Francisco’s Finest: UAA Finals 2019 Surprises
Francisco’s Finest: UAA Finals 2019 Surprises
HENDERSON, Nev.— It reached 119 degrees in “Sin City” but it was nice and cool—more like chilly—in the friendly confines of Coronado High School where Under Armour presented their additon of club basketball madness—The UAA Finals. There were a plethora of eye-catching moments as well as some stellar prospects—young and old—including 2020 Anthony Edwards and 2019 Nico Mannion. In this segment we’ll be looking at some of the surprises of the UAA Finals.
Bryan Antoine (Ranney/NJ) Club Team: Team Rio
2019, SG, 6-foot-4, 170 pounds
Joel’s Take: Antoine has been a household name since middle school and for the most part his play has backed up that praise. However, in the four seasons evaluating Antoine I haven’t seen as much improvement as I’d hoped. His skill set suggests he can play both guard positions, but he lacks a point guard feel for the game and he isn’t a prolific shooter. Watching his development in the coming season, especially in the areas of shooting/facilitating, will be interesting to watch.
Ikcaven Curry (St. Thomas More) Club Team: BMaze
2019, WF, 6-foot-5, 185 pounds
Joel’s Take: Broad shoulders and long arms fit the physical profile of Curry and he is as explosive as it gets off the dribble. In transition he can punch it thorugh thourgh and over traffic. He has a terrific burst off the dribble and the vision to find the open teammate. He can knock in the 3-point shot, but it needs to get more consistent. Defensively, he plays the passing lanes to get numerous steals.
Andre Gordon (Sydney/OH) Club Team: C2K
2019, CG, 6-foot-2, 170 pound
Joel’s Take: The dual-sport athlete also excels on the gridiron as a dual-threat quarterback. On the hardwood though he is an outstanding looking combo-guard or a scoring point guard per se. He is explosive off the dribble and he is slippery while manuevering through defenders. He can pull-up and pop the 3-point shot, catch lobs off a back screen, or drop off the high-level assist in traffic.
Tom Welch (Naperville North/ILL) Club Team: Illinois Wolves
2019, PF, 6-foot-7, 220 pounds
Joel’s Take: After watching Welch it appears that he fits that “face-up” 4-man skill set. He has a solid looking frame with good length and the strength is there to play some sets in the paint. His shooting touch allows him to step outside and take advantage of his size to shoot over opponents, but he also has the ball skills to get by defenders and finish at and over the rim. Overall, he is solid all-around player who projects well to the Division 1 level.
Edward Turner (Garfield/WA) Club Team: Supreme
2019, SG, 6-foot-1, 165 pounds
Joel’s Take: Turner is a wiry scoring guard who plays with purpose in mind. He plays hard at both ends and has a nose for the ball. He pushes the ball well in transition, can get to the rim off the bounce, and he is a capable jump shooter. Defensively, he has the assertiveness, quick hands, and lateral quickness to be a effective defender at the next level.