Team Final vs Team Melo 17U Standouts
Last weekend Team Final hosted an event called “The Scrimmage” where a number of teams played some warm-up games before circuit play begins. I attended the Sunday session, where Team Final 15U-17U faced off against Team Melo. For this series,…
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Continue ReadingLast weekend Team Final hosted an event called “The Scrimmage” where a number of teams played some warm-up games before circuit play begins. I attended the Sunday session, where Team Final 15U-17U faced off against Team Melo. For this series, I’ll take a look at the standouts from each game starting with the 17U matchup that Team Final won in dominant fashion by a final score of 88-61.
Jalen Duren | 6’10 | Team Final ’22
Duren is hands down the most dominant high school prospect I’ve covered in my years as a scout. He’s a physical specimen at 6-foot-10 and has a unique mix of athleticism, strength and versatility that you only see in future NBA prospects. In fact, there are times throughout games where Duren actually looks bored even when he’s dominating a game in the box score. He’s an elite finisher around the rim, runs the floor with consistency and alters almost any shot that’s taken in the paint. The part of Duren’s game that I believe continues to get overlooked is his passing. When he’s in the post, he can easily turn and score any way that he wants, but he’s a willing passer with good vision when double-teams come his way. Programs around the country will pray for Duren to choose the college route, but it looks like as time passes, the G-League path will be the one that he chooses.
Cam Whitmore | 6’7 | Team Melo ’22
Whitmore had quite the challenge going against a Final frontline comprised of 6-foot-10 Duren and 7-foot center Dereck Lively, but I was impressed with his determination to score inside. Whitmore got most of his touches out on the perimeter and was being guarded by Duren. He’d use his quick first step to get an edge on Duren and attack the chest of Lively in the air to draw fouls. In the second half, Whitmore had an impressive reverse alley-oop and two face-up three’s from the corner with Duren draped all over him. His growth in his offensive versatility was certainly on display. I expect his recruitment to receive a significant boost this summer. Wake Forest was quick to extend an offer following this event.
Corey Floyd | 6’4 | Team Final ’22
This was my first time seeing Floyd live and he impressed on both ends. The UConn commit has great size for his position at 6-foot-4 to go along with a strong frame that he used to his advantage. He registered 16 points and did a good job of switching up his attack. Floyd showed ability to knock down the long ball off the dribble, get into the paint and finish through contact as well as finish over the rim in the open floor. Defensively he was stout on the ball and forced multiple turnovers with his active hands that generated fast break opportunities.
Tyson Commander Tyson Commander 6'4" | SG The John Carroll School | 2022 State #203 Nation MD | 6’4 | Team Melo ’22
Commander didn’t waste much time finding his spots from deep and letting it fly. The 6-foot-4 southpaw can do damage well beyond the arc and was quick on getting his shot off before the athletic defenders on Final could get their hands as they contested. He converted on four triples and and was perfect from the charity stripe.
Dereck Lively | 7’0 | Team Final ’22
Lively was efficient with his touches around the rim and even stepped out for three and buried a triple off his teammate’s kick-out pass. What I liked most about his performance was his consistent effort on the glass at both ends. He was always hunting for put backs off misses offensively and had complete control of the backboard on the defensive end. He was a disruption as a shot blocker and his presence was simply enough to deter Melo’s guards from even attempting a floater or layup.
Trey Thomas Trey Thomas 6'3" | PG Wise | 2022 MD | 6’3 | Team Melo ’22
Thomas put together a strong second half performance for Melo. The 6-foot-3 lead guard finished with 15 points, 12 of which came in the final 16 minutes. Despite Final having stout on-ball defenders in the backcourt, Thomas created space on a consistent basis by breaking his man down off the dribble and hitting pull-ups from three and mid-range. He also had a couple of nice takes to the rim and finished with both hands.
Byron Hopkins Byron Hopkins 6'0" | PG Upper Moreland | 2022 State PA | 6’3 | Team Final ’22
Williams led all scorers in this contest with 18 points and similar to Floyd, scored from all three levels. The 6-foot-3 combo guard is a smooth operator off the bounce and uses his length around the rim to finish over the smaller Team Melo guards. He was pushed the tempo early and often for quick scores and in the second half, made it a point in getting into the paint to draw fouls. Defensively he displayed his versatility matching up against guards and wings effectively.