Boost Mobile Elite 24 Classic Scrimmage
by Alex Schwartz
Although two of the best players in the nation, Lance Stephenson '09 and Tristan Thompson '10, who happen to be part of the Elite 24 Classic's local flavor being from Lincoln (NY) and St. Benedict's (NJ) respectively, did not play, the scrimmage at The Sports Club/LA on East 61st Street still featured some great players. The Blue/Skip to My Lou team picked up a commanding 82-52 win, and showed who tomorrow's clear favorite is. Led by John Wall '09 of Word of God (NC) the Blue team dominated the game from start to finish, leading 61-27 at one point. Despite it merely being a scrimmage that involved a lot of flashy play, there was some good basketball played, mainly in the first half. I took some notes during the contest on many of the participants' performances.
BLUE/SKIP TO MY LOU
Kenny Boynton '09, American Heritage (FL): The 6'3 uncommitted rising senior combo guard of Team Breakdown (FL), one of the nation's top U-17 AAU squads, displayed some flashy passing and a great crossover. At one point, Boynton crossed up Abdul Gaddy '09, leading to 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the crowd of reporters looking on.
Derrick Favors '09, South Atlanta (GA): Favors, an uncommitted 6'9 power forward/center, came in with a reputation as big as he is. Although it's hard for big men to flourish in all-star games—or scrimmages for that matter—the rising was solid. He showed off nice athleticism and finished well around the hoop.
Jordan Hamilton '09, Dominquez (CA): Hamilton entered the Elite 24 Classic on the heels of a fantastic summer that has boosted his already high stock even higher. The 6'7 uncommitted small forward showed that he is a great scorer, getting points from both beyond the arc and through driving. The rising senior has a smooth stroke on his jumper.
Ryan Kelly '09, Ravenscroft (NC): The lanky 6'9 power forward had a fantastic game. Kelly, an uncommitted rising senior, is a good dunker, throwing down most everything in the paint. He has very long arms that allow him to get well above the cup on jams. He also scored in other ways in the low post, as he demonstrated nice finishing ability. Ryan has impressive range, nailing a trey during the game.
Josh Smith '10, Kentwood (WA): Smith is absolutely enormous. The uncommitted rising junior center is listed at 6'9, but was definitely taller than both Derrick Favors '09 and Jeremy Tyler '10, both of whom are also listed at 6'9. Josh didn't have the opportunity to do much, as all-star events are pretty much all about guards, but his pure size—Smith is listed at 230 lbs, the most of anyone in attendance—was almost impressive in and of itself, and I mean that in a good way.
John Wall '09, Word of God (NC): John Wall, a rising senior, is thought of by many people as America's premier high school basketball player, and his play in the scrimmage showed why. At 6'3, the uncommitted point guard is a nice size for a player at his position. He is quick, athletic, and has a great handle, allowing him to get the ball up the floor with speed at skill. John is a great dunker, using his phenomenal ups to his advantage.
WHITE/THE GOAT
Nolan Dennis '09, North Richland Hills (TX): Dennis, a Memphis-commit, struggled in the scrimmage. The 6'5 rising senior shooting guard forced shots and drives, and did not score on many of these attempts.
Abdul Gaddy '09, Bellarmine Prep (WA): The 6'3 point guard is one of four studs at his position in the class of 2009 participating in the game, along with John Wall, Dexter Strickland, and Maalik Wayns. Abdul was solid but unspectacular in the scrimmage, but the rising senior did display a nice crossover move.
Brandon Knight '10, Pine Crest (FL): Knight and AAU teammate Kenny Boynton '09 are two of the event's most highly regarded players. Both were solid, but Knight, a 6'3 point guard, might have out-shined his fellow Team Breakdown baller, despite being in a younger class as a rising junior. Brandon demonstrated nice quickness, a good crossover, and nice overall dribbling skills. The Floridian shows athleticism and passed the rock well.
Erik Murphy '09, St. Mark's (MA): Murphy, a 6'10 power forward, was injured with over 24 minutes left in the scrimmage, but played through the pain, in what seemed to be his ankle. The Florida-commit struggled to finish down low at times, but did display good ups and long arms. The rising senior was clearly bothered by his injury for a few minutes, but by the time he came back in off the bench he seemed to be okay.
Dexter Strickland '09, St. Patrick's (NJ): The North Carolina-commit had a superb showing in the scrimmage. Strickland, a 6'3 point guard, showed off quickness, good shooting ability, and the capability to get to the cup off the drive. The rising senior was impressive on the defensive end as well, playing aggressively and getting his hand on the ball.
Dion Waiters '10, TBD: Waiters, a rising junior who is committed to Syracuse who was at South Kent (CT) last year, shot the ball a lot, but did display the ability to knock it down from long range. Dion, a 6'1 combo guard, also played some good defensive, getting his hands on the ball, much as Strickland did.
Maalik Wayns '09, Roman Catholic (PA): Wayns, a 6'1 point guard committed to Villanova, was stellar on defense like his teammates Strickland and Waiters, as he too got his paws on the rock. Although Maalik, a rising senior, seemed undersized out on the floor, he was definitely not intimidated, driving to the hole well and showing off good scoring ability. Wayns put the ball in the hoop through both jumpers and drives. He also displayed good dribbling ability and a nice all-around game.
Note- all photos are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/.
Although two of the best players in the nation, Lance Stephenson '09 and Tristan Thompson '10, who happen to be part of the Elite 24 Classic's local flavor being from Lincoln (NY) and St. Benedict's (NJ) respectively, did not play, the scrimmage at The Sports Club/LA on East 61st Street still featured some great players. The Blue/Skip to My Lou team picked up a commanding 82-52 win, and showed who tomorrow's clear favorite is. Led by John Wall '09 of Word of God (NC) the Blue team dominated the game from start to finish, leading 61-27 at one point. Despite it merely being a scrimmage that involved a lot of flashy play, there was some good basketball played, mainly in the first half. I took some notes during the contest on many of the participants' performances.
BLUE/SKIP TO MY LOU
Kenny Boynton '09, American Heritage (FL): The 6'3 uncommitted rising senior combo guard of Team Breakdown (FL), one of the nation's top U-17 AAU squads, displayed some flashy passing and a great crossover. At one point, Boynton crossed up Abdul Gaddy '09, leading to 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the crowd of reporters looking on.
Derrick Favors '09, South Atlanta (GA): Favors, an uncommitted 6'9 power forward/center, came in with a reputation as big as he is. Although it's hard for big men to flourish in all-star games—or scrimmages for that matter—the rising was solid. He showed off nice athleticism and finished well around the hoop.
Jordan Hamilton '09, Dominquez (CA): Hamilton entered the Elite 24 Classic on the heels of a fantastic summer that has boosted his already high stock even higher. The 6'7 uncommitted small forward showed that he is a great scorer, getting points from both beyond the arc and through driving. The rising senior has a smooth stroke on his jumper.
Ryan Kelly '09, Ravenscroft (NC): The lanky 6'9 power forward had a fantastic game. Kelly, an uncommitted rising senior, is a good dunker, throwing down most everything in the paint. He has very long arms that allow him to get well above the cup on jams. He also scored in other ways in the low post, as he demonstrated nice finishing ability. Ryan has impressive range, nailing a trey during the game.
Josh Smith '10, Kentwood (WA): Smith is absolutely enormous. The uncommitted rising junior center is listed at 6'9, but was definitely taller than both Derrick Favors '09 and Jeremy Tyler '10, both of whom are also listed at 6'9. Josh didn't have the opportunity to do much, as all-star events are pretty much all about guards, but his pure size—Smith is listed at 230 lbs, the most of anyone in attendance—was almost impressive in and of itself, and I mean that in a good way.
John Wall '09, Word of God (NC): John Wall, a rising senior, is thought of by many people as America's premier high school basketball player, and his play in the scrimmage showed why. At 6'3, the uncommitted point guard is a nice size for a player at his position. He is quick, athletic, and has a great handle, allowing him to get the ball up the floor with speed at skill. John is a great dunker, using his phenomenal ups to his advantage.
WHITE/THE GOAT
Nolan Dennis '09, North Richland Hills (TX): Dennis, a Memphis-commit, struggled in the scrimmage. The 6'5 rising senior shooting guard forced shots and drives, and did not score on many of these attempts.
Abdul Gaddy '09, Bellarmine Prep (WA): The 6'3 point guard is one of four studs at his position in the class of 2009 participating in the game, along with John Wall, Dexter Strickland, and Maalik Wayns. Abdul was solid but unspectacular in the scrimmage, but the rising senior did display a nice crossover move.
Brandon Knight '10, Pine Crest (FL): Knight and AAU teammate Kenny Boynton '09 are two of the event's most highly regarded players. Both were solid, but Knight, a 6'3 point guard, might have out-shined his fellow Team Breakdown baller, despite being in a younger class as a rising junior. Brandon demonstrated nice quickness, a good crossover, and nice overall dribbling skills. The Floridian shows athleticism and passed the rock well.
Erik Murphy '09, St. Mark's (MA): Murphy, a 6'10 power forward, was injured with over 24 minutes left in the scrimmage, but played through the pain, in what seemed to be his ankle. The Florida-commit struggled to finish down low at times, but did display good ups and long arms. The rising senior was clearly bothered by his injury for a few minutes, but by the time he came back in off the bench he seemed to be okay.
Dexter Strickland '09, St. Patrick's (NJ): The North Carolina-commit had a superb showing in the scrimmage. Strickland, a 6'3 point guard, showed off quickness, good shooting ability, and the capability to get to the cup off the drive. The rising senior was impressive on the defensive end as well, playing aggressively and getting his hand on the ball.
Dion Waiters '10, TBD: Waiters, a rising junior who is committed to Syracuse who was at South Kent (CT) last year, shot the ball a lot, but did display the ability to knock it down from long range. Dion, a 6'1 combo guard, also played some good defensive, getting his hands on the ball, much as Strickland did.
Maalik Wayns '09, Roman Catholic (PA): Wayns, a 6'1 point guard committed to Villanova, was stellar on defense like his teammates Strickland and Waiters, as he too got his paws on the rock. Although Maalik, a rising senior, seemed undersized out on the floor, he was definitely not intimidated, driving to the hole well and showing off good scoring ability. Wayns put the ball in the hoop through both jumpers and drives. He also displayed good dribbling ability and a nice all-around game.
Note- all photos are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/.
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