PATERSON, N.J. – The non-stop basketball world transitions from college basketball into recruiting at this time of the year, and as is often the case, it started in the northeast with the Playaz Spring Fling in New Jersey. It wasn’t the tournament it has been over the years in terms of depth of talent, but it was nonetheless a good start to the spring recruiting season. This weekend, the 15-under and 17-under age groups competed, with the host Playaz program running a predominately 16-under tournament in two weeks that is also a Nike Peach Jam qualifier in that age group.
In the 15-under championship, DC Assault broke away from the Playaz late in the first half, then scored the first ten points of the second half to take a 41-18 lead en route to a 62-42 win. Ako Adams (6’2″ Fr. SG, Arlington (VA) Bishop O’Connell HS) led a balanced attack for D.C. Assault with 11 points, while Sam Green (6’6″ Fr. SF-PF, Forestville (MD) Bishop McNamara HS) added ten. Jajan Mosley (6’2″ Fr. SG, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony’s) led the Playaz with a game-high 16 points.
In the 17-under championship, the Albany City Rocks scored the first 12 points of the game against the host Playaz, who were fresh off a major upset of two-time champion Team Takeover in the semifinals. The City Rocks then poured it on for a 35-14 halftime lead and scored the first 15 points of the second half en route to running away from the Playaz by a score of 58-28. John Schurman (6’5″ Jr. SG, Syracuse (NY) Fayetteville-Manlius HS) led a well-balanced attack for the City Rocks with a game-high 13 points, while three others scored 10 points apiece.
Now, a look at some of the players we saw this weekend.
Ako Adams (6’2″ Fr. SG, Arlington (VA) Bishop O’Connell HS) Athletic guard really came alive in the championship game during a stretch where his team broke the game open. This came after a solid semifinal performance, and he shot well from long range and was in a lot of plays.
Floyd Adhan (Fr. SG-SF, Shrewsbury (MA) St. John’s Prep) In an early Saturday morning game, he helped lead his team to victory with 12 points, scoring from good fundamentals like moving without the ball and a touch from mid-range. He’s probably not done growing yet, is athletic and his body has a ways to go, so there’s good upside here.
Bashir Ahmed (6’6″ Jr. SF, Bronx (NY) John F. Kennedy HS) An athletic wing with some length, there’s certainly some potential here. His body isn’t there yet, and his ball skills need some work as they’re just okay for the next level right now.
Amir Bell (6’3″ Jr. SG, East Brunswick (NJ) High) There’s nothing about him that will leap out at you, but he has a solid combination of physical gifts and skills. Though not a lights-out shooter or a great scorer, he did reach double figures in both pool games while showing above-average ball-handling and passing abilities for the wing, and he was active on the boards. A highlight was a play where he got a key offensive rebound and managed to pass for a layup while he was falling out of bounds. Mid-major prospect has committed to Princeton.
Phil Booth (6’3″ Jr. SG, Baltimore (MD) Mount St. Joseph HS) Arguably his team’s best player this weekend, he drove effectively very often to create for himself or a teammate. A plus athlete, he showed a floater and some range on his jumper, though he tended to slash to the hoop more, and handled the ball well for the shooting guard spot.
Randall Brodie (6’2″ Fr. PG, Potomac (MD) School) A quick and shifty point guard, he has a slight frame and his body has a ways to go but the lefty has some potential. He can finish with his right (off) hand and was good in transition, and while he can shoot he also seems to kick his legs to the side when he goes up, which looks awkward.
Elijah Burns (6’8″ Jr. PF, Troy (NY) LaSalle Institute) One of the better prospects on the 17-under champions, he’s athletic with a good frame and body. He reached double figures in both the semifinal and championship games, scoring in transition and showing the ability to finish while getting fouled.
Jordan Butler (6’6″ Sr. SF-PF, Glastonbury (CT) High) A well-built forward with a good frame, he’s not in the best of shape but competed well and isn’t lacking skills, scoring 17 points in an early game. A post-graduate year at Putnam Science Academy is ahead next year for him.
Tre Campbell (6’1″ Jr. PG, Washington (DC) St. John’s HS) A solid point guard who knows how to win, he still has a good deal of physical upside. This weekend was another solid one for him, especially as he shot the ball well, which hasn’t been his forte. Add that to his competitive streak and ability to run a team, and you have a high-major/high-major minus prospect that someone will be happy to get.
Raiquan Clark (6’2″ Jr. SG, New Haven (CT) Hillhouse HS) A plus athlete with a good frame, he got better as the weekend went along. He didn’t put up big numbers and his body isn’t there yet, so he’s still tapping into what he can become.
Adonis Delarosa (6’10” Jr. C, Middle Village (NY) Christ The King HS) A big body inside, he eats space but also moves reasonably well for his size and can score. Even so, he would certainly benefit from improving his conditioning, as his post moves aren’t bad but need some polish as he tends to travel often.
Marcus Derrickson (6’7″ So. PF, Fairfax (VA) Paul VI HS) The better of the two wide-bodied post players on his team, he has some bad weight but isn’t lacking ability and seems to use his body well. He rebounded well in stretches and showed some scoring ability, including a touch with a jumper. On the down side, he traveled on the post more than once.
Martin Geben (6’9″ Jr. PF, Hagerstown (MD) St. Maria Goretti HS) A highly-skilled forward, he didn’t star in this event like he did last year but was still solid. He showed the ability to play inside and out, took a charge at the defensive end and finished close when he got a chance.
Sam Green (6’6″ Fr. SF-PF, Forestville (MD) Bishop McNamara HS) Talented young forward has a lot of potential, as he has a good frame and plenty of physical growth to come. He scored a number of times on stickbacks both on the break and in the halfcourt, while also showing a touch from mid-range including a baseline fade-away on the post, and also passed out of the post well. In the 15-under semifinal, he scored 15 points, then added ten in the championship game.
Joe Hampton (6’6″ Fr. PF, Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha Catholic HS) Along with Green, he helped DC Assault control the paint in the 15-under playoff rounds. He has a big body that he moves well, although he could stand to improve there, but right now the lefty can overpower defenders to score inside and he has some scoring moves in his arsenal. In addition, he has time to get his body in better shape.
Emmitt Holt (6’7″ Jr. PF, Rochester (NY) Webster Schroeder HS) Thick power forward was a solid contributor for the 17-under champions, especially in transition as he got in the open floor often. Besides that, he showed a post move to score and was strong inside at both ends.
Tyler Lydon (6’8″ So. SF-PF, Elizaville (NY) Pine Plains HS) Still a baby physically, the lanky forward impressed as he has the skills of a stretch power forward to go with some length and rebounding ability. He’s not lacking a motor and boxes out well, and he will get out in transition some in addition to having range out to the three-point line. He scored 16 points in one game and was among the double-digit scorers in the final. The biggest knock is that he badly needs to gain strength, and that was evident on several plays. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect.
James Palmer (6’4″ Jr. SG, Washington (DC) St. John’s HS) An athletic wing with some length, he was a nice complementary scorer who, like everyone on his team, plays very well within the team concept. He looked to score in flow and did so, while also making some nice passes along the way.
Myles Powell (6’0″ So. SG, Medford (NJ) Tech) When he gets going, this baby-faced shooter can light it up, and he did so twice in scoring 30 and 36 points, including nine three-pointers in the latter game. More of a shooter off the catch, he did hit off the dribble a couple of times as well. In the semifinals, fresh off the 36-point effort where he carried the team, he struggled to shoot or do much else in scoring just 11 points.
John Schurman (6’5″ Jr. SG, Syracuse (NY) Fayetteville-Manlius HS) A fine complementary shooter, he fits well on a team that has good forwards and an attacking point guard. He has a good frame and body and moved well without the ball to benefit from his teammates, hitting four three-pointers in the semifinal win and leading the balanced attack in the title game.
Marquell Sheffield (So. PF, Paterson (NJ) Eastside HS) Look at his body and you’re immediately intrigued, as along with his size he’s athletic and has a body that’s still developing. But watch him play and you’re left wanting much more from him if this weekend is any indication. He wasn’t a big factor, showed a tendency to put the ball on the floor unnecessarily under the basket and didn’t exactly catch everything.
Sterling Taplin (6’2″ Jr. PG, Williamsville (NY) North HS) An athletic point guard, he attacked often and with good success, driving and dishing often and making a very acrobatic layup high off the glass one time. He has a good frame and can hit from long range, but his forte is driving to create.
Marques Townes (6’3″ Jr. SG, Metuchen (NJ) St. Joseph’s HS) Thick guard is an athletic scorer who will drive all day to try to score. He didn’t show much of a jump shot, which might be good from a shot selection standpoint, as he scored with runners in traffic and often on other plays closer to the basket, at times using his body although he doesn’t appear to have all good weight. He scored in double figures in at least three games on the weekend.
Dion Wiley (6’5″ Jr. SG, Potomac (MD) High) A solid wing, he has a good frame and showed good fundamentals such as moving without the ball and some speed with the ball. From a scoring standpoint, he showed some range on the jumper and got into double figures in a couple of games.
Walter Wright (5’10” Sr. PG, Waterbury (CT) Wilby HS) A point guard with a slight frame, he’s a little more of a scorer than a floor leader, although he was able to drive and dish a few times. He went for 14, 18 and 15 points in his team’s three games here. Next year, he will do a post-graduate year at Putnam Science Academy.
Other players who caught our attention:
Gilberto Cue (5’10” Fr. PG, Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic)
Devine Eke (6’5″ Jr. SF, Plainfield (NJ) Union Catholic Regional HS)
Drake Goddard (6’1″ Jr. PG-SG, Washington (DC) Maret School)
Jamil Hood, Jr. (6’3″ Jr. SG, Albany (NY) Green Tech)
Jalen Jackson (6’7″ Jr. PF, Hillsborough (NJ) High)
Sean Ryan (6’3″ Jr. SG, Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep)
Jajan Mosley (6’2″ Fr. SG, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony’s)
Sammy Singletary (6’1″ So. PG, Paterson (NJ) John F. Kennedy HS)
Quadri Smith (6’7″ Jr. PF, Fairfax (VA) Paul VI HS)
Alex Wolf (6’9″ Jr. PF, Greenwich (CT) Blair Academy)
