PHILADELPHIA – Thursday was the second day of the Reebok Breakout Challenge, held at Philadelphia University. This time around, the camp is not a stand-alone event, as a team tournament, the Reebok Showdown Series, begins on Friday and runs through Sunday at the same venue plus two others nearby. At first glance, the talent looks better than last year, which is a plus. We’ll see on Friday if that holds up.
For our look at some individual performers, we first take a look at some of the day’s standout performers:
Nathan Adrian (6’9″ Sr. SF-PF, Morgantown (WV) High) In the final game of the day, the West Virginia commit was arguably the best player on the floor, which is no small feat since his team was taking on Detrick Mostella’s team. But Adrian competed every second he was out there, scoring often in transition and even showing a touch from long range. Bob Huggins will love coaching him since he likes toughness in his players and Adrian isn’t lacking that.
Brandon Austin (6’7″ Sr. SF, Bryn Mawr (PA) Imhotep Charter School) He started the day off well in the morning, then picked up where he left off in the afternoon. A long wing with a slight frame, he competed the entire time and scored in several ways, and did so despite clearly needing to gain strength.
Josh Brown (6’2″ Sr. PG, Irvington (NJ) St. Anthony’s) Simply put, he knows how to play, and he plays with a lot of confidence. That sums him up, and it’s a big reason why he bounced back from a bad game on the first night with eight assists and seven boards to lead his team to a win early in the morning.
Aaron Harrison (6’6″ Sr. SG-SF, Richmond (TX) Ft. Bend Travis HS) Twin brother Andrew also played well, but it was Aaron who helped his team break an early evening game open early and then put it out of reach with some good shooting. He scored 23 points, matched his brother with three assists and added three steals. Two of the three shots he hit from behind the arc beat the buzzer at the end of a quarter.
Ikenna Iroegbu (6’2″ Sr. PG, Elk Grove (CA) Oak Hill Academy) The well-built guard gave opposing guards fits all day, starting with his 17-point effort in the morning on 6-7 shooting. He also added five steals, and he made plays happen offensively both with his quickness and by adeptly finding gaps, in addition to hitting a couple of jumpers.
Rysheed Jordan (6’4″ Sr. PG, Philadelphia (PA) Robert Vaux HS) One of the best point guards here, he shined all day until he was upstaged by the Harrison twins. There’s no shame in that, and after he drove aggressively to create and hit a game-winning shot in his team’s afternoon game, he showed some of his potential here.
Jermaine Lawrence (6’8″ Sr. SF-PF, Springfield Gardens (NY) Pope John XXIII HS) At this point, he’s clearly a “potential” player, as his ball skills need work, he seemed to settle for jumpers a little too often and he really needs to gain strength, but there is a good deal of potential here. In short, he looks like a power forward trying to transition to the wing. He’s long and has a good frame, is athletic and showed he can knock down the deep ball.
Detrick Mostella (6’2″ Sr. SG, Decatur (AL) High) One of the best shooting guards here, he’s athletic and a very good scorer who put up 26 points in the afternoon, but the best part is that he was 6-11 from long range in that game. While more of a scorer, he looks very capable of hitting jumpers, and once his body matures he’ll be that much better at scoring near the basket.
Austin Nichols (6’8″ Sr. PF, Collierville (TN) Briarcrest Christian) Probably the most impressive post player on Thursday, he rebounded well and constantly ran the floor for baskets. What’s more, his body isn’t there yet and hit a long two-point shot, finished with his left (off) hand and was consistently a factor when he was on the floor.
Tyler Roberson (6’8″ Sr. SF, Vauxhall (NJ) Roselle Catholic HS) An athletic wing with good size, he dunked off a miss a few times while competing at both ends. Besides his scoring exploits, he also got a nice strip at the defensive end and was constantly a factor for his team.
Now, a quick look at a few who didn’t stand out but look intriguing:
Jordan Capps (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Duluth (GA) Peachtree Ridge HS) He didn’t star, but in his team’s win to open the day he was in a lot of plays at both ends of the floor.
Adonis Delarosa (6’11” Jr. C, Bronx (NY) Christ The King HS) The big man has gotten his body into better shape and moves it well inside. If he can keep up this improvement, his stock will keep rising.
Wesley Iwandu (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Houston (TX) Westfield HS) Don’t let his slight frame fool you – he went inside for 11 rebounds and constantly battled, while also knocking down a shot from long range.
Riley Norris (6’7″ Jr. SF, Albertville (AL) High) A skinny wing, he showed a good touch shooting the ball not only from long range but also on one play where he went to his left and hit a tough baseline jumper.
Miles Overton (6’4″ Sr. SG, Glenn Mills (PA) St. Joseph’s Prep) The son of former NBA guard Doug Overton was one of the best defensive players yesterday and looks clearly better than he did a year ago.
Garland Owens (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Gaithersburg (MD) Magruder HS) He’s athletic enough to get your attention, and while he didn’t make the most plays he made enough to keep you interested in his potential.
Malik Price-Martin (6’9″ Sr. SF-PF, Miami (FL) Northeast HS) The fact that he has some length and athleticism will get you interested. If he gets more done on the court, the interest will only go up.
Alex Robinson (6’2″ Jr. PG, Arlington (TX) Kennedale HS) With above-average quickness, he battled constantly on the floor and got better as a game went along. He won’t wow you with anything, aside from how he competes, but there’s something to be said for that in a point guard.
Ricky Seals-Jones (6’6″ Sr. SF, Sealy (TX) High) Well-built lefty is also a top football prospect. He played well here, too, as he was effective scoring at times.
Jordan Swopshire (6’6″ Sr. SF, O’Fallon (MO) Montrose Christian School) The younger brother of Jared, he’s a similar type of prospect in that he’s long and doesn’t seem to have a clearly defined game but makes plays on the court.
