Expressions Making a Run in Pittsburgh
After two days of action at the Under Armour Hoop Group Jam Fest in Pittsburgh, Expressions Elite is currently one of eight teams left standing in the sophomore division with a perfect 3-0 record.
They opened play on Friday night with a huge 59-13 win over DB Hoops from Michigan and started the day on Saturday by knocking off the New York Gauchos in the second round 59-21.
Saturday night brought a round of 16 match-up with a talented Florida Select squad. Expressions opened the game with a quick run, only to see Florida close the first half with a buzzer beating jumper to retake the lead, but Expressions would hold on in the second, escaping with a 50-46 victory and setting up and elite eight match-up with the West Virginia Wildcats for Sunday morning.
A win could bring a potential match-up with the tournament’s top overall seed, Team Loaded (NC) in the semifinals while programs like Sports U and We R 1 (ECE/NJABC) are still alive on the other side of the bracket.
Jared Terrell and Abdul-Malik Abu have formed one of the top one-two punches in all of the sophomore division, combining offensive firepower on both the perimeter and interior to simultaneously win games and attract attention from college coaches.
Terrell’s offensive onslaught included a 32 point performance against Florida Select on Saturday as the attacking guard did a nice job of mixing up open jumpers with his trademark powerful drives.
While Terrell’s production is nothing new on the grassroots circuit, Abu is emerging as one of the true breakout performers in the sophomore division as he’s showing a physical presence that is proving hard to match in his age group.
Stay tuned to the New England Recruiting Report homepage on Sunday as we’ll have live twitter updates from Pittsburgh, recaps from BasketBull’s New England Championships, and other news from Las Vegas and Minnesota as we follow New England’s top prospects throughout the live period.
Abdul-Malik Abu
Jared Terrell