Double Pump Summer Tip-Off – 2020 stock raisers
Day 3 of the Double Pump Summer Tip-Off provided some solid games as teams started the single-elimination tournament in several divisions.
One group that really stood out was the rising junior class, as a number of 2020 prospects and teams had good efforts. California Select, which boasts the “twin towers” of Deshaun Cooper and Fallou Cisse, would go on to win the competitive 16u division.
Several prospects in that division caught our attention with their improvement or with big games in our first viewings. Here are some of those who raised their stock in our eyes.
Double Pump Summer Tip-Off – 2020 Stock Raisers
Michael Pearson, Jr., 5-10 PG, Modesto Christian/Chuck Hayes Basketball
On a court full of big name So-Cal prospects, it was the cat-quick Pearson who made the biggest impact in a win over The Truth EYBL. In his first weekend back from an injury that sidelined him during the spring, Pearson was virtually unstoppable getting into the paint, and scored at will from all three levels. The Truth threw double teams – and the occasional triple team – to no avail, as Pearson found seams in the traps and exploded into the open court for scores. When he wasn’t scoring, he was finding teammates on kick-out passes or cutting for layups.
Pearson’s coaches reported Pearson with 40 points and 8 assists in the game – that’s a huge game, and even bigger considering the competition.
Brantly Stevenson, 6-3 G, Etiwanda/Prodigy 17u Elite
“Relentless” would be the best word to describe Stevenson, a crafty scoring guard who thrives off the dribble. The rangy combo guard uses his quick first step and burst to attack defenders off the dribble, and finishes with a wide variety of floaters, runners, finishes through contact and pull-up jumpers. He also was able to hit shots from outside of the paint, off the catch and off the dribble. In the second half, Prodigy ran its offense almost exclusively through Stevenson, who delivered time and again during a close loss to IEBP. On top of his scoring prowess, Stevenson defends with the intensity you come to expect from a Dave Kleckner player.
Tyree Campbell, 6-4 WF, Etiwanda/Prodigy 17u Elite
Another long, athletic prospect from the Etiwanda/Prodigy pipeline, Campbell is a heady slasher and an underrated ball handler. Campbell several times initiated the offense for the team and looked comfortable playing the “point forward” position. He uses his length and lateral quickness to his advantage on defense, where he covers a lot of ground with his strides and cuts off drives. In order to elevate his stock further, Campbell will need to continue to develop a consistent perimeter game, though he has shown big improvement in that category.
Garrett Schaefer, 6-3 G, Temecula Valley/ Gamepoint IE
Schaefer is a chiseled, athletic point guard prospect blessed with great feel and court vision. He had several highlight variety assists on Gamepoint’s first four possessions, but it was his explosiveness off the dribble and improved perimeter shooting that caught our attention. He had one near-dunk off of a drop step in the paint, finished above the rim in transition, and shed a defender with a crossover dribble and finished above the rim once more. It’s the combination of innate feel and high-level athleticism that makes Schaefer one of the most improved – and top – point guard prospects in his class in SoCal.
Kyahn Issa, 6-2 G, Turlock/ Chuck Hayes Basketball
Another NorCal prospect who had a strong game in the win over the Truth EYBL was Issa, a wiry combo guard prospect who scores it efficiently from the perimeter and midrange. Issa uses a quick first step to get past the defense and has a strong pull-up game. He rarely over handled, and proved to be a willing passer when his driving lanes were cut off. He will be one to monitor moving forward.