It looks like there is a new sheriff on the adidas circuit, as is event by the fact that teams from the YGC36-Marcus Smart club team program took home the Championship in both the 16-Under and the 17-under Divisions in the adidas Gold Gautlet Finale, which was held last week at the Ladera Sports Center in Ladera Ranch, CA. And, in the 16-Under Division they knocked off a good Atlanta Celtic team that featured 6'9 Jr Jabari Smith from Tyrone (Sandy Creek) GA, who is one of the top players nationally in the Class of 2021. The final score was 61-51 and YGC36 had a well balanced attack that included 6'4 Jr Lamar Butler from Austin (Bowie) TX, 6'4 Jr Damon Nicholas from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'1 Jr Gavin Perryman from Dallas (Jesuit College Prep) TX, and 6'7 Jr Dametrious Crownover from Grandview (H.S.) TX, who finished with 12, 12, 10, and nine points apiece respectively. Butler is an athletic 2-guard with has good elevation and a soft touch on his jump shot and he hit a big three with about five minutes to go that turned out to be one of the final nails in the Atlanta Celtics' coffin. Nicholas is still pretty raw offensively, but he is an excellent defender, is aggressive on the boards, and gets more than his share of garbage points around the basket. Perryman is a touch hardnosed competitor who does a good job of knocking down the outside and creating scoring opportunities for his teammates. Crownover is a strong physical athletic post player who can score around the basket and is a force to be reckoned with on the boards.
As for the above mentioned Smith, we're talking about somebody who is long, fluid, mobile, and athletic and has the versatility and skills necessary to play both inside and outside. He also is young for his class, which means he also still has a long way to with regard to tapping into his upside and potential, and, although he will need to get bigger and stronger physically, he also knows how to compete and he played a key role with four treys and 23 points in his team's big 51-48 win in the semi-finals over Indiana Elite. However, before we start mentioning him in the same breath along with guys like 6'8 Jr Paolo Banchero from Seattle (O'Dea) WA, 610 Jr Patrick Baldwin from Sussex (Hamilton) WW, 6'8 Jr Jonathan Kuminga from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'6 Jr Terrence Clarke from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'11 Jr Moussa Cisse from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, and 7'0 Jr Chet Holmgren from Minneapolis (Minnehaha Academy) MA, who will be our top six-ranked juniors nationally when we update our rankings at the end of the summer, it is important to know that Smith has not been playing up a year in class like all of the other aforementioned guys and, as a result, does not have the same body of work against all of the top players nationally regardless of class. Smith also only had 13 points and didn't get it done at crunch time in the Championship Game against YGC36, as he missed two big threes and a long two and failed to get back on defense when his team was attempting to make a run and get back in the game as the final minutes were ticking away. Instead, the best player for the Atlanta Celtics in the Championship Game was 6'5 Jr Taihland Owens from Canton (Cherokee) GA. And he impressed us with his size, athleticism, and soft touch and deep range on his jump shot, as he knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with 20 points in the title game.
We also find the parallel interesting between Smith and 6'5 Frosh Elijah Fisher from North York (Crestwood) ON. We're talking about somebody who is versatile enough to play just about anywhere on the court and had 19 points en route to a 56-44 win by Grassroots Canada over Indiana Elite in the semi-finals of the 15-Under Division. However, he made several costly turnovers down the stretch, missed two big free throws with 1:04 left in the game, and missed what would have been the game winning shot in the final seconds of the Championship Game. The final score was 67-65 and Fisher did have 26 points in that game. He also is bigger, stronger, and more athletic that most of the other players in this age group and, as a result, it will be interesting to see if some of the other guys in this class catch up with him down the road. However, Fisher handles and passes the ball extremely well for somebody his size, does have excellent moves to the basket, can more than just keep you honest with his outside shooting, rebounds well for his size, and does have a great combination of skills and natural talent. And it isn't even close when he start comparing Fisher and 6'3 Frosh Mikey Williams from San Diego (San Ysidro) CA, who has been touted by some as the top player nationally in the Class of 2023. Fisher only had 11 points when we watched the Compton Magic 16-Under team beat the Atlanta Celtic Dickerson Elite, 63-54, in a pool play game on the first day of action and he had 23 points when we saw him again when the Compton Magic beat Team Hardin in a 82-62 game in the Consolation Bracket on the final day of action. Williams was playing up two years in class and he does have a good combination of size and athleticism, knows how to both create for himself and his teammates, and he is very good at attacking the basket and drawing the and-one. However, he's not as good right now nor does he have the upside and potential of Fisher, 6'7 8th Grader Omaha Biliew from Des Moines, IA, and 6'10 8th Grader David Oyona Ibandzo from Covington, OK. If you will recall, we saw Biliew and Ibandzo when they were playing for the Team Griffin 14-Under Team back in March at the John Lucas All-Star Weekend and Ibandzo also took home the #1-ranking at the John Lucas International Middle School Combine. On the other hand, it appears that Williams has a better social media following.
We also don't want to forget about the YGC36-Marcus Smart team that squeaked out a 59-58 win against the Compton Magic in the Championship Game in the 17-Under Division and featured a well-balanced attack that included 6'7 Jr Harrison Ingram from Dallas (St. Mark's) TX, 6'10 Gethro Muscadin from Bel Aire (Sunrise Christian) KS, 6'6 Andrew Laczkowski from Dallas (St. Mark's) TX, 6'3 Marcus Ervin from Euless ( Trinity) TX, 6'2 Julian Larry from Frisco (Lonestar) TX, and and 5'11 Latrell Joseph from Central) TX. Ingram scored 10 points in the semi-finals and 13 points in the Championship Game and he has the skills and versatility necessary to play anywhere out on the perimeter. He also is a great passer, can score off the dribble, is capable of defending multiple positions, and is good enough to already be attracting a lot of big time attention and be ranked among the top 50 players nationally in the Class of 2021. Muscadin is still very raw offensively, but one has to like his ability to run the court, his quickness around the basket, and the way he rebounds, blocks shots, and makes his presence felt at the defensive end. Laczkowski has good size for the wing forward spot and he arguably was his team's most consistent outside shooter, as is evident by the fact that he combined to knocked down five treys in the semi-finals and the Championship Game. Ervin is an under the radar screen 2-guard who knows how to compete, has good speed, quickness, and athleticism and he showed that he can knock down the outside shot with four treys when his team knocked off the Mass Rivals 62-58 in the semi-finals of the 17-under Division. Larry didn't put big numbers, but he has good speed, quickness, and athleticism, capable of running the show, is a good defender, and brings a competitive edge to the table.
The Compton Magic also deserve plenty of accolades, as they advanced all the way to the title game and came within one-point of winning the Championship in the 17-Under Division even though they were without the services of 7'0 Evan Mobley from Temecula (Rancho Christian) CA, who is still recovering from a back injury that occurred while he was playing with the USA Team in the FIBA 19-Under World Cup. And the two big guns for the Compton Magic were 6'6 Jaylen Clark from Corona (Centennial) CA and 6'7 Chibuzo Agbo from San Diego (St. Augustine) CA, who finished with 17 points and 23 points respectively. The former doesn't have a true position and we still have questions about his outstanding shooting and ball handling skills. However, he know how to put up numbers and he sure does get results when it comes time use his size and athleticism to rebound, attack the basket, and defend. Agbo is a versatile athletic 3-man and he showed a lot more confidence in his outside shooting with three treys in the second half of the title game. We're still trying to figure out what has happened to 6'7 Dalen Terry from Phoenix (Hillcrest Prep) CA, who was sensational at the Magic Memorial Day Tournament, not quite as good at the Pangos All-American Camp, disappointing at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, and even worse this time around, as is evident by the fact that he only had six points in the Championship Game. He does have the size and skills necessary to be very effective at the either guard spot and he does have excellent moves and quickness to the basket. However, he is not as good an outside shooter as we originally thought he was and we also have to wonder if the fact that he doesn't have Mobley backing him up in the post has something to do with it.
The Compton Magic also squeaked out an 64-62 win against the New York Jayhawks in the semi-finals and the two best players in this game were the above mentioned Clark, who finished with 24 points and surprised us with a pair of threes in the first half, and 6'8 Zed Key from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY, who appears to have picked up where he left off when we last saw him at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, where he was ranked among the top dozen scorers in camp with 13.5 ppg and finished ranked #37 overall and #7 at the power forward position. This time around he had 22 points in the semi-finals and we also liked the fact that he knows how to score in the post, is not adverse to contact. and knows how to get it done on the boards. And providing Key with the perfect complement out on the perimeter were 6'1 Andre Curbelo from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY and 6'6 Jalen Celestine from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY, who chipped in with 15 and 14 points apiece in the semi-finals. If you will recall, Curbelo is a tough hardnosed point guard with good ball handling and passing skills, the ability to stop and pop, and good quickness to the rim and he played well enough to also get ranked #28 overall and #5 at the point guard spot at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp. Celestine is a tough hardnosed athletic 2-guard who can both shoot and slash and right now he is getting a lot of mid-major looks.
It also was easy to be enamored with the length, size, and skills of 6'5 Jr Casey Simmons from Milton (Academy) MA, who was the best player for the Mass Rivals in the other semi-finals game. In case you were unaware, Simmons is ranked #2 in his class by Adam Finkelstein in his New England Recruiting Report and he is good enough to be ranked among the top 50 juniors nationally. He will need to get bigger and stronger physically and he will need to develop more of an outside shooter's mentality. However, he also has extremely quick hands and feet, is an excellent defender, and is versatility enough to play the one, two, or the three spot. And providing Simmons with the perfect complement out on the perimeter were 6'2 DeMarr Langford from Putnam (Science) CT and 6'2 Jr Tyler Whitney-Sidney from Andover (The Brooks) MA, who are ranked #2 and #4 by Finkelstein in their respective classes in New England. What Langford does best is use his quickness, athleticism, and strength to attack the basket and finish off transition. However, it also looks like his outside shooting is continuing to improve, as is evident by the fact that he finished with 10 points and knocked down a pair of treys in the semi-finals. Whitney-Sidney is a crafty point guard who knows how to run the show and get his teammates involved. The other team that lost in the semi-finals of the 17
It also looks like the pendulum has swung the back other way in the direction of 6'5 Kyree Walker with regard to which one we think is the better player at Phoenix (Hillcrest) AZ. If you will recall, Walker was awful at the Magic Memorial Day Tournament, but then bounced back and played well enough to be ranked among the better players at both Pangos All-American Camp and NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp. And this time around he deserves extra credit for scoring 11 points and continuing to play despite a hand injury in a meaningless Third Round Loser Bracket Consolation Game against the Wildcats Select. Dream Vision won that game 59 -54 and 7'0 Makur Maker from Orange (Lutheran) CA and 6'10 Isaiah Cottrell from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV also scored 16 points and eight points apiece respectively. If you will recall, Maker is a long athletic multi-dimensional athletic big man with the size and skills necessary to play both inside. He also runs the floor extremely well, can block shot and protect the rim, and is a match-up problem with his ability to step out and knock down the outside. There also is no question about his pedigree (his cousin Thon Maker), but we still think he is much more of a potential guy than a finished product and we are amazed by the fact that Rivals.com and 247 Sports.com both have him ranked among the top five juniors nationally. Cottrell isn't ready to step up and conquer the world yet either, but he's gotten stronger physically, is capable of scoring both inside and outside, and he continues to play with more confidence and should be a good catch for West Virginia. This also is a good place to mention that 6'4 Jr Will McClendon from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV didn't play in Dream Vision's final game on Sunday, but was lights out with five 3-pointers and 19 points when we saw Dream Vision knock off Urban-DFW in pool play on the first day of action. If you will recall, McClendon is a strong physical combo guard who knows how to create for both himself and his teammates, is an excellent defender and can be a match-up problem when he attacks the basket.
There also are mixed reviews with regard to what we saw from 6'9 Henry Coleman from Trinity (Episcopal) VA and 6'9 J.T. Thor from Huntington (Prep) WV when we watched Team Loaded-Virginia in their 68-66 lost against Team Rose on the first day of action in pool play. The former has a good combination of strength and power, which he uses to finish strong and rebound in the post and, after watching him finish with 20 points and double-digit rebounds against Team Rose in pool play, it's easy to see why he is a consensus top 50-ranked player nationally in the Class of 2020. The latter had only seven points in the same game and his game is more finesse than power. He also has great length, has good ball handling and passiig skills for somebody his size, and has a knack for being able to score both inside and outside. However, he will need to become a lot tougher customer if he wants to live up to all of the hype and high expectations. We also want to give Ronnie Flores of Ballislife.com and the HOOP SCOOP an assist with regard to 6'9 Johni Broome from Tampa (Catholic) FL. He will need to get bigger and stronger physical, but he runs the court, is aggressive around the basket, and is capable of putting up impressive numbers when it comes time to block shots, rebound, and score in the post. He also is good enough to be ranked in the 101-200 nationally and is still very much under the national radar screen. As a matter of fact, with the exception of the HoopSeen's Justin Young, who saw Broome play last winter at the ARC/Rescue Rooter National Hoop Fest in Tampa, FL and the adidas Memorial Day Classic in Tampa, FL, nobody has written much of anything about this blossoming 4-man.
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We also spent some time at the Ryan Silver's West Coast Elite Top 100 Camp, which was held last week at the American Sports Center in Anaheim, CA. And the best player in attendance was 6'11 Jr Nathan Bittle from Central Point (Crater) OR. He will have to get bigger and stronger physically, did not knock down a plethora of 3-pointers like he did when we saw him at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, and only 10 points in the Top 20 All-Star Game. However, he was very fluid, mobile, and agile around the basket and very active on the boards and skilled big men who can run the floor, block shots, and score both inside and outside like this guy does are hard to find. As a matter of fact, Bittle is so good right now that he is a consensus top 15-ranked junior nationally, should be a near lock for the McDonald's All-American Game year-after-next, and promises to be the best player that Silver has ever had in his West Coast Elite club team program. And that's a pretty strong statement when one remembers that University of Arizona's Nico Mannion and Josh Green both came up through the ranks in this program.
We also were very impressed with the likes of 6'7 Carlos Rosario from Phoenix (Veritas Prep) AZ, 6'7 Logan Cremones from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'2 Soph Adam Mahaney from Moraga (Campolindo) Ca, and 6'0 Malvin Payero from San Jose (Valley Christian) CA, all of whom are pretty much interchangeable in the 2-5 range based on their performance in camp. Rosario is versatile enough to play both inside and outside, can score in a variety of ways, is aggressive on the boards, and has the ability to be good on-the-ball defender. He also was the MVP a week-and-a-half ago at the Pangos Sweet 16, but is still very much under the radar screen and is good enough to be ranked in the 101-200 range nationally. Cremones is a face-up 4-man with good size for his position and what he does is shoot the basketball, which he did to the tune nine points and three treys in the Top 20 All-Star Game. We also suspect that this will be a preview of things to come when he is teamed up with 6'4 Jr Devin Askew and 6'10 Jr Wilheim Breidenbach at Santa Ana (Mater Die) CA Mahaney has the skills necessary to play either guard spot, but what separated him from most of the other players in this camp was his ability to both get to the rim and knock down the outside shot en route to 12 points in the Top 20 All-Star Game. Payero is a true point guard who knows how to run a team, plus he also impressed with his speed, quickness, and athleticism and ability get out and go in transition en route 10 points in the Top 20 All-Star Game.
And, when we dig a little deeper, we also find that 6'9 Jr Deiman Reyes from Phoenix (Veritas Prep) AZ, 6'3 Jr Austin Patterson from La Habra (Sonora) CA, 6'3 Kyle Braun from Woodland Hills (El Camino Real) CA, 6'2 Jr Kenneth Simpson from West Hills (Chaminade College Preparatoty) CA, and 6'8 Bradley Ezewiro from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA all played well enough in the Top 20 All-Star Game to get a mention. Reyes is a strong physical 4-man with a shot touch and the ability to be a force to be reckoned with his aggressive on the boards. Patterson also has a soft touch and deep range on his jump shot and he knocked three long-range bombs in the Top 20 All-Star Game. Braun is a skilled point guard with plenty of court savvy and a knack for being able to run the show, plus he can more than just keep you hones with his outside shooting. Simpson is more of a slasher than a shooter and he makes a living using his explosive in the open court to get to the basket and draw the and-one. Ezewiro is a good fashioned beast around the basket and he's not adverse to contact, taking up space, and battling for rebounds.
We also don't want to forget about 6'3 Soph Ben Shtolzberg from Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame) CA, 6'7 Jr Hudson Hansen from Bellevue) WA, 6'8 Kerick Walker from Exeter (Phillips Exeter Academy) NH, 6'5 Adam Weingard from San Juan Capistrano (San Juan Hills) CA, and 6'4 Jr Malachi Jones from Santa Monica (H.S.) CA, who were the five best players in the Top 40 All-Star Game. Shtolzberg was easily the best player in game and what he does best is use his crafty ball handling skills to run the team and get his teammates involved. However, he also plays with a lot of poise and confidence and he showed that he can both penetrate and dish and beat you with his outside shooting, as is evident by the fact that he knocked down three treys and finished with 15 points in the Top 40 All-Star Game. Hansen is a face-up 4-man who is light on his feet, can knock down the outside shot, and is very effective when it comes time to score, rebound, and pass in and out of the post. Walker does not have much speed and quickness, but he does have a great nose for the ball and always seems to be in the right place at the time to make the play, plus he showed he can let it rip with four treys and 16 points in the Top 40 All-Star Game. Weingard also finished with 16 points and he's another guy who just knows how to play, take advantage of his strength ability to get to the basket, and can also knock down the outside shot. Jones will need to get bigger and stronger physically, but he had 11 points in the Top 40 All-Star Game, has good moves and quickness to the basket, can knock down the outside shot, and rebounds well for his size and position.