Easter Classic Standouts (Part 3)
The 2017 Easter Classic took place this past weekend at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and various other locations around Orlando.
Teams from the youth to high school ages participated in the bracketed tournament. I bounced around a lot of courts and watched some really close games.
The game of the weekend went down between the Jacksonville Magic and Lake Worth Pride in the 16U bracket as the two sides went to double overtime before the Pride pulled out the win.
Here are the top standouts from the Easter Classic (Part 3).
James Gaddie (Tampa Titans)
At 6’4″, Gaddie uses his length to get inside. He had a very solid game against the Boynton Heat keeping up with his teammate Darius Hopkins. At Bell Creek, Gaddie is the centerpiece there and with the Tampa Titans, he’s one of the top guys.
Luke Anderson (E1T1)
Anderson continues to grow in height and smarts. At 6’6″, Anderson can drill 3’s and drive inside for dunks. He had a very good weekend again with E1T1. Anderson is the main guy at Lakeland and for E1T1, he makes a ton of plays.
Jonathan Lawrence (Q6 All Stars)
Lawrence is all length at 6’6″ and he hit key jumpers for the Q6 All Stars. He needs to add muscle to his frame, but for the 16U travel team, he was a top option. Lawrence is a smart player.
Messiah Turner (Tampa Bay Warriors)
Along with Tim Carter and Stephonse Mack, Turner had a very good weekend for the Tampa Bay Warriors. Removed from a hand injury a few months ago, Turner is back to full health and proved that with dunks and jumpers. The 6’2″ rising senior is good.
Evan Busby/Ryan Cole (Florida Prospects)
For the Florida Prospects, Busby and Cole handled the ball often and dished out. Cole hit open looks and Busby attacked. The two Deltona kids made plays for their group. Cole is a 2018 guard and Busby is a 2019 wing. They will be key players for the Wolves next fall.
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