Brian Bosworth, Central Michigan Recruiting, Dayton Recruiting, Duke Recruiting, Eastern Michigan Recruiting, Georgetown Recruiting, Kent State Recruiting, memphis Recruiting, Michigan Recruiting, Michigan State Recruiting, North Carolina Recruiting, Notre Dame Recruiting, St. John's Recruiting, Texas Recruiting, UCLA, USC Recruiting, Wake Forest Recruiting, West Virginia Recruiting

NIKE ELITE INVITATIONAL 15U SEMIFINAL RECAP

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

While the Peach Jam took a long break during the afternoon on Saturday, 15U semifinal action at the Nike Elite Invitational more than filled the void. Elite talents both known and unknown had a chance to shine and here’s a sample of who impressed.

Top Performer of the Afternoon:

Thomas Bryant (Team Scan 2015) – Bryant is still far more prospect than player but his ceiling is enormous and all his incredible tools were on full display on Saturday. Growing rapidly and nearly 6-foot-10, the Rochester (NY) native who attends Bishop Kearney High School moves like a guard and possesses some guard skills on the offensive end. He is very comfortable shooting the ball out to 18 feet, and can handle and attack off the dribble. Bryant also backed his man down in the post but needs major work on his footwork when navigating on the block. Perhaps his most impressive offensive move came as a ball handler in a pick and roll when he turned the corner and dropped off a pretty bounce pass to his rolling teammate. Very few pros at Bryant’s size have that level of skill so for a 15 year old to flash it is borderline ridiculous. He also protects the rim and projects as an elite shot blocker but does need to become much more physical. Bryant can be bullied for position and doesn’t rebound as well as he should because of that but added strength and a better understanding of how to use that strength should clean that up.

Sleeper Performance of the Afternoon:

Deshaw Andrews (Team United 2015) – Standing a stocky 6’4”, Andrews is a power wing who bullied defenders on strong drives towards the rim. The confident lefty also made jumpers out past the 3-point line but was best when putting his head down and grinding his way into the paint. I’d like to see Andrews facilitate more for others as he has the ability to draw extra defenders and create easy chances for teammates. Instead, he has a tendency to force shots through a double team but further growth and more coaching can help him in this area.

Other Standouts:

Eric Davis (The Family 2015) – Davis is a 6’3” long and lanky point guard who was a cut above the other players on the court in his semifinal victory over Team United. He rebounded at a high level defensively and constantly looked to start the fast break once he had the ball in his hands. Davis weaved through defenders in transition and made high difficulty passes while on the move at top speed. His shot didn’t drop today but he has good form and is clearly a very confident shooter. It’s early to say after only one look at such a young player but early returns certainly suggest Davis is a high major point guard.

Bakari Evelyn (The Family 2015) – Davis’ running mate in the back court for The Family, Evelyn is a pure scorer who filled it up from all three levels. The 3-point shot is where it starts for him but once established he shot faked and blew past defenders both for pull-ups and attacks all the way to the rim. Size is the main question mark right now as Evelyn only stands 6’0” and is clearly a scoring guard. He’s still young so he could grow a few more inches but how big he gets will be a big factor in what level of college ball he eventually settles into.

Chancellor Ellis (Team Scan 2015) – Ellis is a flat out zone buster who once he gets rolling seems to never miss from long range. He was feeling it on Saturday knocking in shot after shot despite the opposing bench screaming “shooter” every time he was near the ball. Ellis needs to tone up his body to enhance his mobility off the dribble and also needs to try and attack more regardless so that he keeps the defense honest. That being said, the jump shot will always be his most dangerous weapon and is a skill that every college program is looking for.

Jordan Hunter (Houston Hoops 2015) – An undersized shooting guard, Hunter is an excellent athlete who has blazing speed in the open court. He made multiple pull-up jumpers after creating separation from his defender with only 1 dribble. Hunter’s game will expand as he learns to change speeds and not go 100 MPH all the time.

Dorian Chatman (Houston Hoops 2015) – Chatman didn’t show much in the box score but his physical tools at 6’7” make him a prospect. He runs the floor very well, gets good elevation of the floor, and has above average lateral motion for a player his size. Still raw offensively, Chatman is a player I look forward to seeing a year from now to see how much his game has progressed from a skill perspective.

Recruiting Updates:

Eric Davis (The Family 2015) – While things are still very early, Davis’ coaches said they’ve already been contacted by Michigan State, Michigan, Duke, North Carolina, Kent State, Central Michigan, and Eastern Michigan. That list should get a lot longer before it gets shorter as more schools have a chance to watch Davis play.

Bakari Evelyn (The Family 2015) – Evelyn is in the same boat of just acquiring early interest at this point but has also heard from some major programs. Memphis, Kent State, Michigan, Dayton, Wake Forest, and “most of the local schools” have reached out already and are sure to be joined by plenty more over the next few years.

Chancellor Ellis (Team Scan 2015) – While yet to receive a scholarship offer, Ellis claims heavy interest from Georgetown, UCLA, Texas, West Virginia, USC, Notre Dame, and St. John’s.

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