ENGLEWOOD, N.J. – The 2009 Joe Brown Memorial Tournament was smaller than the past two years. Formerly known as the Playaz Ball, the event is now in the third year of being named in honor of a man who was a long-time supporter of the program. This year’s event had one division with 16 teams, so it was easy to see each team at least once. The Juice All-Stars did not show up, so one pool essentially had three teams competing.
The playoff rounds, held on Wednesday, consisted of two semifinal games and a championship game, which we were not present for. Instead, all the pool play action on the first day was enough to get good looks at the teams and prospects. In light of that, here is a look at some of the players we saw on the first day of this event.
Tavon Allen (6’7″ Jr. SF, New Haven (CT) Hillhouse HS) A day after getting a look at him, he was no less impressive. The thin lefty wing went for 20 points against a good New York Panthers team and has plenty of upside.
Dallas Anglin (6’1″ So. PG-SG, Plainfield (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep) Playing for a Playaz team that was a hodgepodge of players from their teams since their main teams were at the Peach Jam, he was perhaps their best player on Tuesday as he went for 20 and 11 points in their two games. He has a ways to go physically, but the early promise he showed here means he’ll be one to keep an eye on.
Myles Davis (6’0″ Jr. SG, Plainfield (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep) He didn’t do his best scoring here, but he’s established what he can do in that respect. Instead, he was playing the point often, where he’s not a jet but a plus athlete, and he didn’t let his lack of scoring hurt the team as others picked it right up from him.
Joey DeLaRosa (6’9″ Jr. C, Bronx (NY) St. Raymond’s HS) A day earlier, he showed some signs of progress, but they were missing on this day. He didn’t dunk when he should have on one play, put the ball on the floor inside a few times, and missed a stickback. While his body has gotten better, from a basketball standpoint he still has a good deal of work to do.
Andre Drummond (6’10” So. PF-C, Middletown (CT) St. Thomas More) A day earlier, he gave just a taste of what he showed here. He had college coaches paying close attention to him, and with good reason as he showed just how immense his improvement has been in the past year. He was running the floor, driving and dishing with an occasional no-look pass mixed in, knocking down jump shots out to three-point range and showing very good ball skills. It wasn’t all good, however, as he didn’t look like the shot-blocker he was, leaked out and even basket-hung several times, and didn’t get back on defense after some turnovers. There’s no question the potential is there, however, just from the improvement he’s made in the past year. Anyone who hasn’t heard of him yet will know who he is by the end of the month.
Sidiki Johnson (6’8″ Jr. SF-PF, Bronx (NY) St. Raymond’s HS) Immensely talented, there are a lot of things he can do, but he also leaves one wondering if he’s a player you win with. The lanky lefty was very active and got the ball often, but tended to be selfish and got a technical foul for an expletive shouted either at an opponent or official. There is plenty of upside as he’s not done maturing physically, but that’s not the main area of concern.
Travon King (Sr. SF, Teaneck (NJ) High) Athletic wing grabbed some attention with a dunk he made with Andre Drummond at the basket, although Drummond didn’t make much of an attempt to stop him. But he was more than just a highlight reel play, as he frequently attacked the basket and drew fouls a few times, scoring 21 points in a win for his team.
Javae King-Gilchrist (6’1″ Sr. PG, Teaneck (NJ) High) A point guard with some intriguing talent, he’s not overly quick but uses long strides that can mask that. He’s a baby physically, capable of scoring and finding teammates, and he has range out to the three-point line although that’s not his forte.
Frantz Massenat (6’3″ Sr. PG, Hamilton (NJ) Trenton Catholic HS) It was another solid outing for the lefty point guard, who is having a very good month. Here, his jumpers weren’t going for a while, but he was unselfish and made some nice passes, including a couple from behind the three-point line to the opposite low block for layups, and he passed well on the move. While he didn’t score much, he finished while getting fouled, knocked down a short runner and did knock down at least one three-pointer. Mid-major plus prospect.
Riley Maye (6’8″ Sr. PF, Hightstown (NJ) Peddie School) An intriguing post player, he has some length and his body can still mature more physically. He showed the ability to score in traffic as well as from mid-range, but he didn’t exactly pile on the points here and didn’t look consistently good.
Jakari McCalop (6’7″ Sr. SF, East Hartford (CT) High) A plus athlete with a good body, he quietly had a good day of games overshadowed by teammate Josh Turner. He ran the floor well, as it seemed like he was in transition often, and showed a little touch from mid-range. In his last game of the day, he went for 25 points.
Frank Mitchell (6’6″ Sr. PF, Hillsborough (NJ) High) Solid blender player does a variety of things to help his team, although none exceedingly well that they stand out. Instead, he plays very well within the team concept and the flow of the game, as he runs the floor, passes, and knows when to take the shot. A highlight was a play where he made a nice long bounce pass from the corner to the opposite low block. Mid-major prospect.
Xavier Pollard (6’1″ Sr. SG, Suffield (CT) Academy) A good scorer, he shot the ball very well from long range en route to 21 points in an early game, but he didn’t stop there. Athletic and with a good body, he scored on the go as well, using a quick drive to the basket on a few occasions that was aided by his earlier shooting. An undersized shooting guard, he’s at best a mid-major prospect.
Peter Prinsloo (6’10” Sr. C, Dover (DE) High) His best offense is the three-point shot, which he can get off since he’s sometimes guarded by smaller defenders. Here, he knocked down a couple of them, while also making a post move to his left to score, which showed that he can score inside but doesn’t often do it. He didn’t do much aside from that, not being the factor on the glass you would want a player his size to be. Mid-major minus prospect.
Ronald Roberts (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep) As he’s done before, he was very active and got most of his points and rebounds that way. In two games, he went for 16 and 15 points, respectively, and he continued to look better than he did the prior time out. High-major minus prospect.
Jose Rodriguez (6’4″ Jr. SG, Bronx (NY) St. Raymond’s HS) Athletic guard was solid scoring on drives, as he’s very fluid when he gets going to the basket. While he mainly scored by finishing with a layup, he also hit a couple of mid-range jumpers off the dribble. His body isn’t there yet, so there’s a good deal of upside.
Ameen Tanksley (6’4″ Jr. SF, Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep Charter School) Lefty wing battled inside all day, playing bigger than his size and getting his share of rebounds. In going for 11 and 19 points in his team’s two games, he scored often inside, finishing drives and at times being a garbage man from misses and loose balls.
Malik Thomas (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, New York (NY) Wadleigh HS) A baby physically with some length, he reached double figures in scoring in all three of his team’s games with a high of 19. Not much of a shooter, he scored on plays like a runner with contact and later on drives to the basket, and he started off his team’s first game with a nice pass right away for a basket.
Josh Turner (6’5″ Sr. SG, Waterbury (CT) Sacred Heart HS) When he was a rising sophomore, he showed a great deal of potential, but hasn’t always lived up to it since then. Here, he really came alive in one game, as he went for 31 points with a variety of scores. He’s mature physically and scored on runners and stickbacks of his own miss, with the highlight being a cut-back on a drive near the baseline to score. He’s often handled the ball, but seems ultimately better playing off the ball. Mid-major/mid-major plus prospect.
Kerry Weldon (6’4″ Sr. SG-SF, New York (NY) St. Agnes HS) It seemed like every other play, there was an offensive rebound by his team, and he was usually the one there. Very active and athletic, he has a nose for the ball and runs the floor well, and often finds himself in position for stickbacks, which he got several of here. He plays bigger and has a good frame, and is more of a scorer than a shooter although he didn’t put up big numbers in that category. Mid-major/mid-major plus prospect.
Other players who caught our attention:
David Appolon (6’2″ Jr. PG-SG, Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep Charter School)
Aaron Bodie (6’6″ So. SF-PF, Newark (NJ) Eastside HS)
Roy Mabrey (6’1″ Sr. PG-SG, Lincroft (NJ) Christian Brothers Academy)
Wayne Newsome (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Piscataway (NJ) High)
Chase Plummer (6’6″ Sr. SF, Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick’s HS)
Tafari Whittingham (6’7″ So. SF-PF, Avon (CT) Old Farms HS)
James Ziemba (6’7″ Fr. PF, Metuchen (NJ) St. Joseph’s HS)
