GRBA National Championships: Thursday’s Top Performers
Thursday marked the beginning of pool play here in Fort Wayne. For the most part, each team only had one game today to start the tournament. There were a good amount of college coaches in attendance from all levels – JuCo all the way to mid-major D1 level. Here are some of my top performers from Thursday’s action in Fort Wayne:
BJ Robinson (All In/Old School 16u ) – Robinson had the best performance I saw all day. While “quiet” in the first half with 9 points and multiple offensive rebounds, Robinson exploded for 17 second-half points. It was a close game against the Lansing Prospectors through the first half, but the Prospectors jumped out to a double digit lead to open the second half. This would remain until Robinson caught fire about midway through the second half. He hit a pair of threes back-to-back, then an offensive rebound-putback, then an and-one all within 6 possessions. This would help cut the deficit to single digits and make it competitive for the remainder of the game. He would go on to get a couple more buckets in his best effort to carry his team, but ultimately it wasn’t enough despite a great 26-point effort.
Jona Robinson (Lansing Prospectors 16u) – Robinson and Robinson (no relation) went back and forth all game. Jona Robinson, a 5’5″ guard for the Lansing Prospectors hit the ground running, as he buried a pair of threes to go with a steal within the first three possessions of the game. He’s lightning quick and has great handles, a combination of which makes him impossible to stay in front of. He consistently got in the lane and made plays for his teammates, all while hitting shots for himself. He would finish with 19 points on the game, including 4 made threes in the first half. In addition to the great scoring and facilitating, Robinson was a one-man press break in the final minutes of the game, utilizing his elite speed/quickness and handles to run circles around the opposing press. This helped seal the deal and secure the win for his squad.
Julius Brown (Pro Bound Ohio Warriors 17u) – Brown was crucial for his team in their win over Indy Heat 17u today. He was doing his best Patrick Beverley impersonation, harassing Indy’s guards the minute they stepped foot across halfcourt. Not only did he force multiple turnovers, he also had several strips, both of which led to fastbreak layups and easy scoring opportunities for his squad. He also had success on the offensive side of the ball, tallying multiple assists and hitting a couple nice shots. He showed really good handles and an ability to break a defender down 1v1. Brown looked really good on both sides of the ball today and was instrumental in his squad’s win.
Josh Palo (Lansing Prospectors 16u) – Palo was Robinson’s sidekick in their win over All In. When Robinson was off-ball or struggling, Palo took the reins as the primary playmaker and offense creator. He showcased some nice handles and a good ability to change directions/speed. He had 8 points to go with Robinson’s 12 at the half, as well as a couple assists. His jumper was silky smooth from midrange, an area where he would get most of his points. While not the superstar on his team, there is no denying his team wouldn’t have won without Palo’s excellent performance today.
Callaghan O’Hare | MLive.comKevin-David Rice (The Family 15u) – Rice is one of the smoothest, most efficient scorers in the state. He displayed that yet again today, hitting shots from all over the floor en route to an 18-point performance. While 18 points is not dominant by any means, what stood out about Rice’s performance was his efficiency -he had to have hit north of 65% of his shots. Also, another reason this performance was impressive is because Rice didn’t play in the last 5 minutes of his squad’s blowout victory over the Indiana Stars.
Jalen Terry (The Family 15u) – Terry was relatively quiet throughout the course of the game, he went off to start the second half. To give some insight on the situation, I was filming this game while covering it. Within the first few possessions of the second half, a player from the Indiana Stars looked over to me and said something about “make sure you get what I’m about to do on film”. When he said that, Terry got a look in his eye, then proceeded to score 10 consecutive points without missing a shot. In a Kobe-like stretch, he simply took over and opened up the game for his team, turning an 8-point lead into a a 16 point lead within a matter of minutes. He would finish with 14 points playing less than half the game.