Adidas 3SSB Session 1: 2027 Standout Wing/Guards

Orange County, CA - This past weekend, April 24th - 26th, I attended Session 1 of the Adidas 3SSB Circuit hosted at Open Gym Premier Ladera. The event started on Friday morning and wrapped up Sunday afternoon, featuring 3 days of high-level basketball with teams and players from all parts of the country taking the court for some much anticipated match-ups. This article takes a look at 8 standout wing/guards from the Class of 2027. I will also be looking at standout wings, forwards, and centers from the classes of 2027 - 2029. In this article you will find the following information: players name, height, position, school, club team,  how they performed, and their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Javon Bardwell.   Javon Bardwell (6'8 | WG) - OTE/Compton Magic 17s    Bardwell is an athletic, lengthy, and bouncy player that looks to dazzle spectators with high flying dunks, tough shots off the dribble, and electric plays that turn defense to offense and allow for flashy plays in the open court. The 6-foot-8 wing/slasher was a major contributor and key piece in  Compton Magic 17s went 4-0 in the opening session of the 3SSB Circuit, as he would average 18.5 points and 5 rebounds per game, with 19 points and 8 rebounds in the headline game of Day 2 in a win against Team Lillard. Bardwell controls the boards on both ends, has the wingspan and timing to alter/block shots in the paint, as well as the strides to close out and contest perimeter shots, the instincts and wingspan to deflect entry passes, poke the ball out, or jump passing lanes to get out in transition, and excels in the open court running lanes and getting ahead of the defense for easy points. Bardwell has good body control when on the attack, uses the hesitation, crossover, and spin-moves to create space from his defender, is a creative scorer around the basket, with the reverse and up-and-under lay-ups to evade shot blockers, or the spin-off the defender into the dunk in the paint, and is effective with the mid-range jumper off the dribble, with body control through contact on the spin-fade middy and great lift to rise up over most perimeter defenders. Bardwell's style of play fits well with this CM roster, as it looked like one of the front-runners to make a run at the 17u Championships.     Jacoby Briscoe (6'6 | WG) - St. James Academy/Washington Warriors 17s   Briscoe had an impressive start to the 3SSB Circuit despite his team struggling to get a win, as he would average 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and had his sharp shooting from beyond the arc on display in his team's loss to Game Elite, connecting on 5 threes and finishing with 21 points. The 6-foot-6 wing/guard has a long wingspan, active hands and good instincts on the defensive end, the timing to alter/deflect perimeter shots, jump passing lanes, and turn defense to offense regularly. Briscoe can light it up from the 3-point line off the catch or the dribble, with the handles and moves to create off the wing, using the crossover, hesitation, and behind-cross to create separation from his defender, the length and form to shoot over most perimeter defenders, connecting on the jumper with efficiency, and moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots, with limited space needed to catch and fire from beyond the arc. Briscoe uses his perimeter shooting to pull his defender away from the basket or get them off balance on close-outs, drives the open lanes to the basket, and has good touch and feel on shots around the rim.    Wisdom Carter (6'6 | WG) - Prince George's Christian/New World 17s   Carter is a lengthy and athletic player that impacts the game in various ways on both ends of the court, and finished with weekend averaging 11 points and 3 rebounds per game, shooting over 44% from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-6 wing/guard has solid handles, uses the crossover and hesitation to create off the wing, gets to the elbows with good lift and efficiency to connect on the mid-range jumper routinely, slices through the defense to get into the paint, and has good touch on shots around the basket, using the reverse and up-and-under lay-ups to score over height. Carter moves well off the ball, needs minimal space to get his shot off, and is accurate with the 3-ball off the catch. Carter has a long wingspan, active hands, and good instincts to deflect passes, jump passing lanes, and alter shots in the perimeter, and is solid on the boards to get put backs or off the defensive glass to push the ball up the court.   [player_tooltip player_id='2146175' first='LJ' last='Diamond'] (6'4 | WG) - Perry/Dream Vision 17s   Diamond is a physical, athletic, and skilled player that impacts both ends of the court in countless ways and his skill set was on display at Session 1, averaging 12 points, 3 rebounds, and nearly 4 assists per game, scoring in double figures in each of the games played over the weekend. The 6-foot-4 wing/guard has active hands, good instincts, and the agility to lock-up on opposing ball handlers, gets into his opponent's dribbling space, has the physical tools to force his opponent into poor decisions, and looks to jump passing lanes, deflect entry passes, or rip the ball out, allowing him to get out in transition where he can make some impressive plays. Diamond has a strong handle on the ball, uses the crossover, hesitation, spin-move, and between-cross to get his defender off balance, has the strength to score through contact on shots around the basket, and is accurate with the mid-range jumper off the bounce, with good body control on the spin-fade middy or traditional pull-up jump shot. Diamond moves well off the ball, gets to his shot spots, and is effective with the 3-ball off the catch.    Amire Gill (6'3 | WG) - Princeton/Wildcats Select 17s (featured picture)   Gill displayed quality perimeter play throughout the weekend and had a strong outing in the Wildcats only win of Session 1 against the Atlanta Celtics, as he would go for 16 points showcasing his ability to score from 3-levels, and averaged 16.5 points and 2 steals per game. The 6-foot-3 guard/slasher has a strong handle on the ball, uses the crossover, between-cross, hesitation, and toss-cross to create space from his defender, has a good burst off the dribble to put pressure on the defense, is efficient and gets good lift on the pull-up mid-range jumper, with the control to knock down the fadeaway midday, changes direction and pace with the ball in hand, and has good body control to score through contact at the basket, with the reverse and up-and-under lay-ups to evade shot blockers. Gill is solid on the glass, looks to push the pace of play in the open court, and moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots, and is efficient with the 3-ball off the catch.     Isaiah Mack-Russell (6'5 | WG) - Winton Woods/Indiana Elite 17s   Mack had a strong showing at Session 1 and made a case for a boost in his national ranking if this level of play continues throughout the Spring and Summer, with a weekend average of 18.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, and a display of his versatile skill-set and physical build in a win against Phenom United 17s. The 6-foot-5 wing/guard is active on the boards, gets easy points on put-backs with touch around the basket, has the handle to push the pace of play up the court, has the strength to hold up against taller players in the post, and the agility and lateral foot-speed to stay in front of perimeter players, and the quick hands to deflect passes or jump passing lanes to get out in transition. Mack has solid handles, uses the crossover, hesitation, and strong drives off the bounce to get by his initial defender, gets good lift with efficiency on the mid-range jumper, has the strength to score through contact driving to the basket, and connected on several 3-pointers off the bounce to show he can score it from 3-levels. Mack has the court vision and awareness to make good reads to players cutting off the ball or off the drive and kick pass to open teammates, showcasing his ability to score it or find others for open looks.   Jordan Page (6'6 | WG) - Broughton/Garner Road 17s    Page came into Session 1 as one of the highest ranked player on the 3SSB Circuit and he backed up his national status over the weekend, averaging 16.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals per game with a monster 24 point and 12 rebound double-double in Garner Roads' opener. Page is active on the boards to limit opponents to single shot possessions, has the handles to push the ball up the court, has active hands with length to deflect entry pass, poke the ball out, or jump passing lanes to get out in transition for some dazzling dunks, and uses his wingspan and athleticism to alter perimeter shots on the close-out. Page uses the crossover, the wrap-behind, the hesitation, and the spin-move to get his defender off balance, hunts the mid-range jumper with great bounce to lift over his defender, and has the body control to score with various forms of the middy, using the traditional pull-up, the spin-into the jumper, and the fade-away jumper. Page has a good burst off the dribble, slashes through the defense with great control to score through contact, and contorts his body to score in various ways around the basket to evade shot blockers.   [player_tooltip player_id='2435359' first='Jeremiah' last='Profit'] (6'5 | WG) - [player_tooltip player_id='2763310' first='Rancho' last='Christian']/Gamepoint 17s   Profit is a high-level bucket getter that displayed his ability to score the ball in volume at Session 1 of the 3SSB Circuit, as he was the second overall leading scorer over the weekend, averaging 25 points per game, along with 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals, showing his ability to impact the game in more ways than just hitting shots. The 6-foot-5 wing/guard keeps the ball on a string and the dribble alive to survey the floor, uses various moves to create space from his defender, with the crossover, behind-cross, spin-move, hesitation, and between-cross to get by his initial defender, is a creative scorer at the basket, with the Euro-step, reverse, up-and-under, and floater in his arsenal to score amongst height at the basket, and is at his best when hunting the mid-range jumper, which he can use in a variety of ways with the spin-into the pull-up, s[in-fade one-leg middy, baseline jumper, and the transitional pull-up with size to shoot over most perimeter defenders. Profit has good court vision, finds open teammates off the drive and kick pass, out of the pick and roll action, and up the court off the defensive rebound.    [player_tooltip player_id='2194355' first='Gene' last='Roebuck'] (6'5 | CG) - La Mirada/Dream Vision 17s   Roebuck has been one of the better known scorers in the 2027 class since his freshman year and continued to display high-level shot-making during Session 1, with an average of 18 points and 7 rebounds for the weekend. The 6-foot-5 wing/guard has a strong handle on the ball, uses the crossover, hesitation, spin-move, and between-cross to get his defender on his heels, the change of pace and direction to slice through the defense, the Euro-step and reverse to score at the basket, or the physical build to muscle through contact at the rim, and is effective with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line off the dribble, as well as the step-back and side-step jumpers in his bag. Roebuck moves well off the ball, gets to his shot spots, is accurate with the 3-ball off the catch, controls the glass to push the ball up the court, and makes good reads to his forwards/centers out of the pick and roll action or to teammates off the drive and kick pass. Body control, confidence on the shot, and 3-level scoring make him one of the players to keep an eye on in the 17u Division.    Josh Smith Jr. (6'6 | WG) - Norcross/Atlanta Celtics 17s   Smith had some strong showings at Session 1 and is a player that could see his stock rise significantly if he can shoot from beyond the arc like he did against Wildcats Select, connecting on 4 threes for a personal best of 19 points, and an average of 13 points and 4 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-6 wing/guard crashes the boards to get put back opportunities, uses the crossover and hesitation to create space from his defender, uses his length with a good burst off the dribble to attack down the lane, has the strength to score through contact around the basket, can rise up for the baseline dunk off the take, moves well off the ball to get open looks, and is accurate with the 3-ball off the bounce or the catch with range from deep. Smith has active hands on defense, the timing to jump passing lanes, and gets out in the open court for some transition dunks that get his teammates hyped.

Orange County, CA - This past weekend, April 24th - 26th, I attended Session 1 of the Adidas 3SSB Circuit hosted at Open Gym Premier Ladera. The event started on Friday morning and wrapped up Sunday afternoon, featuring 3 days of high-level basketball with teams and players from all parts of the country taking the court for some much anticipated match-ups. This article takes a look at 8 standout wing/guards from the Class of 2027. I will also be looking at standout wings, forwards, and centers from the classes of 2027 - 2029. In this article you will find the following information: players name, height, position, school, club team, how they performed, and their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Javon Bardwell.