CHANTILLY, Va. – The last leg of our weekend trip to Virginia for travel team basketball took us to the second annual Take Your Best Shot, a tournament run by the DC Assault program. The event is held in a convenient location near Dulles Airport, the Hoop Magic Sports Academy. Sunday was full of playoff round action in all divisions, and the host program had a pretty good day when it was all said and done.
The 15-under championship came down to two teams in the same program, as Baltimore-based Team Melo saw its 15-under and 14-under teams have at it. The game was close for much of the first half, before the older team broke the game open in the middle of the second half as they went up by 12. They would later go up by 16 a couple of times, and that was the final margin as they took home a 69-53 win. The winners were led by 22 points from Shakir Brown (6’3″ Fr. SG-SF, Baltimore (MD) St. Frances Academy), while Charles Tapper (6’5″ Fr. SF-PF, Baltimore (MD) City College HS) added 16 and Evan Singletary (6’1″ Fr. PG-SG, Baltimore (MD) Archbishop Curley HS) added 15.
The 16-under final was similar, as DC Assault’s Gold team in that age category took on its 15-under team that played up. The older Assault ran out to a 39-11 halftime lead and coasted for much of the second half, never seriously challenged although the younger Assault would slowly get closer, eventually going down 60-48. The only player in double figures for the winners was Quinn Cook (6’1″ So. PG-SG, Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha Catholic HS) with 15 points.
The 17-under final was a rematch of the championship game a week earlier in New Jersey at the Playaz Spring Fling. There, the New England Playaz pulled out a one-point win over DC Assault. This time around, the host team made sure a repeat didn’t happen, as they took the lead for good by scoring nine unanswered points for a 16-8 lead and led by as many as 16 in the second half en route to a 59-45 win. Eric Atkins (6’1″ Jr. SG, Baltimore (MD) Mount St. Joseph’s HS) led DC Assault with 20 points, 13 coming in the first half. Nate Lubick (6’8″ Jr. SF-PF, Southborough (MA) St. Mark’s School) led the Playaz with 20 points in the losing effort.
Now, here is a look at some of the players we saw on Sunday.
Eric Atkins (6’1″ Jr. SG, Baltimore (MD) Mount St. Joseph’s HS) He came up big in the title game, leading the way for his team. He showcased a good jump shot from long range as well as mid-range, but he’s also athletic and his body still has some physical maturing to do.
DaJuan Coleman (6’9″ Fr. C, Dewitt (NY) Jamesville-Dewitt HS) Although he has a big body, he doesn’t have the widest frame and he doesn’t appear to have all good weight. He showed the ability to score inside, and if he can improve his conditioning he has a chance to be a good post player down the road.
Quinn Cook (6’1″ So. PG-SG, Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha Catholic HS) A baby physically, he has point guard size and showed some of the skills for it, but showed a nice touch shooting the ball. He went for 13 points with three three-pointers in a semifinal win before leading his team in that category in the final.
Jordan Goodman (6’8″ So. PF, Germantown (MD) Seneca Valley HS) Long post player looked a little raw but also made a few plays showing what he could potentially do down the line. Among the shots he made were a short jumper, a turnaround baseline shot and a jump hook.
Joshua Hairston (6’7″ Jr. PF, Spotsylvania (VA) Courtland HS) Stronger than he looks, he has a good motor and is often in motion. He battled inside and showed some strong post moves, but also got out in transition and finished the break a few times. Though not a small forward, he’s a plus athlete and has above-average ball skills for his position. It all adds up to a good package for the future Duke Blue Devil.
Greg Lewis (6’8″ Jr. PF, Baltimore (MD) St. Frances Academy) He didn’t do much here, but as he’s got a ways to go physically and can run the floor he will be worth watching. He has a thin upper body and his post moves were just okay, so with some work there as well as more physical development he has a chance to be a good post player.
Nate Lubick (6’8″ Jr. SF-PF, Southborough (MA) St. Mark’s School) Playing near his future college, the Georgetown commit helped lead his team into the championship game with some solid play, often playing inside. He battled inside and made plays at both ends, and continues to become a better basketball player although he’s not putting up the kind of scoring numbers he did in the spring and summer of two years ago.
Wayne Sparrow (6’3″ Jr. SG, Baltimore (MD) St. Frances Academy) He shot the ball well from long range in a losing effort in the semifinals. He made several three-pointers en route to scoring 17 points, and he’s also athletic and looked fluid shooting off the dribble. His body can still mature more physically, so there’s more upside in that respect.
Naadir Tharpe (5’11” So. PG, Worcester (MA) Brewster Academy) Fresh off a solid weekend a week earlier, he had a good day on Sunday as he again showed good quickness and handled the ball well. His passes were still good and he knocked down a mid-range jumper along the way, but also looked a little too unselfish at times as he rarely looked to finish when he got in the lane.
Tyler Thornton (6’1″ Jr. SG, Washington (DC) Gonzaga College HS) He doesn’t have the most mature body, but has a solid all-around game. He has a good upper body and isn’t afraid to go inside, where on one play he made a nice runner going across the lane. While he can score, and reached double digits a couple of times, he’s also unselfish and made a couple of nice passes, one of which was a wrap-around in traffic. His game should play well in the system run at Duke, where he committed.
Daryl Traynham (5’9″ Jr. PG, Charlotte (NC) Vance HS) Quick point guard is still a baby physically but knows how to play at that size. He was able to drive and dish often, showing another gear on a number of occasions when he was in the open court, and besides finishing close also hit a few mid-range jumpers.
