Drake Team Camp: Sunday Standouts
2018 Kenny Clay, 5’7 PG (Davenport West)
What a performance this small but dominant guard put on against Des Moines North. He was going right at Iowa’s 3rd-ranked 2019 Tyreke Locure, and winning many of the battles. Whether it was a crisp dime to a teammate, or a blow-by followed up with a creative finish at the rim, Clay was having his way during the Falcons’ win over the Polar Bears.
2020 Grant Stubbs, 6’4 G (Liberty, MO)
Liberty’s normal point guard was not able to play this weekend, so Stubbs took the reins, and flourished. He’s plenty big enough to get his shot off over smaller guards, and has an arsenal of different shots, including a nice floater. His passing is above average thanks in large part to high IQ and good vision. He was also changing speeds well with the ball.
2019 Lino Malual, 6’2 G (Des Moines North)
During a loss to a good Davenport West squad, Malual was the best player on the Polar Bears. He was using a blazing first step to get to the rim with ease, and at one point — when his team needed it most — he dropped eight straight points. He can play suffocating defense when engaged, and skies for jams when the opportunity presents itself.
2018 Trey Sampson, 6’7 F (Davenport West)
A quintessential tall and long stretch-four, there’s not much that Sampson can’t do. He buries 3s if open, can put the ball on the floor, and has the length to finish around the rim. He even busted out a Euro step, and rather good one which resulted in a bucket.
2018 Justin Bartz, 6’2 G (Vinton-Shellburg)
The Vikings lost their top three scorers to graduation and it appears Bartz will be the guy to step-up and help fill that void this season. He notched 25 points in the game we saw, and was doing so with an adept deep ball, and by using his size to get to the hoop. He could be a D3 or NAIA prospect flying under the radar.
2018 Evan Jacobson, 5’8 G (Creston)
Every time we see this kid play recently, he’s putting on a show. Sunday at Drake he dropped 19 points in the first half and finished with 29. He’s got a tight handle, which I joked on Twitter is reminiscent of the And 1 Mix Tapes at times, and can snipe from deep. He drops dimes, and is quick enough to get to the rim.
2018 Curtis Martin, 5’9 G (Dubuque Hempstead)
This kid is tough, he’s brings the grit and attitude to Hempstead. And defensively, Martin seems to relish a challenge; he spent his weekend guarding the likes of Des Moines North’s Tyreke Locure and DeLaSalle’s Tyrell Terry, two of the Midwest’s best point guards. He did a nice job on those two, pestering them at every opportunity.
2018 Andrerw Gibb, 6’2 SG (St. Edmond)
What an impressive showing this sharpshooter had at the Knapp Center, dropping triples like he’s one of the best shooters in the state, and he is. His 50-50-90 last season was an amazing feat, and certainly no fluke. He’s grown some and has long arms, that paired with some nice form and a slight lean-in when he shoots makes it seem like he’s placing the ball right into the net. If Gibb misses a jumper, you’re surprised.