July’s Biggest Winners: Part 1
The month of July is perhaps the most important period of basketball in the entire AAU season. The second live period allows players to get looks from a ton of coaches, which in some cases translates into offers. I watched a ton of basketball throughout the month of July and saw plenty of players perform at a high level. Here are some players who had very successful July AAU campaigns:
Markeese Hastings (1Nation 17u) – Hastings had a great summer, pulling in a couple D1 offers to show for it. He dominated the Best of the Midwest tournament in Grand Rapids, playing great against anybody and everybody. He easily won head-to-head matchups with future high-major bigs/wings throughout the entire weekend. Hastings showed he is very versatile as he found success playing the wing as well as the big. Not only did he lead his team to a tournament championship, he was also tournament MVP in the eyes of many.
Duane Washington, Jr. (The Family 17u) – It is certainly no secret how good of a player Washington is. He did everything to prove the 30+ D1 offers he holds and more throughout July, putting together stellar performance after stellar performance. He picked up several more high-major offers this month, including a big-time offer from the University of Michigan. That alone is enough to validate his spot on this list, but he more than backed it up on the court with a great month of basketball.
Seth Millner (The Family 17u) – Millner was one of several players from The Family 17u to put together repeated solid performances throughout July. He earned a couple D1 offers previous to July, something of which he built on with breakout performances in the last month. He is flies under the radar perhaps due to the fact that he’s played next to several other D1 talents in both school and AAU ball. However, this is not indicative of his ability to produce, something he proved he can do at a high level throughout July.
Luke Hyde (Elite Nation 17u) – Hyde had a fantastic July, receiving praise from a ton of scouts and coaches. He was a walking double-double throughout the whole month of July, often times carrying his team on both sides of the ball. He displayed an ability to hit three-pointers consistently, something that makes him a matchup nightmare when you consider his strength/toughness down low. He also showed he could put the ball on the floor and make plays a bit, further showcasing his versatility.
Quinn Blair (REACH Legends 17u) – Blair was already one of the top 2018s heading into the final month of AAU. Somehow, he found a way to boost his stock further, adding on to the double-digit D1 offers he already had earned. He played his typical uber-efficient game throughout the summer, helping REACH 17u have a successful month as a team. While Blair’s play was certainly excellent, he really won by pulling in some big-time offers; most notably from Northern Iowa, Lehigh, Akron as well as a couple Ivy League offers.
Justin Fischer (TEAM Basketball 17u) – Fischer is one of the best passers/playmakers in the state at any age level. While nobody doubted that, there were many doubts about Fischer’s ability to score, especially against elite competition. He did his best job to rid those doubts from people’s minds, putting together multiple great games scoring the ball, especially against several circuit teams. He showed that he can get it done on both ends of the floor, giving great effort on defense as well. Fischer’s stock rose big time over the course of July.
Drew Lowder (The Family 16u) – It was only a matter of time before Lowder got his first D1 offer. He has repeatedly put together stellar performance after stellar performance on anybody and everybody. Lowder is one of the most complete players in the state – the only thing limiting him from having double-digit D1 offers is his small stature. Regardless, Lowder plays much bigger than he is with a perfect combination of skills, athleticism, heart and toughness. Lowder had a great month of July and it will be interesting to see how he builds on it this upcoming high school season.