by Brian Crownover
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Steven Pledger

Boo Williams

Steven Pledger (2009, 6-4 SG)
There’s no better way to kick off the playoffs in this event then having two of the country’s elite teams square off. Boo Williams and the Gauchos squared off in front of a packed crowd Saturday evening. While there were several “name” players in the contest it was a previously unknown guard who stole the show. Steven Pledger exploded and bumped his recruitment right up through the roof. The guard has nice size and is an exceptional three point shooter. He possesses a very smooth stroke and that was on full display in this one as he knocked down five three pointers. He can catch and shoot or pull up off the dribble. Steven showed he can do other things too though. He put the ball on the floor and went coast to coast and scored on a floater in the lane. He also drove to the hoop and faked a pass before laying the ball in. Steven already had several CAA schools in the door and it’ll be interesting to see if they can remain there. More games like this could make it very tough.

Ricardo Ratliffe (2008, 6-7 PF)
This big man put together a solid game and was strong throughout the tournament. He converted a basket on the inside early on. He then hit a short post turn around jumper. Ricardo also hit on a fall away jumper. He grabbed a few rebounds and showed some athletic ability with a blocked shot too. He is a player that is certainly worth tracking.
 
Donte Hill (2009, 6-4 SG)
This team is certainly loaded, but we were surprised to see how little of an impact Donte had. He only played limited minutes. The lefty has good size and the ability to attack, but didn’t do so very often. He does need to get stronger too.

DC Blue Devils

Mouphtaou Tarou (2009, 6-10 C)
Mouphtaou put up nice numbers in the earlier game so we were eager to catch him in action. The big man was at his best in this one when shooting short face up jumpers. He is quite strong and athletic and has a ton of potential. Mouphtaou threw down a dunk on the break and also converted on an old fashioned three point play after an offensive rebound. He crashed the boards on both ends in this one. He was inconsistent finishing though, including a couple of airballs. One of those came from a turn around jumper in the post and another after driving to the hoop. Mouphtaou didn’t have a great game, but his natural ability still shone through.

Waverly Austin (2009, 6-9 PF/C)
This big man made some plays for the Blue Devils. Waverly had a drive and spin move to the left from deep into the post before finishing around the rim. He had another nice left hand finish after cutting through the lane. He does a good job of making himself available on the inside. He pulled down some rebounds in this one too.

Brian Okam (2009, 7-0 C)
Brian only saw limited action. He is very long and can rebound the ball. He missed on a couple follow-up attempts. Brian appears to still be a bit raw, but he definitely has some upside.

Team Melo

Wyatt Smith (2009, 6-5 SG/SF)
This big guard was really quite impressive. He scored in bunches early on. He hit on a three pointer.  He then followed that up with a floater in the lane and then worked inside and hit a nice turn around post jumper. Wyatt then hit another three before cooling off. He continued to battle inside though as he pulled down several rebounds. He missed a runner, a bank inside and a three pointer. Wyatt definitely possesses size and has a versatile game.

Charlotte Royals

David Chadwick (2009, 6-8 PF)
The Royals got off to a slow start in the game we saw. Once he get going though, David Chadwick was quite impressive. This big man is very skilled. He loves to work the hook shot and did so quite effectively. He hit one, was fouled on another attempt and banked home a third shot of that variety. He’s pretty mobile and has developed several moves in the low post. David hit a beautiful scoop shot in the lane. He can also pass out from the inside and he pulled down several rebounds. He has a nice bounce pass on the break and can even put the ball on the floor a little. David isn’t a great athlete and like many players at this level, he will need to get stronger. He certainly possesses a nice skill set though.

Brian McNair (2009, 6-0 PG)
Brian is a point guard who is a quick ball handler. He gets into the lane off the dribble. He can also shoot the ball though as he displayed on several three pointers. Brian did miss a few other shots from the outside, but is a solid shooter. He also made a nice pass, although he looked to score more than distribute.

Blake Smith (2009, 6-5 SG)
Blake is another guard who can shoot the rock from the outside. He hit on a three attempts from beyond the arc as well as a pull up jumper. He also tipped in a missed shot. His form isn’t the smoothest, but it is still effective.

Will Carpenter (2009, 6-6 SF/PF)
Will didn’t have a huge game in the morning session, but was solid. He’s very unselfish and a good passer. He converted on a basket on the inside. He can drive in either direction and attack off the dribble. He was quiet from the outside in this one. Will pulled down a couple rebounds.

Kyle Gaillard (2009, 6-7 SG/SF)
This big guard was surprisingly quiet. The lefty did hit a three pointer in the morning session, but didn’t do a lot else. He doesn’t have the quickest release, but at his size he can almost always get his shot off. Kyle also likes to use fakes to get by defenders when they start playing him up close.

BABC

Gerald Coleman (2010, 6-3 SG)
This lefty was quite impressive. The lanky guard didn’t get off to a strong start, but he really picked it up as the game wore on. Gerald is a smooth ball handler who can drive in either direction. On one play he drove and finished after contact. He does need to get stronger to do that more often though. Gerald also buried a three point shot from the perimeter. He was instrumental in BABC’s late comeback attempt in the playoffs which fell just short.

Malik Smith (2009, 6-0 PG)
This point guard put together a nice game in defeat. He has the ability to drive and pull up or take it all the way to the rim. He’s a pretty steady ball handler and made a couple nice passes. One of them was after an offensive rebound where he grabbed the ball and dished off all in one motion. Malik hit a runner, but was streaky when it came to finishing both going to the goal and from the perimeter.

Ron Giplaye (2010, 6-5 SF/PF)
After seeing him play very well in a local Philadelphia tournament over the last few weeks, we were eager to see how Ron stacked up with the big boys. On this loaded team, he didn’t get to touch the floor very often. When he did, he didn’t have as big of an impact as we had hoped. Ron is a very aggressive rebounder on both ends of the court and that’s an area where he continued to shine in this one. He didn’t do much else though in the contest.

Kevin Barr (2009, 6-6 PF)
Kevin is a wide bodied forward who pulled down a few rebounds. His minutes were limited and he didn’t score much.

Team NJ

Paris Bennett (2009, 6-6 SF)
Paris is such a treat to watch. He possesses good size and can certainly make plays. He’s not the most athletic player or quickest ball handler around, but he’s very smooth and under control. He has a innate ability to finish plays no matter where he’s shooting from. Paris’ jumper is very smooth and he buried several three pointers as well as his usual pull up jumpers. He can get into the lane off the dribble and change directions. He uses his body and long strides very well to get by defenders. He’ll use the glass when needed. Paris’ most impressive play was a beautiful fade away mid range jumper after a spin move. This scorer just always seems to know where he is and what is necessary to hit the shot from that point on the floor. In this game, he pulled down several rebounds as well. It does take a long time watching this scorer play to recognize he’s a real talent.

Anthony Baskerville (2010, 5-8 PG)
Anthony is a small, but very dynamic guard. He’s super quick and can change directions on a dime. He has a deadly crossover move. The lefty has a solid pull up jumper, including out to three point range. Anthony can get into the lane and he had a nice finish among the trees. He was blocked on one attempt though and his size can hurt him some around the hoop. Anthony also showed he can distribute the ball with a drive and kick out as well as an outlet on the break. He’s a talented little guard who is difficult to defend.

Team Final

Andre "Scooter" Gillette (2009, 6-8 PF)
The big man made some plays in this game. He crashed the boards and pulled down several rebounds. He had a steal and outlet pass and he looked to push it up court on several occasions. Scooter had a nice cross court pass out of the post as well. He had a lay-in after a nice feed on one play. He did miss on a couple of jumpers that he attempted. Scooter also mixed in a block too though.