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Rasool Samir (left) and DeAndre Hunter (12) helped lead Philly Pride to the Breakout Showdown 15U title. (Photo: Josh Verlin)
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The final day of the two-day Elevate Hoops Showdown took place on Sunday, with the 15U, 16U and 17U brackets each playing their semifinal and finals matchups on the courts at Philly U. Here are brief recaps of the three invitational bracket finals, with some other notes and recruiting information as well:
15U Final: Philly Triple Threat vs. Philly Pride
The first of three finals of the day on Court 1 was an all-Philadelphia matchup, and the crowd at Philly U got a good glimpse of a talented 2016 class that’s just now starting to make a name for itself in the region.
DeAndre Hunter (2016/Friends Central) was a force all over the court, scoring 19 points in leading Philly Pride to a 60-51 win that was the squad’s fifth AAU tournament victory of the 2013 season. The fact that it came against another Philadelphia program didn’t matter so much as the fact that the win represented another step in the right direction for the Philly Pride program.
“We just like to win, we’re trying to build this program into something really major,” Philly Pride coach Sean Colson said. “Our program is about developing players. It’s great to win championships, but we want to develop players so they’re doing well not just on the AAU circuit, but when they go back to high school.”
Triple Threat got a tough, 20-point effort from Tony Carr (2016/Abington Friends), a 6-0 point guard with a solid shot and a quickly-improving handle and ability to get to the rim; he’s also got a nice floater and played well all weekend. Josh Sharkey (2016/Abington Friends) followed his year-round teammate with 14 points.
Philly Pride also got a solid game from Jaekwon Carlyle (2016/Imhotep), with 12 points, while Rasool Samir (2016/Martin Luther King) added eight.
Samir, a 6-foot-6 forward, along with Hunter, forced a lot of Triple Threat misses around the trim with their length and athleticism. The rising sophomore transferred from Imhotep to play for his AAU coach at King this offseason, and Colson sees potential in the forward as long as he continues to mature.
“(Samir) dominates at the rim with blocked shots, rebounds,” Colson said. “(But) sometimes when he’s not scoring he gets a little upset. When you’re not scoring or you’re not getting the ball a whole lot…you’ve just got to do all the other things, don’t stop doing the other things.”
16U Final: N.J. Roadrunners vs. Sports U IZOD
The length and athleticism of Sports U wore down team after team this weekend, and that continued in a 58-47 win over the Roadrunners. With four starters standing 6-4 and taller, Sports U presents a matchup problem for a lot of teams on the 16U circuit.
“We’re long, we’re deceptively long,” Sports U director Ed Bright said. “We think we’re doing things the right way, and we have great arm length, and we play defense. We can do some things a lot of people can’t do.”
Karl Charles (2015/Rutgers Prep) scored all but two of his game-high 22 points in the first half, getting help from his teammates after the break as the Roadrunners faded away down the stretch. A pair of 2015 Brooklyn Collegiate teammates, Davere Creighton and Jahlil Tripp, were next on the team with 10 and nine points, respectively.
“They’re coming together–they’re going to be very, very good,” Bright said. “Everybody has always knocked us because from 1 through 10 we have D-I prospects, and they say they can’t play like that–but they can, when they play together. When they play basketball the right way.”
The Roadrunners were led by Matt Bullock (2016/Roselle Catholic), with 11 points, while Myles Stephens (2015/St. Andrew’s, Del.) had nine.
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Haverford School senior Eric Anderson had a really impressive weekend at Philly U. (Photo: Josh Verlin)
17U Final: Jersey Shore Warriors vs. D13 Elite (Tenn.)
Eric Anderson capped a terrific weekend in the tournament finale, powering the Warriors to a 63-62 win over a talented squad from Nashville. D13 had more size and athleticism than Jersey Shore, but the Warriors made up for it with an unselfish style of play and a solid shooting performance from a number of players.
“Tremendous team play, that’s the bottom line,” Warriors coach Tony Sagona told CoBL. “Everybody shared the ball, every game somebody else stepped up. They’re a great group of guys, they’re great to watch.”
Anderson (2014/The Haverford School) had a game-high 22 points, capping off an impressive performance at the event. The 6-6 wing is being pursued by a number of high-academic schools, including Columbia, Penn, Colgate and Lafayette.
“You know what, he had an all-around game,” Sagona said. He made shots, rebounded, played defense; he was really superb, he really was.”
In addition to Anderson, Sean O’Brien (2014/Penn Charter) also capped off a solid weekend with a 14-point outing, making a number of big shots down the stretch. Justin McFadden (2014/Lower Merion) scored eight while adding some tough defense and rebounding, while Eric Stafford (2014/Pitman) chipped in seven.
“I thought Sean O’Brien played tremendous,” Sagona said. He’s our soul. Defensively, he’s tough, and he shot the ball well. Big shots.”
Jaylen Barford (2014/South Side HS) led D13 Elite with 20 points, while Marcus Graves (2014/Independence, N.C.) added 12.
Notes & Quotes
–Was really impressed with the play of Anderson, who had probably his strongest all-around weekend at a really good time, considering he’s got two final live period weeks to impress schools before his senior season. His 22-point effort only tells part of the story; he was hitting the boards as well, playing solid defense against a very athletic D13 front line. He still needs to work on his handle to succeed as a wing at the next level, but the fact that he does so many things well is going to pay some dividends for a program down the road.
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NJ Roadrunners forward Chris Silva is an ultra-athletic, high-motor forward. (Photo: Josh Verlin)
–NJ Roadrunners forward Chris Silva (2015/Roselle Catholic) is bound for high-major territory although right now his recruiting is very much unknown. Silva only came over from Africa one year ago, and his game is coming around much quicker than his English is. Roadrunners coach Sandy Pyonin said he’s “sure everybody’s going to be in” on the 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward, an athletic freak with an extremely high motor who’s picking up on the feel of the game with every time he takes the court.
–Another forward on that Sports U 16U squad with some length is 6-6, 210-pound forward Gerald Blount (2015/St. Anthony). More of an interior player than his teammates Charles and Markis McDuffie, Blount is a tough, athletic rebounder who’s developing on the offensive end of the court. Though he doesn’t currently have an offer, Blount is receiving interest from Delaware, Marist, Quinnipiac and George Mason.
–Caught up with one of the most electric players at Philly U all week, Florida point guard Corey Sanders (2015/Showtime Ballers). An ultra-athletic, 6-0 point guard with some serious ups and a great handle, he’s got a number of high-major offers, listing Memphis, Marquette, Central Florida, South Florida, James Madison, George Mason and Georgia Southern; he also claimed interest from Michigan, Louisville, Florida, Oklahoma State, Miami, Kentucky and Cincinnati.