10 Best: Beach Ball Classic (United Faith vs Myrtle Beach Christian)
The 36th annual Beach Ball Classic started this week at The Myrtle Beach Convention Center. United Faith Christian Academy (14-2) and Myrtle Beach Christian Academy (5-9) started the tournament off with a preliminary game before the actual tournament started. United…
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Continue ReadingThe 36th annual Beach Ball Classic started this week at The Myrtle Beach Convention Center. United Faith Christian Academy (14-2) and Myrtle Beach Christian Academy (5-9) started the tournament off with a preliminary game before the actual tournament started. United Faith would prevail 85-84 over Myrtle Beach Christian Academy.
MVP: KC Hankton- The 6-fo0t-8 Hankton, was perfect from three-point land making all five of his shots from beyond the arc. He scored 22 points, came up with some big defensive plays and showcased a great shooting touch from the lefty. He is being recruited by Charlotte, Utah State, Winthrop and Kent State.
Offensive MVP: Justin Busby- The 6-foot-1 guard for Myrtle Beach Christian scored a game-high 26 points for the Saints. He is a quick guard who can score in a variety of ways. Athletic and a game with a high IQ, Busby is a legitimate low-major prospect. He has offers from VMI and Army.
Defensive MVP: KC Hankton- The long and athletic Hankton disrupted shot selections for the Saints with his length and shot-blocking ability. He grabbed some big rebounds and was all over the floor.
Best Shooter: Jalen Knight- The Hartford University commit is a scorer. He can put the ball on the floor and create or knock down the long range shot. He scored 24 points for UFCA while knocking down five three-point shots.
Best Aspect of the Game: The opening game of The Beach Ball Classic- This is one of the longest running and biggest tournaments in the southeast. Kevin Garnett, Baron Davis, Vince Carter, Jahil Okafor, Rasheed Wallace, and Antwan Jamison all played in the prestigious event.
Best Passer: Raphael Jenkins- The 5-foot-11 Jenkins has really good court vision and can penetrate the lane to find the open man or make the right pass in transition. He had 7 assists on the day.
Best Underclassman: Brett Swilling- The junior wing had a strong game, scoring 12 points in a variety of different ways. He is long and athletic and one to keep an eye on at United Faith next season with the departure of Jalen Knight.
Best Story Moving Forward: United Faith improves to 14-2 overall and should be a legitimate contender in the NCISAA 1-A classification along with The Burlington School.
Best Skillset: Bryce Schneider- The Richmond commit understands the game so well. He is ahead of his class in terms of basketball IQ. He understands the angles of the game, he can score without the ball in his hands and is a above average shooter. The Spiders will be getting a good one in Schneider.
Play of the Game: With United Faith up three points with 1.6 seconds left in the game, Myrtle Beach Christian had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation but a miscommunication about the score led them to think they were down two points and scored a easy basket under their own goal as the buzzer sounded. Still down one point at the end of the game. Most of the teams playing in North Carolina and South Carolina are used to a scoreboard on either end of the floor and not above their heads at half-court. I’m not saying this was why The Saints lost the game but I think it may have had something to do with it.