10 Best: CBG Showcase: 703 Rockets vs. CBG 434

The first CBG Showcase event took place on Friday night as the 703 Rockets, mainly comprised of the St. Stephen’s St. Agnes team, took on CBG 434, mainly compromised of the St. Anne’s Belfield team. The game was a high level matchup between two talented and well coached teams, and was a back-and-forth affair for most of the game before the Rockets were able to pull away 70-61. Below is an overview of the game with some of the top performers, and you can see the archived game on the CBG Live Network <a href="https://cbglivenetwork.com/?B=227447">here</a>. MVP: [player_tooltip player_id="902006" first="Devin" last="Ceaser"] | 6’1” CG | 703 Rockets 2022 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Ceaser-Devin-rotated.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1125292" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Ceaser-Devin-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a> Ceaser was a big transfer name as he announce he was moving to St. Stephen’s St. Agnes this summer to a team that really needed some new firepower in the backcourt, and he showed with the 703 Rockets he’s on the verge of being one of the top guards in the NOVA area. He’s a natural athlete that’s lightning fast in transition with great quickness off the bounce, he can make shots from deep when he gets it going and he uses his athleticism and quickness to make energy plays on both ends whether it’s going to finish above the rim or flying all over defensively to get deflections and steals. He was 703 Rockets top scorer in their win with 17 points. Best Senior Leader: Eric Gordon | 5’10” PG | 703 Rockets 2021 Gordon has been waiting his turn with the Rockets for the past few years, and he’s learned from some great guards over that time and took his opportunity and ran with it. While it’s cliche to say, he’s an extension of the coach on the court and even in timeouts where he was the most vocal and even drew some stuff up for his group when they needed him to. He has a great understanding of the game and handles pressure well, he got them into sets and set the tone on both ends and he made shots when he was given opportunities to down the stretch. Best Defensive Performance: [player_tooltip player_id="1107823" first="Miles" last="Webb"] | 6’8” F | 703 Rockets 2022 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Webb-Miles.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1125294" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Webb-Miles-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Webb is a stock rising forward in the NOVA area after reclassifying to the 2022 class, and he showed great versatility on both ends with his length and athleticism. He took on the task of guarding the best player on the other team and showed that he can move with wings on the perimeter and use his length to challenge shots and make things difficult, and he also showed that he can protect the rim and clean up the glass to hold teams to just one shot. He was also good on the offensive end as he showed he can finish at the rim and step out and put it on the deck, and he did a great job holding 434’s top scoring option to just 3 points. Best Catch & Shoot Guy: Eli Bennett | 6’3” WG | CBG 434 2021 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Bennett-Eli-CBG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1080749" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Bennett-Eli-CBG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> The son of UVA Head Coach Tony Bennett, Eli has improved immensely over the past few years and he’s the perfect guy to round out 434’s starting group as he’s a tremendous floor spacer and shooter from deep. He works well off the ball to get open and does a good job drifting with the ball and finding the open space to get shots up, and once he gets it going he can really shoot it from deep. He hit 4 three-pointers on the game and did the gritty stuff as well. Best Post Prospect: [player_tooltip player_id="999617" first="Carter" last="Lang"] | 6’9” C | CBG 434 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Lang-Carter-CBG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1067928" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Lang-Carter-CBG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Lang was playing on a bad wheel and showed great toughness as he still held it down in the paint on both ends of the floor, as he finished with a double-double and made things difficult for the Rockets in the paint. He uses his length very effectively to alter shots whether he’s blocking them or staying grounded and walling up to make for difficult shots, and he really pursues and rebounds the ball on both ends. He has good touch and does a great job sealing and presenting a big target, he plays with a good motor and he’s just scratching the surface with how good he can be moving forward. Best Post Technician: [player_tooltip player_id="962791" first="Elliot" last="Black"] | 6’5” PF | 703 Rockets 2022 Black is one of the few returners for this Rockets group with some experience with the last group, and his leadership and production in the paint was a big part of them being able to pull away the win against a good team. While he was matched up with someone much bigger than him, he showed great footwork and good quickness in the paint, he had good counters and scored with both hands and he has good strength and cleared space well. He played with a good motor and was productive on both ends, and his consistency for them is going to be big moving forward. Best Floor General: [player_tooltip player_id="992531" first="John" last="St. Germain"] | 6’1” PG | CBG 434 2023 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/St.-Germain-John.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1076063" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/St.-Germain-John-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> While this could have gone to Gordon (above), St. Germain stepped up big down the stretch for 434 and helped them stay close when it looked like it was about to get out of hand. He’s a guy who handles pressure and never gets sped up, he has a great handle and does a good job changing speeds and directions and he has a great frame that allows him to take contact when he gets downhill where he can both finish through contact and make plays for others. He’s one of the top ranked PGs in the state of VA for the 2023 class and will only continue to get better with time. Best Freshman Performer: Chance Mallory | 5’2” PG | CBG 434 2024 Mallory isn’t the biggest name of biggest guy on the floor for 434, but he’s extremely important as he brings great confidence and toughness on both ends, and he can really fill it up. He’s the smallest guy on the floor but he brings good defensive pressure and will fight for lose balls and stick his nose in there, he is a talented shot maker from deep with good range and he can handle the ball and break pressure as well. He’s very talented and if he grows he’ll be a guy to keep an eye on moving forward. Best Long Term Prospect: Austin Williford | 6’2” W | CBG 434 2025 I usually don’t write about guys before they’re in ninth grade, but Williford showed flashes of brilliance and great upside moving forward, and he has great genes as well as his Dad Jason Williford was a standout at UVA and is the Associate Head Coach as well. He has good size and length already and should be growing still, he’s a big time athlete that can already play above the rim and he has a base skill set that is impressive with the ability to handle and make shots from multiple levels. He was far from timid when he got his opportunities and made a good impact off the bench for them. Best Glue Guy: Barrett Lathrop | 6’4” F | 703 Rockets 2021 Lathrop is a guy I hadn’t heard about when I saw he was in the starting lineup for the Rockets, and after a slow start it was his shooting and hustle plays that helped the Rockets go on a run and pull away in the second half. He has an awkward release and wind up on his shot but he shot it well when he got it going, he fought for loose balls and rebounded well and he brought a toughness and grit to his team that didn’t always show up in the boxscore but did on the scoreboard for them.