St. Louis Spring Showcase (Sunday Standouts)
The St. Louis Spring Showdown was a good showcase event for a lot of players who tend to fly under the radar. There were several quality performances over the weekend. Here are some of top players from Sunday’s final day:
Mitch Fairless 6’5″ T.E.M. Select 17U: The athletic wing player from Duchesne was the MVP of the 17U division after leading his team to the tournament championship. He scored 18 points in the championship game, He scored well in transition and did a nice job working the high post and making several short jumpers with an excellent touch. Fairless provided a couple of biggest highlights of the weekend when he executed a couple of wicked body-snatching hammer dunks over defenders in the open court that got people on the other courts hollering. Fairless has definitely been a stock riser in the St. Louis in the early part of the grassroots season.
Dominique Hardimon 6’2″ SEMO Bulls 16U: The physical combo forward from Poplar Bluff was the MVP of the 16U division after leading the Bulls to the championship. He scored the game-winning points in sudden death overtime with a grown-man offensive rebound and put back in traffic, finishing the championship game with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Hardimon is just a physical beast around the basket with his strength and high level of activity. He scores around the post and grabs offensive rebounds with regularity. He is also excellent in transition with his ability to beat bigger defenders down the floor for buckets. If he can develop a consistent perimeter jumper, look the you-know-what out.
Jaylen Boyd 5’10” St. Louis Warriors 15U: The young point guard from Ladue was brilliant in the final two games of the day in nearly leading his 15U team to the championship of the 16U tournament. He scored 20 points in the semifinals, including two big baskets at the end of overtime in a victory. He was even better in the championship game as he scored 21 points and rallied the Warriors from a 14-point deficit to a near victory. The lefty was tough when able to get to the basket as he finished with traffic on several occasions. He also added several mid-range jumpers when defenders backed off. Boyd is a quick pass-first point guard, but he showed on Sunday that he can get buckets when his team needed them.
Dayton Turner 5’9″ T.E.M. Select 15U: The feisty point guard from Washington High was the MVP of the 15U tournament after leading his team to the championship. Turner is small, but he is strong and he plays with a lot of passion and drive on both ends. He was fearless with his drives to the basket. He finished well around the basket amongst the trees, plus he also did a nice job of finding open teammates for easy buckets after his dribble penetration. Turner was definitely the engine that drove his team to the championship.
Moses Opkala 6’7″ St. Louis Hardwood Hunks 16U: The improving 250-pound post player from Ladue had a very productive weekend, especially on the boards where he was one of the best in the entire tournament. I counted him for 18 rebounds in one bracket-play victory over Larry Hughes Basketball Academy. He goes up with two hands and grabs strong rebounds of the defensive end. Moses also displayed a couple of offensive moves in the post that got me a little excited. He swung through in the post and scored on a hook shot through traffic and got the And 1, which was something I haven’t seen from him. As a developmental player, the more he plays the better he gets.
Isaiah Ervin 5’9″ Larry Hughes Basketball Academy 16U: The small shooting guard from Alton Marquette (IL) has a smooth overall offensive game. When given time and space, he can really shoot the basketball from long distance. His game is not confined to the perimeter as he is also an excellent player in transition. He did a fine job of finishing on the break.
Zach Jones 6’1″ ACB 15U: A most intriguing player who I watched for the first time, the Parkway South guard is a thick-bodied kid with a really impressive skill set. He has excellent court vision, whether he has the ball at the point or if he’s in the low post. He can spot the open man and did with several nice no-look dimes. Jones uses his big body to keep opposing defenders away from his dribble and also handles the ball well. He also dropped a couple of 3-pointers off the catch.