Jayhawk Summer Finale (Thursday Standouts)
Here is a look at some of Thursday’s standouts from the Jayhawk Summer Finale in Overland Park, KS
Mason Taylor 6’4″ KC Pacers Blue 17U: The talented shooting guard was brilliant in leading the Pacers to a 20-point victory over Oklahoma Run PwP. Taylor scored a game high 30 points and connected on six 3-pointers, with five of them coming in the first half. He had the long distance stroke going early and often has he helped stake the Pacers to a lead that they would never relinquish. He has ideal size, athleticism and offensive skills to be the consummate shooting guard. He also knocked a down a few mid-range jumpers and scored in transition. I expect his recruiting interest to pick up after this performance.
Monty Johal 6’3″ Yanders Law 17U: The smooth lefty scored 20 points in Yanders Law’s victory over NdaGym in a very competitive game. Johal is a pure scorer who loves the shake and bake aspect of the game as he handles the ball like its own a string to tantalize the defender. At the end comes a smooth left-handed stroke from either the mid-range or the 3-point line. And he’s not really a big gunner to be such a prolific scorer. He lets the game come to him and picks his spots to attack. Late in the game, he unleashed three consecutive jumpers to put his team up to stay. He combines a little old-school feel with the And 1 showmanship that the kids like to do today to make himself a prime offensive weapon.
Clay Gayman 6’5″ KC Pacers Blue 17U: Not even a twisted ankle could stop the talented combo forward from getting 20 points and more than 10 rebounds in the Pacers’ victory over Oklahoma Run PwP. Gayman was tough around the basket, but he also showed his versatile skill set as he want outside and drained a couple of 3-pointers. That in turn, set up his go-to move when he pump-faked the defender from 3, then drove the baseline for a tough two-handed slam dunk. He gets them all the time with that move. He is a tough competitor who always brings the action and that versatile skill set of his makes him even tougher to stop.
Mario McKinney 6’1″ Brad Beal Elite 16U: The exciting wing guard scored 25 points in BBE’s overtime loss to Team Thad in a high-level, high scoring affair. When he is one his game, Mario is getting buckets from just about anywhere on the court. He was excellent in transition, where he can swoop in for easy baskets. He was tough off the drive and he also scored on pull up jumpers and 3-pointers. He is constantly active and always around the basketball, so he picks up his share of offensive rebounds as well.
King Waller 6’2″ Brad Beal Elite 15U: A thick and bullish wing player who showed that you don’t necessarily have to get a lot of buckets to impact a game. In a victory over Quad City Elite, Waller was the MVP as he helped break the game open with his defensive intensity and overall toughness. With the score very close, Waller engineered a five minute stretch where he caused turnovers, made steals, crashed the offensive boards and ignited his teammates on a big run. His energy level on defense was inspiring as he teammates took up the cause and they broke the game open.
Anton Brookshire 5’11” Yanders Law 15U: One of the youngest players in the field, the 2021 point guard was playing up a level, but you wouldn’t have thought that by the way he plays. Against a tough Team Thad team that was pressing the entire game, Brookshire handled the pressure with poise and savvy, plus he showcased his quickness in the open court. I was also impressed with his judgement has he made good decisions with the ball as he got in the lane for buckets and dropped dimes to open teammates.
Dontae Taylor 6’0″ MBA Flight 15U: An athletic young point guard who has a chance to be a tremendous player in the future. He has decent size and he is explosive off the dribble as he showed with several coast to coast forays with good finishes at the rim. He also had a nice pull up jumper plus he knocked down a couple of 3-pointers. I was also impressed with his ability to pass the basketball. He was very unselfish as he used his dribble penetration to create easy passing angles for open teammates as well as some very nice no-look dimes in transition.