Darrun Hilliard

After a long week, we decided to end it with a trip nearby my hometown.  Recruit Recon headed to the Stellar Catch a Rising Star Tournament in Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

We only checked out a couple games, but here are a few of the players that stood out.

Liberty

Darrun Hilliard (2011, 6-4 PG/SG)
After seeing him play a couple solid games at the Reebok All American Camp, we were eager to watch more of this Liberty Hurricane.  While he didn't dominate as much as we hoped, he didn't disappoint either.  Darrun is a big point with a fine skill set.  The lefty loves to attack and looks effortless in doing so.  He has long strides, but can also change directions.  He doesn't have the most explosive first step, but he's still very effective when attacking.  Darrun can get by the initial defender when driving with either hand.  He actually utilizes his right hand quite often.

Darrun got into the lane time and time again.  Because of that and his size, he was able to draw a lot of fouls.  He did have some trouble finishing around the hoop, even though he had pretty good looks at it.  Darrun could certainly get stronger and that would help him convert better.  It would also allow him a number of three point play opportunities.  He needs to be take the ball up with more authority and not use so much finesse around the rim.

Darrun did a good job running Liberty's slow paced offense.  He has good court awareness and made smart decisions with the basketball.  He made several nice passes throughout the day.  It would actually be nice to see the Hurricanes push the tempo a little more from time to time and use Darrun's skills.

He hit a three pointer and showed a smooth stroke, but he rarely shot from the outside.  If he can hit more from the outside, his stock would rise even more.

Darrun does a good job of picking his spots.  He's still in the development stage and doesn't appear like he knows how to completely dominate games yet.  Once he becomes more confident, his game could shoot through the roof.  He's already a very good player at this point though.   

Chester

Maurice Nelson (2011, 5-9 PG)
Maurice didn't have his best game.  The guard really struggled with his outside game.  He did hit one shot from beyond the arc, but missed six others from deep by our count.  The last miss was a potential game winner at the end of overtime.  He missed another jumper as well.  Maurice did make several good passes, including a quick no look one inside before the defense was set.  He could certainly help himself out by doing more of that.  If nothing else, Maurice really needs to go on the attack more.  He's got a quick handle and can put a lot of pressure on the defense.  His shot is streaky and he opted to launch from deep too often.

Rondah Jefferson (2013, 6-4 SF)
The younger brother of Temple bound Rahlir Jefferson, Rondah looks to be headed for a bright future.  He wasn't involved in the action a lot yet, but he put together a strong outing on the boards.  He has good size and a terrific set of hands.  He was quiet in the scoring column though.  He should play a big role for the Clippers for years to come.