St. Louis Spring Showcase (Class of 2018 Guards/Wings)
Here are some of the top Class of 2018 guards and wings from last weekend’s St. Louis Spring Showcase:
Jermaine Bell 6’3″ Southern Illinois Steelers: An athletic wing player who displayed a lot of versatility and skills throughout the weekend in playing at all three perimeter spots. He has good length and displayed some explosiveness in the open court with a number of transition dunks. Bell has good handles and the ability to create space to knock down mid-range jumpers plus he could get to the rim and finish on the drive. He has a nice upside if he continues to develop.
Mitch Fairless 6’4″ T.E.M. Select: The explosive wing player has raised his stock with a number of excellent performances at this tournament and at the recent Adidas All-American Tournament. Fairless was the MVP of the 17U tournament after leading his team to the tournament championship. He was a consistent finisher at the rim either on contested layups or slam dunks in transition. He can shoot the 3-pointer off the catch with time and space and he also scored on several high post jumpers in the championship game. He could really enhance his recruiting stock if he continues to improve his ball handling.
Levi Woods 5’10: SEMO Bulls: A small combo guard who can really shoot the basketball from long distance. Woods shot the ball well off the catch and also knocked down some 3-pointers in transition. He is also a capable scorer and not just a long distance marksman. Woods has spent some time in the weight room and the added strength has helped him become a better finisher in the lane as he played through contact.
Devione Rayford 5’11” Capital City Teamwork: A slick southpaw point guard who led his team to the runner-up finish in the 17U tournament. Rayford has excellent quickness, but he has the ability to shift gears and constantly keep defenders off balance. When he gets to the rim, he had the ability to move the ball around and contort his body at different angles to get buckets. Rayford was also a good on-ball defender who can pressure opposing ball handlers.
Yansyn Taylor 6’3″ Capital City Teamwork: A power wing player who had the ability to play on the perimeter or in the low post. He knocked down many corner 3-pointers during the weekend. Taylor also scored in the low post using his big body and being a southpaw to his advantage. Although he was on a team full of smaller guards, Taylor was able to display his ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays off the dribble. He could use his physical strength to buffalo his defenders to the basket.
Nick Bazzell 6’2″ T.E.M. Select: The wing player played the “super-sub” role quite well all weekend in helping his team win the tournament championship. The moment he entered a game, Bazzell made things happen in a very positive way. He contributed instant offense with his 3-point shooting, he handled the ball and did a nice job passing the ball. His production was very consistent throughout the tournament.
Klay Barton 6’1″ SEMO Bulls: A combo guard who handled both guard positions well and shot the ball really well from the perimeter throughout the weekend. Barton is knock down shooter from 3-point range who can get it on the catch or off the dribble. He also did a nice job of handling the ball and dropping dimes to open teammates.