DMVelite Summer Jamboree: 3 Things I Liked
This past weekend, DMVelite hosted their summer jamboree event featuring a number of teams from D.C., Baltimore, Delaware and Pennsylvania. There was certainly no shortage of talent in the gym. From top players in the country to solid Division III…
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Continue ReadingThis past weekend, DMVelite hosted their summer jamboree event featuring a number of teams from D.C., Baltimore, Delaware and Pennsylvania. There was certainly no shortage of talent in the gym. From top players in the country to solid Division III prospects, players all over were showing great competitiveness and bringing out the best in one another. At the end of the day, that’s all you can hope for in an event.
Fellow writer Adam Ayalew did a recent article taking a look at three things he liked from a recent event, so I decided to take that blueprint and apply it to the summer jamboree.
1. The Arena
This was the first event that DMVelite held at the 76ers Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware. It didn’t take me long after walking in to fall in love with the facility. Not only is everything brand new, but the layout of the courts is perfect for scouts. For this particular event in which two of the three courts were used for games, I could sit a chair in between the two courts and take in all of the action. There was also a balcony area that overlooked all three courts, so if you prefer to watch games from high up, this facility accommodates those wishes. From my understanding, DMVelite will be holding future events here and because of my experience here this past weekend, I’ll for sure be in attendance.
2. Off-ball movement
It’s become a common theme for summer high school events to have a lot of nonchalant type of play. Because it’s summer, not many teams have their system in that they’ll run in the regular season. With that being understood, there was plenty of off-ball movement that brought a smile to my face. I saw plenty of down screens that opened up shooters, well-executed V-cuts from the wing players to create space and get open and plenty of backdoor cuts for lay-ups as the offensive player caught their defender sleeping. These are fundamental parts of the game, but often get lost in today’s isolation and ball-heavy styles of play. It was a joy to watch.
3. Talent of other areas
One thing that was glaring: Delware has some reeeeally good basketball players. Not only did all of the WeR1 teams impress, but Sanford had some studs despite missing a few of their keys guys. Roman Catholic is loaded with young, high-major talent both in the 2022 and 2023 class. The fact that these kids are used to playing with each other from last season made it easier to watch in comparison to AAU. It’s always much easier to evaluate a player in a high school event setting because they seem to have defined roles in which they play.