Standouts from Zero Gravity Coaches vs. Cancer: Part 1

With the AAU season in full swing, I traveled to the Dana Barros Basketball Club in Stoughton, Massachusetts for the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament, hosted by Zero Gravity Basketball. AAU always ball gets the bad wrap for one-on-one, isolation basketball, this was not the case during this tourney. All-in-all, I was generally blown away with the offensive execution and attention to detail in the set-play department, as well as a high level of commitment on defense. The teams in attendance included the Middlesex Magic, Rivals Basketball, Bay State Jaguars, Blazers Basketball, Team Soldier and Big Blue. Let’s take a look at some of the standouts from the weekend at the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. <ul> <li aria-level="1">Aj Lesburt | 6’5” | Guard with wing potential | Bradford Christian Academy | Rivals | 2022 </li> </ul> Deciding whether or not Aj Lesburt is a guard or a wing is irrelevant. Simply put, he showcased as an excellent two-way player. Perhaps one of the more overlooked prospects in New England, Lesburt came off screens ready to shoot, handled the ball with control, and showed great elevation on his drives to the basket. His understanding of spacing and willingness to move to spots was also on display throughout this game, as Lesburt understood when to shift to the corner without the ball in his hands. Lesburt’s poised demeanor down the stretch came through as he connected on a deep and contested movement three-pointer. Instead of celebrating, he got back on defense, ready and focused. On the other side of the floor, he made important hustle plays and did a great job communicating his switches off the ball. He talked on defense and took instruction from his coach, never showing any signs of defeat or disappointment. A versatile defender, he guarded both the point of attack and lock-and-trail shooters with intent. During this game, Lesburt showed a drive and commitment to both sides of the floor, as I’d expect his recruiting stock to rise a lot this summer. <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1081841" first="Dominick" last="Campbell"] | 6’8” | Stretch Big | Phillips Exeter Academy | Middlesex Magic | 2022 </li> </ul> On both sides of the floor, Dom Campbell put on a show throughout the weekend. He demonstrated all the makings of a modern and versatile stretch big as he can hurt the opposition with his back to the basket and in the pick-and-pop game. Campbell finished with contact and showed some flashes of an emerging off the dribble game. Not only did he excel in the post and on the offensive glass, but he showed the ability to shoot the ball with a fluid stroke, as he converted on two above the break triples during the first half of Saturday’s game against The Rivals. He followed up by making a similar shot during the Magic’s win against Team Soldier on Sunday. During the same game, Campbell made an impressive help-side rotation block and continued this play by running the floor in transition. A force guarding the rim he did a great job of not overcoming or fouling on his contests. He brought energy and fluidity throughout the two games I watched and overall showcased an extremely translatable and dynamic skillset at the next level. <ul> <li>Josh Morissette | 6’4" | Big Guard | Phillips Exeter Academy | Middlesex Magic | 2022 </li> </ul> Another two-way guard who showed the potential to play up at the wing spot. Morissette, not only connected on the game-winner but also knocked down 4 clutch triples during the second half of this heated win, two of these shots came with little to no air space. He does a great job of catching and keeping the ball high on his shots from deep, a skill that former Magic alumni Duncan Robinson is known for mastering. His fluid stroke from deep will translate well at the next level, but I wouldn’t pigeonhole him as just a movement shooter, as he can score from all three levels. While he played more off the ball throughout the tournament, he took defenders to the basket off the dribble and made high-level decisions when pushing the pace in transition. Morissette was also dynamic in the open floor as he continuously made the extra pass within the flow of the offense. Unselfish scanning the court, he also set great flare screens off the ball and understood where and when to pop into open space. He finished with contact and showed aggression on his takes to the basket. On defense, he showed great energy as he took separate possessions guarding three of the Rivals’ movement shooters and did a good job of navigating his way through screens, staying attached to the their hip. https://twitter.com/MiddlesexMagic/status/1373838087332188163 <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1081796" first="Darrel" last="Yepdo"] | 6’0” | Primary Initiator/ PG | Brooks School | Rivals | 2022 </li> </ul> Not only did [player_tooltip player_id="1081796" first="Darrel" last="Yepdo"] orchestrate the offense at the helm, but when a play broke down, Yepdo showed the ability to innovate and improvise off the dribble, and create something from nothing. A dynamic playmaker, Yepdo was willing to dive on the floor to save a possession. His energy level was unmatched as he logged heavy minutes but continued to blow by the defense and finished with ease at the rim. He did a great job of rejecting the screen and reading his defender. First to the floor, Yepdo plays with an infectious level of energy, always willing to out-hustle his opponent. While he is an explosive athlete, his decision-making with the ball in his hands stood out. He knew when to pick and choose his spots for scoring but also when to find shooters flaring out on the perimeter. In the remaining seconds of the Rivals closely contested loss, he came off a down screen and connected on a fluid movement three-pointer, catching and shooting all in one motion, poised under pressure. He plays both sides of the ball and came up with several steals and hustle plays with his sheer intensity. I am eager to see more of Yepdo’s game develop even more, especially playmaking out of the pick & roll setting. <ul> <li>Austin Hunt | 6’4" | Guard who can play up | St. Marks | Middlesex Magic | 2023 </li> </ul> Throughout the two-day tournament, Austin Hunt was on a defensive mission. A standout, especially playing off the ball and providing help at the nail, he would have earned my vote for Defensive Player of the Tournament, as his activity and awareness led to easy scoring opportunities on the other end. During Sunday’s win, he made several deflections in passing lanes. He made stops guarding the floater as he also finished off some of these plays by running the floor and catching a few lobs in the process. Hunt took possessions guarding smaller ball handlers and made nice recovery plays, getting back into the possession after the initial screen. At 6’4", he can guard both up and down the positional spectrum as he also helped contribute on the offense with a fluid stroke from deep, explosive first step, and willingness to handle the ball in transition. Hunt’s ability to run the court with top-line speed and elevate in transition was on full display during Sunday’s win. He showed out as one of the best two-way players of the tournament. <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1081792" first="Will" last="Batchelder"] | 6’1" | Primary Initiator/ PG | Governor’s Academy | Middlesex Magic | 2022</li> </ul> While Josh Morissette hit one of the biggest shots of the weekend with his go-ahead triple, it was the pin-point pass from [player_tooltip player_id="1081792" first="Will" last="Batchelder"] that set him up perfectly for the go-ahead three. Batchelder drove baseline, understood where the help was coming from and found Morissette in the corner with a pass squarely delivered to Morissette’s shooting pocket. While this was only one play, this pass encompassed a lot of what Batchelder brought to the table. His unselfish play, control of pace, and steadiness at the helm set him apart from other guards at the tournament. He knocked down shots within the flow of the offense and was willing to drive east-west to create open looks. Batchelder can also get to the basket off the drive and has great leaping ability once at the rim. He converted on some pull-up jumpers and with the ball on a string he made some nice passing decisions out of the pick and roll. As a trusted ball-handler, he also showed a dynamic ability to read the floor in transition and knew when to re-set the offense. I also was impressed with his communication both with his teammates and coach, during pressurized situations. He showed active hands-on defense and applied necessary pressure when guarding [player_tooltip player_id="1081796" first="Darrel" last="Yepdo"], as I am excited to see another rematch between these two guards.