Ranked Standouts from the Louisiana SAAU Championships

While the play on the shoe circuits have calmed down, more traditional AAU tournaments have kicked into gear. No tournament is more traditional in Louisiana than the state championships held in Alexandria. While the tournament does not have some of the luster it once had, there was still some of the top, ranked talent participating. We will take a look at the ranked standouts from the state championships. Melvion Flanagan / 5'10" / Team Cenla Green / Prep Hoops Rank #39 Flanagan has played behind point guard Kyron Gibson for the last couple of seasons so point guard duties have not been fully his. During the SAAU championships, he showed that he is more than capable of handling point guard duties while still shooting the three. Flanagan has improved his handle and now uses it to his advantage. He gained the advantage on several guards defending him to get to the rack or to create space for his jumper. Melvion still shoots a high volume of jumpers. However, it is hard to complain about his attempts because they are mostly uncontested looks. His ability to finish at the rim while contested was very much on display as well as his improved ability to make good passes. He threw two picture perfect alley-oops during yesterday's action. Look for Flanagan to be a good leader for Peabody this season. Quartarious Jones / 6'6" / Monroe Lightening / Prep Hoops Rank #40 Jones has definitely made strides with his game and all improvements were on display during bracket play. Prior to the championships, Jones was a player who was known for defending the paint, blocking shots, and jumping over others for rebounds. This version did those things while showcasing his expanded offensive game. Jones has definitely worked on his jumper from deep as he hit a few during the course of play on Sunday. His form looked like a player who has been shooting jumpers most of his life. On the break, he finished a couple of times above the rim. The reverse dunk with a pump he executed was done with ease. Jones has a vertical leap that is hard for others to match and is a highlight waiting to happen. I will not be surprised to see his ranking soar as he continues to expand his all-around game. Kendal Coleman / 6'8" / Louisiana Roundballers / Prep Hoops Rank #42 Coleman was probably the most dominate offensive player during the SAAU championships. He showed off an offensive repertoire fitting of a player going into his last season. Jump hooks, 13 footers, alley-oops, and rim runs and layups were his specialties for the day. He caught and finished everything passed to him. Coleman also corralled rebound after rebound totaling double digit boards in each game. If his team had another bench player or two for proper rest, Coleman might have carried his team to the championship. He definitely looked like one of the most dominate post players the state has to offer during bracket play. His defense was also superb when he was properly rested. Coleman may have a breakout season if he continues on this trajectory. Andrew Pearson / 6'5" / Team Cenla Green / Prep Hoops Rank #53 Pearson was another dominate post player during bracket play on Sunday. His ability to rebound and carve space out around the rim was shown repeatedly during game play. Because of his quick second jump, no team could keep him off the boards. He also displayed an ability to rim run and beat other post players down the floor. Short hooks and layups were his specialty. His relentlessness around the rim allowed his team to beat up others on the boards and the scoreboard. Pearson's athleticism was hard to account for during the day. It is hard to knock him for not displaying more in his game because he was dominate rebounding and making putbacks. If his offensive game expands, he will be hard to guard as the summer continues. Marcus Jones / 6'3" / Team Cenla Green / Prep Hoops Rank #62 Jones missed the second half of his high school season due to a nerve problem in his back. During game play with Cenla Green, it looked like he had not missed a beat. Whether it was facilitating the offense or shooting the mid-range jumper, Jones seemed to be in regular season form. He has long arms which help him get his shot off against anyone and a smooth handle to get by anyone. On Sunday he just played his game. He was the glue to the offense. Jones helped get others the ball and put them in position to score. If Jones can stay away from the injury bug, he should have a productive season. Cenla Green won the 17U championship and should be a contender in Orlando for the national championship. With Jones making plays the way he does, they will have a good chance to do so. Anthony "AJ" Taylor / 5'8" / Louisiana Roundballers / Prep Hoops Rank #76 The purest point guard on the day was AJ Taylor. During the Roundballers run to the semifinals, Taylor distributed to his teammates better than anyone. He found post Kendal Coleman with several alley-oops on the break and in the halfcourt. His shooters had wide open shots because of his ability to draw and kick. If that was not impressive enough, he also used the dribble to do what he wanted to do at given points in each game. Taylor used his quick change of direction to create space for his jumper. One of the most impressive things about Taylor was his on ball defense. He displayed the ability to stay in front of players and make them shoot over him. There was no one driving by him. If he continues to play defense in that manner, the Roundballers can surprise teams when they make their annual trip to nationals. The southern association championships in Alexandria saw its fairshare of quality players. These players mentioned will see their rankings continue to rise with their play during the rest of the grassroots season. Playing like they played this weekend, various schools will be in line to enlist the services of these players as things go on. All of these players can help a team on the next level.