Cameron Ayers

The strongest summer league in Philadelphia continued on Tuesday night.  Some younger players led the charge in the 11th and 12th Grade Division.  Here is a look at some of the top performances from the evening.

11^th and 12^th Grade Division

Cuttino Mobley

Cameron Ayers (2010, 6-4 SG/SF)
Cameron didn’t have a big game, but he was very efficient. Most importantly, he hit the game winning runner with 4 seconds left and followed that up with a steal. Cameron opened with a nice drive left and pull up jumper. He had a couple nice passes, one to a cutter and another one inside. He hit on several other jumpers and another runner in the lane. Cameron plays sound defense and came up with a steal and block as well in the comeback victory. He has really looked good during this spring/summer.

Woody Redding (2010, 5-9 PG)
This small point guard played a fantastic game. He was very efficient, whether it was finishing around the rim or dishing it off to teammates. He knows how to play with his size near the hoop by taking it right at the defender’s body so they can’t block his shot. Woody had a pair of old fashioned three point plays. He also picks his spots so well and really knows when to attack. He took advantage of the defense not hustling back time and time again. Woody also does a good job of drawing the defense to him before dishing the ball off. He was quiet from the perimeter though. He put together a very strong game and has played really well lately.

Jack O' Neill (2010, 6-6 SF/PF)
Jack had a decent game for Cuttino Mobley. He nailed a couple outside shots, including a three pointer. He used a good head fake to drive and convert with a scoop finish. Jack was blocked and turned the ball over a couple times. He has a nice skill set, but his natural ability is limited.

Rakeem Christmas (2011, 6-8 PF)
Rakeem played in both the younger division and then followed that by playing with the 11^th and 12^th grade team. He made a handful of plays throughout both games. He was best grabbing boards and blocking shots. Rakeem scored around the rim on a lay-in and dunk, but had few touches inside. He does need to improve upon his foul shooting.

Diamond Medics

Samme Givens (2008, 6-5 SG/SF) Committed to Drexel
Samme had his usual productive game. He rebounded a ton and pushed the ball to start many fastbreaks. He had an impressive drive, spin move and banked finish in the lane. He made a couple nice cuts through the lane and scored on passes from his teammates. Samme also threw down a couple transition dunks. He missed on his lone jumper of the game and that’s an area he’ll need to work on. 

Shannon Givens (2009, 5-10 PG)
Shannon missed a lot of time this spring with an injury. The tough point guard is now back on the court and playing well. He was aggressive going at the rim. Twice he finished after contact, but missed the free throw that followed. He drove in both directions and looked for his teammates quite often. Shannon found them with several nice assists. He airballed a fall away three pointer on his lone long range attempt. Shannon came off the bench and was a nice spark for this club.

T.J. DiLeo (2008, 6-3 PG/SG) Committed to Temple
T.J. wasn’t quite as explosive as when we saw him during the high school season, but he still made some plays. He had a couple scoop finishes after driving to the hoop, once with his left hand. He threw some nice passes to his teammates. He doesn’t make the outstanding/fancy pass, but seems to know where to go with the ball. Defensively, he had a couple steals. Where T.J. really struggled in this one was from the perimeter. He failed to convert on three point attempt after three point attempt.

Larry Loughery (2008, 6-6 SF/PF) Committed to Penn
Larry was productive as usual. He hit on a couple three pointers from the outside. He had one of his patented tip ins on one of his offensive rebounds. He grabbed quite a few boards. He also had a nice pass inside and buried a couple free throws.

Chris Edwards (2008, 6-7 SF)
Chris had a solid game. He grabbed quite a few boards on both ends of the court. He scored inside on an old fashioned three point play. He also had a couple follow ups. Chris didn’t have a lot of touches on this balanced team though.

Lenny Young (2008, 6-1 SG) Committed to Coppin State
Lenny had a rather quiet game. The guard made a couple nice passes out in transition. He didn’t shoot much, but when he did, he struggled to convert.

Sam Rines

Chris Cantino (2008, 6-6 SF)
Chris is such an interesting player. He’s so long and adds some skills to the mix. He’s also fairly athletic. He can play inside or handle the ball on the wing. Chris does tend to dribble too high. His shot is unorthodox and it causes him to have some trouble finishing inside. That was the case in this one. On the outside, he did hit a three pointer and attacked some off the dribble. Inside, he often missed from close range. He does need to get stronger. Chris did pull down a ton of rebounds though. He is a player that needs some work, but he’s an intriguing prospect. 

Harvey Development

Nafis Richardson (2008, 6-1 PG/SG)
Few people around can score like this gunner. He opened with a flurry as he buried a three pointer, scored in transition and had a steal and difficult finish with contact. Nafis had several fine passes, including a behind the back assist. He drew a couple fouls while attacking off the dribble. Where Nafis gets into trouble is that he’s never met a shot he doesn’t like. He’ll often pull the trigger from anywhere on the court, even with a defender in his face. He missed on a couple difficult pull up three pointers in this one.  Nafis’ shot selection could certainly improve. He does possess a lot of talent though.