Indianapolis, IN – The opening action for the first open period of July could be categorized as many different things but there were some stars hidden amongst the hectic play at the Adidas Invitational on Wednesday night at North Central…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inIndianapolis, IN – The opening action for the first open period of July could be categorized as many different things but there were some stars hidden amongst the hectic play at the Adidas Invitational on Wednesday night at North Central High School.
Wednesday night was dedicated to watching some showcase games for the 17U age group. Some of the teams watched were Indiana Elite Central, CIA Bounce, Pocket City, Indiana Elite Red 2016, Indiana Elite Magic, EG10, UPLAY, and Indiana Faith-Wayer. Here are some of the notes from the night's action:
Brandon Cyrus Leads CIA Bounce With Win Over IE Central 17U
La Lumiere's Brandon Cyrus is one of the top wings in the 2016 class for Indiana and he showed just a little bit of that tonight. The 6'4 wing was as active as I have seen him and really took the ball at IE all game. He's very athletic and strong but a little raw with skill so most of his action was at the rim. He showed a bit of that with some acrobatic finishes.
Indiana Elite Central struggled to keep pace with CIA. They had a few good runs getting some help from Crown Point's Grant Gelon. The 6'6 shooter got hot in the second half and helped to tie the game up before CIA went on their final long run. Gelon hit five threes in the game, four in the second half for his team high 15 points.
In the first half it was fun to watch the emergence of Shawe Memorial's Adida Ikongshul. The 6'6 prospect is not even scratching the surface of his skills yet but is making plays regardless. He had a few good offensive rebounds, an area where he does well typically. Athleticism is his biggest asset right now and he relies upon it heavily but it played well against a very strong, athletic CIA team. He had a great missed dunk, if you can say that, where he ran with the ball right down the middle of the lane for a tomahawk. Give him a couple years and that could be a staple of his game.
Pocket City 17U Takes Down Indiana Elite Red 2016
In there second year on the AAU circuit, Pocket City has made quick strides and is organized enough to stay around for a long time. This top 17U team isn't as strong as their 16's and 15's but it has won some big games and had to grind out another one tonight.
In this one, it was the pair of guards for Pocket City that stood out. This was the best game I had seen from 2016 Erik Bell. The Evansville Bosse product had 14 points on the night and made a lot of plays in open space. Pocket City kept things spread out with solid passing and Bell was able to capitalize a bit. He's a solid point guard prospect who can be a little hit or miss with his passing but when he is on like he is tonight, he looks the part.
2017 guard Jack Davidson of Indiana Elite Red isn't like his older brother Eric, a University of Indianapolis player, not even in the slightest. They look similar but Jack is a much better pure point guard. His ability too have confidence against his defenders playing a level up is fun to watch. He doesn't get rattled. He can shoot the ball pretty well but that is the best part of Eric's game while ball handling was second. They are reversed and I'm not sure that is a bad thing.
Nolan Narain and UPLAY 17U Get Win Over EG10
The San Diego State commit, Nolan Narain, was unmatched in this game against EG10. Without any true size, Narain was able to battle easily in the paint and had some really good looking plays. UPLAY got out to an early lead and never looked back and EG10 couldn't put a full run together.
For EG10, Lance Dollison showed some improvements in his game. He's been mostly a shooter who recently has struggled to make shots but that might end up helping him. He's shown more of a willingness to attack the rim more and Lance had a couple really good plays tonight. Dollison had a good drive for an and-one that was in the middle of a big run. Playing away from the wing and developing his all around game is a solid strategy right now and could loom big for him in these pivotal weeks.
Other Notables:
2016 wing Desmond Bane of Indiana Elite Magic looked very good despite having a two-week old broken hand. He had 20 points and a huge putback dunk with his left hand (he's right handed).
2016 scoring guard Jagger Surface of Pocket City 17U had 17 points in the win over Indiana Elite Red. Has to become a little more efficient but he can put up points.
2016 point guard Antoine Divine played well against SABO Gold 17U. He's moved over to play with Indiana Elite Magic for the July Evaluation Periods.
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