EBA Summer League Semifinal Notebook

<p>Last night, the semifinal rounds of the two division in the EBA Summer League took place and there was no shortage of big performances. For this notebook, I’ll take a look at each game and point out the prospects that stood out among the rest.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>GOLD DIVISION</strong></span></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/DJ-Smith.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1253903" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/DJ-Smith-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><em>Soldiers vs Comets</em></p> <p>Thanks to a second half run motored by a full court press, the Soldiers went onto win this game by a final score of 40-29 to advance to the Gold Division championship game on Tuesday evening. 2023 guard DJ Smith had a handful of crafty finishes around the rim with multiple coming in crunch time to help create separation. Smith finished with 10 points on the night. The Soldiers were without 2022 guard [player_tooltip player_id="902065" first="Malik" last="Scipio"], who’d been their leading scorer coming into this game, so the fact that they were able to come together as a team and escape with a win says something about their growth since the start of the league. 2023 forward Carlito McBryd has been a steady presence for the Comets all season. He’s undersized for his position, but works hard on the glass and did so once again last night posting a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Donovan-Peyton-Waruru-Mubiga.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1253904" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Donovan-Peyton-Waruru-Mubiga-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><em>Ballstars vs Admirals</em></p> <p>In an exciting game that lived up to a semifinal hype, the Ballstars scored in last second fashion to advance to the championship game by a final score of 42-40. The duo of 2022 guard Donovan Peyton and 2022 forward Waruru Mubia continued to be the catalysts for their team’s success. Mubia finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Peyton chipped in with 13 points of his own. Mubia is another undersized forward who puts his time in on the glass. He scores around the rim, but can also step out to three and with enough time and space, is capable from range. Peyton is a small, quick guard who consistently gets into the paint and knows how to finish creatively to avoid shot blockers. He also possesses good basketball IQ and is a willing passer on his drives. 2023 guard Elijah Bryan finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and two assists for the Admirals in the loss.</p> <p><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">BLACK DIVISION</span></strong></p> <p><em>Blue Magic vs Dons</em></p> <p>This game was all about Loyola (MD) commit [player_tooltip player_id="904628" first="Deon" last="Perry"]. The 5-foot-9 floor general torched the nets from anywhere on the floor on his way to 28 points. He converted on five triples, three of which came from NBA range. The threat of his three-point shot combined with his quick-twitch abilities off the bounce make him a nightmare for any opposing defender. Time and time again, he took what the defense gave him and it resulted in points for his team. You won’t find many players more productive on the glass than 2023 forward [player_tooltip player_id="1164829" first="Mitchell" last="Kalu"]. Standing 6-foot-5 and built like a middle linebacker, he collects them by the boatload and finished with 11 rebounds and eight points in the win. 2023 guard Ryder Drew scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists for the Dons in the loss. 2022 guard Owen Fischer wrapped up what was a productive summer league as he scored 11 points and collected four rebounds.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Sincere-Barfield.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1253905" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Sincere-Barfield-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><em>Putty Hill vs Hounds</em></p> <p>Putty Hill marched comfortably to the Black Division championship game set for Tuesday after defeating the Hounds 55-35. The duo of 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1127304" first="Sincere" last="Barfield"] and 2022 Nick Jones seems to improve every time they take the floor. Barfield was tremendous last night in getting to the rim and either finishing through contact or drawing a foul. He led Putty Hill with 21 points and four rebounds. Jones had his usual couple of plays in the open floor that got the crowd ignited as he scored 18 points on the night. He was especially impressive as a shot blocker defensively. Given he’s only 6-foot-1, his elite athleticism allows him to challenge shots at the rim on a routine basis. Saint Joseph’s commit [player_tooltip player_id="777071" first="Christian" last="Winborne"] took on the bulk of the production for the Hounds. He was scoring from all three levels as usual on his way to 20 points and four rebounds in the loss.</p>