NY2LA Milwaukee: Thursday’s Top Performers (National)
Thursday was the second day of NY2LA action here in Milwaukee. In addition to NY2LA teams, there were some non-circuit teams from across the Midwest in action. The big stories from the day, however, came from NY2LA teams competing against each other in tournament play. Both the 17u and 16u brackets were dominated by Michigan team Reach Legends, while the top performer for the 15u was Wisconsin-based Swing. Regardless of the success of their respective team, there was plenty of players who performed at a high level individually.
Here are some of my top performers from day 2 here in Milwaukee:
Marcus Justice (Playground Elite 15u) – A heavy-set 6’2″, Justice was one of the biggest kids on the court. However, he has a good set of handles on him and used that to be the best playmaker on the floor in his team’s matchup with Greenwood Elite 15u. Justice led his team with 13 points and multiple assists, but what was most impressive was how he took over and controlled the game when his team started to struggle.
DaiVontrelle Strong (Playground Elite 15u) – Strong matched Justice to create a lethal duo for Playground Elite in their matchup with Greenwood Elite. Strong was terrific around the rim, gobbling up rebounds on both sides of the glass as well as leaping to alter/block shots. He showed an ability to score from all three levels offensively. The potential is endless for this kid, as he stands at 6’5″ already with long, lanky arms in addition to his above average athleticism and skillset.
Mike Fletcher (Greenwood Elite 16u) – Fletcher was matching Justice/Strong’s impact nearly all by himself. He dominated the paint in all areas – scoring on the low post, protecting the rim and cleaning the glass on both ends. He also showed an ability to make plays in the open court on the fastbreak. He’s super versatile, as he has great mobility to go with his elite strength and size (he stands around 6’7″).
Brady Powers (MBA Select 17u) – Powers looked good for MBA Select today. While maybe not the first option on his team, he thrived as a 2guard scorer. He showed great handles, shifting defenders with a nice right-to-left crossover in addition to a smooth in-and-out move. When he got past his defender, he finished extremely well in the paint. At just 5’11”, he double-clutched and hung in the air to avoid getting his shot blocked by much taller opponents. He had double-digit points in his team’s victory.
Corvon Seales (Quad City Elite 17u) – Seales was doing everything he could to carry his team against a very talented Reach Legends squad. He was super hot on offense, scoring from everywhere on the floor and making nearly everything he shot. He was so hot that he had double digits within minutes of the game starting. Seales has blazing fast speed to go with his good handles and jumper, so he’s a tough matchup for even the best defenders. In addition to that, he’s super long at 6’2″.
Rashad Williams (Reach Legends 17u) – As noted in the Michigan players article, Williams was on fire in his matchup against Quad City Elite. Him and Seales went at it possession after possession, seemingly on a mission to out-play each other individually. Williams was unguardable as he hit three after three, ending with 38 points on 10 made threes. This very well might be the best individual performance of the entire tournament.