Bruce’s Notebook: Memorial Day Classic Sunday Standouts
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Memorial Day has always been a huge basketball weekend. After the events of last year, the pent-up demand for basketball in Sin City was real. Several organizations hosted events around the city, including West Coast Elite’s, Vegas Memorial Day Classic, and Cal Elite Basketball’s West Coast Smoke. In this article, we take a look at some of the standouts from this Weekend’s action.
Pharaoh Compton Pharaoh Compton 6'7" | PF Arbor View | 2024 State #74 Nation NV 6’5 SF Chosen Few 2024 (#9PHN 2024) – Compton was all over the rim on Sunday. His R&J athleticism has gone from above average to elite. He started the game with a thunderous 2 hand dunk off the tip and punished the rim throughout. The lefty did his damage downhill, getting all the way to the basket and finishing over the rim.
Jordan Ross Jordan Ross 6'3" | PG Link Academy | 2023 #132 Nation MO 6’3 PG Vegas Elite 2023 (#2PHU 2023) (featured image) – In one of the best games of the weekend, Vegas Elite took on Arsenal. With about 2 minutes to go and the energy in the building at a fever pitch, Ross took over the game. The PG handled against ferocious pressure, beating his man, getting into the lane, and finishing, Then he stepped to the line to seal the game with clutch free throws. The Cerebral PG is one of the fastest-rising guards on the West Coast.
Armari Carraway 6’0 PG RHJ 2023 (#13PHA 2023) – Carraway, was the entire offense for RHJ. The jitterbug PG, was able to consistently get buckets in his game against WCE. Carraway was terrific finishing around the bucket, however, it was his midrange pull-up that was his most lethal weapon.
Amarius Rowel 5’9 PG WCE 2025 – In the 15U game I watched, Rowel was clearly the best player on the floor. It wasn’t until I found out that he was only in the 8th grade, that his talent truly dawned on me. His playmaking was special, as he showed both advanced vision and accuracy in his passing. The unselfish PG was one of the top playmakers on the day.
Taj DeGourville Taj DeGourville 6'4" | SF Red Rock Academy | 2024 State #203 Nation NV 6’3 SG Vegas Elite 2024 (#3PHN 2024) – Perhaps no player has been written about more by me than Degourville. He’s been scrutinized, evaluated, and micro judged nonstop for the last two years. To his credit, he’s continued to get 1% better each day. On this day, his passing and shooting were on point. He delivered some absolute dimes to teammates and made his patent step-back 3. The physical guard showed once again why he deserves to be considered one of the top players in his class.
Nathan Ojukwu 6’6 PG Do It Better 2023 – Players like Ojukwu are exactly why I stay in the gym. I’m not sure if even he understands how good he is. He displayed pure PG ability, including a nice handle, good pace, and the ability to make the correct decision every time down the court. He’s also a sneaky good athlete, who is not afraid to finish drives with thunderous dunks at the rim. The Idaho native was the top sleeper of the day.