EBA Pre-Live Warmup: Friday night eye-catchers

The EBA Pre-Live WarmUp tipped off yesterday at Park School as 58 teams will participate in this year's event in preparation for next weekend's Scholastic Live Period. 12 games took place on opening night and the prospects highlighted below demanded my attention.    Arguably the performance of the night could go to Tema, who went on a dominant run as he willing Thomas Johnson to a win over Reservoir. The 6-foot-5 hybrid forward continues to show promise and improvements with each viewing and on Friday night, he showed a little bit of everything. He can operate with his back to the basket on block touches, attack in face-ups from the top of the key or high-post and create and present as a real grab-and-go threat in transition. He uses his frame when he gets downhill to absorb contact and finish plays with either hand and what I liked most about him was his multiple efforts on the defensive end. Whether it was rebounding out of his area or accounting for a few blocks beyond the arc with great anticipation, his focus wasn't only limited on the offensive side of the ball.     The progression with Aguek if you rewind back to this time last year is drastic. Aguek is putting it together quickly in the form of rim protection as both a primary defender or the weak side rotator. He uses his elite length with his 7-foot-1 frame to snag rebounds as soon as they're outside of the rim and showed a much better ability of catching the ball in traffic to finish emphatically. He went from playing spot minutes last year to being the anchor of this year's Georgetown Prep team, who will once again be in prime position to win the IAC.     Cham was a new face for me, but left an impression and will be a name that I track this season in the Baltimore County Public School landscape. He's an explosive athlete around the rim and let the gym know about it in transition where he rose up and punched one-handed dunks with authority. The jumper from three is still a work in progress, but he plays with good burst to gain an edge on closeouts and possesses touch within the mid-range to keep defenders honest. Cham played with a competitive motor, doesn't need the ball to impact the game and has plenty of potential to be tapped into over the next year under head coach Will Watts.     Gurdak is one of those competitive, high-motor prospects who wants to win every possession on the floor. Even as a freshman this past season, that was evident. On this Saint James team, he'll be one of the key cogs and he brings the type of leadership by example with his defensive tenacity, rough and rugged approach to collecting rebounds and his ability to get buckets within a flow. He led Saint James in both of their wins against Boys' Latin and Overlea with 17 and 18 points respectively.     Anderson put on a shooting clinic despite his team coming up short in their game against Perry Hall. The 5-foot-10 guard can play on or off the ball, but where he's most valuable is spotting up as a shooter where he proved to be a lethal option en route to 24 points behind eight (!!) triples. He was an active roamer as actions took place on the weakside that put him in position and windows for kick-outs or swing passes where he quickly got into his shot. In transition, he flared out to the wing as teammates found him quickly as he caught in the shot-ready position and let it fly.     It was my first viewing of Hill and the downhill guard made himself known in both of Pallotti's matchups. They split on the night by getting a win against Maret before losing to Georgetown Prep, but Hill asserted himself as a downhill powerful guard who can finish around the rim with either hand. Despite his bullish approach when he puts his head down to drive, Hill is light on his feet and showed nice twitch using euros or quick bursts to evade or freeze defenders. He was the engine to their win over Maret as he led the way with 14PTS.     Edwards continues to stockpile good performances as a steady floor general who provides invaluable balance as a scorer/playmaker. He simply picks and chooses he spots to make his impact felt as the capable three-level scorer that he is, but his first intention is setting the table for those around him and allowing their shine to open up lanes for him to further expose. He's a stout defender from the point of attack and he, along with backcourt mate in 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2454539' first='Jarrard' last='Desire'], play well off each other in pressure/trap scenarios to force turnovers. Prep won both of their games convincingly against Calvert Hall and St. Vincent Pallotti. As usual, Edwards' command on the ball had a lot to do with the success.     Stanfield's best showing of the night came in Calvert Hall's win over West Nottingham where the rising junior hybrid forward showcased the improved offensive skillset by scoring from all three levels. The first thing that draws you to Stanfield is the frame. He's put on good size and has improved his functional athleticism nicely since he entered the high school ranks, but the next thing that sticks out is his motor. He's a prospect that plays with intention on both ends of the floor and prides himself on the glass. Offensively he's at his best playing off the catch and while he's always been a dependable shotmaker from the mid-range, his three-ball is starting to come around. The loud production in last night's win came when Stanfield had a clear driving lane where the improved athleticism mentioned earlier came to light in the form of powerful dunks. Another positive from Stanfield is that he wasn't letting the ball stick. He made quick decisions and forced the defense to stay sharp with their rotations all over the floor.

The EBA Pre-Live WarmUp tipped off yesterday at Park School as 58 teams will participate in this year's event in preparation for next weekend's Scholastic Live Period. 12 games took place on opening night and the prospects highlighted below demanded my attention.