Dallas Day 2: Playground Warriors Go 2-0
DALLAS — Day two of the live period featured continued action in the Nike EYBL and Under Armour Association. Over at UA, the defending champs, the Wisconsin Playground Warriors, picked up two victories on Saturday…
Amari Bailey – 2022 – G – Mac Irvin Fire
It’s hard to believe that Bailey is in eighth grade. Going toe-to-toe with Phenom University in 16U action, Bailey couldn’t be contained. It didn’t matter how well he was defended, Bailey had a counter for just about everything the defense threw at him. Very skilled on the ball, Bailey is a tremendous shot creator. The lefty has really good hang time around the rim, always seeming to float an extra half second when he needs it. When he goes to the basket, Bailey does a nice job of fending off shot blockers with his body, forcing them to foul or give him a freebie. A sure-fire national prospect, Bailey looks like a top prospect in his class.
Ahamad Bynum – 2021 – G – Mac Irvin Fire
A tough customer, Bynum was fantastic down the stretch. Taking a savage mentality offensively, Bynum exploded in the final five minutes to lift Mac Irvin Fire past Phenom University. An aggressive scorer with a deep bag of tricks, Bynum has a knack for shaking defenders and putting them on skates. He hit a nasty crossover step back jumper late that sucked that sucked the life out of the opposition late in the shot clock. Bynum finished with a game-high 20 points, including four 3-pointers.
Johnny Davis – 2020 – SG – Playground Warriors
Davis’ shooting ability has taken his game to the next level. The 6-foot-4 sophomore was primarily a slasher last year. He’s expanded his range and is developing into a consistent mid-range scorer off the bounce. Scoring a game-high 21 points, Davis led PGC to a tight win over Team Thad. In late shot clock situations, Davis often had the ball in his hands and connected on some tough, contested shots — something he just couldn’t do consistently last July. Defensively, Davis once again stood out. He had a number of blocks and steals — as per usual. Davis also had 21 in a victory over Washington Supreme. Now that his offense is catching up to his defense, Davis has a ton value as a prospect.
Eric Dixon – 2019 – PF – WeR1
Like this get for Villanova. Dixon has a bit of an old school post game. Instead of necessarily trying to be versatile, he sticks to his strengths and doesn’t try and do things outside his comfort zone. Dixon was a effective with a simple jump hook. If he pushed away from the basket, he’ll turn, face, and attack the rim. Dixon scored a team-high 15 points to go along with 11 rebounds and two assists in a three-point victory over KC Run GMC.
Gerald Doakes – 2020 – G – Woodz Elite
Doakes just put on a show in a victory over Phenom University Saturday night in the 16U quarterfinals. An electric scorer with some serious hang time, Doakes converted a number of acrobatic finishes en route to 19 points. Woodz Elite turned to Doakes late and he delivered down the stretch with some clutch buckets. To help seal the deal, Doakes also came up a with a couple steals in the waning moments that led to transition run outs. Already holding offers from the likes of Florida, Texas A&M, and TCU, Doakes has the makings of one of the more exciting backcourt players in his class.
Peter Erickson – 2020 – SF – Washington Supreme
Erickson shot the heck out of the ball in Saturday’s loss to the Playground Warriors. Sometimes, it just didn’t matter how closely he was guarded, Erickson put the ball in the net. He scored 19 points, including three triples. Erickson isn’t a great athlete, but doesn’t need much space to get his shot off. He’s comfortable on the wing or at the top of the key, hitting defenders with a jab step, and then rising over the top.
Joshua Hemmings – 2020 – F – UPlay Canada
An up and coming talent in the 2020 class, Hemmings has serious potential. Not inside the top 100 by most services, Hemmings should change that in the near future. A 6-foot-9 combo forward that can do a little bit of everything offensively, Hemmings could not be handled by Bradley Beal Elite on Saturday. Hemmings handles the ball well for his size and surprisingly low to the ground. He can simply size people up and go to work. Hemmings was also terrific in the open floor. A plus length prospect, Hemmings went coast-to-coast on a number of occasions. He can be unselfish too. Hemmings knows it takes more than one defender to keep him away from the rim. He was always alert of how the defense was trying to contain him and made the right pass to an open shooter.
David Joplin – 2021 – F – Phenom University
Joplin didn’t light up the stat sheet, but was very impressed by what he was able to do against a fast, athletic Mac Irvin Fire squad. The promising freshman wasn’t fazed by the Fire’s organized chaos on defense. He was able to create a ton of offense going to the rim and while he didn’t always finish as well as he would have liked, often got to the foul line. Advanced physically, Joplin goes about 6-foot-6 and can play on the wing or inside. He has some intriguing versatility, able to shoot the ball a bit from 3-point range, but right now, is more impressive as a slasher. UNLV has made an early offer. Ohio State and Iowa are also showing interest. Look for Joplin to be a solid mid-to-high three star recruit with four-star potential.
Caleb Love – 2020 – W/G – Bradley Beal Elite
Love showed a little bit of everything that he can do against a talented UPlay Canada squad. The first thing that stands out above Love is that he’s an explosive leaper. As a guard, he’s able to protect the rim and does a particularly good job of that in transition, hunting down shots from behind. Love has a smooth mid-range game. Rather than always attack the basket, he’s just as comfortable pulling up and knocking down shots in the lane. He’s not a pure point guard, but he can handle some of those duties. Clinging to a lead late, Bradley Beal Elite put the ball in his hands and Love made sound decisions despite the defense trying to everything they could to force a turnover. Love showed great poise late and provided a calming presence for his teammates.
Mason Madsen – 2020 – PG – Playground Warriors
Continuing his huge spring, Madsen had 20 points in a win over Washington Supreme. He also scored 16, including a huge 3-pointer late, to help PGC knock off Team Thad, capping off a 2-0 day. Last summer, the knock on Madsen was his ability to create offense, especially against athletes. That hasn’t been the case all spring. Madsen has shot the ball at a high level from all over the floor. In crunch time, he’s been even better. He needs to cut down on his turnovers, but Madsen is still a pass-first floor general. Now a fire-fire D1 talent, Madsen was watched closely by Northern Iowa, who has offered. If you’re a mid-major program in the Midwest, and you’re not recruiting this kid right now, it’s time to start. If you’re a high major program, it’s probably a good idea to keep tabs on him as Madsen is a very complete guard with not many glaring weaknesses.
Rodney Mason – 2020 – G/F – Team Thad
Mason only had six points, but his impact was extremely noticeable in a close loss to the Playground Warriors on Saturday. Mason was a beast — working the glass, protecting the rim, making hustle plays. He was EVERYWHERE. Mason recorded 17 rebounds, including nine offensive. A kid that plays bigger than his size, Mason set the tone in the paint and provided a physical presence throughout the contest.
Quinn Slazinksi – 2019 – SF – Houston Defenders
A smooth, skilled wing, Slazinski scored 12 points in an easy win over the Playground Warriors. Slazinksi got on a roll early to put the game away. He had a couple of beautiful transition finishes, going coast-to-coast and maneuvering smoothly around defenders. Slazinksi was 6-of-8 from the field and also dished out two assists in Saturday’s win. California, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas A&M, and others have offered thus far.