Saturday’s Peach Jam action has come to a close and as promised, we’re here to provide some more observations on UK recruiting targets from Friday’s night session and Saturday morning. The Peach Jam Semifinals and Championship will be determined Sunday morning. In an effort to not re-hash our Friday afternoon post, we’ll focus on some other players not mentioned in the previous post. So, without further ado, here we go:
Tyus Jones is going to be a great college point guard:
One thing is clear, Tyus Jones lives up to the hype and is going to be a great college point guard. I put the college part in there for emphasis, because he’s not a lock for pro point guard. He is tiny. Yes, plenty of guys succeed at the next level under-sized, but comparing him to previous top PG’s, he has a way’s to go to look the part of a pro guard. That shouldn’t be a knock right now though so I won’t get caught up in that. And besides, as far as college goes that should be a plus. I don’t think anyone expects him to be a one and done type player, so the team that gets him, gets the best PG in the nation for multiple years (what a concept).
No other PG in high school right now has the combined scoring and passing skills Jones has and that’s why he is at the top of list. There are others that may be more athletic (Mudiay), but none with the PG attributes as high as Jones. He’s coachable, handles himself well off the court and dominates on the court. Time and time again he hit layups that didn’t seem possible. He heads right into guys twice his size and somehow sneaks the ball in the hoop, in sort of Steve Nash type of way. He can bomb from downtown and has a quick trigger. His only question mark is defense. Howard Pulley stays in 2-3 nearly all game and very rarely do you get a chance to see Jones truly D-up on anyone one-on-one. In any case, every coach wants him and if you wanted to catch him on the court during the Peach Jam you had to get there early and stake your claim. In the session I attended, gameplay had to be stopped for a few minutes to usher out late arrivals that were pushing their way in.
Skal Labissiere Plays a little like Anthony Davis
I got a chance to finally check out Skal Labissiere on Saturday and was very impressed. A member of the 2015 class, he showed some good basketball IQ and maybe even more importantly seemed to be a great teammate and very coachable. He was wide-eyed and focused when the coach was talking to him or any of his teammates. That sounds kind of silly to mention but after a weekend full of guys that don’t listen, its always refreshing when one does so intently. His defense is terrific, and if I had to compare it to anyone at UK recently, the best comparison is Anthony Davis. Now, don’t get too excited, he has a ways to go to be at his level but his patience and ability to block shots late and utilize his length to its max potential is where the comparison comes in. He swatted away 3 or 4 shots in my first half of watching him and one about took my head off. A few minutes later, a second almost smacked Calipari in the face. He has great timing on rebounds and looks to dunk a putback in rather than come down with it (pictured to the right). Another part of his game comparable to Davis is his 10-15 ft shot. When he gets space and has time and preparation to setup, its a near perfect shot for a guy his size and nearly unguardable if he continues to hone in on it. Below is a quick video I took from underneath the goal.
Labissiere is one of a few in 2015 with a UK offer and every single major college coach was in attendance to check him out. Including ol’ Roy Williams who had a nice blankey covering his legs. Yes, it is cold in those gyms, but come on, a blankey on your legs?
Malik Newman is just freakin’ good:
I mentioned him plenty in my Friday post but had to once more. After watching him a couple more times, I came to realize that he, more than any other player I watched, got people to shake their head in awe. One coach beside me accidently yelled, “Jesus, Lord!” when Newman put a nice shake on a defender and popped back out for a fade away three. This was about fifth impressive play in a row.
When he decides to score, its over. His floater is near unstoppable and his quick release deep ball is deadly. He is also fearless. He seemed to want to take it to 7 footer, Thon Maker on every possession late in the game. He knocked in the floater in the picture to the left to give his team the lead with seconds left in the game. Its a little blurry but worth showing. And remember, he’s a 2015 kid, he’s still got 2 more years of high school to go!
Houston We Have Lift-off:
My favorite team to watch by far was the Houston Hoops. A team made up of 3 top 20 SG/SF, that includes Kelly Oubre (UK Offer), Justise Winslow and Justin Jackson. Each around 6’6 to 6’8 and incredibly athletic. They’re games are completely different in style, yet each one can knock down a three with ease, drive and dish, pull up for mid-range shots and of course dunk with authority. It doesn’t hurt that Oubre’s hair-do is simply awesome. The more UK fans are able to check him out, I have a feeling he will be one of BBN’s new crushes. He’s a cool cat, good teammate, plays every possession, has that sweet lefty jumper and dunks whenever he gets a chance. Rookiewire recently posted a game recap of their dunkfest demolition of Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander’s Mac Irvin Fire team. I’m not exaggerating when I say there was atleast 15 dunks. These 3 guys simply out-athleted Mac Irvin in one of the most anticipated matchups.
Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander:
Speaking of that beating nearly everyone witnessed, I came away a little disappointed with both of these guys. The talent is there and the NBA bodies are without a doubt there, but any high school AAU team with those 2 on it should not lose a game, period. Not to mention their point guard, Jalen Brunson is also a top 50 talent. I won’t blame these two guys becuase they were putting in work. Okafor was being punished like Shaq down low and had to fight for every touch and every attempt to score a bucket. He is the best the center in the game right now, he just wasn’t getting any help with play-calling. I watched the game in-between two coaches that could not stop bashing Mac Irvin’s coaches for not adjusting. Neither player was getting picks set for them or rub-offs and with those two, the high low game should be unstoppable.
Instead, Their entire offense was Okafor fighting for position on the post against two players with Cliff Alexander off in the corner or floating around the free throw lane, basically just waiting for a rebound or outback dunk. I will give them credit for that part of the offense. When it works, likes the instance pictured on your right, its showstopping. Unfortunately I snapped a moment too early. Alexander just about tore the rim off with the running start he has here. There is nothing more menacing on the circuit right now then an Alexander putback dunk. I just about wet my pants on this one. So, don’t take those negative comments wrong, he and Okafor are monsters and deserve their status, its just frustrating to watch the two best big men play for the same team and actually get beat multiple times in the same weekend.
Abdul Malik Abu is a hoss:
At 6’8″ 240, Abu is a hoss. He’s thick in an athletic way and has a frame that gives him space to get even bigger. The odd part is he is guard-like mobile and can knock down outside shots with ease. He shot around 45% from downtown during the EYBL and averaged 15pts and 8rb. It will be interesting to see if UK’s interest picks up after the Peach Jam. Trey Lyles is the #1 target for the Cats at that position and now that it looks to be down to UK and UL for his services, expect UK to go all-in. We’ll see if there is any attention left for Abu.
Charles Matthews is Smooth:
Charles Matthews, a 6’6″ top 15 prospect in the 2015 class is smooth as butter. He’s one of those guys that you don’t notice on the court until you suddenly realize he’s put up half his team’s points. He has a great outside shot and can get to the rim when he wants and finish. He’s even better in transition. His only major knocks may be, that at a younger age, he’s a little lean (175lb) and he’s not taking over games even though he has the ability to. Matthews is a sneaky defender and many times swats away shots without players ever knowing he’s there. At his size and quickness he can guard nearly every position and often switched between picking up a guy like Tyus Jones to battling a post-up player. He’s another, that right now, doesn’t seem like a lock one-and-done. Anytime UK can add a top 15 player, that fits perfectly in the system and may actually stick around for more than a year is a good thing. Jerry Meyer, 247sports, has him as a Kentucky lean.
Unfortunately for Cat fans, there were a couple of upsets in the quarterfinals and most UK targets will not be playing on Sunday. With only four teams left, the major UK targets have been sent home packing. Including the dominant Houston Hoops. Sunday matches up E1T1 vs Team Penny & Team Final vs. CP3 with the Championship game to follow.
Well, that’s it from North Augusta. I’ll have a full roundup of Peach Jam Observations and tons of pictures Monday on www.rookiewire.com. I hope you enjoyed our coverage of the Cats during the Peach Jam. Thanks to those of you that followed along on twitter and for the new Facebook friends we have. To keep up with all top recruits, college freshman and NBA rookies, LIKE us on Rookiewire’s Facebook page or follow us on twitter @rookiewire. Next week, we’ll have Part III of our GSOC series posted focusing on Cal’s first True Center, Dakari Johnson……Rookiewire out!
