Arkansas Recruiting, Auburn Recruiting, Brian Bosworth, Florida Recruiting, Georgia Tech Recruiting, Indiana Recruiting, Kent State Recruiting, Kentucky Recruiting, Louisville Recruiting, memphis Recruiting, Miami Recruiting, Mississippi Recruiting, Mississippi State Recruiting, Missouri Recruiting, Murray State Recruiting, North Carolina Recruiting, Ohio State Recruiting, UAB Recruiting, Virginia Tech Recruiting, Xavier Recruiting

2012 ADIDAS INVITATIONAL – SUNDAY RECAP

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By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Sunday in Indianapolis concluded a great week featuring all the premier Adidas sponsored teams in America. Champions were crowned with Eric Gordon All Stars (15U), Louisville Magic (16U), and Florida Elite (17U) taking home the hardware. Players from those clubs and others managed to shine on the brightest stage.

Top Performance of the Day:

Kasey Hill (Florida Elite 2013) – verbal to Florida – The week belonged to Kasey Hill and he capped it with a signature performance in a semifinal victory over Dream Vision. With most of his team looking sluggish, Hill took matters into his own hands erupting for 46 points in the best individual performance I’ve seen this year. Dream Vision tried every perimeter defender they had on the roster and Hill burned them all exploding by guys off the dribble, pulling up for 3-pointers, and grinding his way to the free throw line. As he had been all week, Hill was devastating in pick and roll sets where his greatly improved jump shot combined with his elite quickness make him an impossible cover. When defenders went under the screen, he buried the long ball and when they followed him over it he turned the corner and finished at the rim. Billy Donovan had a noticeable grin sitting court side because he knows that he has one of America’s best players coming to Gator country to run the show.

Sleeper Performance of the Day:

Shane Hall (Louisville Magic 2014) – While Hall is a well known star locally in Kentucky, the nation was mostly unaware of him entering this tournament. That all changed on Sunday in the 16U championship game victory over Team Thad. Hall is a 6’8” extremely athletic forward who made big time plays on both ends of the floor. He had 7 blocks by my count and some very loud dunks on the offensive end that sparked a very energetic Louisville cheering section. Hall didn’t show refined moves in the post but has such bounce off the floor that he would just rise over his defender and drop the ball in the hole when he caught it down low. Considering one of the tournaments best players in Leron Black was guarding him most of the time, this is quite the impressive feet. If Hall can develop a couple of moves in the post to compliment his physical skills, every college program in America will come calling.

Other Standouts:

De’Ron Davis (Colorado Hawks 2016) – It seems a bit premature to say after only watching such a young player twice but I’m ready to call Davis a top 5 player in the class of 2016. At 6’8”, 220 pounds he has the physical build to play college basketball now and has the lateral movement and end to end speed of a wing player. He was unstoppable playing up in the 15U division, scoring both on power moves in the post and by blowing by guys off the dribble. Davis also flashed a jump shot making a couple of long balls throughout the day and had very good form on his shot in doing so. He needs to continue working throughout his high school career but De’Ron Davis clearly is a name that the blue bloods of college basketball need to become aware of and quickly.

Jonnie Vassar (Dream Vision 2014) – Vassar showed me something that I hadn’t seen from him before this week. He played much more under control than I’ve ever seen before and provided a level of toughness to the up-tempo Dream Vision team that they’d otherwise lack. He took multiple charges throughout the tournament despite typically being the smallest player on the floor cutting his chin open on one of them and having to leave the game to get stitches. He returned less than a half hour later with a huge bandage on his chin and checked himself back into the game ready to do anything it took to help his team win. Known for his physical skills, Vassar’s intangibles here in Indy stood out and have enhanced my view of him as a prospect and a player.

Marcanvis Hymon (Team Thad 2014) – Hymon’s motor runs all day long and perfectly suits the crazy, run and gun style employed by Team Thad. The 6’7” lengthy forward is impossible to keep off the offensive glass and can finish well above the rim once grabbing a board. He also comfortably steps out to knock down 15-18 foot jump shots flashing good form on the stroke. Hymon is working on increasing his perimeter skills further as he projects himself as a small forward at the next level.

Dwayne Gibson (Eric Gordon All Stars 2015) – Gibson is a 6’3” wing with length that can flat out shoot the ball. He tore up the championship game from behind the arc consistently repeating his delivery and scorching the nets. Going forward Gibson will need to expand his off the dribble game so that defenders can’t get up into his chest and take away the jump shot.

Justin Conway (Colorado Hawks 2015) – 5’9” and lightning quick with the ball in his hands, Conway is an intriguing point guard prospect. He needs to learn to harness his speed and not go in top gear all the time so that he can cut down on turnovers. In addition to being a blur with the ball, Conway can really shoot it from deep and shows good vision to get others involved.

Chris Chiozza (Team Thad 2014) – While he’s probably 5’8” at best, Chiozza was probably the quickest player in the tournament and really knows how to run a team. He drew comparisons to Missouri point guard Phil “Flip” Pressey from various scouts throughout the tournament and it’s easy to see why. Some schools will be turned off by his lack of size but others will be recruiting a kid who can help them win games and won’t back down from anyone.

Hassan Martin (New Heights 2013) – The lefty 6’6” forward has major bounce around the rim and energized the crowd multiple times in the championship game. He is mostly a rim protector and a finisher at this point but does both of those very well. If Martin can develop a jump hook and perhaps a counter move to go with that his recruitment will expand beyond the mid major levels it’s at now.

D’Angelo Russell (Louisville Magic 2014) – The biggest name on the 16U championship squad, Russell was a bit quiet on the title run but that all changed in the final game. He made explosive plays throughout the victory over Team Thad capping things with a monster left handed dunk on the break plus the foul that exploded the crowd and basically sealed the championship. Russell was also good from midrange throughout the game against Thad pulling up after getting his defender on his heels by using 1-2 dribbles. He made it clear that he belongs in the discussion among the elite shooting guards in the 2014 class.

Demarcrus Croaker (Florida Elite 2013) – Croaker was huge in the championship game for Florida Elite as the scoring guard both made shots from deep and got into the lane. At one point in the 2nd half when New Heights was making a major run, Croaker calmly drove to the cup on consecutive possessions finishing at the rim first and then flashing a soft floater on the second trip. It re-established the Florida Elite lead and carried them to the championship.

Recruiting Updates:

D’Angelo Russell (Louisville Magic 2014) – Russell isn’t tipping his hand and mentions major powers like Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio State, Xavier and North Carolina as the major players in his recruitment. While all those schools have a chance, it feels like a decision that will come down to the local options of Louisville and Kentucky. Russell is going to have to decide whether he looks better in red or blue.

Marcanvis Hymon (Team Thad 2014) – Hymon has plenty of Southern powers after his services and rattled off big names like Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Mississippi, Memphis, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Murray State and Kent State. He stressed academics as the #1 factor in his recruitment but is also interested in a stable environment where the coaching staff has been intact for a long time. Hymon is looking for a fast paced team that matches Team Thad’s style as evidenced by up-tempo schools on his list like Missouri, Arkansas and Memphis. He’s planning to make a decision and commit after his upcoming junior high school season.

Shane Hall (Louisville Magic 2014) – Hall’s list is guaranteed to sound much different in two weeks as he’s going to continue impressing college coaches throughout the love period. For now UAB, Miami and Northern Kentucky have offered while Indiana and Virginia Tech have started to express interest. Hall is looking for a place that’s not too far from home, “within eight hours” he told me so west coast schools likely won’t be a factor in his recruitment. He’s a player I’ll be looking to keep tabs on this summer as his recruitment explodes.