Coaches for a Cure Standouts (Part 3)

<p>In one of the best days of basketball I can remember in a long time, the 9th Annual Coaches for a Cure presented by Team Loaded had everything you could ask for in a high level basketball event. The four games were all very competitive, with the first one going into overtime, the second one featuring a furious come from behind victory and the last two being decided at the buzzer.</p> <p>There was tons of talent in the gym with nationally ranked teams and players that all showed out, and it was all for a good cause as it raised money for cancer research at VCU’s Massey Cancer Center.</p> <p>With so much talent in the gym we had to break up the standouts and did so by region. Below you will find the scores to the games and part three of the many standouts, and if you want to watch some high level and competitive basketball you can check out the archives on <a href="https://cbglivenetwork.com">The CBG Live Network</a>.</p> <p>Game 1: 703 Rockets (VA) 77 CBG East (VA) 70 (OT)</p> <p>Game 2: Liberty Heights (NC) 62 National Christian (MD) 54</p> <p>Game 3: IMG Academy Post Grad (FL) 86 Bull City Prep (NC) 84</p> <p>Game 4: Blue Magic (VA) 63 522 Warriors (VA) 60</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1008874" first="Jonas" last="Aidoo"] | 7’0” C | Liberty Heights 2021</strong></p> <p>A top 40 prospect in the country and a Marquette commit, Aidoo showed why he’s considered a top prospect in the country and a possible future pro, and he looks like a totally different guy from when I first saw him as a skinny big with lots of upside a few years ago. He’s a grown man in the paint who’s strong with the ball and pursues it on both ends of the floor owning the glass, he’s nimble and mobile as well as an explosive finisher above the rim and he has good touch out to the three-point line which makes him a nightmare to matchup with. He finished with an impressive double-double of 14 points and 18 rebounds and when he get it going is when Liberty Heights was able to make their run and finish their comeback over National Christian.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1050530" first="Isaac" last="Farah"] | 6’8” PF | Liberty Heights 2021</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Farah-Isaac.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1129085" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Farah-Isaac-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Farrah is one of the top available bigs in the southeast, and when I watched him play it baffled me that he didn’t have more offers to his name than his lone D1 offer of IUPUI and a couple of D2 offers. At 6’8” he has a nice blend of mobility and explosion to go along with a good frame, he runs the floor hard and he’s a big time finisher above the rim as he had a couple of the top highlight dunks of the event including a huge poster that brought great energy to his team. He’s a late bloomer with a budding skill set that should only get better with time, and his stat line of 8 points and 3 rebounds only shows part of the impact he made on the game.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="932089" first="PJ" last="Edwards"] | 6’5” WF | Liberty Heights 2021</strong></p> <p>The UCF commit was lights out for Liberty Heights on the offensive end and his toughness and ability to guard the other team’s best player was on display on the defensive end as well, and Edwards was the leader and heart and soul for a Liberty Heights team that has tons of talent on it. He’s the prototypical 3-and-d guy at the next level as he can really spray it from deep and was 5-for-8 from behind the arc on the game, but he also has the ability to put it on the deck and make plays for others when he gets downhill as well. He finished with a game high 23 points and chipped in 4 assists and 3 steals as well in their win.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="533518" first="Elijah" last="Jamison"] | 6’2” PG | Liberty Heights 2022</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Jamison-Elijah.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1129091" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Jamison-Elijah-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Jamison, who’s one of the top point guards in the 2022 class in NC, was the straw that stirred the drink for Liberty Heights as he lived in the paint and was the guy who controlled the tempo and made plays for others when they needed him to. He’s a two way guy who guards the ball 94 feet, is shifty and quick off the bounce and he can score it from multiple levels off the bounce when his team needs him to. He’s a true floor general and has tons of tools that translate, as he finished with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field and chipped in 7 rebounds and 4 assists as well.</p> <p><strong>Dre Watson | 6’7” PF | Bull City 2021</strong></p> <p>A former ECU commit, Watson had a tall task as he had to guard the IMG front court that includes two 7 footers and a versatile 6’9” off the bench, and while dealing with that may have impacted his numbers he showed a lot of grit and toughness throughout the game in the paint. He’s an explosive four man that plays way above the rim on both ends, he showed touch out to the three-point line and he was able to make energy plays that many others just can’t make. He’ll be a guy who may take a year or two to develop at the next level but the tools he brings to the table are very impressive.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="838035" first="Treyvon" last="Byrd"] | 6’5” WF | Bull City 2021</strong></p> <p>Byrd is an underrated and under recruited guy on Bull City who is long and athletic on the wing and thrives in transition where he can get downhill and use his athleticism and length to finish at and above the rim through traffic. He’s improved on his perimeter skill set a lot since I watched him early in his career, and he plays with a great motor on both ends of the floor getting deflections and showing great body control in the paint to finish in traffic. He finished with a stellar 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in the game.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="869600" first="LJ" last="Thomas"] | 6’3” PG | Bull City Prep 2022</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Thomas-LJ.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1129094" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Thomas-LJ-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Playing against the best post grad team and possibly the best team in the country, Thomas stole the show as he almost single handedly brought his team back from a 15 point deficit with 5 minutes left to tie it up with 30 seconds left before IMG won the game at the buzzer. A smooth scoring guard, Thomas is a three level scorer that can get to his spots with ease, make contested shots off the bounce and has takeover ability when the game is on the line. He finished with an event high 36 points and was extremely efficient going 15-for-20 from the field and and 4-for-8 from deep, and he pitched in 6 rebounds and 3 assists as well. He recently picked up an offer from USC and should see many more high majors come in to play here soon.</p>