Live Period No. 3: Five Things To Watch

It's all come down to this. It's the final NCAA live evaluation period of the summer, which means the AAU season is nearly at an end. Before it does come to a close, the majority of Colorado's club teams will be in Las Vegas for their final tournaments of the summer. The Adidas Summer Championships, the Fab 48 and the Las Vegas Classic are among the tournaments our state's teams are participating in. With that, let's take a look at five things to watch for heading into the final live period: Last Ride For 2017 Players While there is always the possibility of playing spring AAU ball after your senior season has ended, for the large majority of players in the 2017 class, this is it for grassroots basketball. For many, they've played with the same organizations since they were in grade school. Now, they have one more chance to put it all on the line. It's been a good last couple weeks for players in the 2017 class in terms of recruiting. Guard C.J. Jennings (6-2, Colorado Miners) recently picked up his first Division I offer from Buffalo. Colbey Ross (6-1, Colorado Chaos) added two more D-I offers and numerous other players have seen their attention increase. Players headed to all levels of college basketball, be it D-I, D-II, D-III, NAIA or juco, have one more big grassroots stage to show what they can bring to the table. All-Colorado Matchup At 6:20 p.m. tonight in Las Vegas, the Billups Elite and Colorado Hawks 17U club teams will do battle in a pool play game at the Adidas Summer Championships. With only the pool winners advancing to championship bracket, this game will mean everything. These two teams played once before this season, at the Prep Hoops Spring Kick Off back in April, a game won by Billups Elite. Both teams have largely different makeups than the squads that faced off several months ago. Some thoughts on this one: Can the Hawks limit the penetration and playmaking ability of 6-0 guard Jaizec Lottie and 6-2 guard Elijah Blake? Both were able to get into the lane and put pressure on the Hawks defense in the first matchup, whether it was getting all the way to the lane, dropping off to big men or kicking out to the likes of Kyle Lukasiewicz. The two-PG backcourt is a nice asset for Billups to have, because it forces defenses to really have to work to guard the ball. On the other side, Billups will be as aware of any team on the circuit how quickly 6-2 guard Braxton Bertolette can heat up from the outside. They also know that his game is more than just outside shooting, that if they play him to hard on the perimeter, he can create. The addition of 6-6, 230-pound small forward Shamiel Stevenson has added some inside toughness for the Hawks, which will be key against Billups' big front line, which includes 7-2 big man Matt Haarms out of Kansas. This should be a fantastic game with plenty on the line. Can Hawks 16U Avenge Heartbreaker? At the Adidas Gauntlet Finale earlier this month, the Hawks 16U squad lost to DC New World by one point, a defeat that cost them a realistic shot at the tournament crown. The Hawks also beat New World in a close contest earlier in the grassroots season. So the rubber match means everything, with the winner of this game in strong position to win the pool and advance to the championship bracket. Colorado Sleepers At Las Vegas Classic Several Colorado teams are playing in the Big Foot Hoops Las Vegas Classic and have the ability to do some damage. Colorado Connect 17U has had a really strong season, with victories over the likes of the Hawks 16U squad and the Colorado Miners 17U to their credit. Much of their rise corresponded with the addition of 2018 6-8 big Tray Pierce, whose ability to protect the rim has given Connect a big edge. Others like McKale Williams, a 2017 Highlands Ranch guard, have really stepped up as well. Connect just seems to keep sending waves at opponents, and it will be interesting to see what kind of damage they can do in this tournament. Also playing in the LV Classic are the Shining Stars, B&B Academy, Elevation Flyers and 303 Elite CO Hoopers. Fab 48 Has Juice The Colorado teams playing in the Fab 48 should have no shortage of strong competition. The Colorado Chaos 17U Elite team will be playing in the 17U Invitational Division, which features shoe-sponsored clubs from each of the three main circuits (Adidas, Nike, Under Armour). This will be the biggest test yet for Ross and company coming off a runner-up finish at the Great American Shootout. Over in the 17 Diamond division, the Miners are representing the state against another strong field.