Flycodes Invitational Standouts (Part 1)
First off, let me apologize for taking so long to post this but you know how it is during the holiday season. Last Saturday, I made a trip to Roanoke, Virginia for the first annual Flycodes Invitational at William Fleming.…
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Continue ReadingFirst off, let me apologize for taking so long to post this but you know how it is during the holiday season. Last Saturday, I made a trip to Roanoke, Virginia for the first annual Flycodes Invitational at William Fleming. It featured five games, four of them being guys games, and the teams were throughout Virginia and North Carolina. Here’s a look at part one of the standouts, featuring seven guys worth mentioning for their stellar play.
Jordan Brown | 5’10” PG | Miller School 2020
Brown is by far the smallest guy who plays significant minutes for a big Miller squad, but he made a huge impact for them in a number of ways throughout the game. He sets the tone on both ends with his energy and all-out efforts, and early on he made sure he got easy shots for his teammates. He controlled the tempo, played with a chip and contributed in all facets of the game, finishing with 10 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals.
Daryl Anderson | 6’6” WF | Miller School 2019
On a team that does everything very well other than score the basketball, Anderson provided some big time shot making ability for the group. Early on in the game he got it going, hitting a few from deep and a few mid-range pull-ups, and while he slowed down once they started to focus on him he still had an impressive game and the Mavericks needed all 17 points from him to win. He also pitched in five rebounds and was 3-for-5 from behind the arc.
Josh Banks Jr. | 6’3” WG | Olympic (NC) 2020
Banks showed a ton of potential for Olympic, as he’s an athletic guard who can guard multiple positions and make shots. He was aggressive, at times overly aggressive, when attacking the basket and he got to the free throw line a lot, finishing 10-for-13 on the gam. His frame looks like it’s ready for college now, he’s athletic on both ends and he showed flashes of brilliance with the ball in his hands. He finished with 18 points, five rebounds in the game.
Zack Austin | 6’5” WF | Winston Salem Prep (NC) 2019
Austin was intriguing as an available guy because he played all over the place for WSP and was effective in many different ways. In the first half was a focal point offensively, getting the majority of the touches and pouring in 11 points, showing the ability to score at all three levels. While they made a concerted effort to share the basketball more in the second half, Austin only got four shots in the second half, he was much more efficient making three of them and finishing with 18 points. Defensively he was also good with two blocks and two steals as well.
Jaden Frazier | 6’8” PF | Blue Ridge 2019
The Tennessee-Chattanooga commit showed all of the things that he’s improved on over time as he finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. He showed strong hands, a tough jump hook over the right shoulder and he attacked the glass on both ends of the floor. While they didn’t run a ton of stuff for him, he was able to go get shots off the glass and he took great advantage of the touches he did get.
Mike Gray | 6’2” CG | Blue Ridge 2021
I’ve always been a fan of Gray, but it may be worth mentioning that he could be better than me and anyone else thought at first. Gray is a combo guard that’s wired to score the basketball from all three levels. He can play on or off the ball, has effortless range, plays with a chip on his shoulder and showed he can also make plays for others. He finished with 19 points on the game, scoring 16 of them in the first half, and 4-for-9 from deep with six assists to just three turnovers on the game.
Chris Rogers | 5’10” PG | Blue Ridge 2019
Being 5’10” and not super dynamic would cause a guy to struggle in the paint, but Rogers doesn’t back down one bit. He’s able to break down defenders off the bounce and get in the paint where he has a reliable floater and has good vision that allows him to find shooters and cutters for easy buckets. Defensively he isn’t afraid to stick his nose in there, and he also isn’t afraid to help on the glass either. He finished with an impressive 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds in the win.