Sleepy Thompson Underclassmen Standouts (Day 2)
After Adam was there on Thursday, I made the trip up 95 from Richmond to attend day two of the 64th annual Sleepy Thompson Tournament at St. Stephen’s St. Agnes. There were a ton of great individual performances, so I…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingAfter Adam was there on Thursday, I made the trip up 95 from Richmond to attend day two of the 64th annual Sleepy Thompson Tournament at St. Stephen’s St. Agnes. There were a ton of great individual performances, so I decided to break them into two with the this one being the underclassmen. Here’s a look at the top underclassmen performers from day two of the Sleepy Thompson.
Angelo Brizzi | 6’3” G | Highland School 2021
How do you follow up a 32 point performance on Thursday night? How about a 35 point performance on Friday and to add to it they got the win over Maret by erasing a 12 point deficit in the fourth quarter. Brizzi showed a lot of guts on both ends after getting banged up, as he hit a ton of contested shots and big three-pointers down the stretch, and on the defensive end he got a ton of defections and steals and won 50-50 ball for his team. It was a very impressive performance to say the least.
Yusef Salih | 6’2” WG | Highland School 2021
Salih didn’t put up huge numbers in the game or anything, but he did show flashes that he should be a guy to keep an eye on moving forward. He has a good frame that’s strong and athletic, he can guard multiple positions, he rebounds well and he showed he can make shots and get to the free throw line. He’s an interesting guy to keep an eye on moving forward.
IJ Ezuma | 6’8” C | Hargrave 2021
It was my second time seeing Ezuma this year and I have to say he impressed me even more this time than last time. The 6’8” big man continues to show a good motor and a high level of production, especially on the glass where he dominates on both ends of the floor getting rebounds in and out of his area. He showed his great athleticism and his ability to finish and he ended up with 17 points, scoring 14 in the fourth quarter, and pitched in 8 rebounds and 4 blocks as well.
Devawn White | 6’4” WF | Carmel School 2021
White is one of many new additions to Carmel School and he has the prototypical frame and athleticism to thrive on the wing and has some game to go along with it. He got downhill well and finished around the basket and he made shots from all three levels before getting hurt in the third quarter. He’s a guy to keep an eye on moving forward.
Justin Taylor | 6’6” WG | STAB 2022
He played well enough to get nationally ranked this weekend, Taylor continues to impress me with his development over the past couple of years not only on his skill set but also his mental approach to the game. He came out the gates aggressive and hot, hitting two from deep off the bounce in the first few minutes and also attacking the rim and using his length more. He looks like he’s grown as well and he’s becoming more well rounded as a ball handler and finisher, which will only make him harder to guard. He finished with 17 points while sitting out the entire fourth quarter.
Nick Hammock | 6’1” G | Hagrave 2022
A local Chatham product which isn’t necessarily common on this Hargrave team, Hammock brought a big spark off the bench for Hargrave by making shots and playing with a good motor. He finished a three point play and hit a couple of jumpers, and once he made one he seemed to get much more confident in his game.
Carter Lang | 6’8” PF | STAB 2023
I’ve seen Lang play as an eighth grader in the Prep League which is impressive enough, but he showed vast improvement in just a year and was dominant at times against guys much older than him. He showed good touch by hitting a few three-pointers, he finished plays in the paint, he ran the floor hard and he dominated on the glass on both ends of the floor. He finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds while sitting out much of the fourth quarter.