DMV Live II: Underclass Eyecatchers

22p 5a 4r 1s (10/14 FG) vs Gillion Academy   -Lyons was arguably the top performer and the top prospect in the event as the head of the snake with a Clinton Grace team that knocked off some big opponents during the live periods. Lyons played with much more aggression and assertiveness this weekend and punctuated that approach with a monster 1-handed spike over a 6'8 defender. The passing was on another level today— whip pass with the left perfectly hit the shooting pocket of a teammate on the opposite side of the floor as he raced up the court in transition. Lyons probed the defense well and got two feet in the paint before throwing the lob to a teammate at the rim after collecting an outlet at halfcourt. Lyons followed this up with a beautiful baseline lob in transition to a teammate from above the break and a steal and 1-handed spike in transition a few players later. Loved the attention to detail defensively as Lyons did a great job of staying in front of his match and generating turnovers without gambling to take himself out of defensive position. The stock-rising guard collected offers from Villanova, Indiana, Syracuse, and Mississippi State.     19p 4a 3r 5s 5/9 3P vs Highland   -Loved his decision-making on the ball— especially in transition— vacillating well between passing the basketball and getting to the rim. Pretty good shooter in rhythm, gets his feet set well and is confident. Really love his activity and attention to detail defensively as an active guard that forces a lot of turnovers and deflections with the timing of his digs and how he shades the ball with his hands. The burst and vertical pop really stood out as a twitchy guard prospect that really gets it done at both ends of the floor.     13p 4r 1b (6/10 FG) vs Clinton Grace -Loved some of the improvements to his game as the handle and decision-making with the ball in his hands has really improved in new threads with Spalding. His activity as a mover off the ball also has taken a leap forward as he is serving as a great connector from the high post and wings as a guy that the defense really needs to dial in on in the halfcourt. Avery also showed his value as a slasher and play-finisher as the hands and bounce were impressive on two alley oop finishes off vert from the dunker's spot. I also came away impressed by his defensive activity as a mobile wing that is capable of switching onto guards or guarding wings/forwards because of his lateral mobility, size, and instincts. Immensely high upside as a 2-way wing that hasn't even scratched the surface of his capabilities. Avery picked up offers from Maryland and Virginia Tech after a productive weekend with the Cavaliers.     20p 1r 2a 1s 8/11 FG Vs MSJ   -Phillips was a nice bright spot for Westtown in a close loss to MSJ. Thought that he really stood out as a slasher that made quick decisions to attack the rim on several rip n go's from the wing. Phillips also saw the floor well throughout the contest, finding a corner shooter in transition as well as a great drive and shovel pass to his big for an easy dunk in the halfcourt. Phillips has nice positional size for such a young player and plays with an explosive change of pace and burst, getting downhill in a hurry against a variety of different defenders. Phillips pull-up jumper from the elbows and wings off the bounce should serve as a great balance for his driving ability to make the defense have to make a decision about what they are going to try and take away each game.     19p 8r 1a 1s vs Westtown   -Love the consistency and fluidity on his jumper off the catch. Etolue used his body well to score in transition, bullying smaller defenders on his way to the rim. His defensive activity has picked up but I still think he has a ton of potential at that end of the floor as a guard that can handle perimeter matchups as well as chest-ing up with forwards in the key. Athleticism has improved and the hip fluidity is apparent at the defensive end of the floor as he is opening up and sliding at a much higher level with opponents.     18p 7r 2a 9/10 FG vs DeMatha   -Mills turned in a near-flawless performance in a rivalry matchup against DM as an effective low post scorer capable of finishing well in traffic. The soft hands and rebounding IQ really stood out for Mills as he dominated the glass for the Mustangs to the tune of 6 offensive rebounds to extend possessions for his squad. Mills' ability to put the ball on the floor has also improved as he is steadily becoming more comfortable attacking the rim with straight line drives. Mills served as an effective pick n pop target but also showed that he knows when he needs to roll to the rim and finished well around defenders trying to block his shot or take charges.     18p 3r 1a vs Miller School   - I don't think there's anyone in the area that gets into their pull-up jumper quicker off the bounce than Nelson. The shooting gravity allows him to take advantage of an advanced handle to blow past his matchup and get to the rim when he sees an opening in the defense. Nelson played with great pace off the bounce against a Miller School group that deploys several athletic guards that usually will bother players with Nelson's build and skillset. If Nelson can ramp up the POA defense, add weight to his frame, and use his paint touches to generate open looks for his teammates-- I'd expect his recruitment to really take off.