Notebook: Saturday at Run-N-Slam
One of the best non-live period AAU tournaments in the nation got underway on Friday. A mix of shoe company teams were in attendance and it made for a great week of hoops. Indiana Elite, Indy Heat, Illinois Wolves, and G3 Grind were some of the headliners and there were tons of really good teams there. This set the stage for a great day of hoops and we found some players who we didn’t know before. Here is my notebook from the Saturday slate of games.
Luke Goode played above the rim
2021 6’4 small forward Luke Goode came onto the scene last year as a freshman at Homestead (IN) and instantly sent shockwaves through the state. He was scoring the ball and doing all the things freshmen need to do to get noticed. Today he was brilliant. He was great in the game that I saw today and on the Indy Heat EYBL 2021 he was a standout. He shot the ball well and was getting to the rim.
Goode is an underrated rebounder as he had two outback dunks, both of which were impressive. Goode is a guy who doesn’t look that athletic but will surprise you when he can showcase his athleticism. I loved how he has the IQ to get to the rim and finish the offensive rebounds that he gets. He looked really good and I his game. A kid in the 2021 class to watch.
Trayce Jackson-Davis can score on command
Jackson-Davis looked really good this year at Center Grove but this summer he has taken another step forward. He has the ability to score inside at almost any point. He really is a guy that will be able to go out and post up and get buckets. The greatest part about his game though is his ability to go out and stretch the floor. Having that ability is a great asset because it keeps defenders on their toes. His passing out of the post is also very good giving him the ability to keep the defense on their toes.
He already had a huge jump in the rankings over the last year and I think that he will see another jump into the top 20 by the time the next set goes out. He is one of the best post scorers I have ever seen and one of the best in the country. Jackson-Davis will be able to pick his choice of college as he has a ton of offers to date with more to come in the future. He is having a great summer thus far running with Indy Heat EYBL.
Kamari Lands is going to be a stud
Lands is a freshman to-be and is playing two levels up with the Indy Heat 2020 EYBL squad. When he is on the floor you will never be able to tell that he’s a young kid because of the way that he plays. Lands is pretty smooth with the ball and is able to shoot it in traffic. He was silky smooth for a guy not even in high school yet handling the ball as well as he took it coast to coast a few times in the game that I saw. Isn’t that much of a scorer quite yet, but that’s because he is so young for the level he plays at.
Lands is one of the guys who will come in immediately and impact at Lawrence North. He may not start right away but he will be a contributor. A little raw right now, this season he should start to show his ability as he gets used to the speed of the high school game. Lands is a guy who I love because of his height and athleticism. He will be a high impact player in the future.