The Scrimmage: Six Intriguing 17u Prospects

<p>Breaking News: <strong>Jalen Duren</strong> is good and [player_tooltip player_id="931018" first="Javon" last="Adams"] will be one of the fastest risers in the ’22 class. Now that that is out of the way, I want to get to some players who caught my eye. They aren’t necessarily the top performers from this weekend, but they have some skills that will put them through college. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="991202" first="Justin" last="Moore"] 2022 6’2 PG - K-Low </p> <p>In both match-ups on Saturday, Moore showed he has a high feel for the game. His quick decisions made sure the ball didn’t stick and showed his game can coexist with other creators. As the primary or secondary playmaker on the floor, he loved to drive-left-finish right. His ability to accelerate and decelerate helped him get to the charity stripe consistently.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="990952" first="Aaron" last="Lemon-Warren"] 2022 6’4 W/F - K-Low</p> <p>Already a D1 caliber player, ALW reclassifying might be a blessing in disguise. He did some good work out of the low &amp; high posts, but his brightest flashes came on the perimeter. Lemon-Warren went deeper in his bag than usual, pulling out step-back threes, and solid burst using subtle dribble moves. He looked good defending wings too. Increased reps will only help his perimeter game and tap further into his potential before he arrives on a college campus.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1026250" first="Jaden" last="Arline"] 2022 5’11 PG - Team Final</p> <p>Jadan was a spark-plug at Paul VI (NJ) this season and carried that over into Sunday’s event. He didn’t initiate the offense for Team Final but he did exploit defensive rotations generated by others. Aggressively attacking closeouts forced defenses to account for him at all times. Arline was equally aggressive at the point of attack, getting in the ball-handler’s chest to deter drives. The energy he brings to the team will be vital on their journey to Peach Jam 2021.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="990953" first="Angelo" last="Reeves"] Jr 2022 6’7 F - Team Final Red</p> <p>Angelo, aka "Boom", displayed his usual arsenal and more to "The Scrimmage." He exploded at the rim and his jumper looked clean. His abilities on defense weren’t highlighted by being in zone but still showed skills as a weak-side rim protector. Based on how he handled the rock and defends on a regular basis, Reeves Jr has the potential to be a versatile wing-forward at the next level.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="991200" first="Tyson" last="Thomas"] 2022 6’1 PG - Team Final Red</p> <p>Tyson was sneaky good against K-Low. He played at a steady pace, never rushing or getting sped up. There wasn’t anything flashy about his game, but he was effective. He founded teammates for easy buckets by pushing the ball ahead with long passes on the break and by getting in the paint in the half-court. When he called his own number, Thomas drew fouls while finishing with strength and craft. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1173220" first="Quadir" last="Copeland"]</strong> 2022 6’6 CG - Team Melo</p> <p>The Scrimmage was the manifestation of a thought experiment for Quadir. As a player who had a high usage at Life Center(NJ) and is on his way to IMG(FL), being challenged to produce off-ball and as a secondary playmaker against K-Low and Team Final were good for him. Copeland stayed engaged by communicating on both ends, was active on defense, and crashing the boards. When he did get the rock, Quadir was assertive and didn’t back down. It wasn’t his best performance, stat-wise, but it was a great learning experience that bodes well for his development.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Bonus: [player_tooltip player_id="991189" first="Justice" last="Williams"] 2022 6’3 CG - Team Final</p> <p>Labeled as a SG by the national media, Justice is finally getting the chance to prove he can drive the boat and be the lead guard on the highest level. He’s really smart and has a great feel for the game. He knew when to push vs when to slow things down. He didn’t try any flashy passes but he threw several, perfectly timed lobs to his bigs. Almost all of his passes were exactly where on-point, giving his teammates a chance to make a play. I think Justice’s ceiling as a PG will be determined by his ability to create for himself, and he certainly did that on Sunday.</p> <p>Double Bonus: [player_tooltip player_id="931018" first="Javon" last="Adams"] 2022 6’9 W - Team Final Red</p> <p>Adams is going to be a national recruit because of a) his combination of size, athleticism, and skills, and b) his multiple pathways to success. He’s wired like a guard. Javon looked more like a jumbo playmaker than anything else on Saturday. He scored when he had to but equally as impressive was his passing, especially running pick &amp; role. Then on defense, his coaches put him at the point of attack. Because can do all of this at 6’9, Javon is someone you can run the offense through and can play off other talented guys.</p>