adidas Invitational: Standout 2021 Guards
Indianapolis hosted the adidas Invitational to kick-off the July Live Period in the Midwest. Although events in Chicago, Louisville, and Atlantic City pulled various teams from the Great Lakes region away from this typically-strong event in 2018, plenty of coaches found recruiting gems.
Unlike the college coaches who primarily evaluated 17U all weekend, we came in with the goal of watching anyone who we didn’t see this spring. That will reveal itself later in the 2019 and 2020 recaps more than anything. However, full disclosure, we are lacking in our knowledge of the 2021 class going into July. So, we began adhering to that problem by watching nearly every Ohio 15U team in the event.
AJ Glover, 6’3” W, Nova (Douglas) / Africentric
Glover was a more dynamic slasher than we had originally thought. Wearing the grey Nova uniform for the first time this weekend, he routinely zipped past defenders from the perimeter to the rack. Glover is right-hand dominant as a finisher and ball-handler.
Defensively, Glover has the physical tools but lacks off-ball awareness. He got caught staring at the ball-handler on several occasions while turning his back to his matchup.
Adonis Caneris, 6’2” G, Shining Star – Price / Oak Hills
Caneris is a 6’2” deadeye shooter who looks experienced in coming off pin-down screens. His shots came from flowing within their motion offense sets. He got hot for a moment and hit a contested 3-pointer during that stretch. When their point guard checked out, Caneris proved capable as a lead guard, even though he’s more of a secondary ball-handler. Although he’s not an A+ athlete, Caneris seems to understand the positioning aspect of defense.
Aaron Davis II, 5’11” PG, All Ohio Wolves / Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
Davis’ competitiveness and killer instinct carried All Ohio Wolves through a late-game surge to secure a victory on Thursday afternoon. He got better as the game went on, as the speedy shot-taker maintained his explosiveness as opponents showed fatigue. Davis is best in transition, often making questionable decisions with the ball in the halfcourt. He took a lot of hesitation pull-ups from deep 2-point range too. Shoring up his court sense will be the next step, but we like Davis’ starting point as an athlete.
Greg Johnson, 6’1” PG, Cincinnati Royals – Blue / St. Xavier
Johnson is a super twitchy athlete who looks ready to make an impact at the varsity level next season. He handles the offense with patience but is liable to blow-by a defender. We like his instincts on the defensive end too, where his quick hands cause some deflections.
Jackson Izzard, 6’0” G, Mid Ohio Pumas Elite 16U / Alder
Izzard showed more than we were used to on Friday afternoon. Specifically, the spot shooter was helping out on the defensive glass. At just 6’0”, Izzard has decent length and is willing to go mix it up in the physical paint. As mentioned though, Izzard’s spot-up jumper is the true strength, where he has solid mechanics.
AJ Mirgon, 5’11” PG, Mid Ohio Pumas Elite 16U / Hilliard Bradley
Coming directly off a football camp in the summer heat, Mirgon provided such energy off the bench for the new-look Pumas Elite. Whether it was flying in for rebounds with athleticism or cutting hard to the rim, Mirgon was a spark. He was back to an off-ball role for most of the weekend and shot the ball with confidence. Mirgon is also an excellent off-ball defender.