The Summer Draft League All Star Game Standouts

Gold Standard and KB3 Elite concluded their Summer Draft League on Thursday night with an all-star game. Here were some of the guys who stood out. Thanks to Kyle and Chris for having me!    McNamara was pretty easily the best player on the court during the all-star game, and he was one of the youngest. At 6-foot-1 and only a rising 8th grader, he has amazing length and athleticism; his burst to the rim and smooth finishing ability makes him incredibly tough to stop when he gets going downhill. His three-point set shot is still coming along, but McNamara's jumper in the lane looks very workable. Oh, and his brother, Michael, is 6-foot-7 in the class of 2027. Big future ahead for McNamara; way too early to say, but he has D1 potential.     Tayebati might've been the best shooter in the gym for the all-star game on Thursday. He knocked down 3 of his 3 three-point attempts and showed a really solid-looking release, especially for an incoming freshman; it's quick, compact and accurate, and he gets great rotation on the ball. He also does a good job using his off hand to blow by defenders and has a nasty hang finish in his bag. Defensively, he's active on the ball and solid in the passing lanes. Tayebati should improve a lot at Beaver this coming season.     Alimadhi is very skinny and long, which makes me think he's far from done growing. For his size, he has great ball-handling ability and feel. He showed off some really nice overhand crossovers in transition and also a great ability to drive closeouts as an off-ball player. Alimadhi should get some varsity looks as a freshman at Lexington High School, and my guess would be that he looks drastically different in a year from now (more so than even the average incoming freshman).     Philippe was unequivocally the best backcourt defender on the court Thursday. He slides his feet incredibly well and has really great hands. He probably had 5 steals on the day and could've had more if he got to spend more time pressuring the ball. Offensively, Philippe is very unselfish and moves the ball consistently. He also showed an ability to make the open three. One of the only rising 8th graders in the game, the Waltham native should be a sought after high school player after next year.      Cineus is very little — about 5-foot-6 if I had to guess. But that doesn't mean he won't grow, as he's only an incoming freshman. Skills wise, he knows how to play the game; he's shifty with the ball and has a nice herky-jerky hesitation move. Cineus was also one of the best passers on the court. It's clear that he understands angles and can run an offense effectively. He'll be a totally different player once he grows and gets stronger, so the future is bright for Cineus, who will get a lot better at Belmont Hill.     Murphy is still learning to play, but he was easily the best vertical athlete in the gym. At only 6-feet and going into his freshman year, Murphy rose up for an easy 2-handed slam towards the end of the all star game. Besides that, he was best as an offensive rebounder and little-things guy, but he has a solid-looking three-point stroke that should improve. Once Murphy becomes more skilled with the ball in his hands, he'll be a really interesting prospect.

Gold Standard and KB3 Elite concluded their Summer Draft League on Thursday night with an all-star game. Here were some of the guys who stood out. Thanks to Kyle and Chris for having me!