NBE Basketball Report
St. Joseph’s Recruiting

HOOP GROUP WV JAM FEST RECRUITING NOTES – DAY 2

July 16, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

By Lauren Kirschman

The first 10-day live evaluation period of July has come and gone in nearly a blink of an eye. Its been a fun trip to Akron (OH) and Morgantown (WV) and points in between, north and south as well as east and west. While the coaches and throngs of media head home to their own beds finally, the Hoop Group’s West Virginia Jam Fest will carry on another day.

Tomorrow morning the event’s Gold Semifinals will take place. In the 17U bracket Team Philly will take on Team Takeover – Hoop Magic in one semifinal. Team Philly got past Long Island Lightning – Blue in one quarterfinal and the Hoop Magic-based squad upset Team 94 out of California in another quarterfinal.

The other half of the last four standing will be a match-up between the NY Gauchos and Hoop Heaven Heat of NJ who got past the Jersey Shore Warriors in a thrilling ending. The Gauchos won a hard fought affair with East Coast Elite in their quarterfinal match-up.

NBE caught up with a trio of standouts on Friday and below has the latest recruiting information on ’12 Blaise Mbargorba, ’13 Mark Williams and ’13 Elijah Brown for readers to enjoy…

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HOOP GROUP WV JAM FEST RECRUITING NOTES – DAY 1

July 15, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

By Lauren Kirschman

The first of two 10-day evaluation periods for the month of July come to a close today. One of the top annual events each year to close the period is the Hoop Group’s West Virginia Jam Fest, predominately help in the Morgantown (WV) area. With recent NCAA legislation preventing the games to be held on the WVU campus local high schools hosted contests as well as other sporting centers, including a local ice rink.

On day one of the event there was a large crowd of assistant coaches tracking down Amile Jefferson at University High School for an evening game and, as usual, the Team Final 16U club had their share of coaches on hand when they played. Below are some recruiting notes from the day’s action on Semaj Christon, Melvin Johnson, Rondae Jefferson, Dashawn Suber and more…
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CLASS OF 2014 INTRO: BEN BENTIL

July 12, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

By Matt Whitfield

Running around at the Hoop Group Elite Team Camp this past Friday afternoon, an assistant coach with an Atlantic 10 school stopped me and said ‘do you know who this is’. I said I didn’t and the coach said ‘you’re going to thank me one day for telling you about this kid.’

That ‘kid’ is 6-foot-8 rising sophomore (Class of 2014) incoming sophomore Ben Bentil, formerly of Ghana.

“A lot of colleges [have called thus far], but they said I shouldn’t talk about it because I don’t really need to worry about it right now,” said Bentil.

Bentil describes himself as a defensive player, but his coach describes him as a jack-of-all-trades on the basketball court.

“I describe myself as more of a defensive player, but my coach calls me a utility player because I do a little bit of everything,” said Bentil. “I rebound, I score, I post up, I face up, I do everything.”

Bentil listed a few schools from the Big East that have shown him interest.
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HOOP GROUP ELITE TEAM CAMP FINAL RECAP & RECRUITING NOTES

July 11, 2011 by · 2 Comments 

By Alex Schwartz

READING, Pa. — Featuring over 60 high schools from seven different states, The Hoop Group Elite Team Camp drew numerous Division I coaches to Albright College. At least half of Big East was represented there Sunday, the second and final day of the camp.

Head coaches from both of New Jersey’s Big East programs, Rutgers and Seton Hall, were in attendance along with at least one assistant. NBE Basketball Report also spotted or was informed that assistants from Cincinnati, DePaul, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Villanova and West Virginia were in Reading.

Amongst the attractions for the Big East schools were Kyle Anderson ’12, Nate Britt ’13, Reggie Cameron ’13, Hallice Cooke ’13, Will Ferguson ’13, Shep Garner ’14, Amile Jefferson ’12, Kris Jenkins ’13, Ja’Quan Newton ’14, Villanova-commit Daniel Ochefu ’12, Stanford Robinson ’13, Terrence Samuel ’13, Shamiek Sheppard ’13, Kavon Stewart ’13, Mike Young ’13, and more.
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REEBOK BREAKOUT CHALLENGE: FINAL RECAP

July 10, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

by Alex Schwartz

PHILADELPHIA – The Reebok Breakout Challenge came to a close yesterday, and NBE Basketball Report was on hand to take in the event’s final five game sets and catch up with a few more players.

One of the top uncommitted 2012 players at the camp was Daniel Dingle, a 6-foot-6 power forward out of St. Raymond’s (NY). He listed offers from Auburn, Temple, Xavier, Arizona, and Rutgers to go along with interest from Florida, Miami, Texas, and others.

Dingle said he does not have any favorites, but did note that a few schools are coming at him the hardest.

“I’d probably say Auburn, Temple and Arizona, those are the three,” Dingle said. “And Florida, Florida too, coach Norm [Roberts].”

At this point Dingle has visited Auburn, Temple and Rutgers. He does not have any visits scheduled, but may is thinking of working out a trip to Arizona.
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HOOP GROUP ELITE TEAM CAMP RECRUITING UPDATES: PART I

July 9, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

With the Hoop Group’s Elite Camp Session I concluding on Friday evening, the action continued on the campus of Albright College in Reading (PA) on Saturday with the Elite Team Camp, also hosted by Hoop Group, tipping off. A break from the norm of camps and AAU competitions, this July live period event features high school teams going head to head in front of very interested college coaches. The games certainly have a different feel than the normal summer contests and an impressive field only increased the interest of scouts, media, coaches and fans to come by the Albright campus on this beautiful summer day.

Just perusing the names of the schools in the national bracket and you knew you were in for a treat. Traditional Philadelphia powers Neumann-Goretti and Roman Catholic are in the field as well as Friends Central, Westtown and Penn Wood from the eastern half of the Keystone State. Upstate New York was represented by Jamesville-Dewitt outside of Syracuse and Rochester’s Bishop Kearney High School. The DC-area came strong with Gonzaga, St. John’s, Bishop McNamara, Largo, Paul VI, Patterson and more. New Jersey powers St. Anthony’s and Hudson Catholic came to play and New York City had Xaverian and South Shore. That is just a fraction of the teams on hand…

Matt Whitfield spent most of the day in Reading and will have plenty to report on. Below are just a few of the recruiting updates he accrued on this busy Saturday of basketball action…
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HOOP GROUP ELITE CAMP: FRIDAY AFTERNOON RECRUITING NOTES

July 9, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

By Matt Whitfield

The Hoop Group’s Session One Elite Camp wrapped up on Friday afternoon with a series of championship games and all-star contests. The camp’s Top 20 All-Star game draws the most interest and NBE spotted staff members from South Florida, Quinnipiac, Cornell, Wagner, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Rutgers, Drexel, Rice and Villanova.

One of the Top 20 All-Star participants was Quenton DeCosey, an athletic 6-foot-5 wing from St. Joseph of Metuchen (NJ) and the Team Izod/Sports U AAU travel program. DeCosey told NBE on Friday he has offers from Rice, Seton Hall, Temple and Towson. Virginia, West Virginia, St. John’s, Georgetown, St. Joseph’s and Rider are showing interest.

DeCosey told NBE that he has taken unofficial visits to Seton Hall and Temple and plans to check out Georgetown next week on an unofficial visit.
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REEBOK BREAKOUT CHALLENGE: THURSDAY RECRUITING ROUNDUP

July 8, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

By Matt Whitfield

The return to the summer basketball camp scene by Reebok has been well received. The competition and talent level is certainly solid at the Gallagher Athletic Center on the campus of Philadelphia University. NBE took in the action for the most part of the day Thursday and was able to touch base with many of the players to learn the latest on their recruitments. While the camp had a strong group of Mid-Major+ prospects, there was more than a fair share of players who will land at higher levels in college. Below is a rundown of who we caught up with yesterday.

Rysheed Jordan (Robert Vaux HS/Players Teaching Players)

There was a lot of hype centering Jordan entering the camp and many scouts, reporters and college coaches were anxious to get a look at him. He did not disappoint as the 6-foot-3, Class of 2013 point guard has all the look of a sure fire high major recruit. He has definitely noticed the increased attention of late.

“I think I’m blowing up,” said Jordan of the recent influx of recruiting attention. “I’m easing my way up.”
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AUSTIN COLBERT CHERISHES OPPORTUNITY AT LEBRON JAMES SKILLS ACADEMY

July 7, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

New Jersey big man in Akron looking to show colelge coaches his talents and looking for a family atmosphere in his college choice

By Lauren Kirschman

Class of 2013 power forward Austin Colbert describes himself as a poor man’s Kevin Durant.

Long and athletic, the 6’9”, 195-pound Colbert is a quality passer and shooter with some range—two qualities he counts among his major strengths along with his high basketball IQ.

But during the summer, Colbert is still intent on improving those skills along with some aspects of his game he believes could use some work: ball handling, stamina and speed.

An invitation to the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio—something Colbert referred to as “a crazy opportunity”—offered him the chance to continue to develop as a player and take his abilities to the next level.

“It’s a great experience,” he said. “I know guys get to come back, but being here for the first time it’s just like wow. You are really invited to such a big, well known camp.”

He added that the invitation to the camp encourages him to keep working hard.

“[It means] our dreams are starting to shape a little bit,” he said.

Plenty of college coaches are hoping to get a look at Austin Colbert at 2011 LJSA this week

For Colbert, those dreams could take him to any number of universities as the forward is being recruited by Seton Hall, Oklahoma, Baylor, North Carolina, Marquette, Stanford, La Salle, Georgia Tech, Miami, Xavier, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Florida, St. John’s, St. Joseph’s, Harvard, Princeton, West Virginia and Ohio State.

He’s taken an unofficial visit toGeorgetown.

Right now, he said North Carolina, Baylor, Pittsburgh, Harvard, Miami and Georgetown are the leaders—mainly because the teams seem so family-oriented.

“They were really circled around each other and that’s what really kind of got to me,” he said. “I didn’t think it was going to be like that, but it’s special. I think they each have their special qualities and that’s what kind of struck me a little bit.”

While Colbert is attracted to North Carolina’s fast break and transition game, he’s also intrigued by Ohio State’s four-out/one-in offense.

For now, though, Colbert has two more days of the skills camp to complete and he’s focused on playing well.

“You want to do good, you have to do good—you never know who’s coming out to watch you,” he said.




LEBRON JAMES SKILLS ACADEMY RECRUITING FOCUS: JAMEL ARTIS & AUSTIN COLBERT

July 6, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

By Lauren Kirschman

The Lebron James Skills Academy rolled on this afternoon with another high school player workout at James A. Rhodes Arena on the University of Akron campus. The media had another chance for a round of interviews following the workout. It would be the last chance to interview players on Wednesday as the evening workout did not have a scheduled interview session following the on-court activities.

NBE had the opportunity to speak with Jamel Artis ’12 and Austin Colbert ’13 in the afternoon. Both players list BIG EAST schools among their leaders. Artis looks to be focusing most of his energy on the recruiting aspect on one school from the BIG EAST. Read about both below…

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HOOP GROUP ELITE CAMP: TUESDAY RECAP

July 6, 2011 by · 1 Comment 

by Alex Schwartz

READING, Pa. – The July Live Evaluation period kicks off today, but NBE Basketball Report’s coverage of the month began yesterday with the first day of Hoop Group Elite Camp. With players from 25 states (plus DC) as well as 14 foreign countries, there is talent from all over the map at Albright College this week.

One of the top young players at camp is 2014 star Ja’Quan Newton, a 6-foot-1 point guard out of Neumann-Goretti (PA). Newton said he is already garnering interest from Villanova, Syracuse, Rutgers, Temple, Kansas, Miami, Penn State, St. Joseph’s, and others.

Newton said that he is unsure of his offers, but does have a few schools standing out, saying, “Top three [are] Syracuse, Rutgers and Villanova,”
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LONG LIST OF LEADERS EMERGE FOR ’13 DAVON REED

July 1, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Team Final is an AAU squad loaded with talent from the recruiting classes of 2013 and 2014. While the team may have taken their lumps playing against 17-U teams in the Nike EYBL regular season, this is a team to keep a very close eye on in the summer months and in the future. There is no doubt college coaches will be watching them in action this summer and 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard Davon Reed will be a big reason why.

Reed, who attends Princeton Day School in New Jersey, is known as a scorer and in addition to his ability to shoot the basketball he can also set teammates up and get to the basket. Reed told NBE earlier on the NIKE EYBL regular season tour that he would like to improve his decision-making and handle this summer to better round out his game for a place in the backcourt of a major college program in the future. Judging by the early phone calls he has received this month, many college programs will be following him this summer to see those improvements first hand.

Reed mentioned Baylor, Ohio State, Florida, Miami, Xavier, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, DePaul, Harvard and others as schools in contact with him since June 15th as well as mentioning he has received scholarship offers from VCU, St. Joseph’s, Temple, La Salle, Rutgers, Seton Hall and West Virginia. After playing well in the spring, Reed hopes to carry that over into the important month of July and show those that come to see him he will be a valuable addition to their program.
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JAYLEN BOND HEADING OVERSEAS; HEARING FROM NEW SCHOOLS

July 1, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Once an anticipated member of the Pittsburgh 2011 recruiting class of Panther coaches and fans, Jaylen Bond is heading into a post-graduate year at St. Thomas More and another round at the recruiting process. Since re-opening the process earlier this spring several new schools have made it known they intend to recruit the former Plymouth-Whitemarsh star forward according to his Grandfather.

“So far Jaylen is getting interest from Tennessee, Maryland, Penn State, Miami, Temple, St. Joe’s and several others,” William Bond told NBE’s Matt Whitfield via text message Thursday night.

As for the school he signed a letter of intent with last November, Mr. Bond was unsure if the Panthers would remain in the mix.

“We haven’t heard from them,” William Bond said when asked if Pittsburgh was still calling.

Bond was seen on the AAU circuit earlier this spring playing for the Philly’s Finest AAU club. As for reasons to de-commit he cited plans to use the extra year to transition more ot the wing for college by working on his perimeter game and becoming a better all-around player. College coaches are going to have to wait a little bit to see those improvements for themselves, unless they plan on taking a long road trip at the beginning of the live evaluation period next week.

“Next week he’ll be overseas in London playing in the Future Stars Tournament,” said Mr. Bond.

The tournament will run from July 7-10 with teams from England, Sweden, Slovenia, Netherlands, London United and the USA Select team that Bond will suit up for. The event is an U18 International Basketball Tournament that will allow Bond a whole new experience at seeing the world through basketball.

Once he is back in the States, expect the 6-foot-7 and athletic Jaylen Bond to draw his share of college coaches looking to check in on his progress in his development. Just turning 18 this spring, Bond is certainly a player with his best basketball still ahead of him.




BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/30/2011)

June 30, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

In today’s News & Notes section around the BIG EAST recruiting tidbits dominate the discussion as there is some more about Zach Auguste as well as some touching base with Josh Fortune, Jaylen Bond and Daniel Dingle. Also so more on West Virginia players in this summer’s Pittsburgh Pro-Am summer league and the status of star incoming freshman Jabarie Hinds.

We will also be following closely the summer leagues in DC and Milwaukee when they get underway soon and hope to have some coverage of the Jersey Shore Basketball League in the near future (fingers crossed).

With the month of July bearing down on us…the main focus of course will be recruitng! Now…on to today’s News & Notes…

New England Hoop News has a series titled July or Never and today’s focus is 6-foot-8 New Hampton Prep forward Zach Auguste. As we detailed in yesterday’s BIG EAST News & Notes (6/29/2011) Auguste visited Connecticut earlier this week with prep teammate Noah Vonleh. The athletic forward has a lot of potential and will be on the circuit this July performing in front of the masses of college coaches on the road with the Mass Rivals in July as well as with the Albany City Rocks, during the Nike Peach Jam. In New England fans and coaches can look for Auguste at Elite 75 and Hall of Fame National Invitational, both starting on July 10th in the Western Massachusetts area.

According to Auguste’s Mass Rivals AAU coach, Vinny Pastore, schools that have offered scholarships include Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Boston College, Providence and Virginia to name a few.
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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/29/2011)

June 29, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

College basketball is a year-round sport. In the summer there is news of players coming and going from programs to keep track of, a busy recruiting season and more and more summer leagues that offer the players a chance to stay sharp against high-level competition. While many incoming freshmen just celebrated their high school graduation in the last few weeks and even days, many are already on a college campus and competing in the summer leagues and attending classes with their new teammates.

Today we take a quick run through some of the latest stories in the BIG EAST that touch on each of those subjects…

In Mike Helfgot’s Recruiting Notes in the Chicago Tribune there is an update on 6-foot-2 rising junior Jaylon Tate, who recently confirmed rumors he will be transferring from De La Salle High School to Chicago Simeon. At Simeon Tate will join a loaded roster that includes classmates Jabari Parker and Kendrick Nunn and senior Steve Taylor. All four players are considered sure-fire high-major recruits.

As for Tate, Helfgot reports that has offers from Northwestern, Providence and Xavier, according to his mother, Arisa Johnson, with several other high-majors such as DePaul, Marquette, Tennessee, Florida State and, as of this week, UCLA, expressing serious interest.
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PHILLY GUYS BRING PHILLY TOUGHNESS TO NBA TOP 100 CAMP

June 20, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

By Ron Bailey

June 20, 2011 – Now that the National Basketball Players Association Top 100’s dust has settled, even more information can be reported on attending student athletes being recruited by BIG EAST member schools. Of course the league’s footprint was large, as kids from throughout the nation listed institutions from that conference. Two from Philadelphia are featured here.

Amile Jefferson6’8”, 195 lb, senior F, Friends Central (PA) – Jefferson, winner of the Camp’s Academic Achievement award put in work akin to good student’s preparing for final exams – he rebounded, filled lanes, defended, passed and scored his way to a stellar performance. To say he was one of the event’s most effective players is an understatement, as is noting Amile was a very hard worker.

What’s more impressive is that he still is not the best shooter or ball handler; Jefferson does it with effort, intelligence and grit, the last evidenced by playing around half the camp with a dislocated pinky finger on his left hand (which could demand surgery). Sure he hit shots (particularly spot up wing jumpshots from just inside the three point arc) and patted getting the rim (particularly in fast break/scatter court situations), it’s just that these are necessary points of improvement. Add getting stronger to that list ,which Jefferson recognizes as necessary.
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CLASS OF 2013 STOCK RISER: JOSH BROWN (SPORTS U/ST. ANTHONY’S HS)

June 17, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

The Rumble in the Bronx can be a launching pad for a successful summer and bring with it significantly more recruiting attention. One player who caught the eye of NBE at the Rumble was 6-foot-2, 185-pound guard Josh Brown who was playing with the Sports U/Team Izod AAU program. The product of famed St. Anthony’s in Jersey City (NJ) showed he is a freak of an athlete and used his superior athleticism to make plays in all facets of the game. He’s a strong rebounder and once he grabs a defensive board it’s off to the races. An absolute blur in the open court, Brown is just as likely to dunk on an unsuspecting defender’s head as he is to make a simple bounce pass to a teammate for an easy score.

In the half-court, he is simply devastating in pick and roll sets as he uses his speed to turn the corner and get to the rim and is also very adept at drawing the double team and whipping a pass to the screener for a layup. In the opinion of NBE’s contributor Brian Bosworth, Brown is only a consistent jump shot away from being a top 50 player nationally in the 2013 class.
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RUMBLE IN THE BRONX REPORT – PART II

June 12, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

By Brian Bosworth

In the stands at Manhattan College on Saturday, spectators were consistently grumbling about who wasn’t in attendance for this years’ Rumble in the Bronx. Multiple high profile players chose not to make the trip to New York with their respective teams headlined by Andre Drummond and Kris Dunn of CBC, Omar Calhoun and Jason Boswell of the New York Gauchos, Kuran Iverson and Nkereuwem Okoro of the Long Island Lightning, Noah Vonleh of Mass Rivals, and Clyde Smith of New Heights. Despite missing all these future college stars, the tournament rolled on with plenty of guys stepping up in their absence. The top performances from Saturday at Manhattan College are documented below.

Ricardo Ledo (Expressions Elite 2012) – Ledo struggled mightily offensively throughout the majority of his teams’ early morning contest with the Riverside Hawks but showed down the stretch why he’s considered one of the nation’s best players. With his team trailing by 7 late in the second half, Ledo buried three consecutive NBA range 3 pointers each one deeper than the last to spark a 15-0 run and lead his team to victory. He is truly an elite scorer and only struggled today because he settled for the long ball too often. When Ledo is aggressive attacking the basket and takes 3 pointers in rhythm, he is completely unstoppable offensively.

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RASUAL BUTLER ALL-CITY CLASSIC RECAP & RECRUITING NOTES

June 10, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

by Alex Schwartz

PHILADELPHIA – The 17th annual Rasual Butler All-City Classic took place last night at Benjamin Franklin High School in Philadelphia. The top players in the Philadelphia area took the court for three games, one for each of the high school classes besides the outgoing seniors.

The first contest was the Freshmen Game and the White team defeated the Black team by a score of 94-78 in a matchup of 2014 standouts. The MVP from the victors was 6-foot-5 power forward Jamal Custis of Neumann-Goretti (PA) with 18 points. Eric Anderson was named White’s MVP, as the 6-foot-4 small forward from Haverford (PA) dropped 15 points.

The Defensive Player of the Game award went to the White team’s Conrad Chambers, a 6-foot point guard out of Friends Central (PA). He was the game’s top scorer with 19 points. It was Black’s Malik Smith, a 5-foot-10 point guard from Del Val (PA), who won the Unselfish Player trophy.

Other double-digit scorers for the White team were 6-foot-2 combo guard Ja’Quan Newton and 5-foot-11 point guard Troy Harper. The Neumann-Goretti (PA) teammates had 10 points apiece. For the Black team, 6-foot-1 combo guard Shep Garner and 6-foot-2 combo guard Rashann London, teammates at Roman Catholic (PA), had 14 and 12 respectively. In addition, 6-foot-2 shooting guard Malik Starkes of Olney (PA) added 11.

The second game was easily the best one, with the Black team winning 93-86 in the Sophomore Game featuring 2013 players. The MVP from the winning side was 6-foot-6 small forward Rondae Jefferson of Chester (PA) who had 18 points. For the White team, the MVP was 6-foot-2 shooting guard Rysheed Jordan of Vaux (PA) who also had 18.

The Defensive Player of the Game honor was given to 5-foot-6 point guard Yahmir Greenlee of Boys’ Latin (PA), a member of the White team. Stephen Vasturia, a 6-foot-3 combo guard from St. Joseph’s Prep (PA) on the Black squad, won the Unselfish Player honor. In addition to Jefferson and Jordan, both Black’s 5-foot-10 point guard Britton Lee of Roman Catholic and White’s 6-foot-5 power forward BJ Johnson of Lower Merion (PA) had 18 points.

Three other players finished the game with double figures in the points column. Shafeek Taylor, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Roman Catholic, scored 15 points for Black, while 6-foot-3 combo guard Miles Overton of St. Joseph’s Prep had 14. Finally, 6-foot-8 center Zac Tillman of Shipley School (PA) finished with 11 points for the White squad.
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NIKE EYBL – LOS ANGELES: SUNDAY RUNDOWN

May 30, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

By Raphielle Johnson

On a day that featured a great matchup between the Oakland Soldiers and Albany City Rocks (won 72-68 by the Soldiers), it was the final game of the night that took the honors for Sunday’s best. Boo Williams and CIA Bounce (Canada) put on a show, needing double overtime to decide things in a two-point win for Bounce. The major performers were all over the floor, with Virginia commit Justin Anderson (2012) lighting it up for Boo Williams and 2013 prospect Xavier Rathan-Myers doing the honors in the latter stages of regulation and both overtime periods for Bounce.

Anderson displayed a wide range of skills in the contest, one he had to leave late due to major cramping issues (Anderson did return for a final possession but the ball did not end up in his hands). Early on Anderson made his way to the basket while also setting up teammates, finishing inside with contact as it became quite apparent that Bounce would have their hands full with him. But in the second half the fun really started, as each three-pointer Anderson put up seemed to be further back than the last one. Guessing that one of the shots came from 30 feet out would not be an exaggeration, and his form didn’t change. Virginia is getting a serious player come 2012.

As for Rathan-Myers, whose next high school seems to be up in the air, wow. He didn’t play a whole lot in the first half, but once on the floor in crunch time the young man got it done. Rathan-Myers displayed a good perimeter shot while also getting to the basket when needed. He’s already got good strength but one would have to think that he’ll get a bit more chiseled before 2013 rolls around.

But while those two stood out there were a number of other solid performers for each team. 2013 point guard Anthony Barber had some issues early in the second half with regards to decision-making, but with Anderson sidelined due to cramps Barber stepped up. Normally a pass-first point, the Hampton, VA native was able to penetrate to the basket and make shots while also knocking down a few perimeter shots. The outside shot will need to improve but Barber is a name to keep in mind.
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