ZG Rumble for the Ring Varsity Division Standouts: Part 1

I attended the Zero Gravity Rumble for the Ring this weekend and watched the American division teams compete at Dana Barros Basketball Club in Stoughton, MA on Saturday.   As always, it's impossible to get eyes on every team and every kid, but here are SOME of the players that stood out. Part 1 below.   Parts 2, 3 and 4 will be coming out tomorrow and Monday, so stay tuned!    I called Alekseyenko “mini Jokic” a while back, and I was right. Despite being undersized for the center position, he's so skilled, smart and versatile offensively that he finds a way to be extremely effective in the half court. He can even step out and knock down the three ball. Alekseyenko recently committed to Colgate and will fit perfectly into their high volume three-point shooting offense which promotes off-ball movement and passing. Seems like a perfect fit for him, and I'm very excited to see how he progresses.     Dawan-Abdullah is only a freshman but already has true point guard skills that are well beyond his years. He's got the ball on a string and can pass/run an offense far better than most freshmen. He's especially effective in transition, where he uses excellent strength, body control and patience to attack the nail and then make plays for himself or his teammates. He even had some attacks in transition, against high school upperclassmen, where he finished above the rim with contact. All levels of college basketball are on the table for Dawan-Abdulla.     Bennett is only a freshman, and you can tell. He's not tall and he's very slim – he clearly just hasn't physically developed yet. However, the skills and IQ are there in spades; Bennett can run an offense well and has a good understanding of offensive movement and spacing, and he's got a nice-looking outside shot that should only improve with time. He also has the ball on a string and changes speeds quite well. Bennett's college prospects will highly depend on how he physically develops, but assuming he does, he'll find a fit somewhere for sure.     Lewis is short in stature and won't wow you with athleticism but he is one of the best finishers for his size and physical profile that I've seen. He's got excellent touch off the backboard with both hands and is able to finish with lots of contact in the lane. He's also great at using his off-hand to fend off defenders' active hands when getting pressured. As only a sophomore, Lewis could grow into what I would consider a high level D3 guard, especially if he continues to grow and get stronger.     You can tell from the first couple minutes of the game that Murphy has a good understanding of how to hoop. He gets spacing and movement and has a well-rounded skill set; he can shoot it from the three, he can find his teammates for easy layups and kick out opportunities, and he has some crafty finishes at the rim in his bag. He's the kind of guy you want at the helm of your offense. Athleticism and quickness will be his limiting factor, but I would be surprised if Murphy doesn't continue to develop physically and find somewhere to play at the D3 level.

I attended the Zero Gravity Rumble for the Ring this weekend and watched the American division teams compete at Dana Barros Basketball Club in Stoughton, MA on Saturday.