TOP 250 Expo: Team 8 Evaluations

-Turned in a pretty well-rounded performance in the showcase as a gritty point guard that is a pesky POA defender that can also run an offense or play off the ball. Desire hit C+S looks from beyond the arc, shooting better from the corners and wings than I had previously seen but also mixed in some extension layups, floaters and pull-ups in the paint. He has a nose for the ball, winning 50/50 balls and chasing down long rebounds to extend possessions for his team. But the ball-hawking on-ball defense will likely be his ticket to earning early minutes as a sophomore returning to a loaded Georgetown Prep team       -Loved the patience and poise that Morris played with throughout the event as a guard that finds ways to help his team on or off the ball. He had a nice drive to the rim, bumped the defender with his inside shoulder before he finished just past the help defender at the rim. Followed that up in the same game by knocking down a 3 and dishing out assists in back to back possessions to teammates in transition.       -Served well as a connector for this team, catching a pass on the move and making the "one more" to an open teammate for a high percentage look. Hopson scored in a variety of ways- posting up and hitting a hook, hit a floater coming down the left side of the key, had a nice turn around lay off glass, hit his matchup with a smooth rip through from the corner and used an explosive 2 steps to get to the rim, and hit a defender with a spin move layup in transition that rolled in off the glass. My favorite sequence was a block, rebound, outlet, and layup in transition to put his team ahead double digits late in the 2H     -Really enjoyed watching Iscandari play both on and off the ball throughout the day because the style of play is so unique. He uses a herky-jerky dribbling cadence to lull his defender to sleep before he shifts into high gear to get past his matchup to the second layer in the defense. His acceleration and change of direction make him a threat to score or distribute, with hook passes or whip passes with either hand to a teammate leading to some wide-open looks. Would like to see him land on 2 feet in the paint to take advantage of his quickness and the defender's momentum to step through and score vs finishing past his opponent at the rim. His pull-up off the bounce is smooth from all 3 levels but he doesn't settle for jumpers, reading his defender's hips to make the right read in a split second.       -I thought Poore showed a really good understanding for when to time his cuts to the rim, how to find open space in the defense, and where he needed to move the ball to on the catch. Poore caught a bad pass in the paint and still finishing with the left around the defender, hit a face up 3, timed a slip to the rim well after screening a teammate and finished with a finger roll at the rim, and caught a pass on a cut to the rim and immediately tapped it to a teammate on the opposite side of the paint for an easy deuce. His feel for the game and willingness to execute all the little things adds up to wins     -Loved the fact that Adolfo challenged himself to take on the toughest defensive assignment each game, guarding a 6'8 shooter, 6'7 big, and 6'1 guard within the two 5 on 5 games to force some pretty tough looks. A physical, high-flying guard that can detonate an alley-oop or pin a shot off the backboard-- it was encouraging to see some development as a creator with the ball in his hands, the timing of his passes has improved and the handle has improved to allow him to keep his head up for passing options as he probes the defense. The next step in his development will be improving as a mover off the ball that can free up teammates with screens before cutting to space to either score or pass to a teammate. If the defensive intensity and versatility stay at a high level- I can see him earning minutes for a pretty deep stable of Spalding guards     -A versatile guard that can play 1-3 both offensively and defensively, McDuffie's outside jumper is beginning to fall (4 made 3s in one game along) and he's cut down on some of the turnovers that he made moving through his reads too fast as a sophomore. Defensively he continues to shine as an off-ball athlete that is in the gaps defensively that will stunt and bait opponents into throwing turnovers that he can snag before heading the other way in transition. Loved that after turning it over on the first possession of the game he hustled back to block the shot, rebound the ball, and outlet to a teammate ahead of him to take advantage of a 5 on 4 break heading back to the offensive end of the floor. The handle and first step need to improve to allow him to navigate past smaller and quicker guards, but with his growing skillset and positional size-- McDuffie makes for one of the more underrated prospects in the area.     -Jones boasts an intriguing skillset as a wing that can knock down shots and rumble his way to the rim. The handle needs to improve to allow him to change direction when help defenders cut off his path, but he's physical enough to bully past his matchup to the paint in most circumstances and the footwork around the rim is usually good enough to create a solid finishing angle. He knocked down a face-up three from the wing, hit a nice finger roll through the contact after timing a beautiful backdoor cut, and competed defensively without fouling for most of the afternoon     -Skilled guard that has a tight handle and can knock down C+S looks from the perimeter. Would like to see him play more assertively with the ball in his hands because both the skill level and passing vision are there! Looked comfortable shooting the ball from all 3 levels