Adidas 3SSB: Local 17u Standouts

17p 8r 4b 1a in a win vs Mass Rivals   Cemented his status as the top player in VA as well as a top-10 player in the country in our eyes with a pretty dominant string of performances. Ament scores it well from all 3 levels but picked up his activity as an offensive rebounder this week, showing the duality as a wing that can clean up the glass in the paint while hitting C+S 3 point looks in the face of more defensive attention. Ament takes advantage of hard closeouts and over-aggressive defenders by making quick, decisive reads in the halfcourt and hitting a spin move that gets him past quicker defenders to hit a smooth shot in the paint. It's not uncommon for him to catch the ball high, wait, and get into his shooting motion over the top of his matchup for clean 3s. For all his improvements in staying with his matchup on the perimeter defensively, we would like to see him fight for better position on his matchup's drives to the rim so the offensive player has to finish shots over his length-- playing behind is eventually going to lead to more foul trouble.     17p 2r 1s (7/8 FG) vs Phenom   Thomas has really improved as a C+S shooting threat from the perimeter and as a pick n pop big, shooting with a more consistent release point and not hesitating on perimeter looks. His length and leaping ability is showing more on the defensive end as an on-ball defender but he needs to continue fine-tuning his awareness as an off-ball defender and communicate screen coverages at a higher level to stay on the floor at the end of games. As coaches continue to see his 2-way value, I expect his recruitment to pick up heading into this senior year.     25p 5a 3r 2s vs Indy Elite   -Turned in a pretty dominant performance in a showcase win over the eventual 3SSB runner-up, getting to his spots to score from all 3 levels while getting to the line (12/12). Argabright's development as a scorer has evolved to him being way more efficient with his dribbles, especially in ball screens-- choosing to move the ball or find a teammate on the opposite side vs processing the floor while dribbling in the same spot. He's using his matchup's momentum and physicality against them, taking better angles to the rim to draw fouls to create easy offensive looks while getting primary defenders into foul trouble. The on-ball defense has improved and he's staying home defensively on pickups instead of going for the poke-out steal-- although he will have to put on more weight over the next year to deal with the physicality he will face playing against elite guards.     26p 3r 1b (8/11 3P) vs Indy Elite   Arguably the biggest local stock-riser of the summer, Polk continued his hot shooting in 3SSB to space the floor for his New World team. The ability to knock down shots isn't new but the willingness to take and make open jumpers to move the defense seems like a trait that is here to stay. Mix in his positional size and IQ at the 2/3 position, I'd expect these HM schools to begin pulling the trigger on offers this next week     13p 6r 3b 3s 1a 1 drawn charge vs Compton Magic   Ross' measurables and athleticism always stand out when I watch him play-- but the red-hot motor and scrappiness defensively in an early morning matchup with Compton Magic stood out to me the most. Ross blew up screens, crashed the glass for rebounds at both ends of the floor, forced jump balls by closing the gap and getting a hand on the shot before it went up-- if this becomes a staple of his game along with the offensive progression as a play-finisher at the rim and occasional pick n pop shooter-- his ceiling will only continue to reacher higher heights.     J. St. Clair 17p 4r 3s 2a vs Dream Vision   -St. Clair put on his dancing hat in a showcase matchup with Dream Vision, going 5/6 from 3 midway through the 2H to bring his Washington Warriors team back in the game. His ability to navigate through tight spaces with the ball to get to his floater in the paint or to the rim keeps the defense honest on the perimeter. The next step with St. Clair will be dragging ball screens wide to draw the help defender away from the rim while his defender gets back, freeing up the roller of the opposite corner shooter as his defender tags the big.