Hoop Group Providence Jamfest: 17u Standouts

by A.J. Stokes | Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

Kahlil Dukes '13 - CBC I - After receiving his first high-major offer from USC last weekend, Dukes came back East and mesmerized Providence this weekend with one scintillating performance after another, going for 30+ points in multiple games while running the show for CBC from the point. 

Myles Melville '12 - CT Gold - Strong athletic guard who attacks the basket aggressively in transition and also off the bounce from the wing. Finishes through contact, defends tenaciously, and back-checks hard to rebound the ball hard from the back-court.

Erikson Wasyl - '13 - High-IQ sniper who moves well without the ball to get himself high-percentage looks at the basket from behind-the-arc.

Casey Woodring '12 - CBC II - Hard-nosed guard who plays all-out and does all the little things from the back-court.  Handles the ball efficiently, knock-down three-point shooter, sets solid screens off the ball, and a tenacious defender.

Kurt Steidl '13 - CBC II - Versatile forward who is very effective facilitating from the point forward spot.  Handles the ball well and will take it strong to the rim when the opportunity presents itself.  Does an outstanding job of entering the ball into the post and provides hardwood leadership by example.

Paschal Chukwu '14 - CBC II - The big fella is progressing nicely, showcasing much improved footwork in the post and unveiling new-found aggressiveness in pursuit of shot-blocking opportunities, where he'll go up and challenge shots well above the rim.Jacob Clark '13 - CBC II - Versatile guard contributes in a lot of different areas. Provided a nice offensive punch for his squad on the weekend, runs a good show from the point, and defends well.  Plays a nice all-around floor game.Victor Joshua & Darren Payen '12 - East Coast Elite - The 2012 Hamden Hall combination of Joshua and Payen was a force for East Coast Elite on the weekend.  Joshua is an athletic off-guard who scores the ball consistently on the acrobatic aerial assault, while Payen is hard-charging rim runner who blocks shots, rebounds, and finishes at the rim.  Schools with scholarships left should take notice quickly.

Johnnie Spears '14 - Expressions - Water-bug lefty who does a nice job of using the talent around him from the point guard spot and operates his club thinking a few plays ahead. Terrific decision-maker in transition, where he'll attack with the hard push to draw the attention of the retreating defense before dropping to a teammate for a scoring opportunity.

Abdul-Malik Abu '14 - Expressions - Had a typical weekend rebounding the ball hard and forcefully attacking the rim with two hands. But what stood out this weekend was Abu's emergence as a shot-blocker.  He challenged shots above the rim all weekend and he is only going to get better in this area.

Malik James '14 - Expressions - Slashing guard who is becoming increasingly efficient operating out of the back-court.  Excels at using his length and quickness defensively.  Dangerous on the straight line basket attack in transition.

Kiefer Douse '13 - Maine Premier - Talented lead guard with tremendous back-court length and the ability to create his own shot off the bounce.  Very skilled with the rock in his hands; loves to break down his defender with the dribble and a serious problem in transition.

Devon Thomas '13 - Metro Boston - Speed merchant point guard who is as fast as anybody pushing the ball from end to end.  Gets into the lane at will off the bounce, where he'll create for a teammate or take it all the way to the rack and finish creatively in traffic.

Charles Collins '13 - Metro Boston - Tactical back-court player who is effective in efficiently using his quick-twitch speed to make things a happen all over the floor.  Handles the ball well and serves as the thread which weaves together the offensive cohesion of his squad.

Harrison Taggart '13 - RI Hawks - His game has evolutionized over the past year as he has developed from a facilitating, sharp-shooting wing into a guy capable of effectively stepping into the back-court.  This weekend, Sergeant Taggart showed as a strong-bodied 6'5 combo-guard who handles the rock well and is deadly from behind the arc, while maintaining his deft ability to facilitate for his teammates.

Jonte Rutty - '12 - BC Eagles - Long southpaw wing player who fills it up from beyond the arc to draw hard close-outs from the defense; at which point he'll attack the basket with the one-dribble drive or break down into a mid-range pull-up

Sam Donahue '13 - RI Hawks - Want a high-IQ combo-guard who will spread the floor with a deadly long-range stroke extending out past the NBA 3-point line?  Sam Donahue's your guy.

Pete Weston '13 - RI Hawks - Did what he does best on Friday night, catching fire from behind the three-point line to the tune of six three-pointers in the opening round game. 

Emile Blackman '12 - Team Underrated - Highly explosive wing-athlete who attacked the rim with an attitude all weekend, finishing repeatedly with loud dunk-shots both in transition and off the put-back crash.