17 U Friday Standouts: Pitt Jamfest
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The Pittsburgh Jam Fest brought teams from all over the midwest to compete in a forty court facility in downtown Pittsburgh. In this article, I’ll break down the standout 17 U performers from Friday night at the event. Beau Siegfried…
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Continue ReadingThe Pittsburgh Jam Fest brought teams from all over the midwest to compete in a forty court facility in downtown Pittsburgh. In this article, I’ll break down the standout 17 U performers from Friday night at the event.
Not the only Gurus of Go member to impress, Siegfried had a strong overall weekend as the primary ball handler and point guard for a team that’s built a ton of chemistry over the years together. Siegfried is really shooting the ball at an efficient rate from 3-point range, especially when his feet are set. A point guard who wants to push the pace, his eyes are always up and he throws it ahead of teammates streaking down the court. Siegfried also really works on the defensive end of the court, showing his value on both ends. There’s a handful of priority small college targets on the Gurus of Go squad who drew as many college coaches as any Ohio program this weekend.
Highlights
A teammate of Siegfried’s in both the high school and grassroots season, Marshall has continued to rise his stock over the past year. A utility wing who does the small things extremely well. A strongly built kid, Marshall is physical and rebounds very well for his height. This allows him to get some second chance buckets. Marshall also plays with a high basketball IQ, with the ability to make passes when his dribble drives get closed down and cut off the ball for easy layups. A player who continues to improve, Marshall should be high on small college radars due to his ability to impact the game without the ball in his hands.
One of a handful of available 2024 prospects who played this weekend, Njie impressed for Phenom United as he just plays the game the right way. Few players match Njie’s effort levels on both ends of the court. A kid who rebounds, talks on defense and gets after loose balls, Njie does a lot of things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. When an opponent tried putting Njie on a poster, he contested the shot and came away with the most impressive block I saw all weekend. A prospect who has attracted interest from college and post grad programs, it’ll be interesting to see what Njie decides to do in the Fall.
I caught two games of TNBA -Ohio this weekend and I’ll have notes on another one of their prospects in an article coming tomorrow. Dammons is the best athlete on the team with his ability to get downhill and play above the rim. Dammons had one of the best dunks I saw all weekend with a drive and slam with a defender underneath the rim during the sequence. With his size and activity in the paint, Dammons scored mostly in the paint on either putbacks or drives to the rim. While he made some shots from the perimeter, I wish Dammons shot it a little more consistently from the outside. TNBA drew a handful of scholarship level coaches to their games and Dammons is one of the highest upside prospects on their team.
Another wing who impacted the game in a variety of ways, Greenberg’s IQ stands out immediately in grassroots environments that aren’t super organized. Makes sense when you look at the type of high school program Greenberg has been playing with all winter. A kid who makes the right pass, plays hard at both ends and rebounds, Greenberg does a lot of little things on the court. As a driver, Greenberg isn’t going to dunk on anybody in the lane so instead he finishes off of two feet to keep stable balance and use his strength. Showing some improved ball skills off the bounce, I got to see Greenberg attack in different ways than during the high school season. Despite a funky release, Greenberg has consistently knocked down shots from the outside when his feet are set and once again Greenberg hit some key 3-pointers this weekend.