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Live in AC: 16U Notebook

07/24/2015, 12:15am EDT
By Ari Rosenfeld & Josh Verlin

Mark Flagg (above, last week) is playing much more confident with both his high school and AAU teams. (Photo: Josh Verlin)

Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld) &
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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STOCKTON, N.J. -- Few area summer events provide aspiring college basketball players with the opportunity to impress that Elevate Hoops’ annual Live in AC tournament does.

Wednesday’s portion of the event featured 17U showcase that saw AAU teams from all over the East Coast gather at the Richard Stockton University Sports Center, with tournament play starting on Thursday as hundreds of young athletes showcased their talents.

Here’s a notebook from the 16U action on Thursday:

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Mark Flagg (2017/F/Jersey Shore Warriors)
In just a few short months, there’s been a very noticeable change in the way that the rising junior at Pennsbury (Pa.) holds himself out on the court--no matter who he’s playing with.

The beginning of the spring was a period of transition for the 6-foot-7 forward, 180-pound forward, who had to adjust to big changes at the high school and AAU level.

In spring leagues with his high school team, Flagg had to adjust from being a relatively minor role player last year on the Falcons to a starter, playing big minutes alongside a rather youthful and inexperienced cast.

And then, in late April, he left his Philly Heat AAU team for the Jersey Shore Warriors, taking a step up in competition level and exposure.

“I came here the new guy, didn’t really want to shoot, wanted to pass the ball so the guys would like me,” he said. “Now they’re treating me like part of the team, and I’m taking shots much more confidently.”

Pennsbury head coach Bill Coleman needs Flagg to get all the experience he can get over the summer, considering the Falcons lose St. Bonaventure-bound big man Derrick Woods as well as guards Cameron Jones (Saint Peter’s) and Mekhi Bryant (Baltimore City), among others.

And instead of deferring to his older and more experienced teammates, he’s the one the coaches are looking to get involved.

“They want me to shoot the ball, want the ball in my hands,” he said. “So it’s helped me out a lot out here, confidence and everything.”

A combo forward, Flagg is starting to play with a higher motor on a more consistent basis, using his size to establish position in the lane and hit turnaround jumpers to kick out to shooters. And he’ll pull the trigger all the way out to the 3-point line, especially from the corners.

He knocked down a few shots on Thursday afternoon, including a pair of 3-pointers, scoring eight points in a win over Team Takeover Orange.

His size, shooting ability and the fact that he’s only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential are why Division I schools are checking on Flagg. Lafayette, Holy Cross, Yale and Princeton are the four who have reached out thus far, checking in with calls and texts to track his progress and give him some encouragement.

“They’re letting me know how good I’m playing, they’re just telling me they see me and to keep playing my game,” he said.  --Josh Verlin

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Donnell Frayer (2017/G/Team Takeover Orange)
While Team Takeover’s 2017 class already features no fewer than five high-major prospects, it was a relative unknown who stole the show at Pleasantville.

Playing for Team Takeover Orange, the programs ‘B’ team, Donnell Frayer exploded for 24 points, albeit in an overtime loss to Jersey Shore Warriors. What was especially impressive was that in a close game the entire way down the stretch, Frayer always wanted the ball in his hands, scoring 17 points after halftime.

“I try to create for my teammates or myself, so my coach usually wants me to have the ball in my hands,” he said. “Back when I was younger, I never used to get the ball. I was shying away in the corner. My teammate would always have the ball and I started liking what he did, so I worked on being able to not turn the ball over and stuff like that.

“Growth and confidence, I guess,” he added about what made him so much more aggressive. “People telling me I could do it, and then once I started really working with it, it started to happen for me.”

Things are still quiet on the recruiting front for Frayer, as the only school he’s been in touch with is Colgate. He attended the Raiders’ elite camp and said the staff contacted him afterwards to ask for his AAU schedule, and Frayer mentioned that a Colgate assistant was in attendance at his team’s earlier game.

While he waits for things to heat up in that realm, Frayer is shifting his focus towards his upcoming high school season.

After attending Gonzaga College HS of the prestigious Washington Catholic Athletic Conference last season, he will be transferring to the Landon School, another private school located in Bethesda, Md.

Staying at Gonzaga would’ve given him an opportunity to play alongside tons of high-major talent over the next two years, but ultimately, the chance to be the main guy at Landon was more appealing.

“Last year I played JV at Gonzaga but now I’m transferring and getting a new role at Landon,” Frayer said. “I’m working everyday on being a leader. I try to do that. Already in summer league, they looked at me as a leader and we won a couple games, so that’s the main goal is just to be a leader.” --Ari Rosenfeld

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Luka Garza (2017/C/Team Takeover Black)
After recovering from an injury that kept him out of the beginning parts of AAU season, Luka Garza has bounced back to solidify himself as a solid high-major prospect.

Garza picked up offers from Binghamton and George Washington before this past high school season, but has since earned offers from Depaul, of the Big East, and most recently Iowa, of the Big 10, which offered last month.

He’s also got a long list of schools expressing interest, citing Maryland, Clemson, Northwestern, and St. Joe’s specifically, but also saying he’s heard from several other schools in the Big 10.

“Every time after practice I was in the gym getting my shots up, getting my post work on. I knew I had to get stronger and get my legs better,” he said in regards to what he thinks caused his stock to rise. “There was a lot, I’ve still got a lot to do to catch up since I missed a lot. I’ve got a lot of work to do. But I’m confident and happy to know that I have the high-major offers and I can go high-major. It’s an honor.”

The injury that forced Garza to sit out for several months was a bone spur, and while he’s happy with his performance in front of coaches this month, he acknowledges that he’s not yet all the way back.

“I’m getting my rhythm back. Right now, I’m playing pretty good. I’m getting back into the flow,” he said. “Earlier in July, you could see, ‘He was out for a while, now he’s getting his breath back. He’s coming back,’ but I’ve gotten my jump shot back in the flow. I’m getting back, I’m almost there.”

What’s made his return more difficult is that this is Garza’s first time playing in front of the wealth of Division I coaches that turn out regularly to watch Team Takeover, one of the top programs in Nike’s EYBL.

Garza switched over from Mid-Atlantic Select for this year’s AAU season, but didn’t get a chance to get out in front of coaches during the April live periods due to his injury.

“I made the switch last year to Takeover for AAU, so we didn’t really have this many coaches watching us, so it was like, ‘Wow!’,” he said. “But now it’s like, ‘Yeah, I deserve this. I’ve put in the time in the gym.’”

Although Garza said that no schools stand out as being in touch more than others, he mentioned that he’s already visited George Washington and has a great relationship with the Colonials’ staff. Garza is also planning a visit to Iowa sometime this fall.

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Izaiah Brockington (2017/SG/Team Philly)
After Archbishop Ryan head coach Bernie Rogers left for the same position at The Haverford School in early May, one of the more talented prospects that’s come through the school in some time considered transferring.

With two years left in his high school career and potential Division I scholarships in the distance, Brockington wanted to be sure that he was in the best possible spot to make his dreams happen.

And then, five weeks later, Ryan hired one of its own, bringing Joe Zeglinski back to the school he scored 1,253 points points at from 2003-06 before going to Hartford, where his 393 career 3-pointers rank 15th on the NCAA’s all-time list.

Suddenly, Brockington didn’t have to worry about potentially transferring anymore.

“Coach Zeglinski, he’s a really good coach,” he said. “It really makes me want to listen to him and soak up everything he says so much more, because he’s been in the position that I was in, he was a guard and he played Division I.”

As Brockington tries to become the second Archbishop Ryan player since his new coach to earn a Division I scholarship (Andy Rogers, Maine '10), he’s got several schools already checking him out. Lafayette, Penn, American, Yale and Holy Cross have been in contact, and several Ivy/Patriot schools were watching Team Philly’s win over the NJ Playaz, where Brockington scored nine points in an overall team effort.

A left-handed, 6-foot-2 guard, Brockington was best used during his sophomore year as a spot-up 3-point shooter, with a hitch in his shot that prevented it from being much of a weapon off the dribble; it was either triples or attacking the basket, which he did to average 14.8 ppg on the season.

But at Pleasantville High School, Brockington hit several pull-up jumpers, showing off a much smoother shot with a more consistent release point.

“I’ve just been starting off in front of the basket and just working on not hitching my shot, no jumping, and trying to get a swish every time,” he said. “And slowly moving it out until it becomes consistently smooth, with no hitch.”

If he can take the next step forward, that’ll be a big boost to a team coming off a 10-13 season, including a 4-9 record in the Catholic League. But the Raiders return more than 92 percent of their scoring from a year ago, and have a real chance to improve on their 10th-place finish from a year ago.

“It’s going to be a jump I don’t think a lot of people see coming, really,” Brockington said. “We have a new offense that suits our playing style, running more fast breaks and everything, it should be exciting.”  --Josh Verlin

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Prentiss Hubb (2018/G/D.C. Premier)
Even having watched just one of D.C. Premier’s games, it’s easy to see who the unquestioned leader of the team is.

Even as just a rising sophomore, playing with and against kids a full year older than him, Prentiss Hubb approaches the game with a maturity beyond his years, handling the rock and always knowing when to attack for his own points and when to facilitate. Playing up a level throughout the Under Armour Association circuit, Hubb stuffed the stat sheets, averaging 11.5 points, 3.6 assists, and 4.4 boards per game.

It’s no wonder why he’s already picked up offers from Xavier, NC State, Cincinnati, George Mason and Towson, with additional interest from Maryland.

“It’s been a real big experience, especially with a lot of competition against older kids. It’s helped me to get better and work on my skills more and more,” Hubb said of his first year playing against older opponents. “I think I did pretty good. I could’ve did better. I think overall I did a pretty good job playing against the older competition.”

Hubb should already be used to playing on the big stage, as he got substantial bench minutes for a Gonzaga College HS team that won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, possibly the best high school conference in the nation.

Backing up fellow high-major prospects Bryant Crawford, who will attend Wake Forest this year, and Chris Lykes, a member of the 2017 class, Hubb provided a consistent spark off the bench. This year, however, he’s ready to step into a bigger role, as he expects to start alongside Lykes in the backcourt.

“I was a big role player coming off the bench, like sixth, seventh man. I just had to be able to come off the bench…when Bryant or Chris came out of the game, I could go in for them and produce big,” he said. “I’m gonna have to be able to fill in big shoes, because Bryant, he scored a lot of points and did a lot of playmaking, so I’m gonna have to make up for that loss for the team.”

Such significant experience as a ninth grader has helped prepare Hubb to make the most of his chance to play in front of college coaches this month. He admitted he feels a bit of pressure with coaches watching him closely for the first time, but has thrived thus far under that very pressure.

“It’s a little bit of nerves, and then a little bit of confidence. Nervous playing in front of big college coaches, top D-I schools,” he said. “But it’s also a good experience and I feel proud of myself because they’re coming to see me play only going into my sophomore year, so it’s just pushing me to work harder.” --Ari Rosenfeld


Elijah Oliyani (above) had a strong effort with 24 points against Team Takeover Black. (Photo: Josh Verlin)

Quick Hits
--Elijah Oliyani (2017/SF/NJ Roadrunners) had a strong effort in what was largely a struggle of a game in a 21-point loss to Team Takeover Black. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound wing guard scored 24 of his team’s 39 points, playing tough inside and out despite giving up a pretty big height advantage on the interior. The Newark Eastside rising junior averaged a little more than seven points and five rebounds as a sophomore, helping his team to the Group 3 state playoff second round.

“I’d describe my game like being more of an athletic guard, being able to rebound and push, able to find my own shots,” he said.

Oliyani claimed interest from Monmouth, Stony Brook, Fairleigh Dickinson, Saint Peter’s and Penn, and with continued strong effort on the glass as well as the ability to make shots all over the court, he should be reeling in some low-to-mid-major Division I offers by this point next year.

--Collin Gillespie (2017/G/Team Final Black) looks primed for a big year at Archbishop Wood, as he’s putting the finishing touches on a strong AAU season after being just the fifth-leading scorer for the Vikings last season.

In Team Final Black’s consolation matchup against BC Eagles, Gillespie knocked down three triples in the opening minutes of the game, as his squad jumped out to a 21-3 lead on the heels of seven consecutive threes. The entire team has played together since last summer, and it’s obvious with the way that they move the ball and work for open looks.

“We play together, we play hard, we play for each other,” Gillespie said. “That’s what the most important thing is, we play together. We click very well.”

Right now, he’s hearing from several Patriot League schools, specifically claiming interest from Lafayette and Bucknell. With a successful year at Wood alongside fellow Division I recruits Tommy Funk and Tyree Pickron, it wouldn’t be surprising for Gillespie to have a few offers at this time next year.

“I’m just gonna try to run the offense for my team,” he said of the upcoming season. “Me and Tommy, Tyree is going to be a big piece. We have a lot of underclassmen, so it’s gonna be fun watching everybody develop and play together for the next couple years.”


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