Las Vegas, NV – After getting there feet wet on day one, some of the top youth basketball players in the country had a second chance to impress college coaches and gain some momentum heading into win or go home action.
Arguably the most suprising storyline is the fact that the talented Indiana Elite 17u team went 0-3 in pool play. The team added the future Oak Hill Academy standout D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera prior to the event to team up with the likes of Hanner Perea, Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, and Jeremey Hollowell.
Many will try to point to the new addition as the reason for the sub-par pool play, but the fact is, Indiana Elite have played very inconsistent throughout the summer and are unable to find a cohesive core group to put on the floor.
The Kansas Pray and Play team lead by Buddy Hield and Perry Ellis also finished pool play with a 0-3 record.
Nate Britt – D.C Assault – Britt is a fantastic point guard that is capable of doing a little bit of everything of the floor. He his a leader in the huddle and keeps his composure when he faces a double or is trapped. Britt can also play lock down defense and that was evident with him assisting in holding the talented Chris Thomas to 6 points in a 52-43 win over the Colorado Hawks.
Denzel Valentine– Michigan Mustangs – The Michigan State commit showed his versatility and why Tom Izzo has been so high on the 6’4” wing. Valentine tends to find open space in the half court game and his quick release makes is tough to defend his jumper. He uses his left hand well and shows nice leadership on the court. Valentine will need to improve on the defensive end but with his passion for the game I can’t foresee that as being a issue by the time he arrives in East Lansing.
2012 Javan Felix photo credit slamonline.com
Javan Felix – New Orleans Elite – The consensus report on Felix is that he is a winner, a kid that takes the game far to serious for a guy his age. Felix has a nice broad build on him which yields great results when he drives and absorbs contact. He has a feathery touch and buried 8 three-pointers in a overtime victory over the Sam Dekker and J.P. Tokoto lead Wisconsin Playground Warriors.
Malik Price-Martin – Florida Rams – The 6’8” forward has a plethora of potential. He can take his defender into the post or face up and shoot a 15 footer. His game has expanded beyond the three point line but his shot is not quite consistent from that range yet. On the loaded Rams, sometimes he becomes a bit passive. He is receiving interest from Kentucky, Syracuse, UCONN and a host of other high major programs.
Eron Harris – Indiana Elite – The one time under the radar player out of Indianapolis, is making a tremendous late push for recognition. Harris is able to create shots for himself and has nice court vision and is very crisp on his passes. Harris recently received scholarship offers from Dayton and Wisconsin which is long overdue. Other schools that have checked in with Harris recently are Minnesota and Penn State.
Anthony January – Double Pump Elite – For the second day in a row, we came away impressed with the UTEP commits passion. Great energy on the court. He is a slasher and uses his physically imposing body to force his way to the tin. His passion still needs to be controlled, and his demonstrative actions when things don’t go perfect will need to be cooled down a bit but not taken away.
