Next Level Invitational: Saturday Top Performers
With the NY2LA championships wrapping up on Friday, many pool games in the Next Level Invitational have already been played. Still, most teams had at least 1 if not 2 games to go before they got placed in a bracket to begin tournament play. Some brackets started their tournament play Saturday night, which means it’s win or go home. Here are some of my top performers from Saturday:
Luke Hyde (Elite Nation 17u) – Hyde continued high level play from earlier in the week on Saturday. The rebounding and paint dominance was there, which is typical for him. In this game, Hyde knocked down two trey balls, something he hadn’t shown in previous games. In addition to the makes from beyond the arc, Hyde buried a few midrange pull-ups off the dribble. This display of versatility impressed many college coaches, as he would be a matchup nightmare if he could play like this consistently.
Jay Gentry (Kevon Looney 17u) – Gentry was going off in his team’s matchup with Reach, seemingly making a play every time down the court. He was scoring at a very efficient rate from all three levels. What was most impressive about his performance was how tough he was finishing in the lane through contact. Gentry did everything he could to keep his team in the game against a very talented Reach team.
Jiovanni Miles (Reach Legends 16u) – Miles caught fire today, hitting shot after shot for his squad. In fact, he was so hot there was a sequence where he hit three pointers on three consecutive possessions. He has great footwork and knows how to be ready to shoot on the catch – which helps him blow by the defender if he closes out too hard. He’s got a lot of JR Smith in his game as he loves fadeaway jumpers, something he won’t hesitate to take and make. One underrated part of his game the he did well today/all weekend is his passing. Though not a pass first playmaker, he will make the defense pay if they help too aggressively.
Justin Balcome (Minnesota Comets 17u) – The 6’10” big man looked really good in his team’s matchup against TEAM. He has good skills/mobility for his size, something of which he used to his advantage in this game. He hit a variety of midrange shots at an efficient rate. He also finished around the rim well, showing an ability to put the ball on the floor and make a play if needed. He also contested shots well, using his size/length to bother smaller shooters.
Mike Fletcher (Greenwood Elite 16u) – Fletcher was at it again with another dominating performance. He was about the only player on his team doing anything, but he was doing a lot. He controlled the glass on both ends, using offensive rebounds as ways to get easy looks at the basket. In fact, there was a stretch during the game where Fletcher got three straight buckets just by grabbing offensive boards and putting it back up. His defense was great as usual; he ended with 4 with blocks.
Matt Todd (Minnesota Comets 17u) – There was a scout in attendance that said Todd was the best shooter in the gym and he certainly made a case for it today. Everything was falling for him – threes, midrange and floaters around the rim. His team did end up taking the loss, but Todd did everything he could to keep them in the game. In addition to scoring double figures (easily 15+ points), he had multiple assists.
Corvon Seales (Quad City Elite 17u) – Seales could/should be on the top performers list every single day. Today was no different, as he had himself another great game in his squads blowout victory. Seales got hot from deep midway through the first half and hit 3 trey balls within the span of 3 minutes. He also got to the rack and finished a couple times. Seales had 18 by the half and led his team to a 30 point mercy.
Tyson Acuff (Reach Legends 15u) – Acuff was good all weekend. He has long arms and is very athletic, a combination of which he uses to generate tons of steals. In all 3 games I watched him play this weekend, Acuff had at least 4 steals that he turned into easy, fast break layups. He got a ton of buckets finishing in transition, something that he really excels at.