Jayhawk Summer Finale/Sunflower Showcase: Saturday Standouts
Saturday was my final day of covering grassroots hoops for the summer and I spent it splitting time between the Jayhawk Summer Finale in Overland Park, KS and the Sunflower Showcase in nearby Shawnee. KC Run GMC won the 16U and 17U championships at the Jayhawk while Brad Beal Elite won the 15U title. Here are some of Saturday’s Missouri standouts from those two events:
Diego Bernard 6’0″ KC Pacers Blue 17U: The dynamic lefty point guard enjoyed a 24-point performance in a 72-65 victory over a good Jets-Ramey United team at the Sunflower on Saturday night. Bernard knocked down a couple of 3-pointers early, but he really got things going as he attacked the basket and scored on a variety of twisting drives and stop and pop jumpers in the lane. He also showcased his athleticism with a couple of acrobatic tip ins in transition. He then sealed the win with four consecutive free throws down the stretch. Several Division IIs have offered, but there were some Division Is sniffing around as well.
Zach Harding 6’6″ Jets 17U: The long and lanky combo forward scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Jets to a victory over D1 Minnesota on Saturday night at the Sunflower. Harding displayed his all-around versatility as he scored in the paint with turnaround jumpers and drifted to the perimeter where he banged home a number of 3-pointers. He also had a nice one-dribble move to knock down a 15-footer at the elbow late in the game. He is very comfortable inside and outside, plus he is an excellent passer.
Jayce Catchings 6’2″ Brad Beal Elite 15U: The long shooting guard enjoyed an excellent performance against Team Thad in the semifinals of the Jayhawk when he scored a team-high 19 points in BBE’s thrilling 69-68 victory. He was on fire from 3-point range as he nailed five triples on the day. He made three consecutive 3-pointers in the second half that rallied BBE from a five-point deficit to a one-point lead. Jayce shoots them with range as he hit a few from well beyond the 3-point line. He can really stretch that defense when he is on.
Ethan Kilgore 6’6″ KC Run GMC 15U: The tough combo forward broke out with a 31-point performance against the Wisconsin Shooters in the quarterfinals. He got buckets from everywhere as he scored in the paint, on the offensive boards, on the fast break and from 3-point range. He had everything working in that game. In the championship-game loss to Brad Beal Elite, he scored 10 points with most of them coming off great hustle as he filled the lane on the break for finishes. His versatility really stood out over the weekend.
Mike Sanders 5’10” St. Louis Stars 17U: The Stars have been playing good basketball the last two weeks in July and a big reason has been the play of Sanders at the point running the show. In a victory over NLHA at the Sunflower, he had 11 points and six rebounds while playing an excellent floor game. He defended well, distributed the basketball and can knock down open 3-pointers, which he has been able to do consistently throughout his career.
Terrell Rush 5’11” Brad Beal Elite 15U: A very offensive minded guard who scored in double figures in both games on Saturday en route to BBE’s championship at the Jayhawk. He scored 14 points against Team Thad in the semifinals and a team-high 11 against KC Run GMC in the finals. He is BBE’s attack dog on offense as he was always putting the pressure on opposing defenses with his probing and go-go style. He got buckets on the break and he showcased a very nice pull up jumper throughout the tournament. Whenever his team needed a little spark offensively, he was usually the one to provide it.
New Offers
*5’8″ 2018 point guard Damien Daniels of KC Run GMC picked up a couple of offers from MIAA schools Washburn and Missouri Western over the weekend. He will be a senior at Hogan Prep.
*6’6″ 2018 forward Tyreese Davis of KC Run GMC received an offer from Eastern Illinois University.