Coaches for a Cure Standouts (Part 4)

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. 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. 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>. Game 1: 703 Rockets (VA) 77 CBG East (VA) 70 (OT) Game 2: Liberty Heights (NC) 62 National Christian (MD) 54 Game 3: IMG Academy Post Grad (FL) 86 Bull City Prep (NC) 84 Game 4: Blue Magic (VA) 63 522 Warriors (VA) 60 [player_tooltip player_id="1107828" first="Zion" last="Russell"] | 6’1” CG | National Christian 2021 <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> Russell is one of the top available guards in the DMV area and showed that he’s being heavily under recruited as he was nothing short of fantastic for National Christian against a very talented Liberty Heights team with multiple division one commits. An athletic combo guard that’s equally effective shooting it from deep as he is getting downhill and finishing at the basket, Russell came out aggressive and looking for his shot, and when the tides turned and National Christian needed a run to get back into it he provided some big time buckets down the stretch for them. The two way guard finished with a team high 22 points on 50% shooting from the floor and from deep, and pitched in 6 rebounds as well. [player_tooltip player_id="1049483" first="Brayon" last="Freeman"] | 6’1” PG | National Christian 2021 <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> The George Washington commit is a natural floor general and showed that by handling pressure and making some great reads throughout the game, and while he struggled shooting it from deep he was still effective at getting int he lane and scoring both in the midrange and at the basket. He’s a shifty guard who changes speeds well to keep the defenders off balance, he has a terrific feel and understanding for the game on both ends of the floor and he’s someone who’s fun to play with and probably would have had more assists had some of his teammates shot the ball better throughout the game. He finished with 19 points and 4 assists in the loss. Isaiah Coleman | 6’5” WG | National Christian 2023 Coleman is one of the youngest players on National Christian, and while he didn’t put up big scoring numbers he looks like a very intriguing prospect moving forward. He already has a prototypical frame for the next level that’s very advanced for his age, he showed the ability to guard almost every position outside of center on the court and he has good ball skills that will only get better moving forward. He’ll be a guy to keep an eye on moving forward. [player_tooltip player_id="543840" first="Efton" last="Reid"] | 7’0” C | IMG Academy 2021 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Reid-Efton-IMG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1129651" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Reid-Efton-IMG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> The best available big man in the country, Reid returned to his home in Richmond with IMG and was a part of possibly the game of the year as they scraped out a win against a talented Bull City team on his dunk with less than 5 seconds left to remain the top team in the country. The 7’0” big showed his entire bag as he owned the paint and finished above the rim, showed his touch and back to the basket moves with a couple of soft jump hooks with both hands and he’s one of the best teammates and vocal leaders you’ll ever see on the floor. He dominated with 25 points and 6 rebounds, and showed his unselfishness and passing ability with 3 assists as well. [player_tooltip player_id="1094513" first="Charles" last="Bediako"] | 6’11” C | IMG Academy 2021 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Bediako-Charles.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1129652" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Bediako-Charles-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> The other top unsigned big in the country who plays alongside Reid, Bediako is the perfect compliment as he may not be as polished as Reid but he’s long and athletic and is a grown man around the rim as he alters shots and finishes almost everything with a dunk. Bediako is the guy who can seal on the back side and has great hands to catch passes over his head, he rebounds well on both ends of the floor and his presence in the paint makes his very difficult for driving guards and wings to get clean looks at the rim. He finished with an impressive double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds on 6-for-10 shooting from the field. [player_tooltip player_id="531243" first="Benny" last="Williams"] | 6’7” WF | IMG Academy 2021 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Williams-Benny.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1129653" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Williams-Benny-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> The Syracuse commit and top 15 prospect in the country came out dominating early and was slowed down by an injury in the second half, but he was still one of the best players on the floor and showed why he could have a chance to play at the highest of levels in the future, much like the two guys ahead of him as well. It’s almost cliche now a days to call someone a “freak” athlete, but if there is anyone to be described that way it’s Williams as he’s a very explosive and powerful athlete that plays way above the rim and is often looking down at it when he finishes in transition. He had a few of those highlight plays, but also showed that he can catch and shoot from deep, is a good defender on multiple positions and his ceiling is as high as anyone. He finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists and looks to be a perfect fit at Syracuse next year. Lynn Greer | 6’2” PG | IMG Academy 2021 Greer was part of a two point guard attack that IMG runs, and he seems to have bought into his role as a playmaker with this extremely talented unit they have. He lived in the paint on Saturday and made terrific reads in the pick and roll and in transition, and he put a ton of pressure on the defense with his continuous attacking of the basket where he made plays for others or found ways to score or get to the line. He finished with an impressive 11 points and 8 assists with no turnovers at all. Javier Ezquerra | 6’2” PG | IMG Academy 2021 While Ezquerra isn’t as well known as some of the other guys on the team, the native of Puerto Rico has some game himself and is the glue that keeps the team together. He’s a highly skilled floor general who makes good reads and decisions and delivered the pass to Reid for the game winner, and he’s as steady as they come in the backcourt as he takes good shots and takes great care of the ball while setting the tone on both ends of the floor. He finished with 11 points and 5 assists with no turnovers in the win.