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Elevate Hoops Showdown Recruiting Notebook: Saturday, July 11

07/12/2015, 1:00am EDT
By Tom Reifsnyder, Ari Rosenfeld & Eugene Rapay

Jefferson (W.Va.)/Uncommon Bulls 2017 PG Jahlil Jenkins. (Photo: Tom Reifsnyder)

Tom Reifsnyder (tom_reifsnyder),
Ari Rosenfeld (
realA_rosenfeld) &
Eugene Rapay (
@erapay5)
--

PHILADELPHIA -- The Elevate Hoops Showdown kicked off the first day of its weekend tournament at Philadelphia University on Saturday, with teams from all over the East Coast competing at the 15U-17U levels.

Several schools from the CoBL coverage area were in attendance, including Saint Joseph’s, Temple, Penn State, La Salle, Villanova, Drexel and Penn.

Here’s a notebook from today’s action:

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Jahlil Jenkins (2017/Uncommon Bulls/Jefferson HS, W.Va.)
It’s around this time of year that some recruits begin to get dejected as they still await that coveted first offer.

While Jahlil Jenkins (pictured above) still finds himself offer-less, he seems more buoyant than any other emotion, as he senses that his first ones might be coming sooner rather than later.

There’s a buzz surrounding Jenkins right now, as he has been a top performer at several events up and down the east coast in recent months. Just earlier this week, he was named to the Top 20 All Star game at the Hoop Group Elite Session 1. 

He continued his strong play at Philly U, running the show for the Uncommon Bulls in two high-scoring performances.

It’s safe to say he’s taken full advantage of the opportunity he’s had thus far to play in front of college coaches.

“I think I’ve played good. I like it, it makes me play harder and makes me want to keep playing and get that offer, that’s what I want,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for a long time. Since I was little, all I wanted was an offer, and I think it’ll come soon.”

“He’s gonna blow up now,” added one Division I assistant who watched him in the Bulls’ tight loss to Philly Pride.

Jenkins surely looks like he could be a strong player at the mid-major level, with his frame being the main thing hindering him from being a legitimate high-major recruit. He stands just 5-foot-10 and could benefit from some time in the weight room, but his speed, tight handle, and driving ability make him a potential impact player at the right level.

The shifty point guard cited George Mason and St. Peter’s as the two schools that are heavily involved in his recruitment right now, as both programs have been to most of his games this week and have consistently been in touch with both Jenkins and his parents.

“I probably know it’s strength, just adding a little bit more strength, and just keep working on my jump shot,” he said of what those schools are looking for before offering. “They probably want to see a little bit more of my games and see what I do against more competition, and just develop my game.”

For now, Jenkins is teaming with high-major prospect Ejike Obinna to make the Uncommon Bulls, coached by former St. Joe’s forward Duval Simmonds, a force on the 16U AAU circuit. Jenkins is one of several players new to the team this year, and the Bulls look to be coming together at the right time in just their second year as a program.

“When I first started with this team, we weren’t really gelling together,” Jenkins said. “Now we started clicking and we just almost beat a sponsored team [Philly Pride], so we’re getting up there to the top.” --Ari Rosenfeld

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Stevie Jordan (2016/Philly Pride/Conwell-Egan, Pa.)
Stevie Jordan walks onto the court with a smile on his face, with a confident demeanor that seeps onto the way he plays the game.

Even when he is presented with a double team standing in his way, he seems to still hold the semblance of a grin. It might come across a little too confident, too relaxed, but that’s just how he likes it.

“I try to play freely and play my game,” Jordan explained. “I don’t force anything.”

The 5-foot-11 floor general displayed excellent court vision as he dished out a number of nice entry passes and dimes to his teammates. He also has solid handles, allowing him to have better control of what will happen next on the court.

“I get the teammates the ball first,” Jordan said. “Then get my points later.”

With each pass that is finished off by a fellow teammate, his smile grows more infectious as it spreads to the rest of his team. When Philly Pride has that high energy, they become a force to be reckoned with. It was proven true in their one-sided win over Team Final Black (Pa.).

As opposing defenses began to pay more attention to the rest of his team, he demonstrated that he could also score by sinking open three pointers. On defense, he played well, but it is distributing abilities as a point guard that stole the show.

So far, Richmond, Hampton, Rider, and Towson have liked what they have seen, enough to offer the rising senior. Jordan said that he has also heard from Quinnipiac.

Out of these schools, he says that he has only visited Rider. Although it was an unofficial visit, he shared that he enjoyed his time there. When it comes to making a decision of where he will go, he thinks that he will make one at the end of the live period.

“Location doesn’t really matter,” Jordan said. “I just want to be able to have a good relationship with the coach.”

His focus now is on preparing himself for his senior season. Conwell-Egan compiled a 21-8 record, upsetting previously-undefeated Aliquippa in the PIAA Class AA State championship for its first-ever state title.

He isn’t too worried about the pressure that comes with trying to repeat.

“No challenges really, just try to get back to the state championship,” he said, smiling. --Eugene Rapay

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Jordan Allen (2016/We R1/Dover, Del.)
“Three! Three! Three!” screamed an opposing coach.

He wasn’t talking about his players on offense, but rather We R1’s Jordan Allen, who wears the number three.

Not only was Allen wearing that number, but he happened to shoot them very well. When left wide open, his team could rely on him to knock down his shots.

It was an imperative for that coach to remind his players to keep an eye on him, because if they didn’t…

Swish.

Once he heated up, it felt like he couldn’t miss from long range.

“I was told by my JV coach my freshman year to just let it fly,” Allen said. “So that’s what I do.”

The sharpshooting guard currently holds one offer from Delaware State, which he picked up as a freshman, but now has a handful of mid-major schools reaching out to him. He said that he’s heard from Quinnipiac, Rider, Delaware, Northeastern, Appalachian State, and Jacksonville.

“It’s the first one that came to me my freshman year,” Allen said about his lone offer from Delaware State. “I have to like it.”

He hasn’t visited any of these schools yet and currently doesn’t have a timetable for when he will see them.

Allen plays both football and basketball at Dover High School (Del.) As for this past season on the court, Dover finished 14-8. They were eliminated in the second round of the state playoffs, losing in the final seconds of the game.

While his shooting ability is his greatest asset, that’s not the only thing he contributes to his team. His presence allows his team to spread the floor; his teammates can attack the basket while he waits at the perimeter.

On defense, he is no slouch. In one game, he was able to lay down a couple of hard blocks, exhibiting his ability to play on the other end of the court as well.

Allen is a sharpshooter at heart, but far from being just a one-trick pony. --Eugene Rapay

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Tyler Jones (2016/South Jersey Select/Holy Spirit, N.J.)
Tyler Jones isn’t your typical big man; he has an arsenal of post moves that he can use down low and a shooting stroke that can consistently drain three pointers.

“I try my best to do the most that I can,” Jones said. “My strength is scoring the ball, so I just try to do that as best I can.”

In most cases, bigs who can shoot usually don’t have the skillset to compete with opposing forwards and centers in the paint. Today, Jones proved that he is an exception.

Jones was able to hold his own against his opponents, displaying the tools of being a competent defender in the post. He was able to box out and grab some rebounds. 

“I grew up playing big,” he said. “I’m used to it.”

His versatility as a forward on offense gets him one step ahead from the rest of the pack. He is comfortable with spotting up on the three-point line or with fighting for a basket inside. As for his shooting ability, he attributes it to his father, who taught him the importance of having a good shot at a young age.

According to Jones, he currently has offers from Cornell and Division-II Holy Family (Pa.) He isn’t too concerned with the limited list, placing his focus on his upcoming senior season.

Last year, as a junior, he saw himself take a bigger role on Holy Spirit’s varsity basketball team. He emerged as a scoring threat for a team that finished 19-8. They made it as far as the second round of the NJSIAA Non-Public B Playoffs, before losing to Roselle Catholic.

He hopes that his team will return to the state playoffs and maybe even surpass what they achieved last year. He knows the road won’t be easy; Holy Spirit will lose over half of its team to graduation.

“Having to teach my younger teammates how to play basketball – that will be my biggest challenge,” Jones said. --Eugene Rapay

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Chad Andrews-Fulton (2015/Team Philly/Constitution, Pa.)
Chad Andrews-Fulton graduated from Constitution High School last month.

While many of his peers are getting ready to move on to college or enter the workforce, the former Constitution standout remains uncertain of his immediate future.

Right now, Andrews-Fulton is playing on the AAU circuit with Team Philly 17U, hoping to reel in an appealing offer that could land him on a Division-I basketball team for the 2015-16 season.

However, he’s got a plan if the right school doesn’t bite.

“My plan is to go to prep school, but if I were to pick up an offer and I like the school, I’ll commit,” the 6-foot-7 forward said. “But other than that, prep school is my choice right now.”

Andrews-Fulton isn’t positive where he’ll end up if he preps, but he says that The Phelps School (Pa.) is his top choice at the moment; he plans to visit some time next week.

After a month of playing with Team Philly, Andrews-Fulton has yet to receive an offer. However, he has received interest from Norfolk State, Coppin State and Wagner.

At one point during his senior season, he had an offer on the table from LIU-Brooklyn, but the Northeast Conference school pulled the offer when they felt Andrews-Fulton would attend prep school instead of committing.

In order to attract the right school this summer, he has a few areas of his game in mind that he wants to improve upon.

“[I want to have] an all-around game, basically,” Andrews-Fulton said. “Get better on defense, offensively especially, step out to the free throw line a little bit, finish with my left hand and right hand constantly, and just be consistent.”

At Constitution, Andrews-Fulton was known for being a defensive stalwart with a high motor and a propensity for blocking shots. But he knows his defensive ability will only take him so far, and that he must become a more polished offensive player to make it to the D-I level.

Constitution head coach Rob Moore has been staying in contact with Andrews-Fulton and giving him advice on what he needs to do moving forward.

“[He tells me] just keep working hard, and that I can go far with my potential and all that,” Andrews-Fulton said. “I’ve just got to keep up the hard work and the sky's the limit.” --Tom Reifsnyder

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Quick Hits

--Sam Friday (2016/Sports U/St. Andrew’s, R.I.): A tough, gritty forward that thrives by outworking his opponent. Friday is a bullish forward that can string together a number of offensive boards and can finish through contact. He plays well in the post, but struggles when opposing players bring him out of the paint, where he’s most comfortable.  He admits that he needs to work on defending and playing in the high post. Friday will enroll for one year of prep school at St. Andrew’s after graduating from Hudson Catholic (N.J.) this year in order to work on improving his weaknesses. He hopes that the extra year of preparation will not only better himself as a player, but also attract more coaches’ attention.

--Louis King (2018/Sports U/Roselle Catholic, N.J.): The 16U circuit is usually reserved for rising junior prospects, with a few elite rising sophomores sprinkled in, but Sports U decided to buck that trend this weekend. The traditionally strong North Jersey program has it’s 15U team entered in the 16U bracket, and it’s easy to see why, as King is one of four starters already boasting Division I offers before his sophomore year. King is a wiry 6-foot-7 wing who has already been offered by St. John’s, Syracuse, VCU, Seton Hall, and Manhattan. He’s extremely athletic and uses his long frame to slice to the rim with ease, but he also has the ability to knock down the 3-point shot. He recently had a chance to visit St. John’s and meet new head coach Chris Mullin, who King said gave insights from his own personal experience of what it takes for an elite college prospect to eventually make it to the NBA.

--Jaekwon Carlyle (2016/Philly Pride/Imhotep, Pa.): The explosive 2016 guard was contributing in all facets of the game in a blowout of Team Final Black 17U on Saturday, feasting in the passing lanes and making defenders look silly with an array of flashy crossovers and rip-and-go drives from the wing. Carlyle impressed today, but he says he’s been mostly “up and down” this summer, and mentions his decision making as the key factor in his performances. The Imhotep guard has yet to receive and offer, but he has heard from Maine, UMass, Robert Morris, Coppin State, St. Peter’s, Stony Brook, Fairfield, Delaware, Delaware State and Hofstra.

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Photo credit: Tom Reifsnyder/City of Basketball Love


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