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SATAURDAY AT DC ASSAULT AAU TOURNAMENT

DC Assault’s Take Your Best Shot Tournament: Day Two
By Anthony Jaskulski

It was the busiest day of the DC Assault-run “Take Your Best Shot” AAU Tournament. In the events inaugural weekend, a flurry of activity was spread over the six courts at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy with an abundance of talent making it a rigid task to target all the action, but here is a look at some of the top recruits and AAU teams that ran the floor on Saturday…

17-U Division

Philly Pride 62, Prymetime 50
In the afternoon set on court 2, the Philly Pride took the floor against Prymetime and found themselves in a grid-locked battle until the final five minutes, when Philly proved to be too much to handle. With Prymetime committing 18 turnovers in the game, Philly’s star players in Rahlir Jefferson and Tyree Johnson took full advantage and scored at will to close out the win. Jefferson finished with nine pts and eight rebounds, while Johnson led all scorers with 16 points. Guard Justin Bess led Prymetime with 12 points and four assists on the day.

Scouting Report:

Rahlir Jefferson
Forward, 6’5, Class of 2009

Strong Point: Tough inside defender; strong rebounding.

Area of Improvement: Needs to develop a better jump shot.

The Skinny:
Rahlir showed why he has been receiving letters of D-1 interest on the defensive end of the court. The 6’5 forward plays with incredible aggressiveness, has extremely quick hands and can run the floor in transition. Jefferson plays with much more size than just his 6’5 stature and can has a pretty decent frame for a big man. With all of his agility and skills on the defensive end, Rahlir showed signs of fatigue and struggled a bit offensively. He showed he has a tough time finishing the play, and despite great hands, struggles to work a move on the inside. With his great work ethics and hardiness, Jefferson can mold himself into a much better offensive threat and become an all-around player that will have D-1 schools chomping at the bit.

He said it:
“I think working on my jump shot is very important right now. If I can get that down, I will be a lot more confident about my game in general.”

Tyree Johnson
Guard, 6’6, Class of 2010

Strong Point: Great shooter of the dribble and has great range.

Area of Improvement: Needs to play a stronger defense.

The Skinny:
Tyree has incredible ball-handling skills and a fantastic jump shot for such a young player. Towards the end of the game, Johnson drained eight straight free throws to put the final nail in the coffin against Prymetime, which proves he already has the clutch gene well installed in his basketball DNA. Johnson, with his exceptional spot-shooting and wide-range, needs to get better hands and in the oppositions face more defensively. Johnson has great intensity on offense and seems to have the skill to drive to the hoop as he showed on several occasions. His passing ability proves to be above average and will find the open man if double-teamed instead of forcing up a contested shot.

He said it:
“I could definitely see myself playing in the Big East in the future. It’s just such a tough conference and every game is a huge competition. I love the battles and the never-ending challenges you see day in and day out from that conference.”

WPC Elite 74, Potomac Pride 52
With one of the better front-courts at the tournament, WPC took full effect against Potomac Pride and dominated them in the afternoon set on Saturday. Forward Isaiah Armwood rocked the house with 14 points and 10 rebounds, including several impressive dunks off the catch and dribble. Terrell Vinson, however, led all scorers with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and put on one of the more dominating performances at the weekend long tournament.

Scouting Report:

Isaiah Armwood
Forward, 6’8, class of 2009

Top Interest: Georgetown, Maryland, Villanova, Syracuse, Texas, Louisville, North Carolina.

Strong Point: Fantastic footwork underneath; very quick.

Area of Improvement: Needs to work on finishing the play the first time.

The Skinny:
Armwood has incredible strength and can clear plenty of space underneath. He pulled down some strong rebounds and made nice open-outlet passes to push the transition game for his team. He has great footwork, but needs to execute better moves and finish his shot on the first attempt, as many easy lay-ups were blown. Isaiah can take advantage of his wingspan and unlike a lot of big men his size, can run the floor with great ease, proving to be a very versatile player. Armwood also displayed a lot of aggressiveness underneath and had great stamina, keeping his intensity from start to finish on both ends of the floor.

He said it:“I like to think of myself as a strong player that can help his team out in every way possible. I’m just one guy and to win you need everybody on your team playing a role.”

Terrell Vinson
Forward, 6’8, class of 2009

Strong Point: Great rebounder.

Area of Improvement: Needs to be a better decision maker offensively.

The Skinny:
While he is not clear on the school of his choice so far, Terrell can surely play a great component to somebody’s game plan. With his dominating skills defensively, and quick ability on offense to get up the uncontested shot inside the paint, Unison is a strong and surprisingly quick big man. He needs to find a little bit of a better game outside of the paint to contribute any real threat offensively, but still took advantage of his size to put up plenty of points in the paint. His defense is hands-down exceptional; with tons of aggressiveness and nice leaping capabilities with a long wingspan that helps a great amount with his rebounding.

He said it:
“I think defense is the most important part of the game, not just because it’s stopping the other team, but you need defense to get offense.”

Hoop Magic (white) 56, B-More Hoopsters 36
In another dominating performance, Hoop Magic (White) stole the show from B-More and cruised to an early lead thanks to strong performances from their stars. Paul Miller led his squad with 18 points on the day, with exceptional shooting from all parts of the floor and tough, hard-nosed defense that kept his man from finding uncontested shots. Gerry Devine also chipped in with 11 points, while Ed Hall finished with eight.

Scouting Report:

Paul Miller
Guard, 6’1, class of 2009

Top Interest: Fordham, Rutgers, George Mason, Akron

Strong Point: Nice jump shot from outside.

Area of Improvement: Needs to drive the lane more.

The Skinny:
Miller showed signs of a fantastic shooter, as he dropped most of his outside shots in the game and helped his team race out to the early lead and keep it. The only problem offensively was his in-ability to consistently drive the lane and make a strong finish to the rim or dump it off for the easy lay-up. His defense is tough and is a sturdy man up defender as well as quick on the zone. He gets in the face of his man and does not allow any easy shots to be released and can successfully go for the steal more times than not. With a better game in the paint offensively, Miller can turn himself into a versatile guard and possibly find more offers come his way as his final season of high school basketball comes along next year.

16-U Division

Team Melo 63, Philly Pride 42
Showing off its traditional dominance, Team Melo took to the floor against the Philly Pride in a main court showdown for the 16 and under division, and completely dictated the entire game from start to finish. Leading all scorers with 18 points, Derrell Edwards showcased his best talent as breakaway dunks, quick steals and beautiful shooting had the crowd wooed for much of the afternoon game. Davon Ushor chipped in with 14 points and six rebounds for Team Melo.

Scouting Report:

Derrell Edwards
Guard/Forward, 6’2, class of 2010

Strong Point: Energy player with superstar capabilities on both ends of the floor; never quit attitude.

Area of Improvment: Could use better ball-handling skills.

The Skinny:
A very underrated prospect and in a thought, could be one of the more dominating players in D-1 when his time comes. Derrell completely stole the show with his fine shooting and exceptional transition game that always resulted in a strong finish. He showcased one of the best “never-quit” attitudes seen at the entire tournament, and his incredible resilience paid off on both ends of the floor. His determination and hardiness was shown late in the game when most kids took the foot off the gas pedal, Edwards dove for a ball that was going out of bounce to keep the possession alive, while sliding into the seats. Edwards has strength and great agility, and his quick hands and footwork benefit him defensively, where rebounds and steals seem to come rather easy to the star. Derrell showed find himself on the top of many D-1 schools lists for the class of 2010 pretty soon if not already.

He Said it:
“I like the fact that I can make a play that can change momentum, but I am a pass-first kind of player. If I have a guy open I’m going to find him before I take the shot myself.”

Davon Usher
Forward, 6’3, class of 2010

Strong Point: Quick off the dribble; always in the right spot.

Area of Improvement: Needs to gain more intensity on defense.

The Skinny:
Another underrated prospect lies in forward Davon Usher. He showed he is best at shaking his defender and being the open man on many possessions and is a trusty player to give to the ball to down-low, as he will finish for you at most times. While he could work on his inside moves a little more, Usher still has nice hands that can catch nearly any pass thrown his way. His defense can be exceptional at times, but can also be a little lazy on some possessions. Davon is fast and can run the transition break for a forward pretty well.

He Said It:
“I like to think I have a pretty good game that will keep a lot of scouts interested. I could see me playing at a lot of places right now and the window is open when it comes to making a decision.”

15-U Division

Maryland Bulls 56, DC Assault 49
In the marquee game of the 15 and under division, the Maryland Bulls came from behind to top off DC Assault in upset fashion Saturday. Loaded with possible future D-1 stars in Quinn Cook and Chris Martin, DC Assault had an early double-digit lead, but turnovers and lockdown defense from the Bulls led to quick transition points and swung the momentum in the latter stages of the game. Cook, however, finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Martin led all scorers with 18 points. De’Angelo Boyce led the Bulls with 16 points.

Scouting Report:

Quinn Cook
Point Guard, 5’11, class of 2011

Strong Point: Versatile guard with quick hands and a strong finisher.

Area of Improvement: Can be too careless with the ball.

The Skinny:
Quinn is another early bloomer from the point guard position, and has shown a load of developed talent thus far. Despite his streaky ball-handling skills, Cook is a fairly consistent shooter that has plenty of range, but can also drive the hole and make a strong finish. His defense was quick and had his man locked up for the most part of the game, and even worked several turnovers. While Quinn has plenty of time to develop even more in his game, it is safe to say that at this moment, D-1 interest for the guard is imminent.

He said it:
“I have seen letters but no real offers at this point. But when I’m deciding for school, I want to go for its academics and not just because it’s a good basketball school.”

Chris Martin
Guard/Forward, 6’0, class of 2011

Strong Point: Sturdy defender with quick feet and reaction time.

Area of Improvement: Needs to develop a better consistent range shooting.

The Skinny:
Although not proven the best offensive weapon on his team, Martin could be their best defender and energizing player that can completely take over a game. Chris finished with 18 points, but a lot was off of misses and wide-open looks after a defensive breakdown. As much as he hit, a lot of shots were missed, but with plenty of time to focus on a crisper, more consistent jump shot, Martin should find it easy to cope with everything else. He is a very tough on-the-ball defender and made his man look silly at times with clean steals and beating him to the bucket on offense. Martin also ripped down several rebounds which showed his great aggressiveness and versatility defensively. He can bang with the big men and is not afraid to play in the paint on either end of the court.

He said it:
“I don’t think there is anything else I love doing more than playing basketball. I love working on my game and getting better every time I step on the floor for another game.”

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.

For more on the ‘Take Your Best Shot’ event, you can see Anthony’s report from Friday night: DC Assault AAU Tournament: Day One. Also, Ron Bailey at i95ballerz.com has the ’Take Your Best Shot’ Title Results from Sunday’s action.

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