By Kevin McCaskill Jr.
[Note: I only covered the 17u games at Riverbank State Park (Harlem, NY). There were games in Long Island also]
🏀NJ PANTHERS
Ethan Simmon (St. Josephs - Metuchen ‘22)
Hassan Jackson (St. Peters Prep '21)
Kunga Tsering (Roselle Catholic/Woodstock Academy '22)
🏀TEAM NEW ENGLAND
Jayson Green (SPRINGFIELD, MA/Putnam/Berkshire School)
Dion Brown (Great Barrington, MA/Vermont Academy)
Ademide Badmus (Lynn, MA - Lynn English - prospective for Gardner Webb)
Mekhi Dedrick (Boston, MA/Springfield Commonwealth)
🏀DRIVE NATION
Shawn Jones (Houston, TX - Shadow Creek HS ‘22)
Tre Miller (Houston, TX - Concordia Lutheran HS)
🏀NY JAYHAWKS
Blair Thompson (NYC/Northfield Mt. Herman)
Josh Rivera (NJ)
Diari Duncan (NYC)
Charlie Randall (Mamaronek, NY)
🏀HEAT ELITE (Queens/Long Island, NY)
Jaden Daughtry ‘22 (LC Bird HS (VA) Queens, NY/Richmond, VA)
Aazayah Ross (LI, NY)
Zaire Baines (Queens, NY)
Marqiis Samuels (LI, NY)
🏀MIDDLESEX MAGIC
Dom Campbell (Maine)
Mike Loughnane (MA)
🏀TEAM RIO
David Majer (Englewood, NJ)
Ben Roy (Manasquan, NJ)
Isaac Hester (Ranney School - NJ)
🏀DIALLO ELITE
Cherif Diarra
Tyshawn Trail
Amadou Diallo
Aguibou Balde
Oumar Sy
🏀PPA BRONCOS
Max Ragusa (NY)
Isaac Gonzalez
Michael Oyekanmi (NY)
Nivek Borden (NY)
📝Notes on each player:
Ethan Simmon - He can score from all over the court. Plays under control and has good balance. Plays good defense and gets over screens.
Hassan Jackson - He has great dribbling skills, stayed in the lane over the course of the weekend. He can consistently hit mid-range jump-shots. Passes well.
Kunga Tsering - He can score from anywhere on the court. Defends the perimeter and post well. High motor - he was all over the place, in a good way.
Jayson Green - 4️⃣1️⃣3️⃣ He played well in the games I saw. Can drive to the basket effectively for his shot or to get someone else the ball. Great athlete - caught a few dunks and played hard on defense.
Dion Brown - 4️⃣1️⃣3️⃣ Great ball handling/dribbling skills. Got in the lane when he wanted to. He has a good jump-shot also.
Ademide Badmus - 💪🏽 He was dominating the post on Saturday. He can back defenders down and he can face up and shoot or get into the paint. Very good player. He told me he was visiting Gardener Webb this week 👀.
Mekhi Dedrick - He is a great all around PG. He can score and pass very well. He is a very good athlete.
Shawn Jones - He has a lot of potential. He is probably about 6’6” and very athletic. Runs the floor well and he can get 🆙 ⬆️.
Tre Miller - He can score from all the court. He has good agility and can get by just about anyone.
Blair Thompson - The best overall player I saw. He can do everything - shoots 3s, drives to score and finishes through contact, passes well.
Josh Rivera - The best athlete I saw all weekend. The dunks he caught on Sunday were different 😳. He drives to the basket well.
Diari Duncan - He was one of the taller players in the tournament and he played big all weekend. He can score off offensive moves but he gets a lot of offensive rebounds and putbacks. He changes and blocks shots on defense.
Charlie Randall - Randall is a 7 ft. wing player. He is mainly a shooter and he has 3pt range. He is also a good offensive rebounder.
Jaden Daughtry - Another great player. He is a lefty who can score from anywhere and has ups ⬆️ He plays hard on both ends of the floor.
Aazayah Ross - He plays hard on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he does a little of everything.
Zaire Baines - He is a good shooter. He can finish through contact when driving to to the basket
Marqiis Samuels- Similar to his teammate Ross, he does everything. Good shooter, good passer and played hard on defense.
Dom Campbell - He is a “traditional” big man. He plays mostly in the post, back to the basket. He is a strong young man and carved out space for himself in the paint. He can score around the basket and can hit a jump-shot to about FT-range.
Mike Loughnane - He is a really good shooter. He can drive to the basket to score or pass. Plays with intensity.
David Majer - He is another guy who did everything over the weekend. He scored effectively and played good defense. He was making a plays for other teammates as well
Ben Roy - He is a really good shooter from mid-range and 3-pt range. He can dribble very well also and finishes at the basket with either hand.
Issac Hester - He is a great all-around PG. He can score from anywhere. He is a very good passer and makes sure his teammates are involved in the game.
Cherif Diarra - He is a very good scorer. He can shoot. He can drive to the basket and finish through contact.
Tyshawn Trail - He was one the best I saw at attacking the basket last weekend. He has a good first-step and can get by defenders easily.
Amadou Diallo - By far, he had the best ball handling skills I saw last weekend. He was weaving in and out of presses - a one man press-break 🤯. He can get past anyone. KLH - Kyrie-Like Handles.
Aguibou Balde - He played well all weekend. He can hit the mid-range jump-shot and he can score around the basket.
Oumar Sy - Another player who did a little of everything over the weekend. He is a good scorer that can hit a shot from anywhere. He plays good defense. Competes on every play, on both ends.
Max Ragusa - Ragusa has KLH also 💨. He was in the paint all weekend. He has a good floater and mid-range jump-shot.
Issac Gonzalez - Gonzalez has KLH also 💨. He was in the paint all weekend. He has a good floater and mid-range jump-shot.
Michael Oyekanmi - Similar to Shawn Jones, Oyekanmi’s athletic ability can take him a long way. He is agile and can get off the floor quickly. He has a good jump shot also.
Nivek Borden - Borden’s game, stylistically, is somewhere between Badmus and Campbell. Borden plays mainly in the post but he can step back and face up defenders on the baseline and either hit the mid-range shot or get to the lane and get a shot at the basket.
-
Thank you to all the coaches and players that took their time to help build this article.