City of Palms Classic (Day 2 Standouts) – Part 2
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FORT MYERS – The 47th annual City of Palms Classic was in full swing on Thursday with a six-game slate on the campus of Florida Southwestern College in Fort Myers, Florida. Here are the results. Missouri Vashon 63, Tennessee Briarcrest…
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Continue ReadingFORT MYERS – The 47th annual City of Palms Classic was in full swing on Thursday with a six-game slate on the campus of Florida Southwestern College in Fort Myers, Florida.
Here are the results.
Missouri Vashon 63, Tennessee Briarcrest Christian 60
Whitney Young 83, Sarasota Riverview 68
Pennsylvania Roman Catholic 79, Kentucky Marshall County 26
IMG 81, Fort Myers 48
Montverde 81, Delaware Sanford 45
Washington O’Dea 62, Blanche Ely 49
ICYMI:
City of Palms Classic (Day 1 Standouts)
City of Palms Classic (Day 2 Standouts) – Part 1
Here is a look at part two of the Thursday standouts list.
Eric Dailey Jr. (IMG)
Playing up with the national team, 2022 6’6″ forward Eric Dailey Jr. had a really good outing for IMG in a convincing win over Fort Myers. He shot 8-of-9 from the field to finish with 20 points, missing just one 3-point attempt (4-of-5 from deep). Dailey Jr. had some flushes in transition and shot well to lead his squad. The sky is the limit for this kid, who serves as a point forward and can really control the tempo.
Paolo Banchero (O’Dea)
Beyond impressive from the eye test, the 2021 6’10” forward Paolo Banchero was really good all game long against Blanche Ely recording 25 points and 11 rebounds (6-of-11 shooting). He was getting inside routinely and finding soft spots in the defense. The body of Banchero is already college ready, his instincts are through the roof and his long frame helps him score from various areas of the floor. He hit a stepback turnaround mid-range shot to open the third quarter that was NBA good. His jumper is really good for a big man.
Caleb Houstan, Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham & Day’Ron Sharpe (Montverde)
The trio of 2022 forward 6’8″ Caleb Houstan and 2020 starters 6’7″ Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State commit), 6’8″ Scottie Barnes (FSU commit) and Day’Ron Sharpe (North Carolina commit) all reached double digits for Montverde. Houstan took advantage of his team’s height difference and was active all game long from deep, hitting 4-of-5 from long range and finishing with a team-best 18 points. He’s dripping with upside.
—Barnes was a load defensively, grabbing boards, 10 in total (8 defensively) along with 10 points. Cunningham was his usual self on offense with 16 points and seven assists and making it look easy with his smoothness and overall attacking prowess. Sharpe mixed in with his 6’10” frame, adding 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, playing actively near the rim.
Moussa Diabate, Mark Williams, Jaden Springer & Jarace Walker (IMG)
IMG had five players reach double figures led by Dailey Jr. 2021 6’11” forward Moussa Diabate (13 points), 2020 6’4″ Tennessee commit Jaden Springer (10 points), 2022 7’1″ Duke commit Mark Williams (10 points) and 2022 6’6″ forward Jarace Walker (10 points) all played hard for the Ascenders in the victory. Diabate was a difference-maker with his lay-ins and mid-range shots, hitting 6-of-9 from the field while Springer had some dunks in transition and was aggressive per usual. Williams was superb defensively and efficient with his shots and Walker was confident with the ball in his hands and is a load at the rim.
Derrick Lovett & Dudley Blackwell (Blanche Ely)
The debut of 2020 6’6″ Iowa State commit Dudley Blackwell at Blanche Ely was an interesting one. He started off slow but picked it up in the second half, adding an emphatic one-handed slam to open the fourth quarter and then hitting a well contested 3. In fact, Blackwell recorded 10 straight points for his side in the final quarter. He continued to stay aggressive down the stretch to finish with 21 points. As for 2022 6’4″ guard/forward Derrick Lovett (19 points), he was active around the rim, grabbing boards and driving in to finish more often than not. He’s an emerging talent he was a big part of the success on the Blanche Ely freshman team.
Nnanna Njoku (Delaware Sanford)
The lone bright spot for Delaware Sanford was 2021 6’9″ forward Nnanna Njoku. He had 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting and kept his team together even with them trailing by double digits for much of the game. Njoku is built, strong and willing to mix it up inside. He left me wanting more as a rebounder with just three, but against other teams, he’ll easily reach double digits in that department.
Jamin Primus, Landon Howard & Javian McCollum (Fort Myers)
The Fort Myers trio made plays for the Green Wave despite the loss. 2021 5’10” guard Jamin Primus continued his reliable play as he was good defensively and his outside shot was solid with 13 points. As for 2021 6’4″ forward Landon Howard (Evangelical Christian transfer), he paced Primus well with good takes and smart shots to finish with 12 points. Lead 2021 6’1″ guard Javian McCollum (11 points) had some bright moments in the second half with his jumper and will continue his leadership.