I'll be there. Looking forward to two great games. I'll share some scouting notes after :thumb:
Wow, what a spectacle last night's event was. The thing had more production value than an NBA game. Anywho, as promised... (Sorry, long scroll)
Going to focus on Ayo, Adam Miller, and DJ Steward since those are the three either committed or being recruited by Underwood.
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Ayo: He really struggled with Findlay's length, which isn't surprising given Bol Bol's purely ridiculous height and wingspan. Kid is an absolute cheat code at that level. Ayo won't face length like that much in college, let alone high school. He got into the lane several times, but just couldn't get a shot up, and would kick it out or try to set up a teammate cutting to the basket. As others have keyed in on, he struggled with his outside shot, which he doesn't get enough elevation on.
I think we have to have realistic expectations for Ayo. He's a really, really good player who can come in and be an integral part of the team, but he isn't a one-and-done guy. He's quick and crafty off the dribble and can get into the lane essentially whenever he wants, but he doesn't have the elite athleticism to challenge a good shot-blocker at the rim. His outside shot is going to be streaky. As others have said, he is a capable outside shooter when left open. The question is whether he can be consistent when shooting over bigger, better defenders in the B1G.
The bottom-line with Ayo is that we're getting a really good B1G PG, but there are legitimate holes in his game that kept the blue-bloods from knocking down his door. How far he can go will depend on how he develops those holes in his game.
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Adam Miller: The kid is specially. I would say **will be special**, but he's special right now. In the first half against a Findlay Prep team loaded with Seniors going high D1, he looked like the best guard on the court. He's got great lift on his outside shot, and was hot early. He's also quick of the dribble and a good distributor, but didn't get into the lane much (which made sense given Bol's presence).
The question with Miller isn't IF the blue-bloods get involved, but WHEN. Can the staff build a really solid relationship with him before the blue-bloods come in and try to snatch him away. He certainly has enough connections to the program now with Ayo, Da'Monte, Mac Irvin Fire, etc. Ayo was able to recruit him to his school this year, here's hoping he can do it again.
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DJ Steward: Steward isn't as developed physically as Adam Miller at this point (they're no. 1 and 2 in IL for 2020). That being said, Steward is really shifty off the dribble and got to bucket a ton against a really good Whitney Young team. He also knocked down a couple threes and has a smooth outside shot. He's listed as a PG by the services, but at this point I think he's best suited playing off the ball. One possession specifically I remember him bringing the ball up and not initiating the offense at all before dribbling into a turnover.
Steward is less of a sure thing at this point compared with Miller, but I think he'll end up being a Nojel Eastern/Da'Monte Williams-level recruit. Definitely someone we should keep an eye on.
Other tidbits:
- Javon Freeman-Liberty (son of Marcus Liberty) stole the show in the Whitney Young - Fenwick game with 35 points. He's rail thin, but a great athlete who's skill-level keeps rising. I don't blame the staff for not going after him (no P5 schools really did), but I can't help but think he might turn into a really good college player at Valpo, and we'll be kicking ourselves for not seeing it sooner.
- Anyone unsure about the influence of show companies in HS basketball should attend one of these things. It was bananas, even compared to other similar events and tournaments I've been to. Here's a shot of the player intros — brought to you by Jordan Brand, of course.