Picture is Jaquan Lyle ripped unapologetically from the Evansville Courier-PressThe Good Mongrel Wakes!!
The good Hoops Mongrel has taken a long sustained nap and is going to try to get back in the mix some this summer after a 2 or 3 year hiatus. Lets hope the addedage and wisdom helps me keep it civil!
Chicago Hoops Tip Off kicks off area AAU season!
One of the Good Mongrel's favorite hoops web sites is Chicago Hoops. They have premium content now so we will avoid linking pay articles as always but the Windy City has a premium crop of prospects in 2014 in addition to the best player in the country in the 2013 class so expect to hear from Chicagohoops and their colleagues and rivals on a regular basis. www.chicagohoops.com is where I find them. One of the best things about the good folks at Chicago Hoops is that they host one of the first AAU tournaments in the midwest and here's the results.
17U winner was TP Elite, which rode a big game from Jarvis Garret to defeat Team Rose 47-45. Devonte Burton followed his 30 point semi-final game against Mac Irvin Fire with 12 points in the final. Here's a link on that one. http://chicagohoops.hoops247.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1668:terry-porter-elite-win-chicago-hoops-17-u-tip-off-title&catid=35:news
16U winner was the SW Illinois Jets who beat Team Rose 63-60. Team Rose boasts dynamic forces of nature Cliff Alexander and Jaquan Lyle so that's a tall order. Here's a link for that story. http://chicagohoops.hoops247.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1667:sw-illinois-jets-win-chicago-hoops-16-u-tip-off-title&catid=35:news
MCD AA Game:
The McDonalds AA game took place last week. One team nobody cares about beat the other team nobody cares about for an outcome that was mildly interesting. The coaches both had ten good players and for the most part they sent them out there in 4 to 5 minute shifts. As far as top of the line talent this class is either missing a few big guns. Perhaps late rising Belle of the Ball Nerlens Noel (was 2nd best kid in 2013 but reclassified) with his outstanding Kid N Play hair cut or some overlooked kids like the amazing Sam Decker (pictured above) could have spiced it up some, but there were still some good players and some pretty good stretches of play. Shabazz Muhammed was the superstar player there. Shabazz is an outstanding ball player. He's tough as nails and smart. He's all business. He's about a 6'8 powerful wing player that's a bit hard to describe. I warn you up front its probably smart not to follow me down any hypotheticals, analogies, or comparisons but I think for our BIG fans if Deshawn Thomas and Jared Sullinger had a baby, it would be Shabazz. He didn't look quite as quick as he did last year, seems to have slowed down a tad as he filled out more. But he's still athletic and strong and will be a lottery pick in 2013. There were other good players there, but no one that should be showing up on All American teams as freshmen except Muhammed. Kyle Anderson was probably the second best player there but he's so thin it might take a year or two for him to be dominant. He's a 6'9 rail thin wing forward with the passing ability of an elite point (but nowhere near the quickness and dribbling style you want as a real point guard imo and of course he'll guard wings not points).
Midwestern basketball fans had plenty of players to root for in the Burger Game. Indianapolis Park Tudor PG Yogi Ferrell was the best point in the game. Ferrell is normally an outstanding shooter but was off from the field in this game. He did wind up with 8 assists to 0 turnovers and had some nifty set ups and plenty that didn't get finished as well. Yogi is IU bound next year and I can't wait to see who that team starts. Yogi and Jordan Hulls are both kids you need on the floor, but both a hair under 6' tall. Oladipo and Sheehey are both kids you need out there. Zeller and Watford are two of the best players in the BIG.
Yogi's primary competition for Mr. BBall in Indiana is Michigan State recruit Gary Harris who was also at the McD game. Harris (and Yogi) played as good of defense as anyone at the game. He had a couple of nice passes but didn't stand out in this game. He's still the bomb folks and will start and be a better player than Dawson did a year ago. His jumper will become consistent about as a junior in Sparty and then he'll be an AA candidate.
The second best point in the game was probably Marcus Paige from Iowa. He's UNC bound and has a nice jump shot and unbelievable passing ability. Paige and Yogi are both elite passers with nice jumpers. Paige was on the floor with Shabazz and was smart enough to know that meant throw the ball at the rim almost every time down the floor and guess who will show up and dunk it. Paige will have a huge career at UNC. He needs to get stronger and didn't work as hard on defense as a couple of other points but he was still impressive.
The uniforms were worthy of their parent corporation and the talent was down, but they did play hard for the most part unlike what we saw at times during the ESPN All American games over the weekend in New Orleans. The North squad was filled with notable guys. Here's a little on some of them...
* Sam Decker was the star. He's athletic, aggressive, creative, and has moxie. He's joining a loaded backcourt but has an excellent chance to be the best player on the club as a freshman. I don't ever remember saying that about another Wisconsin player.
* Glenn Robinson Jr was the MVP. He was showing off his trademark athleticism and got 8 or 9 buckets in transition. Robinson is a good all around player but didn't get to show off anything but dunking ability in this one.
* Mitch McGary moved well but didn't have a huge game. I've seen a lot of McGary and though he's capable of doing some really impressive things you rarely see him having a big statistical impact on a game. He's certainly a talent, but if the Good Mongrel had been king of the recruiting world he probably wouldn't have been ranked in the top 15 in his class. I could see him making an impact as a freshman, but he's sort of a big play guy that doesn't sustain it the whole game and I think UM fans should bet the under in most statistical categories. I also worry a little that he was a borderline top 100 kid as a senior (maybe even old for his class) and then he reclassified to 2012 and last summer really made a big impression with his passionate play, strength, and athleticism last summer against younger kids. Now those kids are older and McGary so far might be looking a little less like the cream of the crop.
* Glenn Robinson Jr was the MVP. He was showing off his trademark athleticism and got 8 or 9 buckets in transition. Robinson is a good all around player but didn't get to show off anything but dunking ability in this one.
* Mitch McGary moved well but didn't have a huge game. I've seen a lot of McGary and though he's capable of doing some really impressive things you rarely see him having a big statistical impact on a game. He's certainly a talent, but if the Good Mongrel had been king of the recruiting world he probably wouldn't have been ranked in the top 15 in his class. I could see him making an impact as a freshman, but he's sort of a big play guy that doesn't sustain it the whole game and I think UM fans should bet the under in most statistical categories. I also worry a little that he was a borderline top 100 kid as a senior (maybe even old for his class) and then he reclassified to 2012 and last summer really made a big impression with his passionate play, strength, and athleticism last summer against younger kids. Now those kids are older and McGary so far might be looking a little less like the cream of the crop.
* Ken Kaminski was missing his shots and that really devalues him because he's such a wonderful shooter. He looked a little taller and more filled out but maybe not quite as athletic as pre-injury. He did show some nice skill in the game and will be a very good player at MSU.
* Adam Woodbury was the star of the NBA top 100 camp last summer and again showed some nice skills in the game. He has fantastic hands and solid feet to go with outstanding skills. He's going to be outstanding for Iowa and will be a good player as a freshman. However, he has narrow shoulders and doesn't look quite as tall as the 6'11 he's often listed as. He's also skinny and might need a year to become a double figure guy in the BIG.
* Mike Gessel was outstanding as usual. He's got a nice deep shot, is quick with the ball, and decisive. Iowa has plenty of competent upperclassmen guards so Gessel will likely add depth as a freshman and then really start to make a big impact as a soph.
* Jeremy Hollowell has been a Mongrel favorite since his freshman year. He's grown to a long 6'7 and is a little quicker with the ball and still has that silky smooth three point shot. He went for ten points, four boards, and four assists and was one of the better players out there. Hollowell also played some outstanding defense. Can't wait to see him play for Tom Crean.
* Hanner Mosque-Parea was very good and very bad on Sunday. He made some unbelievable athletic plays as he is known for and showed a nice free throw stroke. Perea ended up with about 8 points and several boards but he also took 3 three point shots. The shot didn't really look bad, but I've never heard of him hitting them before and a team with one big kid on the floor really needs that kid to play underneath. Still, Perea showed why some people project him as a future pro. The kid is a freak and should benefit from a BIG weight program and coaching.
* Adam Woodbury was the star of the NBA top 100 camp last summer and again showed some nice skills in the game. He has fantastic hands and solid feet to go with outstanding skills. He's going to be outstanding for Iowa and will be a good player as a freshman. However, he has narrow shoulders and doesn't look quite as tall as the 6'11 he's often listed as. He's also skinny and might need a year to become a double figure guy in the BIG.
* Mike Gessel was outstanding as usual. He's got a nice deep shot, is quick with the ball, and decisive. Iowa has plenty of competent upperclassmen guards so Gessel will likely add depth as a freshman and then really start to make a big impact as a soph.
* Jeremy Hollowell has been a Mongrel favorite since his freshman year. He's grown to a long 6'7 and is a little quicker with the ball and still has that silky smooth three point shot. He went for ten points, four boards, and four assists and was one of the better players out there. Hollowell also played some outstanding defense. Can't wait to see him play for Tom Crean.
* Hanner Mosque-Parea was very good and very bad on Sunday. He made some unbelievable athletic plays as he is known for and showed a nice free throw stroke. Perea ended up with about 8 points and several boards but he also took 3 three point shots. The shot didn't really look bad, but I've never heard of him hitting them before and a team with one big kid on the floor really needs that kid to play underneath. Still, Perea showed why some people project him as a future pro. The kid is a freak and should benefit from a BIG weight program and coaching.
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