Sun City Academy College Showcase First Team
Sun City Academy came to Houston, TX on Saturday, March 19, holding an unsigned senior college showcase. Nearly 40 unsigned talents came out to show several college coaches what they have to offer in a series of games held at…
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Continue ReadingSun City Academy came to Houston, TX on Saturday, March 19, holding an unsigned senior college showcase. Nearly 40 unsigned talents came out to show several college coaches what they have to offer in a series of games held at the University of St. Thomas Athletics Center. With five different teams participating in eight different games throughout the day, there were at least 20 players that really stood out with their performances and effort. Below we review the five players worthy of first team honors for the showcase.
See more standout players from the college showcase here:
First Team | Second Team | Third Team | Fourth Team
#18 War – A’Aderius Blanks – 6’0″ – SG – 2022 – Hitchcock
Blanks was arguably the brightest star in the Sun City Academy showcase and impressed all the coaches in attendance. He was simply on another level compared to the rest of the participants with his elite skillset, athleticism, and natural feel for the game. He was in full control at all times, and everything seemed to come easy to him on both ends of the floor. He was scoring from all three levels with ease, using his smooth handling and explosive first step to get to any spot he wanted, and then seamlessly rising up high off the dribble into a clean shooting form. He was hitting fadeaway midrange shots out of the post and out of step backs, and he was extremely comfortable pulling up from beyond the arc off the catch. His athleticism and agility were on full display attacking the paint, dunking through traffic and on fast breaks and adjusting midair to hit tough layups. He was also moving the ball extremely well, finding teammates on the move and out of the triple threat time and time again with elite vision and pinpoint accuracy. He did some damage off the ball, as well, making hard cuts to the paint if the defense pressed up on him too much, and constantly moving around the court to stay active even without the ball. He was attacking the boards on both ends and came away with some tough rebounds thanks to his elite vertical leap and relentless pursuit of the ball. Even with how dominant he was on the offensive end, he was just as dominant on the defensive end on the perimeter. He stayed active in a low stance, constantly moving his feet and staying in front of his man, but also staying aware of where the ball was at all times. He attacked passing lanes and disrupted the flow of the offense and he was one of the most dominant on-ball defenders of the day, picking his matchup’s pocket almost every time he was challenged one-on-one, and getting the steal to go the other way for a fastbreak.
#9 Warriors – Aiden Morrissey – 5’9″ – PG – 2022 – Alpine
Morrissey was by far the most energetic and intense player on the court at the showcase. Several players gave it their all, but Morrissey caught the eyes of all the coaches in attendance through both his talent with the ball and through his relentless effort and intensity on every single play. His shot making from beyond the arc was apparent, but his special talent as a distributor is what really garnered all the attention towards him and had several coaches marking his name down to extend an offer, which he has already received more than 15 of for the next level. He was a passing maestro on the court, completely in control of the offense, maneuvering through the defense with his sharp handles and finding the open man on both the weak side and strong side seemingly every time down the court. As long as his teammates were making cuts, Morrisey would find them with pinpoint accuracy and timely passes. He even threw several beautiful no-look dimes that got the fans in attendance mesmerized. He was one of the shorter players on the court, but his strength was visible and obvious with how he took it into the paint and powered through contact to finish tough layups under the basket. On defense, his energy and effort were what really stood out. He fought every single time he was challenged as the point-of-attack defender, staying with his opponent chest-to-chest, moving his feet quickly and being a complete pest on the ball. You could see the frustration building in his matchup and Morrisey never let up. He made several strong plays forcing turnovers and he was one of the most vocal players on the court, screaming out matchups and making sure his team was locked in.
#27 Heat – Bryson Hardy – 6’3″ – PG – 2022 – St. Louis Catholic
Hardy’s combination of size, talent, and all-around basketball intelligence made him one of the more impressive players at the showcase. While he was listed as a point guard, he can just as easily be slotted in as a wing and provides valuable switching abilities on the defensive end, with the strength and quickness to match up with various kinds of opponents. He has a fantastic inside-outside scoring ability. He hit several shots from deep off the catch, both from midrange and from beyond the arc, and he gets into the paint with ease. On a day where most players were lacking in size, Hardy took full advantage and challenged everyone near the basket. He got into the paint nearly every play, either through his strong and decisive handling, or through his relentless and intelligent off-ball movement. He made strong and timely cuts and seemed to know exactly when to cut to the basket and when to leak out to the perimeter. When he did receive the ball in the paint, he had one of the best touches around the basket out of everyone there that day. No matter what kind of defense he saw, he managed to finish with ease and found all sorts of angles to get the layup or dunk to fall. He was also a very strong presence on the boards, with a fundamentally-sound boxout and great timing on his jumps. He used his size on the defensive end, as well, coming away with several blocks throughout the day and getting his hands on the ball to disrupt the offense every chance he had.
#20 Warriors – Omani Ozenne – 5’11” – PG – 2022 – Fort Bend Marshall
Ozenne was yet another impressive guard for a talented Warriors team at the showcase. He showed his capability as an all-around point guard, hitting outside shots off the dribble, creating for others on the fast break and in halfcourt sets, and moving extremely well off the ball with sharp cuts and intelligent spacing. He was also a very solid contributor on the defensive side of the ball with quick hands and a nose for the ball. He stuck with his man extremely well and had a knack for knocking the ball loose whenever the opportunity arose, forcing a turnover and taking it the other way for a fast break. What really stood out for Ozenne throughout the day, though, was his ability to push the pace, penetrate the paint, and finish around the basket in all sorts of creative ways. He had a fantastic touch near the basket, and with his combination of speed, change of direction, quick handles, and strong frame, he could get there whenever he wanted. He had fantastic versatility as a finisher, driving right through opponents and taking hard contact on his way to finishing a strong layup, or using his agility and smooth touch to hit finger rolls and various other ways of getting the two points.
#37 Heat – Tanner Davis – 6’2″ – SG – 2022 – Willis
Davis created a true dynamic duo with the aforementioned Bryson Hardy on Team Heat. He was active on both ends of the court at all times and showed impressive scoring abilities from all levels with creativity and solid attention to detail. He put on a great shooting performance, hitting from both midrange and beyond the arc, creating for himself off the dribble and moving well without the ball to get off good looks off the catch. He attacked the basket with long strides and a fantastic touch, hitting smooth euro steps around defenders and getting tough floaters to fall. He also pushed the pace several times, getting down court fast with good speed and finishing off fast breaks. He stayed active on the boards and showed great toughness, getting an and-1 putback to fall through a hard foul. He also stayed active on defense with his hands up and with his feet moving and ready to react to whatever the defense threw at him. He was constantly alert and never phased against even the strongest of matchups, with good versatility on that end of the floor and the ability to switch across multiple positions thanks to his length and aggressive pursuit of the ball.