Top 17U Talent on Display at 252 Summer Finale

For one of the final tournaments of the summer, I tapped into the Rocky Mount Event Center for the 252 Summer Finale, where some of the top talent in the east was on display from the 12U-17U divisions. Here's a look at some of the guys that stood out in the 17U group.    At the Finale, we saw Kobe in a different role than we are accustomed to on the AAU scene, playing up an age group. He was his team's primary scorer for the majority of the event and walked away as one of the leaders in points per game overall. He was getting to his spots in the mid range, elevating over the defense for multiple pull up jumpers and even knocked down the three at a solid clip, he had multiple games with 30+ points scored.     Another young guard who impressed playing up two age groups was a consistent catalyst for scoring over the event's duration. He's quick with a nice jumper that he gets off from off the dribble and catch and shoot situations. He's added some muscle to his frame and has transferred to a new school, I expect a solid year from him this season.     The strong framed new addition to the [program_tooltip program_id='2078498' first='Flight' last='22'] Prep program was one of the more versatile players in attendance. He showcased the ability to guard on the perimeter and on the inside, where he used his broad frame to bang with bigger players and beat smaller ones to their spot. Offensively, he was just as versatile doing the dirty work, getting offensive tip-ins around the rim and knocking down a few jumpers as well.     We saw Bridgers play with the ball in his hands a lot more than what we are used to and he excelled in that role. He hit the midrange pullup at a very high rate and hand one of the plays of the weekend with a 9am headtap in bracket play. The two sport athlete is one of the better all around athletes in the area and showed it during the event.     The combined [program_tooltip program_id='2078500' first='Garner' last='Road'] 3ssb squad feature players from both their 28' and 27' teams and Herring was “the guy” for that team. He's a blur with ball in his hands and even more of a threat in transition but looked to be one of the better passers in the building as well. Whether in transition or in the half court he consistently threaded passes through the defense.     Playing up two age groups didn't have much effect on the overall production of the lanky wing from Southeast Raleigh. He did a good job of running the floor and using his long frame to finish at the rim in traffic and to make shots difficult for opposing offenses. He's improving as a creator and shot maker, and showed flashes of both as well.       In terms of production, not many kids had a better July than Thompson whom I covered more than once. At the Finale, it was more of the same. He's a microwave scorer who only needs to see one or two go in before he catches fire. He's a solid threat from both the perimeter and inside the arc, where he can take you off the dribble if need be.

For one of the final tournaments of the summer, I tapped into the Rocky Mount Event Center for the 252 Summer Finale, where some of the top talent in the east was on display from the 12U-17U divisions. Here's a look at some of the guys that stood out in the 17U group.