Spring Jam Fest: Saturday Notebook Part 1
Hoop Group’s annual Spring Jam Fest is well underway at Spooky Nook Sports, which means from sunrise to sunset 30 courts are occupied by team not only trying to win games, but also gain exposure from college coaches.
While it’s humanly impossible to watch a little bit of each game, I tried to cover as many Maryland-based teams as possible and also hit the more popular teams from around the country as well.
Here are notes on some players that stood out during the Saturday portion of games I caught:
Ross Jones | 2017 | Maryland 3D
Jones was hands down the best player on the floor in each game he played in. In the last two games for Maryland 3D, he finished with 27 points in each. The 6’1 point guard showcased his ability to score from all three levels while facilitating the offense at the same time. Jones caught a number of college coach’s eye throughout the two days.
Caidon Owen | 2018 | Maryland 3D
Owen was the other scoring threat alongside Ross for 3D. In their last game against Boston Warriors Elite, Owen buried multiple three’s to help lift them to the victory. Along with scoring, Owen is an all-around hustle player that hits the boards with aggression.
Isaiah Lorrette | 2017 | Boston Warriors Elite
Lorette was a force in the game against Maryland 3D. The 6’6 big man was scoring inside and out. The majority of his buckets came off catch-and-shoot or a maximum of one-dribble. If he corrals an offensive rebound, Lorrette isn’t looking to pass. He’s going to power through and either draw a foul or convert. His size and physicality was overwhelming 3D all game.
Evan Botwinik | 2019 | South Florida Sharks
At 5’9, Botwinik isn’t going to catch your eye in warm-ups, but once the ball is tipped he has complete control of the game. He paced the Sharks with 13 points and a handful of smart plays to help them defeat Cecil Kirk. The Sharks were lights out from three. That can be credited to Botwinik’s ability to get into the heart of the defense for drive-and-kicks.
Marcus Montalvo | 2019 | South Florida Sharks
One of the players for the Sharks that lit it up from deep was Montalvo. The 6’2 guard finished with 15 points, nine of them coming from beyond the arc. All three three’s were in catch-and-shoot situations, but two of them were with a defender in his face. The hand didn’t matter. Montalvo has a quick release that looked good before the ball went through the net.
Avion Robinson | 2019 | Cecil Kirk
Robinson led Cecil Kirk with 16 points in the loss to South Florida. Robinson was the clear vocal leader for Cecil Kirk. He’s a very tough, scrappy point guard who utilizes a quick first step to attack the basket. Robinson is only 5’10, but shows no hesitations driving to the rim and banging with the big men.
Drew Green | 2019 | Cecil Kirk
Green has the potential to be quite the stock riser this spring/summer. For Cecil Kirk, Green plays more on the wing and is expected to look to score first. However, he is a very unselfish player and always finds the open player. Against South Florida, Green finished with 10 points including two athletic reverse lay-up finishes.