Alex Schwartz, Auburn Recruiting, Butler Recruiting, Connecticut Recruiting, Georgetown Recruiting, Harvard Recruiting, Kansas Recruiting, Miami Recruiting, Mississippi State Recruiting, Notre Dame Recruiting, Oregon State, Penn Recruiting, Pittsburgh Recruiting, Rhode Island Recruiting, Richmond Recruiting, Rutgers Recruiting, Seton Hall Recruiting, St. Joseph's Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting, UNC-Charlotte Recruiting, USF Recruiting, VCU Recruiting

REEBOK SHOWDOWN SERIES – PHILADELPHIA (SATURDAY RECAP)

By Alex Schwartz

PHILADELPHIA – In its inaugural year, the Reebok Showdown Series has managed to attract some quality teams. In fact, the field at the Philadelphia event this weekend is one of the best of any tournament in the month of June. NBE Sports was on hand for much of the day on Saturday and had the chance to take in some impressive performances and talk with some talented prospects.

TOP PERFORMER

Rondae Jefferson: One of the top players in the class of 2013 on a national level, the Chester (PA) star was at his absolute best on Saturday afternoon. Versatile enough to play three positions, the 6’6 Jefferson is best suited as a small forward who can be a secondary ball handler and also provide aid down low. With Jaren Sina not present for Team Final, Jefferson actually played a lot of point guard in this affair and was fantastic in doing so. He has a great feel for the game, sees the floor quite well and knows how to hit the open man. Possessing a great build, quality athleticism and nice strength, Jefferson is also impressive from a physical standpoint. The younger brother of Temple’s Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, Rondae has an impressive skill set, gets to the cup with ease and can really score it. He continues to improve his game and does not seem to be done making progress.

TOP SLEEPER PERFORMER

Kyle Green: While it was not a loud performance from Green, the 6’5 small forward out of Camden Catholic (NJ) had a nice showing for the Jersey Shore Warriors. A class of 2013 prospect, Green is a skilled kid who finds a way to get things done on the hardwood. He is a productive player who is capable of getting to the basket off the bounce. Additionally, once the hard-playing forward gets through traffic and reaches the rim, he is able to finish and put points on the board.

OTHER TOP PERFORMERS

DeAndre Bembry: Although the 6’6 combo forward has a fairly limited skill set, he is able to be a productive player anyway because of his big-time athleticism. The 2013 prospect out of St. Patrick’s (NJ) turned in one of his best performances on Saturday night, showing off quality shot blocking ability and also getting to the rim off the bounce. Bembry finishes well and can throw down some very impressive dunks. He has a good build and displayed some nice passing ability for Sports U.

Ben Bentil: Although his team took a loss, Bentil turned in a nice performance for We R 1 in the game that NBE caught. A 6’8 class of 2014 power forward out of St. Andrew’s (DE), Bentil is an impressive physical specimen with a great frame, nice strength and good athleticism. He rebounds the ball very well at both ends of the floor and his offensive skill set seems to be coming along, as he demonstrated as nice drop step for a deuce. He let his frustration get the best of him late in the game, but Bentil is a no-doubt high-major prospect with some superb upside.

Rysheed Jordan: The Vaux (PA) star is about as good of a point guard prospect as you will find from a physical standpoint. He has great height (6’4), terrific length, major athleticism, quickness, leaping ability, and a strong build. The class of 2013 floor general for Philly Pride also has a nice skill set, though. He handles, rebounds and passes the rock quite well. Additionally, he can block shots and hit from midrange, but he needs to show he can hit from deep consistently.

Jared Nickens: The 6’6 class of 2013 shooting guard is a big-time sniper from beyond the 3-point line. Nickens, who attends St. Patrick’s (NJ), had his stroke working in Sports U’s opening game of the tournament. One aspect of his performance that was also impressive in the contest was his passing ability, as he did a great job of hitting open guys on the perimeter. While not a high flier, Nickens is a good enough athlete.

Davon Reed: A 2013 prospect out of the Princeton Day School (NJ), Reed can play the one, two and three, but at 6’5, he probably projects as a shooting guard. Reed, who plays for Team Final, has a good build with nice length and quality athleticism. He is capable of both hitting shots from deep and throwing down a superb dunk. Reed’s versatility and all-around skill help to make him an intriguing prospect.

Tyler Roberson: We caught the NJ Roadrunners twice on Saturday, and while Roberson was quiet in the second contest, he was stellar in the first. A 6’8 combo forward out of Roselle Catholic (NJ), he is a versatile player with quality length who rebounds the orange really well at both ends. Roberson has a nice handle for his size as well as a nice midrange game from right around the free throw line. The 2013 recruit also knocked down a couple of shots from 3-point land.

Hakim Saintil: In the NJ Roadrunners’ first game of the day, Saintil had one of his best showings. A 5’11 point guard from Roselle Catholic (NJ), Saintil was stroking it from beyond the line and got hot in a hurry. He also utilized his strength, quickness and quality handles to get to the cup off the bounce. He has really improved as a player, but does need to work on getting teammates involved more.

Stephen Vasturia: A class of 2013 Notre Dame commitment, the 6’4 combo guard is an impressive player and he is clearly getting better. The St. Joseph’s Prep (PA) star was fantastic for the Jersey Shore Warriors, showing off the full arsenal offensively. He can adeptly play either guard spot, has a nice feel for the game, passes the rock well, and knows how to score it. Vasturia is a hard-nosed, tough kid who plays all out.

RECRUITING NOTES

DeAndre Bembry has a couple of new college options these days, as he said he picked up a scholarship offer from Richmond on Friday and also added a recent offer from Mississippi State. In addition to those two, Bembry said that Seton Hall, Auburn, Charlotte, Rhode Island, St. Joe’s, and others have extended offers. He is also hearing from Georgetown, VCU and Miami. Bembry named St. Joseph’s, Auburn and Richmond as the three schools coming at him the hardest. He has no favorites and no timetable for a commitment.

Hallice Cooke, a class of 2013 prospect out of St. Anthony’s (NJ), listed offers from Rhode Island, VCU, St. Joe’s, Richmond, and Butler. A 6’3 shooting guard who runs with Sports U, Cooke said that Oregon State, Harvard, Penn, and South Florida. The two schools he feels are coming at him the hardest are VCU and Rhode Island. Cooke has no favorites right now and will wait to see how things go in July. The sharpshooter noted that location will not be a factor in his decision, which he plans to make prior to the start of his senior season.

Tyler Roberson listed scholarship offers from Kansas, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and others he could not recall. He noted that the scholarship offer from UConn came last week. Roberson said he has no favorites and plans to make his choice “sometime in the fall.” However, he is not sure whether he will sign early or late. There is no school in particular that the Garden State standout feels is pursuing him the most vigorously.

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