HAMPTON, Va. – Saturday was a full day of action in EYBL Session 3, as the EYBL teams each played two games while 16-under and 15-under action was sprinkled in. While the EYBL action led the day, it was in the 16-under where we saw the best games in terms of coming right down to the end. One day remains, and coverage of it will be all around the EYBL action.
In looking back at some of the day’s notable performers, we start with the class of 2015 and then look at some underclassmen.
Class of 2015
Prince Ali (6’4″ Jr. SG-SF, Pembroke Pines (FL) Sagemont HS) Very athletic wing has the potential to be a nice scorer. His athleticism helps him try to slash to the basket, while he also showed a little range on his jumper.
Jalen Brunson (6’2″ Jr. PG-SG, Vernon Hills (IL) Stevenson HS) The lefty point guard won’t blow you away with quickness, but his shooting was excellent en route to a game-high 25 points in an early afternoon game. He has a good frame and can finish at the basket, and when he wasn’t hitting from long range (he was 4-8 in one game) he was finding teammates.
Kevin Dorsey (6’0″ Jr. PG, Fairfax (VA) Paul VI HS) A very athletic guard with a slight frame, he didn’t do much in the first half of a blowout loss for his team. Later, however, he was much better, as he used his quickness to drive and dish much more and get opportunities for himself, including finishing with his left (off) hand. He showed he can defend on the ball even while his offense was a bit non-existent early on.
Victor Dukes (6’4″ Jr. PG-SG, Jonesboro (AR) High) Well-built power guard doesn’t play above the rim but is athletic and uses his body well. He had ten rebounds in a morning game, ran the show, finished the break and got a stickback.
Chimeze Metu (6’10” Jr. PF-C, Lawndale (CA) High) Long post player has a ways to go physically, and his game is perhaps best described as “interesting.” He’s raw offensively, although he showed a hint of ball skills to go along with hitting a tough mid-range shot, and while his hands look like a question mark he soared in seemingly out of nowhere to get a stickback one time. Right now he looks to be much more prospect than production.
Juwan Morgan (6’8″ Jr. PF, Waynesville (MO) High) Post player with a good frame and plus athleticism did a nice job of playing off his teammates in a supporting role. In a blowout win for his team, he scored 13 points on 5-6 shooting, often taking advantage of being around the ball to get baskets. He also got a stickback and stole the ball from the opposing point guard one time.
Edward Morrow (6’7″ Jr. PF, Chicago (IL) Simeon HS) While the sharpshooting guards on his team got a lot of attention, this athletic post player had himself a nice game in his own right. Well-built, he blocked several shots and ran the floor well, and while he didn’t score much he affected the game with how well he competed and played bigger than his size.
Nick Noskowiak (6’3″ Jr. PG-SG, Sun Prairie (WI) High) The Marquette commit led his team to a victory with a fine 27-point outing on 10-18 shooting. Possessing a good body, his motor never stops running and he showed a nice touch shooting the ball as well as generally good shot selection.
Georgios Papagiannis (7’1″ Jr. C, (Greece) Westtown HS) Intriguing big man has a big body that’s relatively mature and appears to have some bad weight. His tools are good, though, as he moves reasonably well and has ways to put the ball in the basket, including a pretty good jump hook.
Luwane Pipkins (5’10” Jr. PG, Chicago (IL) Bogan HS) It would have been easy to pick up on the exploits of teammate Jalen Brunson, but this slight guard was even hotter all game long from long range. He went 6-9 from behind the arc, including a buzzer-beater at the end of the game. On the down side, he didn’t show much in the way of playmaking, and at his size he’s unlikely to play off the ball if he goes to Division I.
Casey Teson (6’2″ Jr. SG, St. Charles (MO) High) In a blowout win for his team, he put on a shooting display the likes of which are seldom seen. He went for 34 points on 10-12 shooting from long range, making them from all over and also while fouled. He has a good frame and not only helped his team build a big lead early, but also helped them blow the game open after a rally by the opponent.
Stephen Zimmerman (7’0″ Jr. C, Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman HS) From start to finish, this well-built lefty big man was the best player on the floor in a blowout win for his team. He controlled the inside all game, from blocking shots to getting rebounds at both ends to being in plays, as he was very active and ran the floor well. The end result was a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Classes of 2016 and 2017
Brian Bowen (6’6″ Fr. SF-PF, Saginaw (MI) Arthur Hill HS) His body isn’t there yet, but he had a nice shooting touch in scoring 14 points with four three-pointers in a tough loss. One of those shots was late to keep his team in it, and he also made a nice long outlet pass off a rebound and got a stickback as well.
Tony Bradley (6’10” So. PF-C, Bartow (FL) High) Promising post player has a good frame and a body with a ways to go, and he nearly put up a double-double in the afternoon. He showed some post moves, which is always a plus at this stage, but impressed most with how he used his length on the glass to nearly post a double-double.
Al Eichelberger (6’6″ So. PF, Saginaw (MI) High) A physical post player with a relatively mature body, he held his own against a bigger opponent. Although he seems to have some bad weight, be battled all game and rebounded well, ran the floor and also showed he can use his left (off) hand to finish in close.
Jordan Ford (6’1″ So. PG, Folsom (CA) High) A baby physically, he ran the show very capably and made some heady plays, including where he went to get loose balls for easy layups. He showed some range on his jumper, going 3-4 from long range, and quietly led his team with 19 points.
Jared Harper (5’9″ So. PG, Mableton (GA) Mount Vernon Presbyterian School) Small point guard shined in a losing effort for his team with a team-high 19 points and nine assists with just one turnover. He didn’t shoot well, although he has range out to the three-point line.
Sam Ibiezugbe (6’10” So. C, Newington (CT) Masters School) Young post player has a big body, though not all of his weight is good weight, and looked good running the floor. He didn’t get a lot of great chances on offense, and that looks like a work in progress, but his size and mobility are reasons to watch him more.
Michael Layssard, Jr. (6’9″ So. PF, Boyce (LA) Northwood HS) Although he has bigger and older teammates, he looked like the best post prospect as he was quite productive off the bench. Although not all of his weight is good weight, he has a good frame and used his body effectively to score on the post and rebound, including for a stickback.
Malik Monk (6’3″ So. SG, Bentonville (AR) High) He wasn’t a big factor early on in his team’s win in the morning, but he got better as the game went along en route to 11 points and five assists with no turnovers. Athletic and with a body that can fill out more, he mostly scored in close, whether on drives in traffic or on stickbacks, and it included finishing while fouled.
Brailen Neely (5’8″ So. PG, Detroit (MI) Western International HS) Don’t let his size fool you, as this fierce competitor did a lot to keep his team in the quarterfinal game they lost. The lefty has a slight frame but is very tough, and while not jet-quick he found ways to get chances at the basket en route to 13 points.
Omari Spellman (6’7″ So. PF, Middletown (NY) North Royalton HS) A load inside, he has a huge body but runs the floor and is much more mobile inside than you would think at first glance. He showed good post moves, absorbed a lot of contact both when finishing and before that, and had a big block of a three-pointer late. Offensively, though he has a hint of ball skills, he took too many three-pointers for not being that good a shooter and for how dominant he can be inside.
Jayson Tatum (6’8″ So. SF, St. Louis (MO) Chaminade HS) One of the most impressive underclassmen here, this lanky forward is long and active with a nice skill package. His jumper release is solid, he handled and passed well, got several stickbacks, and finished even when fouled, which he should be even better at with added strength later. In addition, he made a nice breakup of a drive where he was going away from the offensive player. He had 18 points and 11 rebounds in a tough loss in the morning, and you get the feeling he can produce many stat lines like that down the road.
Rayveon Thornton (6’3″ Fr. SG-SF, Marietta (GA) High) Lefty wing valiantly battled inside, though he projects to play on the perimeter. His first basket came by way of nicely sealing off his man on the post and getting a layup, and later he showed the perimeter tools such as a long range jumper and a nice drive to the basket that ended with a layup.
