GAMBRILLS, Md. – We take a look at some of the players we saw this weekend at the Nike Baltimore Elite Invitational, whose high school age divisions were held mainly at various sites south of Baltimore. While it included a lot of teams from the mid-Atlantic and further up and down the east coast, the Houston Defenders Select brought two teams that played well and opened up some eyes, including their team of freshmen who played up in the 16-under division.
Jaylen Bond (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Plymouth Meeting (PA) Plymouth Whitemarsh HS) The former Pittsburgh commit got better as the weekend went along, as he got his share of offensive boards and out-toughed opponents at times. Still, his skill level leaves something to be desired and we’ve never been enamored with him from that standpoint. Mid-major plus prospect.
Joe Bramanti (6’1″ Sr. PG-SG, Andover (MA) High) As the spring goes on, you can see him developing more as a point guard. It turns out, he played that position until high school, when he played off the ball, so he’s actually re-learning the position and progressing well at it. That will continue in a post-graduate year at Brewster Academy next year.
Evan Cummins (6’8″ Jr. PF, Westboro (MA) Northfield Mount Hermon) With several nice passes facing the basket, he made himself more of a factor than he’s been in a while. He found cutters nicely and used the bounce pass, and hit a few shots in the flow of the offense and helped on the glass.
Derrick Griffin (6’8″ So. SF-PF, Rosenberg (TX) Terry HS) This fine run-and-jump athlete had an excellent weekend, getting a lot of blocked shots and dunks, especially alley-oops. He has a good frame with a more developed upper body than lower body, got several offensive boards and also showed a little range on his jumper, enough that it has to be respected. There’s room to grow for him, and he’s already a very good player.
Aaron Harrison (6’5″ So. SG, Richmond (TX) Fort Bend Travis HS) An athletic guard who is more of a scorer than his twin brother, he plays with plenty of confidence. He showed some quickness on the break and hit a few three-pointers, including off the catch, en route to 16 points in one game and 11 in another.
Andrew Harrison (6’5″ So. PG-SG, Richmond (TX) Fort Bend Travis HS) More of a playmaker than his twin brother, he’s athletic and has a good frame to go with his talents. He handled and passed the ball well, and kept defenses honest with some good shooting out to long range.
Amile Jefferson (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Wynnewood (PA) Friends Central HS) Long athlete is a baby physically and his skill package needs some work if he is to play on the perimeter at the next level. He was aggressive, scoring with plays like a reverse layup and a tough off-balance runner, and he has above-average ball skills. Among the areas for work are that his jumper is almost a set shot, and he’s not the most fluid when he pump fakes and tries to drive after it. High-major prospect.
Darren Payen (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Hamden (CT) Hall HS) Active forward looks more like a power forward, although he didn’t show a lot of good post scoring moves. Rather, he scored more on stickbacks and in transition, though he also knocked down a jumper from the foul line. The lefty also made a nice pass to a cutter on one play and finished while getting fouled, and went for 18 points in one game.
Christian Sanders (6’2″ Jr. SG, Houston (TX) St. Thomas HS) He doesn’t get the hype that the Harrison twins do, and won’t make the highlight reel like another teammate does, but he’s a solid basketball player. A glue guy-type, he can shoot, handle and pass well, battles and boxes out inside, can lead or finish the break and can go to his left well. There’s nothing he does at an elite level, but he does a lot of things well and will help someone at the next level.
Clyde Santee (6’6″ Jr. SF, Houston (TX) St. Thomas HS) Athletic forward has a good body that hasn’t fully developed yet and played a complementary role well. The lefty shot it well, especially in his team’s last game as he made three from long range, and there’s some upside as his body develops.
Melvin Swift (6’6″ Fr. PF, Houston (TX) Yates HS) An athletic post player whose body has a ways to go, he has some good upside. He got out in transition and often beat opposing players up the floor, and while his post scoring will need to develop, he did score early on a jump hook inside, showing that he’s not lacking in that area right now.
Kaleb Tarczewski (7’0″ Jr. C, Claremont (NH) St. Mark’s School) Talented big man was very aggressive scoring inside, especially in his team’s games on Sunday. He scored often on post moves, while also getting open for easier baskets and running the floor to finish the break and follow up misses, going for 21 points in one game along the way. Big-time prospect.
Jared Terrell (6’2″ So. SG, Weymouth (MA) High) Well-built guard had a fine weekend at the offensive end, which isn’t what he’s known for. He got out in transition often, finishing a few times, shot the ball well from long range including three in an 18-point outing, and showed a reasonably good handle for a shooting guard.
Tony Upchurch (6’2″ Fr. SG, Pearland (TX) Dawson HS) A fast guard, he plays the game at that same kind of pace and looks to be at his best when he does. Offensively, he looks like a scorer, although he knocked down a short jumper and a runner. He attacked more later, especially in his team’s second pool game en route to 19 points.
Noah Vonleh (6’6″ So. SF-PF, Haverhill (MA) High) He had his moments, but in all it wasn’t the best showing for this athletic forward. He got his share of offensive boards, but had a tough time scoring and that included at the foul line, where he missed his share of free throws.
J.C. Washington (6’7″ Fr. PF-C, Houston (TX) Yates HS) Athletic frontcourt player looks like more of an inside player right now, although he did some good things away from the post. He has a good body and had a nice pass to a cutter while facing the basket, and got a stickback as well. His body isn’t done developing, so whether or not he grows anymore and how his skills develop will tell the story of his position at the next level.
Jordan Washington (6’7″ So. PF, Saint Albans (NY) Pathways Prep) Thick post player is capable of dominating, especially since he moves very well for his body. He ran the floor well and showed reasonable ball skills for a power forward, got several offensive boards and did his scoring in close en route to 14 points in a pool win for his team. The talent is certainly there, but questions are present, such how his emotions affect his game and body language as that isn’t always positive.
Naasir Williams (5’10” So. PG, New York (NY) Rice HS) Small point guard had a nice game in helping his team to a win in pool play. A key backcourt player for his team, he made a steal and spin move away from the defender to get a fast break going, drove and scored, and was able to hit from long range.
Justise Winslow (6’5″ Fr. SG-SF, Houston (TX) St. John’s HS) Very talented wing is one of the better freshmen we’ve seen this spring. The lefty is athletic and has a good body, and has a nice skill level for his age that goes beyond his scoring, which was evident with 22 points in one game and 16 in another. He sees the floor well and used that to find cutters, was able to drive and dish, and showed above-average ball skills for the wing at his stage of development. Add in that he finished while fouled, followed his own miss and got other stickbacks, and he has a lot of tools at a young age.
Other players who caught our attention:
Leonard Freeman (6’7″ So. PF, Washington (DC) St. John’s College HS)
Cam Gregory (6’7″ So. SF-PF, Arlington (VA) Bishop O’Connell HS)
Ahmady Hardy (6’7″ So. PF, Sugar Land (TX) Trent Internationale HS)
Josh Hart (6’3″ So. SG, Washington (DC) Sidwell Friends School)
Jainus Lyles (6’1″ So. PG, Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha HS)
Ali Muhammad (6’8″ Jr. PF, Sugar Land (TX) Trent Internationale HS)
Stanford Robinson (6’3″ So. SG, Fairfax (VA) Paul VI HS)
Terrence Samuel (6’3″ So. SG, Brooklyn (NY) South Shore HS)
Christian Sanders (6’4″ Fr. SG-SF, Bellaire (TX) High)
