Jeff Borzello, Louisville Recruiting, Marquette Recruiting, Seton Hall Recruiting, USF Recruiting, Villanova Recruiting, West Virginia Recruiting

AAU SUPER SHOWCASE PLAYER RUNDOWN (PART I)

BY JEFF BORZELLO

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – After about a week off, coaches, recruits and talent evaluators hit the road again last Wednesday, most going to either Las Vegas or Orlando. There are about five marquee events out in Nevada, but the most jam-packed tournament was at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida. The U-17 teams kick off pool play on Friday, but we arrived a day early to check out some of the top U-16 teams in the country. Here’s a look at some of the outstanding players and a few recruiting notes as well…

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Christian Leach, 6-3, DC Assault Blue, 2011: A big-time scorer, Leach piled up the points in a variety of ways. He can get to the basket and finish with contact. He had a few acrobatic lay-ups in the lane and was strong at the rim. Leach also had a pretty behind the back pass in transition and had a nice play defensively. His jump shot is awkward-looking, but his driving game was too effective for it to matter.
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Alex Murphy, 6-8, Expressions Elite, 2012: The younger brother of rising Florida freshman Erik, Murphy is a versatile talent out of New England. He can shoot the three and also take defenders off the dribble. He is not overly aggressive but he can score in several different ways because of his all-around game. Murphy is solid fundamentally and is a good passer. He can also block shots.
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Imoh Silas, 6-8, Expressions Elite, 2011: Silas was absolutely dominant defensively from the opening tap. He had several nice blocked shots and was tough to score on when opponents drove to the basket. The Holderness School prospect can also run the floor and rebound well, but he was not much of a factor offensively.
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Shane Larkin, 5-11, Showtime Ballers, 2011: One of the best teams in the entire U-16 pool play, the Showtime Ballers were a balanced group. However, Larkin was the one who made everything go. He is a terrific ball-handler who can get past his defender at will, and he has a nice floater in the lane. Furthermore, he can pull up from three and knock down shots.

Out of nearby Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando (FL), the class of 2011 prospect has early offers from Central Florida and VCU with Clemson, Florida State, St. Joe’s, Marquette, Florida, Miami, South Florida, George Mason and Florida Atlantic ahowing interest. He told NBE that he plans to take an unofficial visit to Miami in August.
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Jabarie Hinds, 5-10, Westchester Hawks, 2011: Hinds was flat-out one of the top performers I watched all day on Wednesday. He is extremely quick and his dexterity stands out immediately. He is not overly explosive when going past defenders, but he can get into the lane whenever he wants. Hinds is also a strong finisher, using his athleticism and leaping ability to get baskets around the rim. He had a nice step-back jumper and made a coupe of nice players on the defensive end. Hinds can pass well and is smooth with the ball.

Hinds gave NBE an update on his recruitment in Orlando as the rising junior has offers from James Madison, Louisville, Seton Hall, Virginia, UNLV and Oklahoma State. He is also receiving interest from West Virginia, Ohio State, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt and Marquette.
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Egi Gjikondi, 6-8, BABC, 2012: BABC was missing three of its best players that were playing with the U-15 group, but Gjikondi picked up the slack. He had several easy put-backs down low and showed the ability to step out to the foul line and shoot. He boxes out well and can block shots. The lefty is very good on the offensive glass.
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Mike Carter-Williams, 6-4, BABC, 2011: Carter-Williams was another player who stepped his game up in the absence of several of the team’s best players. He has great size for a point guard and can do a lot of things. He has very good handle and can beat his defender to get into the lane. His size allows him to see over defenders and find the open man.
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Savon Goodman, 6-5, Team Final, 2012: Goodman looked much better today than he did when we saw him at the NIKE Peach Jam just over a week ago. He showed a very solid offensive game, driving to the basket when getting the ball on the perimeter. However, he was at his best when posting up down low and turning to the basket. He does need to work on his shooting and ball-handling if he wants to play on the wing at the college level.

He told NBE that Kansas, Penn State and Villanova as the schools involved currently in his recruitment.
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Mike Gilchrist, 6-6, Team Final, 2011: Yes, you read that right – Gilchrist played with U-16 Team Final and will also played with the 17s starting Thursday. Although the game we saw him in today was against an inferior opponent and Gilchrist wasn’t dominant, one could tell right off the bat that he is such a premier talent. He lets the game come to him but can take over when necessary. He can rebound and block shots defensively, and shoot or drive on the offensive end. Gilchrist is also a very good passer.

Assistants from Kentucky and Seton Hall were watching him.
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Davontay Grace, 6-1, Long Island Lightning, 2011: The very thick, strong point guard is so difficult to keep out of the lane because of his deceptive quickness and craftiness with the ball. He can get to the basket and score or dish. Furthermore, Grace can knock down perimeter shots if given room.
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Kyle Madden, 6-5, Arkansas Wings, 2011: One of the more highly-touted players in the class of 2011, we were only able to see Madden for a few minutes before he landed awkwardly and twisted his ankle. However, when we did watch him, he struggled a bit. His handle was loose and vulnerable to turnovers, while his passing was subpar. However, he is long and athletic and can do a variety of things offensively.

madden told NBE has offers from Memphis, Ole MIss, Kentucky, Baylor, Arkansas, Kansas, Tennessee and LSU. North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Georgia are also showing interest.

Currently, Ole Miss, UK, Arkansas and Florida are his favorites.
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Andre Drummond, 6-9, Connecticut Basketball Club, 2012: Drummond is going to be one of the most dominant players in his class when it’s all said and done. He has great size and his length makes him seem even taller. Drummond can run the floor extremely well and is very athletic. He can finish around the rim and is also active on the offensive glass. Drummond can face up and take defenders off the dribble; he has surprisingly solid dribbling ability. He has a ton of rotation on his foul shots – but it works. The only potential weakness that we noticed was his hands: he dropped a few passes and lost a couple of touches because of it.

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