Big Shots Myrtle Session One: 15 and 16U Standouts
It’s the July live period, and while much of the attention is focused on the shoe company tournaments there’s good basketball to be found in a lot of places. One of my personal favorite events is Big Shots Myrtle Beach Live, which has two sessions with teams from all over the country. The first session was Thursday and Friday, and there was some great basketball. We saw some kids we know, and found some that we didn’t know! Here’s a look at 10 guys in the 15 and 16U division that stood out from Session One.
Jaden House | 6’3” WG | River City Reign 16U
House has continued his stellar play this summer, as he led RCR to the 16U Championship game before falling to Big Shots Elite NC in a close one. The 6’3” guard is well built, an above average athlete and he can flat out score the basketball. He’s a true three level guy who typically starts by getting some easy ones and then lets it fly from outside. He’s a good shooter from deep that could use some work on consistency, but he shoots it well enough to make defenses pay for helping off him. In transition he attacks the rim hard, he finishes and-ones through contact and he has a pull-up game off the bounce. He has to hone the rest of his game, but from a scoring standpoint House can really go.
Brandon Jenkins | 5’10” PG | River City Reign 16U
Jenkins came essentially out of nowhere and was probably Reign’s second best player in their run to the championship. He isn’t the biggest guy but he’s a shifty guard with a ton of wiggle, a tight handle and the ability to finish in the lane despite his height. The lefty makes shots from deep off the bounce, and he gets underneath ball handlers and shoots passing lanes defensively. He made big plays throughout Session One for them ,and when they needed a bucket he came up with some big ones for them.
James Wallace | 6’1” G | Threat Team Beasley 16U
I live about 15 minutes from where this kid plays high school basketball and I’m shaking my head that I had to come all the way to Myrtle Beach to find out about him. The Lee-Davis lead guard has a ways to go in terms of skill set, but he has a great frame and is a big time athlete on both ends. He plays like he’s shot out of a cannon, he has a good motor and gets after it on both ends and he can finish way above the rim in traffic. He’s a two way impact guy with a lot of room to grow and improve moving forward.
Nick Reese | 6’1 WG | Team Richmond Garner Road 16U
A kid I believe is terribly underrated, Reese has the ability to impact the game whether he’s scoring the ball or not. He’s a strong and athletic kid who may be a little undersized at the 2 but his physical and athletic tools make up for it. He can defend all of the perimeter positions, he comes down and rebounds well on both ends and he makes plays on both ends of the floor. He’s a decent shooter, but he’s best in transition when he can get downhill and finish at the basket. In TRGR’s Championship game, he made big plays down the stretch to help seal it, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half.
Lamondre Gregg | 5’11” G | Team Richmond Garner Road 16U
Gregg has steadily seen more and more time throughout the summer with TRGR, and in the championship game he came out confident and on fire. Finishing with a game high 16 points, Gregg shot it with confidence and consistency from deep knocking down four from behind the arc. He showed the ability to play on and off the basketball, and he’s a tough defender who hounds ball handlers and jumps passing lanes in the press.
Zane Fox | 6’2” WG | Team Richmond Garner Road 16U
The breakout guy for me on this TRGR team, Fox was efficient and smart, providing a big time spark off the bench. He has good size and a good frame that allows him to play physically in the paint and in transition, and he’ll rebound well for a guard too. He can shoot it from deep when he’s set, and he attacked closeouts well off the bounce. In the championship game he was the energy and production they needed to get going, and he finished with 14 points off the bench.
Mac MacDonald | 6’1” WG | Team Richmond Garner Road 15U
MacDonald will have a chance to be very good, especially if he grows to be as tall as his Dad who’s about 6’6′. Right now though, well, he can still hoop. He’s a deadeye shooter from deep that has effortless range, great form from the feet up and he plays with pace and poise. He’s a good ball handler that can handle pressure and beat the press, and he’s a gritty kind of kid who will win 50-50 balls for you. His ability to torch you from deep is enough to drive defenders wild.
Erik Prosise | 5’11” PG | Team Richmond Garner Road 15U
Transferring to Trinity Episcopal from Benedictine, Prosise will have a chance to get big minutes immediately at the point guard spot. He’s a floor general who commands the offense, sees the game a couple plays ahead of others and he makes others on his team better. He’s a good shooter off the catch from deep, he lives in the paint where he finishes when he has to or kicks to shooters and he’s a good on ball defender. He sets the tone on both ends of the floor and is a threat to both score it and get others looks.
David Anderson | 6’0” PG | Team Richmond Garner Road 15U
In their win over Hill City Crash, Anderson was phenomenal as both a scorer and a distributor. The stocky lead guard plays with poise and confidence, he can get in the lane off of screen and rolls and he can make shots off the bounce or the catch. He has a great feel for the game when he’s attacking with the ball, but he also can play off the ball because he’s a good shooter. He finished with 18 points and hit three from behind the arc.
Jaden Walker | 5’9” G | Hill City Crash 15U
Walker impressed in Hill City’s loss to Team Richmond Garner Road as a shooter with a quick release. He’s a gunner, as in when he catches it he will shoot it from anywhere. He works relentlessly off the basketball to get open, he doesn’t need much space to his shot off and he’s able to shoot fading away from defenders. He needs to work on his consistency but he has a good feel for the game and a scrappy demeanor you have to love. He finished with 25 points in their loss and hit six from behind the arc.