Pro 16 Memphis: Friday Standouts

The Pro 16 Circuit took a stop in Memphis for a pre live period session where a majority of the 17 U teams in the league took battle. In this article I'll break down some of my top standouts from outside my region of Ohio and Kentucky who I was able to catch.    On a guard oriented TME team, Roberts made an impact as a secondary creator who provided a spark when the ball was in his hands. Getting busy attacking the rim, Roberts made a couple shots and got to the paint when he wanted to. A couple quick drop off passes to their forwards got easy looks at the rim for a TME team that only had six players tonight and still found a way to get a comfortable victory. Defensively, Roberts did a nice job of knowing when to gamble in their zone defense and forced a handful of turnovers with his activity, one that led into a breakaway slam dunk for himself. Recently picking up an offer from Louisiana, Roberts looks like at least a mid-major target heading into the live period.     A bright spot on [program_tooltip program_id='2075378' first='MPJ' last='Elite'] from tonight, Paulding checked a lot of boxes from the wing position. Showing sudden change of direction when attacking off the bounce, Paulding used his burst to beat defenders off the dribble. With a college ready frame, Paulding wasn't being knocked off his spot when he attacked. I liked how Paulding used his left hand at the rim to finish, showing confidence using either hand to score. Also making a couple nice passes, Paulding had a sweet hook pass for an assist and a behind the back dime as well. With a high motor that runs at all times, Paulding covered a ton of ground on the court at both ends. Developing as a shooter, that will be the key swing skill for Paulding as he did knock down a corner 3-pointer in the second half.     I'm not sure if any team is more talented on the Puma Circuit than AAO Flight as they have three guys found in the top 75 of national rankings. I left most impressed with Gavin Placide who showed off his obvious upside with fluid mobility and impressive production on the interior on both ends of the court. Just watching how Placide moves in transition and how versatile he is defensively; the high major ability is extremely obvious from the moment you watch him play. I was impressed with his interior scoring and ability to handle the basketball at his size as well. If Placide produces consistently and continues to help his team win, he could rise up some national rankings boards by the time the summer wraps up.     An obvious top talent in the gym tonight, Wadley was dominant for Team Museum in their blowout victory. It's rare to see players shooting from NBA range at the grassroots level but Wadley knocked down a pair of triples from that distance on Friday evening. The first possession of the game was a sweet elevator concept that got Wadley a wide open 3-point look and that was a sign of things to come. Later in the game, Wadley made a couple simple, but effective, passes for assists in the pick and roll and as a lob passer. Impressive performance not just by Wadley but the team as a whole.     The best shot blocker I saw today, Akoue was rejecting everything at the rim and even swatted a 3-point shot right into my lap sitting on the bleachers. A mobile big who could play on the perimeter, Akoue grabbed a defensive rebound and quickly pushed the pace before finishing the possession with an assist in transition. He was also on the receiving end of a few [player_tooltip player_id='1782699' first='Quincy' last='Wadley'] assists off pick and roll or lob opportunities. Very intrigued by the rim protection and vertical lob threat that Akoue showed on Friday night.     I was impressed with Nebraska Supreme as a whole and while Uzziah Sanders and Derek Tonjes both made strong contributions for their team, I landed on Meyers as my standout performer. A bigger guard who showed the ability to play on or off the ball, Meyers was tough to stop attacking downhill going left. With the size to see over the defense, Meyers made a couple slick passes to teammates for open looks whether that was as a driver or just swinging the rock from one side of the court to the other. Meyers also knocked down a key 3-pointer off a nice BLOB set as Nebraska Supreme continued to chip away at the lead. With his skillset at his size, Meyers looks like a surefire scholarship target for regional Division II and NAIA programs.

The Pro 16 Circuit took a stop in Memphis for a pre live period session where a majority of the 17 U teams in the league took battle. In this article I'll break down some of my top standouts from outside my region of Ohio and Kentucky who I was able to catch.