CBG Showcase Finale Standouts (Part 3)

<p>The Commonwealth Basketball Group has been busy this fall and winter putting on different events for teams that can’t play due to the coronavirus pandemic. It all started with the CBG Fall Series, and led into the Winter Series and multiple Showcase days as well as partnering with Team Loaded for the Coaches For a Cure event. The final team event of the winter took place on Sunday February 21, with the CBG Showcase Finale, a four game event featuring teams from across VA, MD and WV.</p> <p>It was a high level event with tons of talent all over the place and very competitive games throughout the day. Below you will find the scores for the games as well as the standouts throughout the day, and you can watch the games from the event on the <a href="https://cbglivenetwork.com">CBG Live Network</a>.</p> <p>Game 1: Blue Magic 62 CVA Warriors 31</p> <p>Game 2: 522 Warriors 77 CBG Wildcats 59</p> <p>Game 3: MD Justice 62 Peanut City 58</p> <p>Game 4: Beckley Prep IJN 82 Massanutten 81 (OT)</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1049483" first="Brayon" last="Freeman"] | 6’2” PG | MD Justice 2021</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Freeman-Brayon.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1129650" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Freeman-Brayon-233x300.jpg" alt="" width="233" height="300" /></a></p> <p>In the biggest matchup of the day, the senior leader and George Washington commit came up big for the Justice in their win over a talented Peanut City team as he took the game over late and made a number of tough shots down the stretch for them. Freeman’s a wizard with the ball as he has it on a string with good shift and change of pace, he runs the pick-and-roll as good as anyone and can deliver passes on the money in a number of ways and he’s able to create space and make tough shots from multiple levels. He finished with 16 points on 50% shooting from the field, and scored 11 of them in the final few minutes of the game as he completely took it over for his group.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1107828" first="Zion" last="Russell"] | 6’1” CG | MD Justice 2021</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Russell-Zion.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1129649" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Russell-Zion-236x300.jpg" alt="" width="236" height="300" /></a></p> <p>Russell is one of the top available guards in the DMV, and he was as consistent as anyone in a very physical and tough matchup that was intense throughout the game. The 6’1” guard showed the ability to make shots from deep, and he was fantastic running the show when Freeman was out of the game due to foul trouble. He’s an athletic two way combo that can make plays for both himself and others, finishing with 12 points and 5 assists in the win.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="902017" first="Clarence" last="Obiajulu"] | 6’7” C | MD Justice 2021</strong></p> <p>Obiajulu is one of the more underrated seniors in the DMV area, and a lot of it has to do that if you just look at a boxscore you aren’t going to see the impact that he makes on his team. The 6’7” big man is a tank in the paint and plays with a terrific motor as he pursues loose balls, alters shots and is a great screener, and he knows his game and doesn’t try to do things that aren’t within it. He’s a reliable defensive presence and a great glue guy that will provide winning plays in a number of ways.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="999650" first="Isaiah" last="Coleman"] | 6’5” WF | MD Justice 2023</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Coleman-Isaiah.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1138194" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Coleman-Isaiah-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Coleman is one of the more intriguing 2023 prospects in the DMV area after transferring from the Fredericksburg area, as he has a lot of tools that make him a walking mismatch and should translate well to the next level. He has great size on the wing at 6’5”, he can play and guard multiple positions with ease and he’s a triple threat with the ball in his hands that can score from multiple levels. He has to continue to polish and possibly get a little more aggressive, but he showed a lot of tools going for 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in the win.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="787667" first="Jayden" last="Epps"] | 6’1” CG | Peanut City 2022</strong></p> [caption id="attachment_1122090" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/Epps-Jayden-PC-crop-3018x1982-1611675953.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1122090" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/Epps-Jayden-PC-crop-3018x1982-1611675953-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Lancaptures[/caption] <p>The high volume scoring guard had moments where he couldn’t find his stroke, but when his team needed him to get a bucket they leaned on him and he came through for them multiple times. The 6’1” combo is so lethal with the ball in his hands as he can shoot out past NBA range off the bounce, he has blow by speed and great balance when he gets in the lane and he’s able to shoot the floater at a high clip to score over bigger guys. He’s a tough competitor who comes at you time and time again, and he finished with a game high 25 points to go along with 6 rebounds in the loss.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="798698" first="Quentin" last="Livingston"] | 6’5” WF | Peanut City 2021</strong></p> [caption id="attachment_1122074" align="alignnone" width="238"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/Livingston-Quentin-PC.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1122074" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/Livingston-Quentin-PC-238x300.jpg" alt="" width="238" height="300" /></a> Photo: Lancaster Media[/caption] <p>Livingston has showed throughout the CBG series events that he’s one of the best available players in the state, and before an injury forced him out of the game he was making plays all over the court for Peanut City. The 6’5” wing is their tallest player and has to battle in the paint with bigs, and he thrives defensively where he can use his length and athleticism coupled with his high motor to fly all over the place and make plays. He’s a tough competitor who thrives in uptempo and physical games, and when he went out it was a huge loss for Peanut City as they couldn’t really recover against the size of MD Justice.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="815587" first="George" last="Beal"] | 6’4” WF | Peanut City 2022</strong></p> [caption id="attachment_1122092" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/Beal-George-PC-crop-3456x2270-1611676082.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1122092" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/Beal-George-PC-crop-3456x2270-1611676082-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Lancaptures[/caption] <p>Beal has to be one of the most underrated guys in the 757 in the 2022 class, and he was a big reason that Peanut City was so close in this one as he played with great energy and was able to make plays on both ends of the floor. He’s a long and fluid athlete that can guard multiple positions and thrives in transition, he rebounded well against much bigger guys on both ends and he’s one of those guys that just never seems to get tired despite exuding a lot of energy on both ends of the floor. He finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds in the win, and was big down the stretch for them.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="999633" first="Ryan" last="Hite"] | 6’2” CG | Peanut City 2023</strong></p> <p>Hite is a talented young player that gets overshadowed most of the time by the bigger names that are more experienced on this Peanut City group, but he was big time for them throughout the game and hit some big shots when they needed him to. He’s a sturdy guard that’s a good athlete and guards the basketball well, and he’s shown the ability to play both on and off the ball and make shots from beyond the arc. He was their most consistent shooter on the day, going 3-for-4 from deep and finishing with 9 points and 2 rebounds.</p>