Standouts: Chance Harman Day 2 (Part 3)
Every year some of the best teams across VA, NC and WV descend upon the quiet mountain town of Floyd County, about 30 minutes outside of Christiansburg. The 11th Annual Chance Harman Classic, which is a nonprofit event that raises money for Pediatric Brain Cancer, all through good basketball.
The second day featured nine, yes nine, games that started at 9:30 AM and ended around 11 PM. Of course there was a ton of talent, so we’ve broken the standouts into three parts. Here’s part three featuring eight players from the last three games of the day.
- Mac McClung | Gate City 2018
There was no one that created the buzz that McClung did at Floyd, with lines wrapping around two hours before the game starting in nail biting weather that was close to being in the negatives. Through all of the autograph requests, mixtape videographers and standing room only crowds, the Georgetown commit showed flashes of what has made him a viral sensation over the past few seasons. While it wasn’t his best performance, he showed the crazy hops and highlight finishes, quickness on both ends and production that will have him in the running for the national scoring title, as he scored 33 points in their win over the host Floyd County.
- Zac Ervin | Gate City 2019
“The other guy” on Gate City, the 6’5” junior is as important as McClung to Gate City’s success, even if he’s just referred to as “number 23” in all of the viral videos of McClung. Ervin can really score the basketball, and while he didn’t have the best shooting night he did his job scoring 25 points in the second straight night and pitching in nine rebounds and five steals. Ervin doesn’t have the quickness that McClung has, but he has great size, knows how to get to his spots and he’s explosive vertically which allows him to finish above the rim.
- Keldon Johnson | Oak Hill 2018
The consensus top 15 player in the country was the highest rated prospect at the event, and he put on a show with some high flying dunks and dominating in a number of facets. The Kentucky commit finished with an easy double-double of 29 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes on the floor, and he showed both what he does well and some of the things he has improved on. He’s a quick leaper, which allows him to beat defenders to rebounds even when he shoots his own shot. He grabbed six of his 11 rebounds on the offensive end, and while he used to pad his stats in the summer by missing his own shot and getting his own rebound, he was extremely efficient going 12-for-16 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line. His ability to knock down shots from all over the floor is going to be key for him at the next level where he can’t just bully other players, but he’s heading in the right direction with all of that now.
- Dave McCormack | Oak Hill 2018
We were laughing because on top of Johnson who’s a Kentucky commit, Oak Hill also started McCormack who is a Kansas commit, Keyontae Johnson who is a Florida commit and Will Richardson who is an Oregon commit. The other blue blood commit McCormack is the only true big man that Oak Hill has, but he ate up a thin Blue Ridge front line and also had a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes on the floor. We’ve talked about the change in his body, as he’s dropped over 75 pounds of fat, and he’s starting to add some muscle back to his upper body. He looks much more nimble, he’s quick off his feet, and while he’s still physically dominant in the post, he showed finesse and touch with some nice jump hooks in the lane and improved footwork. He was also efficient shooting 9-for-11 from the field.
- Darius McGhee | Blue Ridge 2018
The Liberty commit was a day one standout in Blue Ridges’ win over Teay’s Valley, and while Oak Hill eventually pulled away from the Barons in the second half McGhee showed that he can play with anyone. He poured in 28 points on 10-for-18 shooting, giving him a two day total of 64 points. The 5’8” guard plays much bigger than his size, as he gets great elevation on his jump shot and is extremely bouncy allowing him to finish at and above the rim when attacking it. He has a killer mentality, and regardless of who is in front of him he’s going to go at them with everything he’s got.
- Rasir Bolton | Massanutten 2018
My MVP of the entire event has to go to Bolton, who was on fire against Hargrave and helped Massanutten get a big win in the rivalry between two of the best post grad teams in the country. Bolton came out of the gates hot, as the Penn State commit had a huge one handed slam attacking the basket that brought the house down. He finished the first half 13 points on six shots with four assists and three steals, and he wasn’t done yet. Bolton took at made big time shots throughout the game, he controlled the tempo with the ball in his hands and set the tone defensively with his high IQ and knack for making plays. He finished with 36 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field, seven assists and four steals on the game.
- Tyrese Martin | Massanutten 2018
Unlike Bolton, Martin didn’t get off to a great start going 1-for-5 from the field in the first half and getting into foul trouble, but he turned it on when his team needed it in the second half. The Rhode Island commit stopped settling for deep threes and started to get it going with a couple of easy midrange jump shots. He also started to attack the rim and get to the free throw line, and he bought in defensively in the second half and everything started clicking from there. He finished with 20 points, six rebounds and three steals on the game.
- Connor Crabtree | Hargrave 2018
Crabtree was really impressive for Hargrave and it’s easy to see why he’s getting a lot of high major interest. The 6’5” two guard has the feel of a point guard, can stretch the defense, can handle and get the offense going and he’s also a good athlete that can finish above the rim. His mix of IQ, athleticism and shot making ability made him fun to watch and also means he’ll likely translate easily to the next level and will be an early contributor for whatever school he picks. He finished with 22 points on 13 shots and six assists in the loss.