OTRH Elite 32: What We Learned

<ul> <li>There were many tournaments throughout the city of Atlanta, Georgia in the last live period of the summer for NCAA basketball. Each tournament had its own style and presentation but the goal to create a platform for high school basketball kids to sharpen their game and get to the next level is all the same. Covering four days of basketball at the On the Radar Hoops “Elite 32” showcase there were plenty of players, teams, and storylines that made this year's annual showcase so unique; these are just a few things that we did learn this past weekend:</li> </ul> <ol> <li>The Southwestern Illinois Jets Came to Play <ol> <li>Making the trek over 500 miles south can be daunting, but the Southwest Illinois Jet organization made a statement in every sense of the word and on every level. All their travel teams were talented, played the right way, and picked up offers at the Elite 32 showcase. Their 17U team brought sharpshooting high school (Mount Vernon Township) teammates <strong>Jackson Creel </strong>and <strong>Simon Wilson </strong>who shot the lights out all weekend. Trinity Catholic (MO) point guard <strong>Rashad Weekly-McDaniels</strong> showed his phenomenal change of pace as well as vision to find teammates and get into the lane himself. Weekly-McDaniels picked up offers from Central Michigan and UW-Wisconsin on the weekend. On the 16U level, 6'6” wing prospect <strong>Quani Rudd </strong>showed his basketball IQ out on the floor and made all the right plays on each end. The list goes on and on with the quality of players that this organization brought to Atlanta, but one thing for sure is they made their presence felt in the win column and made the most of the live period weekend down south.</li> </ol> </li> <li>Traditional Big Men are Still Relevant <ol> <li>Now a days, every player (even at the center position) is looking to stretch the floor with their three-point shooting ability. Undoubtedly the three-point shot, if you're shooting a high percentage, makes you tough to beat but being able to throw the basketball inside to a consistent scorer cannot be taken for granted. The Elite 32 showcase had several “traditional” big men that made a positive impact for their team as well as themselves from a recruiting standpoint. From the Nike Elite Stars and Tuscaloosa County high school (AL) forward <strong>Bryson Hall</strong> is an absolute bruiser in the low post. The junior stands around 6'6" [caption id="attachment_788335" align="alignright" width="177"] Miles Mendes[/caption] maybe 6'7” and has a solid frame to go with that size. He has great footwork inside, runs the floor, and can work on either side of the rim. Red Oak high school and Texas Impact senior forward <strong>Colbie Holiman </strong>has great touch around the basket and at 6'7” made a living out of hitting floaters and short jump hooks in the paint. </li> </ol> </li> <li>A Prep in Your Step Can be Good <ol> <li>A huge trend in the high school game is kids attending prep school for an additional year of play as well as skill development and then deciding on a college program then. Before they attend those schools, they still showcase their ability with AAU programs and some of those players benefited from that this past weekend at Elite 32. Link Hoops (MO) guard <strong>AJ McGinnis </strong>is a lanky 6'4” guard that can absolutely fill it up offensively. He did a great job of hitting shots from the perimeter and breaking down defenders to get to the rim and finish over legitimate shot blockers. He recently picked up an offer from Stephen F. Austin over the weekend at Elite 32. Lastly, Taylor Made Academy (FL) F <strong>Miles Mendes</strong> was a highlight film with his athleticism all weekend. He is 6'5” and built like a tight end but with a basketball mind. He made winning plays on the ball defensively and can help a team on the glass each time out.</li> </ol> </li> <li>The Sweet and Sour Lake,Texas Backcourt is Promising <ol> <li>SBG Elite was another organization that left their mark in Atlanta, Georgia during the live period weekend at Elite 32. The most common high school in that program, Hardin-Jefferson in Sour Lake, Texas and you have to believe their coaches have a lot to like over the next few years. Checking in on the SBG rising sophomores squad, the duo of <strong>Richard Sears</strong> as well as <strong>Sam Martin</strong>, should leave their program director feeling good about what is to come as well. Sears is an absolute dog out on the floor. He can handle the ball to get in the paint and always seemed to be fighting through defenders to get to the rim for and one finishes. Sears saw time on the varsity during his freshman campaign and should into more of a promising role as a sophomore. Martin is a 6'4” sharpshooter than impressed with his unlimited range from the outside. His on court upside is high and his social media activity will get better too as the wasn't too familiar with Twitter after an impressive performance on Sunday afternoon at Elite 32. Both players complement one another and SBG Elite should continue their solid play in summers to come with these two leading the way.</li> </ol> </li> <li>Playing Alongside Your Cousin is Pretty Cool <ol> <li>We mentioned the SW Illinois Jets and their success as a program. That continued at the 14U level but with family ties for the Phillips family. 2022 guards <strong>Mekhi Phillips</strong> (Lamphier HS) and <strong>Brylan Phillips </strong>(Eisenhower HS) are first cousins that play at different schools during the winter but wreak havoc in the backcourt during the spring and summer months. Mekhi is a lefty that looks great shooting the basketball in transition and in the half court. The sophomore made nifty plays in the paint and showed his savvy at Elite 32. Brylan is the bigger of the two cousins and used a thicker frame to finish at the basket through contact. He can also shoot the basketball from the perimeter but did a good job of sharing the basketball and getting their talented big men involved. Overall these two bring different qualities to the basketball court but play well together and you've got to believe longevity and familiarity must play a part in that. [caption id="attachment_788333" align="aligncenter" width="246"] Mekhi (Left) and Brylan (Right) Phillips[/caption] </li> </ol> </li> </ol>