Show-Me Showdown: My Friday Night Observations (17U)

On Friday night, I had a chance to see the Prep Hoops Circuit in person as the successful Grassroots league made its way to the St. Louis area. I spent the first night at the Center of St. Louis to take in much of the action in the 17U division. After bouncing around from court to court throughout the evening, here are some of my observations. *Victory Ministry vs. STL Hype: In the first game, Victory Ministry Blue defeated STL Hype 64-56 in a competitive game, but Victory Ministry led from the beginning. It was my first look at 6'1" 2020 point guard Terrell Kabala for Victory Ministry. The Webb City football standout is a beast on the basketball court with his stocky build and explosive athleticism. He can handle, shoot the deep ball and get to the basket. He is also very good defensively. He scored a team high 17 points. 2020 guard Marcus Huntley is a quick 5'9" PG from Carthage who really utilized his speed in the transition game to the tune of 14 points. 6'2" 2020 guard JD Bishop from Lamar is a fine all-purpose player who was always in the right spot and the right time. The STL Hype had a nice post player in 6'5" 2021 Ryan Bain (St. Charles), who can score around the basket and pass the ball well. They also had a couple of nice shooters in guards 6'0" Ethan Ingram and lefty Caleb Irons, both 2020s from St. Charles.   Carroll GoL1ive vs. Peoria Area Elite In a very entertaining high-scoring game, Peoria Elite defeated Carroll GoL1ve 80-74. There were some pretty impressive bucket-getters in this game and the fast tempo nature of the contest enabled them to express themselves. For Peoria Area Elite, they were led by 2020 guards Rolando Brown and Chris Williams. The 6'2" Brown got to the basket and ate whenever he wanted. He was an impressive finisher. The 6'2" Williams could get buckets from all three levels. He had an impressive mid-range game as well. Carroll GoL1ve's top player was 6'4" 2020 guard Gavyn Elkamil from Pittsburg, KS, who put on a very impressive offensive display as he scored on the drive, pulled up for jumpers and knocked down 3-pointers. He already has a couple of Division I offers on the table. 6'3" 2020 guard Evan Guillory of Joplin is a bullish wing who can really attack the rim with strength and power and score with both hands. 6'2" 2020 guard Quenton Shelton of Lebanon is a knock down shooter with nice handles and court savvy.   QC Ballers vs. Missouri Showtime The QC Ballers defeated Missouri Showtime 80-73 in another very competitive game. The most impressive player in the game was beefy 6'4" 2020 forward Andrew McDuffy of the QC Ballers, out of the Quad Cities. He is a big, physical performer who can operate well on the perimeter with his handles and ability to pass. When he wanted to go to the basket, he was virtually impossible to stop as he played bully-ball on his way to buckets. I was also impressed with 6'5" 2020 forward Taurean Holtman, who was a hard working, blue collar athlete who scored and rebounded well. Missouri Showtime had an excellent player in 6'3" 2020 guard Drew Croman of Marshfield High, who was skilled and a very resourceful scoring threat. He was good on the drive with a variety of layups and floaters in the lane, plus he could shoot it from distance. 6'5" 2020 forward Brodie Pollock of Bolivar is a blue collar post who fought his way inside for buckets and rebounds. I was impressed with his ability to make hard cuts go get himself open.   Missouri Flight vs. Clarksville Snipers In one of the last games of the evening, the Missouri Flight defeated the Clarksville Snipers 59-55. The Snipers had control of the game for much of the first half, but the Flight stormed back in the second half and picked up the victory. The Flight had an impressive duo of athletes in 6'2" 2019 Donya McCaskill and 6'3" 2020 Donte Reese. McCaskill just finished his career at Vashon High and he's going to do a year of prep school. He was by far the most impressive dunker in the tournament. He through down alley-oops and had a couple of entertaining slams in transition. Not far behind was the 6'3" Reese, from Springfield Central, who was quite bouncy and explosive. He was an excellent slasher and really got busy when his team started to pick up the full court pressure. He was definitely a high-energy player. 2020 point guard Hunter Berry of Bolivar is a solid point guard who delivered the rock where it needed to go and knocked down the open jumper when needed.   KC Pacers Blue vs. UTS Elite UTS Elite out of Michigan got off to a quick start against the Pacers Blue, but the Pacers' size and strength inside came to the forefront as they took a 65-44 victory. The Pacers have a crew of frontcourt bigs that play with a lot of activity. 6'6" 2020 Dalton Gayman of Nevada is a beast on the inside who craves the physical play on the interior. He can score around the basket with both hands and rebound the ball well. 6'7" 2020 forward Paul Otieno of Sunrise Christian is an athlete who can run the floor and block shots, 6'4" Triston Turner of Fort Osage is an all-purpose player who can rebound, pass and play good defense to go along with some solid post moves while 6'6" 2020 Cade Berg of Blue Springs is an energizer bunny that never stops moving and running. UTS Elite has an impressive wing player in 6'4" 2020 Jordan Jackson who was excellent in the transition game. He had a couple of coast to coast forays in which he displayed deft handles at full speed with nice finishing ability. He also knocked down a few jumpers off the bounce after creating the space.   Gateway vs. Next Generation In the nightcap, I sat down with my man Scotty Burgess of Prep Hoops, IL to watch this battle of contrasting teams as Gateway had the size while Next Generation was small, but countered with speed and tempo. For the first 10 minutes of the game, Next Generation got the better of the action as they knocked down 3-pointers and had the pace to their liking as they scored on transition buckets. I was very impressed with 2020 guard Isaiah Youngquist of YG, who was getting to his spots on the floor with his handles and knocking down shots. Guard Julian Holland was also impressive in shooting the 3-pointers early and pushing the pace. Gateway eventually took control of the game and came away with a 62-46 victory. Gateway's Class of 2021 twin towers of 6'9" Yaya Keita (pictured) and 6'10 Sekou Gassama started to impose their collective will on the game with their size. They opened up the game with a nice high-low with Gassama hitting Keita for the dunk. Keita plays with a high motor on both ends of the court. He is a tremendous rebounder who will challenge shots at every opportunity. Gassama is a little smoother offensively as he has a few moves and a solid touch out to 15 feet. His length also makes him an imposing shot blocker. 6'5" 2020 wing Harrison Vickers of Chaminade is a all-purpose player who can get it done at virtually every position of the floor.   Saturday's Plans: I will be spending Saturday at MICDS to watch some 16U action. See you there.