Missouri EYBL Standouts in Indy
On Saturday evening I had a chance to catch the late session of the Nike EYBL in Indianapolis. During this time, I caught games with the MoKan Elite 17U, Brad Beal Elite 17U and Brad Beal Elite 16U teams in action. The 16Us were part of the Nike Midwest Takeover. Here is a look at some of the top Missouri players from those games.
2018
Jontay Porter 6’10” (MoKan Elite 17U): The versatile big has been a tour de force in leading MoKan Elite to an 8-0 record after the first two sessions of play. He is averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds a game, but his true value to the team is his leadership and the ability to make everyone around him better. In the game I watched against Team Takeover, MoKan trailed for much of the second half until Porter took over. He caught the ball in the post and drew double-teams and passed out for two wide open 3-pointers. He then made two consecutive 3-pointers of his own and scored on a put back to swing the game in his team’s favor. As I tweeted at the time, Jontay has a Duncanesque quality to make his teammates better through his scoring, rebounding, passing, ball handling and rim protection. At this time, he is still trying to decide whether to go to high school for his senior year or reclassify into the 2017 class and join his brother Michael at Mizzou.
Karrington Davis 6’6″ (Brad Beal Elite 17U): The athletic wing player from Chaminade had a breakout game on Saturday night when he scored 19 points and had five rebounds in a tough victory over Expressions Elite. Davis has a nice shooting touch from 3-point range, but in this game, I was impressed with his assertiveness in taking the ball to the basket. He did a lot of damage at the rim on aggressive drives and offensive rebounds. He scored the go-ahead bucket with less than two minutes left to play on a tough drive to break a 68-68 tie and his team never trailed again. Davis is at his best when he is in attack mode like that because of his skill level and athleticism.
Jericole Hellems 6’7″ (Brad Beal Elite 17U): After a tremendous junior campaign at Chaminade, Hellems is still trying to find that consistent offensive rhythm on the grassroots circuit. He’s had a few tough shooting days on the circuit, but that hasn’t stopped him from being aggressive and attacking the basket. He didn’t look for his offense too much in the game I watched against Expressions Elite, but what he did well was rebound. He finished the game with a team-high nine rebounds in a 74-68 victory, which was very good to see because he find a way to help his team win an important game when he wasn’t getting buckets.
Fred Thatch, Jr. 6’3″ (Brad Beal Elite 17U): After dominating around the basket for his high school team at Sikeston as a beastly combo forward, Thatch is playing a more traditional shooting guard role for Brad Beal with all of the size they have up front. A Saint Louis U. commit, Thatch’s perimeter game continues to improve with every game. When he gets the right match, Thatch still has the ability to bull-moose a smaller defender to the hoop and score a tough bucket. He also gives the team more aggressive rebounding from the guard position with his size and tenacious zeal for getting to the glass. Thatch is more than willing to get down in a stance and defend against some very talented wing players in the EYBL.
Ochai Agbaji 6’4″ (MoKan Elite 17U): The talented shooting guard from Oak Park did not play a ton of minutes in MoKan’s victory over Team Takeover, but the made the most of his time as he scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds. Agbaji has good size and a lot of offensive ability, which makes him an ideal prospect as a wing player. He is very good in transition and he can also score in the half court on the drive and with his mid-range jumper. He is also a good rebounder from the guard position.
2019
Mario McKinney 6’2″ (Brad Beal Elite 16U): The talented combo guard has enjoyed a nice grassroots season so far and that continued with another excellent performance in a 20-point win over the Wings Elite. He has really developed into a potent scorer. McKinney can really slash to the basket and fill the lanes to score transition buckets, but he has become a serious threat from 3-point range. The addition of his knock down 3-point shooting ability, whether off the catch or in transition, makes him a very difficult kid to guard.
Roman Wilson 6’10” (MoKan Elite 17U): The young big from Park Hill is playing up for the undefeated MoKan 17U team and getting a lot of quality run. Not much is asked of him offensively with this team, but Wilson does have a versatile offensive repertoire for a youngster his size. You will probably see more of that next year when he becomes more of a focal point. What he brings to this team is his size, length and activity on both ends of the floor. He is a good rebounder and an excellent shot blocker. This young man has a very substantial upside.
Yuri Collins 5’11” (Brad Beal Elite 16U): On a team that advanced to the Final Four of the Midwest Takeover, this point guard from St. Mary’s was the straw that stirred the drink (I know, old cliché, but I like it) as the team’s floor leader. When you have high-level players such as E.J. Liddell and Mario McKinney as the main bucket-getters, someone has to get them the ball. That would be Collins, who runs the show in a smooth way with his ability to make sure everyone is well fed. He also has the ability to feed himself with good dribble drive moves to the bucket and some timely 3-point shooting.
Isiaih Mosley 6’5″ (MoKan Elite 16U): Although I did not get to see MoKan’s 16U in action last weekend, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how well this young wing player from Rock Bridge played in leading MoKan to a undefeated record at the Midwest Takeover. With his size, dynamic athleticism and versatile set of guard skills, Mosley should see his stock rise in the eyes of those folks who evaluate these kids from a national perspective.