Saturday Stars From Zero Gravity's Live Finale

Zero Gravity's Live Finale is off and running at Dana Barros Basketball Club, and plenty of teams from the North East are in the building. I took in action from all three high school divisions.   Below are seven players who stood out from Saturday's action.    Viens is undersized, but he's an exciting point guard who understands what he's doing on the basketball floor. The 5-foot-8 rising junior does a good job keeping a low center of gravity and is therefore hard to take the ball from in the full court. But he has some shiftiness to his game, too. He had an insane Shamgod move in his first game of the day (which he finished with a nice floater off the glass), and he consistently got to his strong left hand for buckets. Viens also made simple reads and found teammates for backdoor cuts and spray outs. He should be a meaningful player for Bristol Eastern HS next year and was awesome today for CT Northstars.     Johnston is a fascinating prospect because he was homeschooled and played for Burncoat HS (so he's relatively unknown in the New England basketball scene), but he has major game! The 6-foot-3 wing was the best shooter I saw in the gym today—he has a quick, repeatable release that he knocks down quite consistently. But he also has massively improved his strength and ball handling ability since the last time I saw him, which has allowed him to better drive closeouts and finish in the paint, not to mention make kickout passes to shooters. Johnston graduated this year, but he tells me he's going to take a gap year before figuring out his college home. I could see him playing at the D3 level with his combination of size, skill, and shooting.     Rosen of Pro Level Titans was one of the more skilled players I saw today. The 6-foot point guard has a smooth handle, a good feel for the game, and the ability to make shots from all three levels. He has a really pretty release from three-point range, but he also effectively drives closeouts and can stop and pop for mid range shots if that's what the defense gives him. He also plays off of two feet, is more athletic than opponents realize, and makes winning plays when his team needs them. Rosen is only a rising sophomore and has a bright future ahead at The Dwight School in New York, especially if he can grow physically, which he looks like he will.     Jordan is only a rising freshman but was one of the strongest and most physically imposing players I saw today. The 5-foot-11 combo-guard got downhill at will and showed off the ability to finish with contact with both hands and in small spaces. But he also has really solid vision for his age and can find backdoor cutters and spray out shooters effortlessly. He pulls his game together by being a threat from outside (he hit 3 or 4 threes in the second half of his morning game and put the team on his back in the second half). Jordan might have a hard time getting minutes for Nobles this coming season, but I bet he'll be a nice piece for them in the future.     For his age, Anderson has an intriguing blend of size, strength, and athleticism. The 6-foot-2 wing was his team's most physically imposing player, but he can also move like a guard and has a solid skillset. He needs to improve his handle, but he had a number of really impressive closeout attacks and was an and-one machine all day. He finishes with both hands quite well, too, and takes contact a lot better than most kids his size and age. Anderson is a nice prospect out of New York who should continue to improve his outside shooting and ball handling, likely making him a solid college player.     Vaca was dominant for his squad this afternoon. In a testy, physical, and trash talk-heavy game against Team Soldiers, the 6-foot guard scored 30 points and was cooking from the three-point line and at the rim. He has good strength and keeps a tight line on drives, and he showcased good hops and body control on a number of occasions, not to mention some other quick finishes he had to get under the shot blockers. But he also shoots it well from three and kept his cool shooting the ball even though it was probably hard for him to do so in the environment today. Vaca finished off his big time performance with a buzzer beater and is definitely going to find a D3 fit when the time comes.     Dinunzio is a total workhorse. The 6-foot-3 forward is massively undersized, but he works his behind off on both ends of the floor and is an excellent rebounder and little things guy as a result. Nobody can keep him off the offensive glass—he has an incredible motor, really solid strength, and a special knack for timing the ball off the rim—but he also has some offensive skill and feel once he starts to feel more confident. Though it looks a bit weird, his mid range jump shot is a cornerstone of his offensive arsenal, and he's also an excellent passer and off-ball mover. Dinunzio will find a fit at the D3 level but will probably be under-recruited because of his lack of size.

Zero Gravity's Live Finale is off and running at Dana Barros Basketball Club, and plenty of teams from the North East are in the building. I took in action from all three high school divisions.