Zero Gravity Live Finale: Saturday Standouts Part Three

The ZG Live Finale is underway at Dana Barros Basketball Club in Stoughton, MA, with games tipping off on Friday afternoon. There's plenty of talent in the gym at the high school level, and a good number of college coaches in attendance as well. With five courts playing at all times, it's impossible to see every team and player. With that being said, here is part three of my Saturday standouts! Sunday part one and two standouts coming tomorrow, so stay tuned!    Kaplan is a strong and sturdy point guard who doesn't have a problem handling defensive ball pressure on the perimeter. He can shoot the ball from three and also drive to the paint and finish high off the glass. He won't fly high for finishes but he's confident with the ball and can run your offense. I would imagine Kaplan will get some D3 looks as a steady pass-first point guard and shooter. Curious to see how he plays this year at Belmont Hill.     Natale Jr. is very undersized but makes up for it with fantastic quickness and ball-handling ability. He can score from all three levels; he's got a nice looking three-point shot and gets very solid elevation on his pull-up jumper. He also has a bag of crafty finishes at the rim for when he's up against the trees. Really exciting player who should make an excellent D3 fit somewhere, with the potential for more if he grows vertically in the next couple years.     Ramos was the cog of Rhode Island Magic's entire offense on Saturday, consistently getting into the paint and elevating for pull-up jumpers. Nobody could stay in front of him and he used an array of hesitations and herky-jerky moves to get to his spots. He also showed a great finishing repertoire at the rim, skying for a couple of ridiculous, double-clutch finishes. Ramos, only a rising Freshman, should make waves at Central and see his recruitment pick up heavily.     Jenkins hit five three in five straight possessions on Saturday and was being doubled thereafter from nearly half court onwards. He still was able to get to the bucket a bit and make plays for his teammates, even while being hounded. He's not tall but he's incredibly comfortable with the ball in his hands and is very athletic finishing at the hoop. The sky is the limit for Jenkins considering his age. If he grows to be 6-foot, maybe he could play at the D1 level.     Kim just finished his senior season at South Portland and is doing a PG year at Kents Hill, where he should definitely be a key part of their rotation. He's a phenomenal on-ball defender who competes for 94 feet throughout the entire game. Offensively, Kim is shifty with the dribble and can finish well at the rim, using great leaping ability and body control. He can shoot from the outside but certainly prefers to burrow his way into the paint where he can use his sturdiness and density. Definitely a D3 prospect.     Melson is a 6-foot-6 stretch big with some post moves on the inside as well. Defensively, he works hard and is willing to bang bodies with larger bigs, but he can also slide his feet with quicker players on the perimiter. Melson was a leader on his team and one of the best defensive back-side communicators I saw today. D3 schools are fawning over Melson's combination of size and skill, so he'll definitely find a high-level D3 squad to play with.

The ZG Live Finale is underway at Dana Barros Basketball Club in Stoughton, MA, with games tipping off on Friday afternoon. There's plenty of talent in the gym at the high school level, and a good number of college coaches in attendance as well. With five courts playing at all times, it's impossible to see every team and player. With that being said, here is part three of my Saturday standouts! Sunday part one and two standouts coming tomorrow, so stay tuned!