King of Prussia Standouts: 16u Studs

New readers: Use code Proia30   I drove up to King of Prussia, PA to check out a regional session for the New Balance circuit featuring both P32 and E32 teams. I got a chance to see teams from all over the country in addition to a few teams from Canada compete to stack up wins in their respective leagues as we have reached the dog days of the AAU season. First, we'll break down some of the top frontcourt players that I saw today. Let's dive in!    20p 3r 1a 1s vs DC Assault   -Melton was phenomenal at controlling pace in a back n forth game in the 1H as a lightning-quick downhill driver that got to his spots without a ball screen. Melton started things off with a double crossover stepback 3, rejected a screen to drive straight down the middle of the defense and lay it in off the window before the defense could react, took two rebounds coast to coast to finish at the rim, and adjusted nicely in the 2H to finish his finger rolls higher off the glass to avoid the help defender pinning his shot off the glass. Melton understands how to change tempo with the ball in his hands and did a great job of kicking the ball ahead to collect hockey assists.     17p 3r (5/7 3P) vs Grind Until   -Love the progression of skills outside of the trademark shooting to add to Cully's value as a prospect, as he found opportunities to chip down on bigs in the paint to rebound the ball and has improved his help responsibilities in the gap on drivers. Cully knocked down three 3s in the 1H to stifle a GU run then hit another two in the start of the 2H to give DCA the boost it needed to go on a 20+ point 3Q run to put the game out of reach. Cully knocked down shots off of movement, relocated well--especially in transition-- to force long closeouts from defenders, and is moving on from shots more quickly to sprint back to the defensive end of the floor regardless of a make or miss. He spent most of his sophomore season adjusting to the tempo of varsity basketball with a good OC team and should head into the scholastic periods with some boosted confidence as both a shooter and overall player.     6p 9r 3s 3b vs DC Assault   -The gridiron standout had some ridiculous athletic flashes as a 3+D wing capable of scaling up to guard forwards or slide with guards to give his team a sturdy defensive presence. Lee was an absolute menace in transition as a play-finisher at the offensive end and an explosive leaper that pinned at least two shots off the backboard to save a basket for his team. The skill level as a creator seemed solid, as he knocked down a pull-up 2 after a between the legs crossover then drove from the corner to the block to the elbow to drill a smooth pull-up jumper that forced the opposing coach to call timeout. His ability to roam on the back line of the defense to stay in the gap and recover back to his man around the rim gave his team some nice lineup versatility in this one.     13p 3r vs Grind Until   -Banks shot 5/6 from the floor and 2/2 from the line to aid a comeback push midway through the 2Q that flipped a narrow losing margin to a double digit lead at half. Banks used his frame well to be active on the glass, hitting two putbacks in the first half. Then he showed the ball skills in the 2Q to knock down a big 3 off the catch and snaked around a screen to drill a smooth pull-up jumper in the paint. Liked Banks' ability to get his own offense within the flow of the game, as he made good decisions to keep the ball flowing or get right into a downhill drive to the rim or a shot.     10p 8r 1a 2b vs DC Assault   -Vaughn started off with a big 1Q before foul issues plagued him during the middle quarters, showing a nice blend of athleticism and skill in the halfcourt. Vaughn started it off with a spin move extension lay off glass, came up with a tough PnR catch in traffic for the AND1 lay at the rim, drove baseline then to the elbow for a smooth pullup 2, and blocked two shots on the ball. Vaughn moves well for his size at this stage of his development and slid his feet well on the perimeter to hedge guards on ball screens without fouling.     10p 5a 5r 3s vs Grind Until   -Camp's ability to dart through the defense to raise up for pull-up jumpers or dish passes to teammates all over the floor stood out particularly in this matchup. Camp collected an assist to shooters off of fae screens, scored on B2B layups--with the second coming off an on-ball steal in the backcourt, scored on a hop step fader in transition, knocked down a pull-up jumper in the paint in transition, and scored off a C2C drive and lay at the rim. Camp leverages his size well to get under ballhandlers and stay connected to his matchup while he fights over screens without being whistled for a foul-- a microskill that is often difficult for today's guards. The little plays add up to wins and his teams do that both in the scholastic and high school season.     8p 6r 5a 1b 3s vs Grind Until   -Palmer really stood out in this one on the defensive end of the floor as a very effective trapper within DCA's fullcourt and halfcourt pressure schemes. Palmer snagged two offensive rebounds through foul contact and hit all four FTs, threw a nice overhead pass to a cutter for an easy bucket, threw a beautiful baseline drive dish to a corner shooter on the opposite side, ripped a guard at half court and finished with two hands above the rim at the other end, and showed the skillwork in tight spaces to knock down a sidestep pull-up in the middle of paint. Love the fact that Palmer is able to find ways to impact winning at both ends of the floor for a very deep DCA guard room.

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