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DC ASSAULT AAU TOURNAMENT: DAY ONE

 By Anthony Jaskulski

In the opening night and inaugural year of the DC Assault’s hosted ‘Take Your Best Shot AAU Tournament’, some of the nations capital’s best teams opened the three-day event with a bang last night, keeping the fans in attendance fired up for astounding alley-oop dunks and exceptional shooting, backed by great defense.                                   

In the Hoop Magic Sports Academy complex, six courts set the setting for teams from all over to show off their skills and hopefully gain enough buzz to find their names at the top of recruiting charts.

It wasn’t a busy first day of action, as many teams had the first day off, but here was some of the more noted action from Day one.

DC Assault 72, BRYC Tarheels 23
17-U Division

It didn’t take long for the DC Assault to show why they have their names written all over this tournament.  Making beautiful plays, smart decisions, and letting solid defense lead to easy transition, DC Assault smoked their early competition and even forced the mercy rule into effect, which ended the game with four minutes left.  Wallace Judge led all scorers with 19 points as well as grabbing nine rebounds and four steals, including a pick-pocket move that led to a fast-break jam, getting the crowd off it’s feet early in the first half.  Javon Farrell chipped in with 13 points, while Christian Webster finished with 12.  David Meija led BRYC with 15 points and six assists.

Scouting Report:

Wallace Judge

Small Forward, 6′7, class of 2009

Top Interest: Kansas State (Verbal Commit)

Strong Point: Can drive and dish with great court vision; limits turnovers.

Area of Improvement: Developing a consistent outside jumper.

The Skinny:

Wallace brought great intensity and showed why Kansas St. beat Pitt, Georgetown and WVU to the chase in nabbing the young recruit.  With great ball-handling skills and an impressive leader in the transition game as well as the offense, Judge is one of the top 2009 candidates you will find that can drive the hole and make a great play at the basket or the impressive dish for the easy layup, and still get back on defense to give you his best effort.  He is of the smaller end of the DC Assault team, but his hardiness and intensity does not go overlooked, and plays much bigger than his frame indicates.  With a stronger outside game offensively, Judge can mold himself into another young phenom at Kansas St. ala Bill Walker.

He said it:

“I think they (Kansas St) like the fact that I don’t give up and continue to fight either on offense or defense. Even if I make a bad play, I won’t quit until I redeem myself on the next possession.”

Javon Farrell

Small Forward/Shooting Guard, 6′4, class of 2009

Top Interest: Connecticut, Louisville, Kentucky, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech

Strong Point: Strong shooter off-the-dribble as well as catch-and-shoot.

Area of Improvement: Needs more intensity and presence defensively.

The Skinny:

There was no question who the go-to man on the perimeter was last night, as Farrell dropped most of his field goals from outside the paint and made it look good.  He has great court awareness and will find the easiest option on offensive trips.  Farrell is a selfless player that is not afraid to get his teammates involved, but is assertive enough to take matters into his own hands with his deadly jumper.  Defensively, Javon needs to get back quicker, but when one-on-one defending, Farrell has quick enough hands to pick the ball and take it to the other end without getting a whistle.  Much like his teammates, Farrell is tough, energetic and quick, and will be a big addition to any team that lands him.

He said it:

“Oh I love the Big East, and I would love to play in it in the future.  I love the constant competition and how tough every team is from top-to-bottom.  I could see myself playing somewhere in there.”

Rodney McGruder

Small Forward/Guard, 6′4, class of 2009

Top Interest: Kansas St. (Verbal Commit)

Strong Point: Energy player that can swing momentum for an entire half with one big play.

Area of Improvement: Needs to control his speed and ball-handling ability better.

The Skinny:

Kansas St. hit the jackpot yet again with this solid recruit out of Maryland.  Rodney threw a few dunks down today that would stick in many fans mental highlight reels for years to come.  He has the ability to make a steal, dunk the ball on transition, and then pull down a tough rebound all in a row.  The energized style of McGruder has kept him pacing in front of the competition, but needs to find more strength in his ball-handling skills and to hustle more after broken plays. 

He said it:

“I think I need to get quicker and learn how to become more of an all-around player.  I am willing to learn and won’t let anything I’m taught go by me.”

Prymetime 70, Maryland Madness 54
17-U Division

In another lopsided game, Prymetime took care of Maryland Madness, mostly in the transition game where most of the points for Prymetime came, and where most of the turnovers were forced.  The sloppy game was highlighted by Danny Agbelse, who finished with nine points and eight rebounds.  The tough big man also blocked three shots in the game, and threw several dunks down, including an ally-oop jam that nearly shook the entire gym, as well as nearly bringing down the entire hoop.  Justin Bess led the team with 15 points.

Scouting Report:

Danny Agbelese

Power Forward/Center, 6′8, class of 2009

Top Interest: N/A

Strong Point: Intense big man with aggressive moves in the paint.

Area of Improvement: Needs more control offensively.

The Skinny:

He is a very underrated and surprisingly being over-looked by schools that could be missing out on a really good prospect.  Although he says letters of D-1 interest make their way to him, there is no official record of any interest thus far.  Danny is a well defined, strong big man with great hands and a big frame that can add plenty of size with a strong off-season workout plan.  Comparing himself to a Dwight Howard, Agbelese showed shades of one of the NBA’s most dominant big men, as clearing space and jamming passes seemed to be his forte during the game.  Danny also showed off his quick hands and smart thinking, making some pretty passes that led to easy layups for his teammates.  He has incredible intensity and is a force to be reckoned with defensively, and is a trusty, reliable stud in the paint offensively.  Finding more control and just a little more strength, Agbelese could be one of the bigger dark horses and could be a steal for a D-1 school that gives the big man a chance.

He said it:

“I like to think of myself as a Dwight Howard kind of player.  He is tough and brings the game to him, and I’d like to think that’s what I can do.  I think I’ll get noticed, but I can’t think about it, and instead, work harder to put myself in that position of getting noticed.”

DC Assault 66, Metro All-Stars 35
16-U Division

The DC Assault squads continued their reign as the nightcap on court #1 showcased one of the best 16-U squads in the nation in the DC Assault, and they did not disappoint.  Coach David Dodson, father of Pittsburgh recruit Darnell, prepped his squad as well as possible and it showed on the court, as mental toughness and well-developed plays were executed exceptionally for the young Assault squad.  Showing off their run-and-gun style on the slower Metro All-Stars, the Assault, led by Eric Atkins, simply out-paced the opposition and put on a solid defensive show and a lights out performance offensively.  Atkins finished the game with 10 points and six assists on the night, while teammate Tyler Thornton contributed with eight points and five rebounds.  Max Esho led all scorers with 15 points.

Scouting Report:

Eric Atkins

Point Guard, 6′1, class of 2010

Top Interest: Georgetown, Maryland, George Mason, Pittsburgh, Texas

Strong Point: Great court awareness and vision; exceptional basketball IQ

Area of Improvement: Outside shot needs a little more work.

The Skinny:

A tough, athletic guard that has basketball influence all around him wraps up what Eric Atkins is.  Atkins has an intense, high-speed ability and showed it as he dominated all three defenders that were put on him last night.  Eric drove the ball to the rim with exceptional force and does not play like his smaller stature would indicate.  Atkins can make strong passes and is quick enough to improvise on the offensive end and turn a broken play into an easy layup on the break.  Atkins is fast in the transition and with a better outside shot, can become a deadly threat to anybody that faces him.

He said it:

“I’m actually pretty good friends with DJ Augustine and I’ve talked to him a couple times.  He tells me to just keep shooting and put out the best I can do every time I step on the court.  I get a lot of confidence when players like that tell me I’m doing good and give me even more advice to use.”

Tyler Thornton

Shooting Guard, 6′2, class of 2010

Top Interest: Georgetown, Duke, Villanova, Wake Forest, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia

Strong Point: Quick footwork and hands.

Area of Improvement: More hustle would lead to more second chances.

The Skinny:

A powerful guard with a crisp shot from outside, and quick footwork helps this star get noticed the most.  Thornton’s defense is intense and his pick-pocket ability leads to easy transition not just for him but his entire team.  Tyler is a team player that will not hesitate to involve all four players around him on the offensive front.  Thornton also has an incredible leaping ability which proved he could get rim and also block a shot from the oppositions small forward.  Thornton also is a finisher and hardly commits turnovers with his sound, methodic ball-handling skills.

He said it:

“I think everybody can add something to their game, and I’m learning new things every day that I can bring to mine.”

Max Esho

Power Forward, 6′7, class of 2010

Top Interest: N/A

Strong Point: Has the ability to handle the ball well and shoot well from outside the paint.

Area of Improvement: Needs to put on more weight and get stronger.

The Skinny:

Esho is a very long big man that can block shots and pick steals, as well as grab most rebounds that come anywhere near him.  He is a pretty tough force in the paint, but could use more strength to create a little more space to make it easier on the glass for him.  Max jammed a few as well as showed incredible resilience when missing layups offensively, by pulling in almost every shot he missed for the offensive put-back.  Esho also brings quick hands to his game and showed he could handle the ball as a 3 man, and shoot like one too. 

He said it:

“I like the Big East and the ACC the most out of all the conferences.  The intense play in the Big East keeps me interested the most because there is always a challenge.  I love challenges and stronger competition.  It only makes you better.”

Anthony Jaskulski covers the University of Pittsburgh basketball beat as well as the Pittsburgh high school beat for the Pittsburgh Sports Report. Look for more of Anthony’s coverage this weekend from the Jam Fest here at the NBE Basketball Report.

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