BE Recruits at the Nike EYBL Circuit

[TheHall]

I got to watch some EYBL games. The AAU showcase ended its regular season recently and is on pause until the Peach Jam playoffs in July. Here's some observations on BE recruits I got to see:

C Jessie Govan (Hoyas):

Pos: 2015 Top 50 player. He's a huge space eater. He is an offensive force with his inside strength & decent moves & can hit the outside J at a decent clip. He rebounded ok for his size but he's much better at getting buckets if you feed him. He avg 15 ppg & 8 rpg in 20 min/gm. At 6-9 already word is he still may be growing and he doesn't take 3 pointers. I think he's definitely the best of the 3 '15 Hoya signees. Probably a top 30 player by end of next year.

Neg: He's no rim protector, only had 6 blocks in 16 games. He didn't even challenge that many shots. He plays PF for his squad most of the time b/c they start a pretty good 7' at C. Govan showed no lateral speed and not much up & down speed either. If a rebound or an opponent didn't come into his space forget about it. His defense in general looked like a work in process because of his slow foot speed, he's a lumberer like Hibbert now. He's not out of shape like the Hoyas current center, but he is a big, solid dude. I think college level conditioning could turn this guy into a dominant player. He has all the tools like a 6'10 Mike Sweetney.

C Nate Fowler (Butler):

Pos: He's a legit 6'10. I only saw 2 of his games but he impressed me with his athleticism and his toughness. He played solid when he was in the paint. He seemed to have a nice touch on his jumper (no 3's) but he didn't get many opportunities. He showed a good defensive presence even in limited mins (only 13 min/gm). His defense was mostly through moving his feet and getting after it as opposed to shot blocking.

Neg: He doesn't start for his AAU squad which makes since given he's likely a top 125-200 player. On offensive the coach had him play at the foul line way more than I would like to see a 6'10 C. He was used as a facilitator most of the time instead of a low post presence, but once the ball went up he would crash hard. Not a good way to showcase his talents (only avg 4 ppg & 3 rpg) but was better for team I guess. He did shoot 54% from the field though.

F Ryan Fazekas (PC):

Pos: He's a legit 6-8 stretch 4. He has a great shot, especially in catch & shoot scenario. He is athletic & pretty fast for his size, moves like a guard. Saw one game where he hit a step back corner 3 and then came back to finish a break with the lay-up & 1, turning a 1 point lead into a 7 point lead in the last min of a tough game. His teammates expect every shot of his to drop. He showed a good ability to create for others. He's a top 100 player IMO. One of my favorite players to watch so far.

Neg: He also doesn't start for his squad even though he avg 17 min/gm. He seemed committed to bang and be physical, but just didn't appear that good at it. Basically he needs to get a lot stronger. He reminds me of Tyler Harris. When teams ran him off the 3 pt line it didn't always go well, but at times he would make them pay for closing out so hard with the blow-by.

CG Donte Divincenzo (Nova):

Pos: Top 100 player. He showed a versatile game for the best team on the circuit so far. He starts for a team with a lot of top talent including Malachi Richardson, but has carved his niche. He looks like a strong 6'4 combo guard at the next level with a decent jumper, ok range, decent handle, decent speed, good size, etc. He seemed to show a pretty good bball IQ and that may be what mostly determines how good a player he will be. If so he he seems willing to do whatever his team needed. His squad is good but small so he played all but center. He is a playmaker who usually made few mistakes

Neg: He didn't seem to excel at anything, not even shooting. At times it was easy to forget he was out there. He did hurt his ankle & missed some of the last weekend so it's possible he could have been somewhat injured for awhile. He showed what he had and it looked ok so far.

[TheHall]

Saw these dudes too:

PG Nick Noskowiak (MU):

Pos: Top 60 Player. Athletic & good size if he can play PG at next level. He showed he can play the passing lanes on d, he can rebound for his position & is an excellent FT shooter (82% at EYBL). Much better at getting his own shot in the open court even though he showed he can create good shots for others in the half court.

Neg: Hard to understand how his ranking stayed so high after shooting 36% from 2 and 30% from 3 during the EYBL regular season (16 games). He had some horrendous shooting games too: 3-12, 2-17, 1-11, 4-14 etc. Thought he was a dead-eye shooter, but he didn't perform to that level at all. His team didn't make the cut for the Peach Jam playoffs. To be fair many high schoolers make a huge jump in skill during the summer before senior year. Nick has the tools to make a huge jump this summer and maintain that 4* rating.

PF Marcus Derrickson (Hoyas):

Pos: Derrickson is super strong but his best skill is prolly his shooting. For the regular season he shot 48% from 2, 42% from 3 (25% of his total shots), and 79% FTs. He's a hard worker & has a large arsenal of ways to get his shot off. Offense is definitely his specialty at the moment. He's a match-up problem for sure due to his combination of strength & skill.

Neg: Unbelievably he dropped out of ESPN's updated top 100. He' didnt' dominate on the glass and 25% of his shots were 3's. I think opponents were happier with him taking long jumpers in general, not b/c he wouldn't hit them but b/c it kept him off the glass and from drawing fouls. When he made his mind up to go down low he used his strength & craftiness to make up for his lack of height (6-7ish). He's also not a rim protector (1 block in 16 games lol) and his defense in general seemed inconsistent at best. One game he fouled out in 10 mins (move ya feet big man!)

[TheHall]

Nike is hosting their highly regarded Skills Academy in Jersey this week. The event is limited to Nike AAU associated players per the norm for most travel team events. The two sessions focus on PG's & Big Men from college & hs with current NBA players & coaches doing the instruction. The Big Man camp invites Top 15+ HS big men & the Top 10+ college big men & has Anthony Davis & Demarcus Cousins as the lead instructors. In the Big Man camp the BE reps are Hoyas recruits:

Govan, Dickerson & Derrickson. No college bigs from BE.

http://www.nikeeyb.com/page/show/1140923-june-23-25-big-man-2014-



The PG camp has the same set-up & the instructors are Kyrie Irvin, MCW & Trey Burke. The BE has 2 reps in:

Isaiah Whitehead & Nick Noskowiak.

http://www.nikeeyb.com/page/show/1178689-june-23-25-point-guard-2014-

@NickNoskowiak: Pretty sweet experience playing on same team as Demarcus and kyrie.

https://twitter.com/NickNoskowiak/status/481588012992565249

[TheHall]

At the EYBL finals 25 teams will compete for the 2014 PeachJam trophy. Starts Wednesday!

[TheHall]

Great weekend of bball ended today with Jersey AAU squad NJ Playaz winning the trophy over Team Penny (Coached by Penny Hardaway). Isaiah Briscoe lit it up with help from Temple Gibbs (Sterling Gibbs brother) both Seton Hall targets. Final score was 85-83. Playaz are the first program out of Jersey to win Peach Jam! Look for Briscoe & Gibbs to move up in the rankings.

http://t.co/9X41QmMruW


2014 Champions!

[TheHall]

https://twitter.com/CourtsideFilms/status/490970055484932096