NEW YORK – The Jordan Brand Classic started off with the International Game. Top 15- and 16-year-old players from around the world were hand-picked to comprise the two teams. It all came from a competition involving players from 22 European countries for 10 of the players, and top players from Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Nigeria and Senegal were also in the game.
The White Jerseys were in control of the game early and had a 53-33 halftime lead. The Black Jerseys steadily rallied and made it a game in the second, getting to within four a couple of times before losing 88-84.
The best player on the floor was unquestionably Ismaila Douda (6’9″ PF, Nigeria), who attends Choice Academy in Miami. The 250-pound big man has a lot of skills to go with his big and athletic body and scored 23 points on 9-16 shooting. He can play inside, but showed a very nice touch shooting the ball from mid-range and long range, making both of his shots from behind the arc. The only complaint coming out of this game is that he fouled out early.
Richard Peters (6’10” PF-C, Canada) is another who attends a school in the United States, as the 230-pound big man attends Sagemont High School in Weston, Florida. The lefty post player showed a lot of promise before cramping up in the fourth quarter, and when he tried to come back in he didn’t last long. He runs the floor well and looks like he can finish with the right hand, although he looked awkward trying to make a post move to his right, and despite the injury-limited minutes had 12 points and two blocked shots.
The best guard on the floor was Luka Rupnik (6’0″ PG, Slovenia), who had a game-high 27 points. He has a good motor and handled the ball well, while also rebounding well from the guard spot (team-high seven rebounds). While he showed a touch from long range, he also hit a nice floater in the lane one time and was money at the foul line late in the game as he was 13-16 from the charity stripe.
Martin Kriz (6’6″ SF-PF, Czech Republic) quietly had a nice game in the losing effort, posting the game’s only double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. The lefty runs the floor and is very active, getting a lot of his rebounds from being in the right place, and he battles inside. He’s also a plus athlete, scored on a driving layup from finding the gaps, and has good ball skills.
Kriz’s teammate, Nenad Mljenovic (6’5″ SF, Serbia) had a quietly good game before fouling out late. He went for 18 points and eight rebounds, is quicker than he looks and a baby physically, so there’s some upside there.
An intriguing post prospect to watch is Daniel Gomis (6’9″ PF-C, Senegal). He’s long and raw, but can run the floor and got a nice block on a fast break late in the game.
Another guard we liked is Raul Togni Neto (6’1″ PG, Brazil). Although he went just 1-6 from the field and had no assists, the latter stat was a surprise. He drives fearlessly and is pass-first, and is a tough floor leader who competes all game.
The point guard who had the high assist total for the game was Aleksandar Cvetkovic (6’0″ PG, Serbia), who handed out five with no turnovers. He has a good motor and made a few other good passes his teammates didn’t cash in for baskets, especially on the go.
Later in the game, Ojo Olaiya Adeolu (6’1″ SG, Nigeria) came alive. Looking like your classic “scorer not a shooter” type, he struggled from long range but only missed one shot from inside the arc en route to a 20-point effort. He’s quick and has a good body, and although he struggled from long range was adept at hitting from mid-range.
Another who came alive late in the game is Ignas Ramasauskas (6’10” C, Lithuania). He’s long and a baby physically, but works inside and got to the foul line ten times in the game.
