Day Two Standouts, Kromrey/Middleton Gym
Day two is the most important day from prospects wooing suitors, as the thirteen hour slate of games would unearth the top talent around the Midwest. Here we run through guys that will spur talk amongst scouts.
Jaiden Lee – Illinois TWolves: Lee will be plastered on more articles this weekend — and that’s pretty obvious at this point. He went for 22 points this afternoon, finishing with six of seven threes stroking nylon. His length is just as gaudy as the shot, and it makes him more bankable as a college prospect.
John Lovelace Jr. – ABC Young Lions: Lovelace tallied an efficient 20 points today, connecting on 8 of 12 attempts and four three-point shots. He looked comfortable from anywhere in the half-court, and his ability to pierce soft spots in the defense and shoot the pull-up at 6’4 drew a few disbelieving scoffs.
Deonte Howard – Dubuque Intensity: Howard rebounded the ball with as much intent as anyone today, utilizing position and size to crash the glass. On offense, he hit open threes and bullied inside on smaller guards. He’s sitting on the fence right now in terms of what position he would be fit under, but with his size and capacity to knock down threes when left open, he can be squeezed into any lineup with no problem.
James Dent Jr. – Capital City Team Work: Dent rattled off five threes as Capital City whiffed triple digits in their final game. Much like Lee, lots of his skill set comes from a fluid jumper that’s difficult to contest, and his length that aids in rebounding with 6’7 and 6’8 guys down low. He definitely has a high ceiling at the collegiate level, it’s really a matter of what team wins him over.
Gus Gustoff – MN Comets: Gustoff left it all hanging out in MN Comets’ win over Full Package Black. He was one of the only guys who struck me as a pure point guard, as he may have been a tad unselfish passing the ball even after cracking double digits within minutes of the game. Where some would seek more individual stats after a hot start, Gustoff quickly began threading the needle to his frontcourt, each of them would finish the scoring in the high teens.
Caden Stoffer – Iowa Mavs: Stoffer played guard in a forward’s body. After rebounds, instead of differing ball-handling duties to a guard, he could push the pace off the dribble, finding creases in the defense and hitting them head-on. In the lane, he finished plays scoring, but also dished out a few assists to teammates.