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I got to travel to the Alfred Donfrio High School basketball classic this past spring where such luminaries as Kobe Bryant have performed in the past. The tournament is in a wonderful gym in Conshohoken, PA. I went to the tournament twice and got to see some major league basketball talent up close. In the second set of games I saw, which represented the tournament semifinals, I got to see Villanova recruit Reggie Redding against an All American contingent of Wayne Ellington, Gerald Henderson, Justin Burrell, and Andrew Ott who is also heading to Villanova.
In this game, Redding demonstrated that he could potentially be as effective in college as the great players he was playing against. I had read that he was a good fit in the system type player and having seen him in this game, I would more so say he was a dynamic and charismatic player who is a leader on the court. In this game, only decided on the last play, he hit tough clutch shot after clutch shot. He had two fouls in the first minute while covering Gerald Henderson, yet did not get 5 fouls to foul out of the game, while continuing to cover Gerald who is heading to Duke University. What was most impressive was his ability to dribble in a very controlled fashion in traffic, it was almost like the basketball was an extension of his arm and at the same time make perfect timing passes while dribbling in traffic. He hit any number of back down the defender with the dribble turnaround baseline and corner jumpers against tough D. He also drained a number of spot up threes. He had a scintillating all around game and also showed his jumping ability on a couple of resounding dunks. He could easily be a big time college player down the road in the Big East.
Also playing with Reggie Redding's team was Tyrone Lewis of Truman high school from Philly and he showed that he could get all the way to the hoop just about every time, and his attempted wide angled dunk over the high flying Justin Burrell on the break was a sight to behold. At 6'1, he basically dunked at will during this game. He did hit every outside shot, which were relatively uncontested in that the defenders had to back off for the drive. He scored in the mid 30's but it would have been about 50 if he didn't get into foul trouble.
The third scorer with Reggie Redding's team was Daniel Geriot of Springfield, PA who was first team all state. He is a rugged 6'9 and looked great on the offensive end of the court, scoring consistently throughout the game, starting off with layups off cuts to the basket, then hitting the midrange faceup jumper and finally stepping out and draining 3 pointers. He averaged 24 points a game as a high school senior. Considering his height combined with good offensive skills, I am surprised that he isn't more touted on the national level. He might be a potential pro down the line.
Gerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington seemed slightly flustered by this onslaught and only a last minute comback helped by some questionable calls by the refs did they finally win this game which was in the 100's as far as scoring. Gerald Henderson as always looks to force the issue one on one with the dribble drive, which he does effectively and is helped by his incredible extension. He gets great height on his jump shot and can hit the turnaround from deep, although I don't think he is at the same level of shooter from there as Wayne Ellington and he is certainly excellent with the midrange J. With his extension, if he grows another couple of inches, he could be a prototypical shot blocker in college even as a small forward.
Andrew Ott, a 6'10 center also signed with Villanova looked like he was perfect for the Navy with appropriate haircut. He tried to dunk everything down low, whether successful or not he continued to pressure the defense this way. In crunch time, he hit three skilled running hooks from about 8 feet from tough angles. He seems to have good hands. He showed that he dishes well on his interior passing, an important skill at his position.
Justin Burrell from New York, playing with Wayne Ellington's team, got there a little after the game started and didn't get a chance to warm up. He might be the most incredible person on the planet for missed dunks, having one that caromed back the length of the court. He hit a couple of nice turnaround jumpers and set some excellent picks for the All Americans and seems to play well both in the half court set and on the break.
Keon Lawrence for the Playazz from New Jersey was probably the dominate performer in the tournament. He has the skills of an NBA shooting guard right now. He had one rainbow three pointer after another, would drive for high rising floaters in the lane, and converted his shots from almost every possible angle and while being chased by more than one defender. It was incredible to see some of his shots drop the net, considering he was shooting into double coverages off the dribble from distances as far as 30 feet. He had one high rising jam where he took off from about 10 feet from the basket showcasing another side of his game.
Ricky Jackson an All American junior from St. John Neuman in Philly was also impressive dribbling the length of the court, having some skilled outside game to mix with his tough game down low in the blocks. That he is lefty is a plus. He grabs everything in sight on the boards.
Antonio Jardine, another junior mega recruit from St. John Neuman, looked really comfortable on the court with either driving on the break or easily hitting one three pointer after another. He has really strong shoulders and seems to have a good demeanor on the court. Touted as a point guard, his style is more of a combo guard, who really feels comfortable in the scoring role.
Cory Chandler, another big time junior from New Jersey has great form on his jumper, a very nice handle up top and goes strong to the hoop, although that is the one area where he sometimes did not convert. I really liked the cadence of his overall game, he rotates the ball on top rather than just forcing the pass down low and really seems to know what he is doing as far as passing the ball, yet can get right into the shooting mode. He is an excellent passer and is a leader on the court.
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