Man, July sure has flown by this summer. Frankly, I feel like I find myself reiterating that each year. The increased amount of exposure events taking place within the travel basketball scene serves as one of the main reasons, typically, and this past weekend in Northern Virginia proved as anything but different. The 'Hoop Group' organization arrived to town to host their 'DC Jam Fest' tournament in an enormous facility titled 'The St. James' (Springfield, VA). Outside of the players' talent, I was fascinated with the massive sports complex the most. Many surrounding spectators lauded it as one of the best on the East Coast. With the two-day tournament being my third 'Hoop Group' event I've covered this summer, I had a strong feeling of how things operated and once again came across some new eye-catching teams/prospects. I saw some of the most hard-fought games and best team ball out of any event I've covered throughout the last four months. However, the weekend also brought along another realization for most 2020 players: their final game(s) of travel ball. It's never easy to accept'I can remember my final AAU performance back in 2013. Still, I hope the rising seniors share feelings of accomplishment and can soon start prepping for their last go-around of high school, which will be here before we know it. The end of AAU is just one closed chapter; there's plenty of basketball left to play. Congrats to all who have made it through another busy summer season!

 

 

Six Standouts of Saturday

 

Anthony Melvin, Jr. '20 ' Hoop Booth 17u ' Chancellor HS (Fredericksburg, VA): Starting off the morning with one of Saturday's earliest games, the 5'8' guard put on a playmaking clinic as the primary ball-handler for Hoop Booth. Melvin, Jr. showed excellent court vision to set up his teammates; I'd have to say he threw some of the nicest passes I saw all weekend. His quick handles and ball control make him a big threat off of the bounce, as he can attack with pace or get his shot off from deep range. He didn't shoot the ball in outstanding fashion or anything but indeed looked like a guy who can heat up in stretches. Instead of settling for three-pointers off of the dribble, I feel he can look to create midrange pull-ups more. That's a higher percentage shot and a necessary tool to have at his position. As far as setting up others though, Melvin, Jr. checks off that box the best. He honestly could have had a greater number of assists if teammates completed finishes better.

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Jahme Ested '20 ' Team Richmond Garner Road Elite 17u ' Henrico HS (Henrico, VA): Many in Richmond, VA knew much about Ested's production as one of the most electrifying guards in the 2018-19 season (18 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.3 spg as a junior). Now, he looks even better shooting the ball, which is a scary acknowledgement. He led TRGR's attack in their first game against Team BISS 17u, making three of his first four trey ball attempts from the left wing. After cashing those in, he then displayed his usual slashing ability to finish at an extremely high rate against BISS' defenders in transition. Ested's finishing ability separates him the most from other 804 guards I've seen. He has a nice mix of strength, body control, and hang time for crafty lay-ins. If he's not making the shot, he's more than likely drawing a foul and heading to the charity stripe. His reliable free-throw shooting happened at a key moment in that same contest versus BISS when he put the team up one with eleven seconds on the clock before teammate James Wallace III '20 drew a foul and made two more of his own.

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Kyunthia Stone '19 ' Team Stat 17u ' Quince Orchard HS (Gaithersburg, VA): One of a few unsigned seniors I checked out during the day, Stone had a strong performance to keep Team Stat close for all 32 minutes in a 68-66 loss versus Team Loaded 804 17u. He's a 6'5' stocky forward who possesses sneaky quickness and strong hands. I was mainly impressed with his production in several different categories: finishing through opponents, making shots, rebounding, and able to get up/down the floor in Team's Stat's desired fast-paced style of play. He definitely knows how to play the game smartly and sustained his high motor for the entirety of his minutes played. Definitely could be a valuable late pick-up for any next-level program out there still searching.

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Dennard Hutchinson '20 ' Team Loaded 804 17u ' Hopewell HS (Hopewell, VA): Back in early May, during my 'AAU open gym tour,' I stopped by a gym in Henrico County to preview this year's Team Loaded 804 group and can recall discussing the promise of Hutchinson with head coach Will Travis. Fast forward to today and the 6'4' wing/forward has clearly made notable progress this summer. His aggressive mindset and active effort still persists but he also appeared more built. It all fuses to make him arguably the team's best rebounder and hustle guy. Nobody provided more second-chance attempts than him in that Team Loaded 804/Team Stat 17u game noted above. Hutchinson's inside-and-out capability still looks solid right now but his ball-handling still needs to show more comfort. In my own opinion, that's one of the only areas limiting him from attracting more attention at the moment. Being able to do more with the ball could make him more advanced in several aspects. He already has a pretty good jump shot and his finishing stands out the most. Excited to see what he has in store as a senior for the Hopewell Blue Devils later this winter.

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Quincy Allen '21 ' Team Takeover 16u ' Maret School (Washington, D.C.): I've only seen him play a couple of times in the past, but Allen's personally one of my favorite 2021 hoopers to watch mainly due to how smoothly he plays the game. Ranked as one of the top small forwards in his class, the four-star player has enjoyed a strong offseason by expanding elements of his game and working to become more of a physical threat. He has a good 6'6' height and length that he can use to post up smaller defenders for turnaround jumpers and close finishes. Having made some strides in the weight room (as it appears at least) makes him even more dangerous in these scoring opportunities. Allen's bounce looks improved as well; Takeover's talented guards connected with him for a couple of dunks off lobs in the team's first opening game. The best way to describe him is simply 'skilled.' There's very little he can do offensively when placed in iso situations and works well as a guy off of the ball too. Clearly one who has the chance to go up higher and higher in the national rankings.

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Nick Spinoso '20 ' Crown Basketball-HGSL 17u ' Kellenberg Memorial HS (Uniondale, NY): I definitely enjoyed watching the big fella play for the New York-based program'he has a toughness about him as more of throwback forward. Spinoso's way of finishing in transition caught my eye initially; he has good body control for somebody standing at 6'8.' In half-court sets, his exceptional footwork made him a threat on the block. I could sense his IQ and patience working together to get opponents to bite on moves close to the rim. As a lefty, he does best going over that right shoulder but can use either one fairly well. Spinoso's physical rebounding made his toughness even more evident. When observing all that one would want from a forward, I didn't see much that he couldn't provide. His quick jumper that extends to three-point range makes him useful if guys try to deny him from getting into the paint. Spinoso has a mentality that many coaches should really like and start taking note of.

 

 

 

 

Also make sure to check out my Day 2 standouts of the 'DC Jam Fest!'