio Curro - NY2LA Sports
May 13, 2008
Was really on the go this past weekend with the Howard Pulley Sabes Invitational, Arizona Cactus Classic, and GBOA North tournaments taking place. Here's some news and notes from those events...
The
Playground Elite 17U squad featuring two of the top 2009 prospects nationally in
Jamil Wilson (left) and Johnnie Lacy put down a very strong performance this
past weekend at the 2008 Arizona Cactus Classic as they advanced to the Final
Four before dropping a 1 point heartbreaker to the eventual champion Houston
Hoops squad. Their ability to play physical inside, score on the blocks,
and attack the glass was the key to their success this past weekend. As
for Wilson, he was relentless on the glass throughout the tournament as he began
to show flashes of an ability to play on the blocks and dominate on the
interior, something that he'll really need to continue to develop to reach the
high expectations being laid upon him right now. With his length,
athleticism, and ability to step away from the basket and score, Wilson could
become an absolute monster of a prospect if he continues to develop his ability
to get out in transition and finish as well as an ability to utilize to his
size, length, and athleticism to post up and attack the glass on both ends.
The
Mac Irvin Fire 17U squad dropped a tough one to Boo Williams Saturday night in
the playoffs at the Cactus Classic but not before they showed everyone that they
have the horses to compete with the elite nationally every time they take the
court. Frosh phenom Mike Shaw (right) took another major step forward as
he continues to evolve into one of the most dominant young prospects nationally.
Reminiscent of NBA star Rasheed Wallace, Shaw can step away from the basket and
really stroke the trey ball. He also showed a lot more toughness inside as
he attacked the glass and didn't back down from a very physical Boo Williams
squad. Having seen a number of the top freshman nationally, Shaw has
got to be one of the top 2 or 3 freshman prospects nationally right now, if not
the best. I'm sure Tony Wroten would argue that point (Seattle Rotary) but
how many freshman can hit the scene and dominate at times when they take the
court. Shaw did that this past weekend and was sensational.
Equally solid this past weekend was the play of Johnnie Lacy who showed an ability to attack the rim at will and take over the game on the offensive end. While he didn't stroke his perimeter shot as consistently as he has in the past, he got to the free throw line time and time again and converted after doing so with consistency. In a field that included the likes of Elijah Johnson, John Wall, Abdul Gaddy, Roberto Nelson, Reggie Smith, etc. Lacy more than proved he belongs in any discussion about the elite PG prospects nationally in the Class of 2009.
Another strong performance was put in by 6'6" Class of 2010 Jonathan Mills of the Mac Irvin Fire 17U. The kid is an absolute beast on the glass and despite going up against biggest stronger guys, he simply attacked the rim and posted up on the blocks time and time again. His performance against a taller, stronger, and physical Boo Williams squad was big time as he was completely dominant on the glass throughout the game. No single player in the Midwest plays with heart, fire, toughness, and determination of Jonathan Mills.
Congratulations
to Milwaukee Northwest and Wisconsin Elite/Baylor Youth standouts Lamar Wall
(left) and Vontrell Seroyer who committed to Kirkwood Community College and
Ellsworth community college this past week. Wall is one of the most
underrated prospects in Wisconsin as he can really get it done on both ends and
plays with excellent intensity, effort, and tenacity on both ends. He
joines Bradley Tech 08' standout Jarvis Williams at Kirkwood. When you add
to the fact that Wall is a textbook mid range shooter, he's an absolute steal
for Kirkwood at the JUCO level. The same can be said for Seroyer who has
excellent dribble penetration, playmaking, and mid range scoring ability.
The only knock on both would be size but at the end of the day you still have to
be able to play the game of basketball at a high level, size and potential not
withstanding. Wall and Seroyer are two of the best kids around and also
two of the top 08 area guard prospects in Wisconsin. Congratulations to
both of them as each has worked exceptionally hard developing their game the
past couple years.
A couple other bright spots involved the play of 6'3" G Jimmy Sherburne and 6'5" F Marvin Fitzgerald. Sherburne (Whitefish Bay 09') was big time in his performances during the playoffs as he showed the ability to come off screens and really stroke the basketball well from the perimeter. In the Houston Hoops semi-final matchup, it was the play of Sherburne that came up huge as he hit some big time shots in the 2nd half coming off screens and played with a great deal of confidence during the weekend. Major step forward for Sherburne. As for Fitzgerald, he was a beast inside all weekend and does whatever it takes to win a basketball game. Schools looking for a blue collar guy that can hit shots, grab rebounds, and flat out do whatever it takes to get the "W" are sleeping on Fitzgerald as he was big time all weekend.
R.E.A.C.H. Legends were equally impressive as the boys from Michigan pulled off what many thought was a major upset early in the playoffs when they defeated the L.A. Dream Team, which featured Class of 2009 standout phenom Renardo Sidney. 2010 PG Keith Appling was solid all weekend and 2009 F Dion Sims continues to improve whenever he takes the floor.
The
RBS All-Stars, Illinois Warriors, and Chicago Demons all put down solid
performances this past weekend at the Howard Pulley Sabes Invitational
tournament in Minneapolis. The RBS All-Stars advanced to the elite eight
after some excellent perimeter shooting and the Illinois Warriors 17U took home
the tournament championship behind a monster performance from 09' SG David Brown
(left). Brown has become one of the elite SG prospects in the Midwest for
the Class of 2009 as he can attack the rim and really stroke the perimeter jump
shot with consistency. As for the Demons, they bounced back from an early
loss to the Howard Pulley Black 17U squad to pull of a very impressive playoff
victory over the same Black 17U squad 63-62. The Demons continue to
improve each time they take the floor and their 16U squad also has a number of
solid prospects to keep tabs on in the likes of Joseph Macon, DeShun Watkins,
and Floyd Campbell.
Equally solid this past weekend was the performance of the Grassroots Hoops 17U squad and 09' G Jordaire Jett, who recently received an offer from Baylor University. Grassroots Hoops made a strong run to the championship before bowing to the Illinois Warriors after a "lights out" shooting performance from David Brown (see above). Grassroots has some nice athletes and they really get out and go and Jett can get to the rack on anyone.
As for the host squad, 6'0" G Dylan Hale of St. Paul Central is a lights out shooter from the perimeter. He has a nice feel for the game and excellent range to go along with a beautiful stroke. Keep your eyes on him because he can really stroke the jumper.
Former Wisconsin prospect Creon Reed was in the lineup Friday night for the All Iowa Attack squad when they faced the 17U Howard Pulley Black team. Reed is a dribble penetration PG who attacks the rim relentlessly. Reed play this past April with the D.T.A. program and helped lead their 16U squad to a strong Final Four finish at the Real Deal on the Hill last month. Reed previously attended Milwaukee Madison before moving to Iowa last year. If he can develop his playmaking skills on the perimeter and continue to refine his jumper, he could be a very nice prospect in the coming years.
Congratulations to the SYF Players for capturing the championship at the GBOA Hoops North tournament this past weekend in Chicago, Illinois. 09' SF DeShawn Clay was sensational as was 09' PG John Taylor throughout the tournament. SYF dropped the Milwaukee Running Rebels, Illinois Rising Stars Gold, and Team Detroit in playoff action Sunday to capture the championship. Clay had 16 points and 6 rebounds while Taylor had 15 points and 4 assists in the championship win over Team Detroit 73-70. Team Detroit was lead by Kevin Smith who hit for 19 points and 5 rebounds in the title game.
As for the Milwaukee Running Rebels, they advanced the Elite 8 before falling to the SYF Players 68-61. One of the key pieces for the Rebels this past weekend was frosh PG Larry Bradley. Bradley is one of top frosh prospects in Wisconsin for the Class of 2011. They also featured strong play from fellow freshman Darnell Harris and Charles Lee. Equally solid was the play of 09' PG Danny McKeon, one of the most underrated PG prospects in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Tidbits
On the AAU side in Wisconsin, congratulations to the Wisconsin Blizzard who took home the 17U championship after defeating a strong Next Level Elite 17U squad in the championship game. The Blizzard continue to show they can play at a high level every time they take the court as does the Next Level Elite 17U squad. On the 16U side, to no one's surprise the Wisconsin Swing took home the 16U state championship after blowing out the Wisconsin Playground Warriors 16U squad 57-40 in the championship game. The team of Gasser, Kelm, Rank, Meinecke and Co. continue to show that they can really get it done when they take the court and left no doubt this past weekend with a number of convincing victories.
On the 15U side, congratulations to the Southern Swish as they took home the 15U state championship after defeating the defending champion Milwaukee Spartans 64-56. The Swish always play hard and have advanced deep into a number of tournaments the past couple years so it's good to see them get over the hump. The Playmakers squad also were impressive at the 15U level as they finished 3rd after defeating the Wisconsin Playground Warriors in the 3rd place game.
The NY2LA Sports Invitational is right around the corner May 30-June 1, 2008 and it is loaded once again. D.T.A., Wisconsin Swing, Playground Elite, Milwaukee Running Rebels, Milwaukee Spartans, Wisconsin Swing, Next Level Elite, Wisconsin Blizzard, Wisconsin Force, P.C. Players, Racine Warriors, Playmakers, and D.W. Wildcats are just of few of the Wisconsin teams already confirmed to for the event which will feature teams from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio! Schedules will be posted May 26, 2008. For more information call 414.732.3245
Have a great week and see you on the courts...
E-mail us at info@ny2lasports.com
Note: Antonio Curro of NY2LA Sports is the editor of NY2LASports.com and the Midwest Editor (i.e. Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) for the HoopScoop Online