Opening Day at Clash of the Champions

Opening Day at the Clash of the Champions presented by Champions of Sports, was filled with excitement and action-packed games. The varsity level of the tournament consisted of teams from all over Texas. I got the chance to see some promising 2021 graduates that are about to be entering their final high school season of basketball. Here we breakdown a few of those standout players and teams from day 1 at Clash of Champions. Texas Takeover <img class="size-medium wp-image-1024283 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/IMG_2966-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> I started my day by watching Texas Takeover, a team made up of deep Dallas talent. Watching this team I quickly noticed that this group of guys were primary led by their big 3 in [player_tooltip player_id="959063" first="Erin" last="Wright"], [player_tooltip player_id="765910" first="Trey" last="Frazier"], and [player_tooltip player_id="887074" first="Antonio" last="Patterson"]. [player_tooltip player_id="887074" first="Antonio" last="Patterson"] - Guard/Forward - South Oak Cliff High School - C/o 2021 Patterson got to the foul line and shot the ball well from deep. He went on to make 2 clutch free throws to give his team a late lead with 11 seconds remaining. Antonio put his athleticism on full displays, has sneaky hops, he can come out of nowhere and get a put-back dunk at any moment, he does an outstanding job of following shots to the rim. [player_tooltip player_id="765910" first="Trey" last="Frazier"] - Small Forward - Newman International Academy C/o 2021 Game 1 Frazier got off to a slow start but came out of halftime full of energy. Swatted a shot at the rim with a clean all ball block, then proceeded to go down the court and follow that up by putting a man on a poster. Extremely athletic, there wasn’t a single player on the court that could jump with him. [player_tooltip player_id="959063" first="Erin" last="Wright"] - Guard - Dallas Carter High School - C/o 2021 Caught fire right away in game 2, his three’s were falling and he got to the basket at will. It was remarkable to see how easy he made it look, Wright knocked down three first half 3-pointers, and continued the high-level play in the second half. Texas Swish Texas Swish could’ve easily been competing for first place in the championship game if a few calls and possessions went differently in the final seconds of their first two games where they suffered two devastating back to back losses by 1 point. Jaden Robinson - Forward - International Leadership of Texas Arlington High School - C/o 2021<img class="size-medium wp-image-1024286 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/image2-1-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Good interior scorer, 6’5 Robinson excelled when driving the ball, drove the ball with no fear, and had no regard for human life when he flew through the lane and threw down a two-handed slam on whoever was standing in his way. Most impressively, he showed the ability to spread the floor and shoot the three-ball, particularly from the top of the key. Donavon Stanford - Forward<img class="size-medium wp-image-1024292 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/IMG_2975-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Stanford’s defensive skills stood out immediately, highly impressive defenders who instantly came in and took his man out the game. Very disciplined, not overly aggressive, even on plays where he probably could’ve jumped the passing lanes he stayed focused on locking his man down and not gambling. Great length, long arms, wide wingspan, Donavon altered shots and changed the game all with his length. Joshua Beall - Guard - Cedar Hill High School - C/o 2021<img class="size-medium wp-image-1024294 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/image3-1-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Beall is a highly competitive prospect that made a difference both offensively and defensively. A heavy contributor on defense in the final minutes of the game 1, jumping passes, and getting on-ball steals, he did whatever he could to keep his team in the game and keep the score tight. Game 2 Joshua really got things going when his pull-up jumper started falling from mid-range and beyond the arc. Once Joshua Beall was feeling it he showed off his athleticism, especially on fastbreaks where he got above the rim and throw it down on three separate occasions, he almost put a couple of guys on a poster. Charles Walker - Forward- International Leadership of Texas Arlington High School - C/o 2021 <img class="size-medium wp-image-1024295 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/IMG_2973-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Perfect glue guy, he’s not worried about points, stats, or getting credit, he just wants to win. Walker is hard-nosed defender with limitless energy. Charles was doing it all out there, blocking shots, grabbing rebounds, taking the ball coast to coast, and even dropped off some nice passes. He’s effective in every aspect of the game, a true anchor for his team. Abilene Select The way this team played together was a thing of beauty, high chemistry and they executed plays to a tee. Not only can this team really shoot the ball, but they can also shoot it from any spot on the floor. A very well-coached team. Jalen McGee - Point Guard - Abilene High School - C/0 2021<img class="size-medium wp-image-1024296 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/IMG_2963-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> This kid here was on another level, McGee is an all-around point guard with pure scoring abilities, he can get you buckets in every way possible. Jalen took over the game early and started hitting shots from another area code. Completly had the defense flustered, he forced them to change up whatever they were doing, and it still didn’t stop much, Mcgee was in full control all game long. A quality basketball player, he doesn’t force anything, even when he took some deep 3-pointers they weren’t bad shots, he was efficient and perfectly capable of shooting the three-ball; he made way more shots than he missed. Also, a good communicator with the ball in hand, I enjoyed watching how Jalen McGee would come up the court and direct his offense, he knew exactly what should be happening and found scoring opportunities before they ever produced. Jackson Stevens - Forward - Abilene High School - C/o 2021<img class="size-medium wp-image-1024300 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/IMG_2965-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> This 3-point specialist was lights-out from deep. Stevens came armed with a beautiful jump shot, the form was near perfect, the elevation was spot on, and the consistency was there as well. Jackson was the guy the team called upon when they needed a bucket the most, and he did not disappoint. Jackson Stevens knocked down a corner 3-point shot, then he followed that up by completing a tough game-saving 3 point play to give his team a 1 point lead with 42 seconds remaining; his late-game heroics gave Abilene Select the victory over a talented team in Texas Swish. Brock elite Fundamentally sound team, the keyword there is team. Everything they accomplished on the court was through teamwork. They were all unselfish, they spread the ball around and beat their man with quick shots and cuts to the basket, every single player on this team can light it up from deep. Brock Elite was the most surprising team of the day, they upset Texas Swish by taking off late and getting a 1 point win in the final seconds. This team caught everybody off guard by beating them with the basics of the game, they weren’t the faster team, nor were they the most athletic, but they were the smartest team, and also played with the best chemistry.