By Brian Crownover

{mosImage}The Super Bowl week of the AAU season kicked off Sunday in Las Vegas.  With all three major sneaker companies running tournaments, no event can match it.  Here’s a look at Sunday’s action from the Reebok Summer Championships.  Triple Threat was among the teams competing in the elite Create or Finish Cup.  Triple Threat was victorious in their first matchup.  Here is a look at their top players and some of the other players from throughout the first day of the event.

Triple Threat

Kevon Moore (2008, 6-2 165 PG/SG)
The smooth lefty started out rather slow.  His shot wasn’t falling early on.  When it came to crunch time though, he more than made up for it though in leading Triple Threat to victory.  Kevon really got it going late with a beautiful drive and dish play.  He followed that up by starting the break with a nice outlet pass.  He had a fantastic scoop finish as well.  Kevon possesses a very good crossover move and used that to get into the lane.  He also drew a late foul and knocked down a free throw.  He then finished his fine performance by pulling down a one handed rebound.  Even despite a slow start, Kevon was instrumental in Triple Threat’s victory. 

CJ Gardner (2008, 5-10 PG)
CJ is so much fun to watch.  The small, but quick guard is so difficult to contain and gives defenses fits.  He can change directions in an instant and will score or get teammates involved.  One main concern with him could be his size.  He was blocked on one occasion by Quincy Acy (see below).  He wasn’t the only one on his team to reach that fate though.

Baltimore Stars

Troy Franklin (2008, 5-10 170 PG)
Troy had a solid outing.  His most impressive play was a fade away 12 foot jump shot.  He handles the ball well and can get into the lane.  He didn’t have a big game, but was steady.

Mark Anthony Franks (2008, 6-8 PF)
Marc is a long armed post player with a slightly above average frame.  He plays with his back to the basket and is pretty quick in the post.  He rebounded fairly well.  Marc did have some issues with turnovers.

Isaiah Armwood (2009, 6-8 PF)
Isaiah really came out firing.  The talented wing player hit a deep bank shot, buried a three pointer and had a steal on the defensive end.  He did an excellent job in the effort category too as he went after several loose balls.  The athletic forward wound up in foul trouble and was rather quiet after that.

Smyrna Stars

Justin Brownlee (2008, 6-7 SF)
Justin opened with a nice drive and finger roll finish.  The strong and athletic forward runs the floor well and can handle the basketball.  He is versatile and can pass the ball or score on the inside too.  Justin struggled to find his jumper on this day.

Carter McMasters (2008. 6-10 PF)
Carter didn’t have a fantastic game, but the skilled big man did some things that you couldn’t help but notice.  He hit on a beautiful deep turnaround jumper.  He also handles the ball quite well for a man of his size.  He also possesses a good set of hands.  Carter could improve on the defensive end.  He didn’t get a lot of touches, but Carter was still able to make an impression.

Markeith Cummings (2008, 6-5 SF)
Markeith is a player who really stands out physically.  He’s an athletic and strong wing player who threw down several dunks.  Aside from running the floor, he dropped in a nice floater in the lane.  Markeith did have quite a few bad plays throughout the game too.  He turned the ball over several times.  He has great natural ability, but needs to cut back on mistakes.

Brian Bryant (2008, 6-3 SG)
Brian is a lanky shooting guard who seemed to have a knack for making plays.  He hit a three pointer, scored on a drive and finish, and his teammate found him after a good cut.  Brian is a pretty good ball handler and an unselfish player as well.

Florida Elite

Josh Snodgrass (2009, 6-3 SG)
Josh is an excellent three point shooter.  He also hit a nice floater in the lane.  He can get there off the dribble.  While he’s not super quick, Josh is instead a crafty ball handler who will often use spin moves to free himself.  Josh had a nice drive and dish play too.  He did miss from NBA range when he attempted a shot from there.  Josh is a skilled guard who can flat out shoot the ball.

Chris Stephenson (2008, 6-4 SG)
Chris is a solid scoring guard.  He opened the game by draining a three.  He has a smooth stroke.  He is a solid ball handler who can get into the lane, although he’s not super explosive.  Chris has quick hands and disrupted several passes on the defensive end. 

Richmond Squires

Jaron Farrell (2007, 5-11 PG)
Jaron is very aggressive off of the dribble.  He’s a quick ball handler who can get into the lane, although he is inconsistent finishing at times.  He was quiet with his jumper and had a late turnover too.

Chris Richardson (2009, 6-8 PF/C)

Chris is a big bodied post player.  He plays with his back to the basket and has good hands and touch.  He also moves pretty well for his size and not suprisingly rebounds fairly well.

Worldwide Renegades Orange

Mfon Udofia (2009, 6-3 PG)
Mfon is a good ball handler who can drive in either direction.  He is quick off the bounce.  The left-handed shooting guard converted on a three point play.  He missed on one of the few jumpers he took.   Mfon does play too fast at times and does need to maintain control.

Ari Stewart (2009, 6-7 SF/PF)
Ari is a very athletic wing player.  He banked home a shot from about 7 feet on a fastbreak and scored on a dunk another time.  He also scored a basket and was fouled later on.  The lanky forward blocked a shot too.  He did struggle some with his outside shot.

So Cal All Stars Elite

Malik Story (2008, 6-4 SG) Committed to USC
Every now and then there some down time at an event like this.  I prefer to use my time to watch some out of the region teams.  Malik Story and the So Cal All Stars Elite were one of those teams I came across.  Malik is a superb perimeter shooter who hit a number of shots including a tough fall away three pointer and several pull up jumpers.  That is clearly the strength of his game.  Malik can also put the ball on the floor.  His ball handling could use some tightning up, but he’s still effective getting into the lane off the dribble.  Malik also mixed in a nice pass just for good measure.

Melvin Oliver (2008, 6-11 C)
Melvin is a massive post player.  He has the body of an offensive lineman, but still moves quite well.  He possesses a fantastic set of hands and soft touch.  Unfortunately, he struggled to convert on several occasions around the goal.  He showed a nice 12 foot turnaround jumper in the post.  Even though he moves well, conditioning will really be a key for Melvin.  He put forth a decent effort defensively, but because of his size, he’s just not agile enough to block shots.   Melvin has the potential to be a fantastic player though.

Texas Bluechips Elite

Quincy Acy (2009, 6-7 SF/PF)
Quincy is a fantastic young combo forward.  He is extremely athletic and blocked a number of shots throughout the game.  He showed he can finish with either hand in the post, including a nice left handed hook shot.  The long armed forward also threw down a nasty dunk.  He’ll take the deep jumper too, but didn’t hit that shot too often today.  Quincy is one of the top prospects in the Class of 2009 and it’s easy to see why.

Dallas Mustangs

Marshall Henderson (2009, 6-1 SG)
Marshall is a skilled guard.  He possesses a very good pull up game.  He’s a crafty ball handler who always seems to be moving forward.  Marshall is an excellent three point shooter as well.  He buried a very deep three pointer late.  He also used the glass on one play near the hoop.  He’s not a great athlete, but makes up for it with his solid fundamentals.  The youngster looks to be a good mid major prospect.