skip navigation

Elevate Hoops Summer Icebreaker: July 8 notebook

07/08/2016, 6:15pm EDT
By Stephen Pianovich

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
--

The Elevate Hoops Summer Icebreaker wrapped up on Friday at Philly U. Here’s a notebook from the action:

Jersey Shore Warriors remain undefeated in 2016

Taylor Funk caught fire when his team needed him, and the Jersey Shore Warriors left the Elevate Hoops Icebreaker with a still unblemished 2016 record.

The Warriors fended off Team Final Black, 65-56, in the 17U Championship and Funk finished with 18 points – all coming on 3-pointers and three of the triples coming in a row during a second half run. The team won all six of its games at this week’s events to start the July Live Period, and, coupled with April’s action, is 34-0 in 2016.

The Warriors were heavily aided by Austin Gilbertson and Eli Brooks, who both scored 12 points. But Funk did the most damage with his team high, and his string of nine straight points helped Jersey Shore pull away after the two sides were tied, 34-34, at halftime.

The Archbishop Wood duo of Matt Cerruti and Collin Gillespie produced 29 points for Team Final Black, with Cerruti notching a team-best 17 points. Team Final Black also got nine points apiece from Marc Rodriguez (Father Judge) and Matt Paulus (La Salle).

Gillespie, meanwhile, was one of the best scorers at the event as he went off 34 points on Friday morning against Team Melo and another 22 in the semifinals against Eastside New York.

~~~

Kornaker, Eastside make a name

In the spring, Griffin Kornaker helped make sure Eastside New York could be an AAU team this summer.

At Philly U this week, he helped make sure people found out who they were.

Kornaker, a 6-1 guard, was a major part of Eastside’s run to the 17U semifinals at the Elevate Hoops Icebreaker. A sharpshooter with the ability to drive, he had an impressive three days for a team that went 4-1.

Kornaker attends Suffield Academy in Connecticut, a school that holds classes on Saturdays. That made it difficult for him to play on an AAU team during the April Live Period. So, with his dad Rob, (the head coach at D-III St. John Fisher), they created Eastside.

“We just made this team a few weeks ago, and we actually we never able to practice before this tournament,” said the younger Kornaker, who hit a trio of threes against Team Final Black. “So to go 4-1 overall and make it to the semis, I feel like we did great. We definitely held our own and showed we have a solid bunch of players.”

Kornaker, a 2017 recruit who is receiving D-I interest, was helped by teammate Dan Masino. Masino scored 21 points in Eastside’s only loss and is also getting looks from Division-I schools.

No offers are on the table yet for Kornaker, but Lafayette, Colgate and Davidson have reached out about the guard. And Kornaker is also interested in D-II and D-III programs like Stone Hill and MIT.

“The Division doesn’t matter as much to me, because I want to go somewhere that is a high academic and I know I can get a good education,” he said.

~~~

Parkland’s Iorio up to nine offers

Sam Iorio is hoping he might grow a few more inches in the next couple of months. He’s also hoping that maybe a few more schools will reach out with scholarship offers.

Iorio, the 6-7 forward whose heritage includes a 6-9 father and 6-8 grandfather, has a total of nine scholarship offers right now, and he’s started his process of taking visits. But he’s not rushing things.

“I want to see how July goes and see what else happens,” said the Jersey Shore Warriors/Parkland player Thursday afternoon. “I’ve been visiting a few schools, but it’s been a lot of calls and contact.”

Iorio has a lot of interest from the Ivy and Patriot Leagues, and among the schools he’s visited are Penn, Princeton, Yale, Lafayette and Lehigh. More offers came for the versatile forward after April’s Live Period, including ones from American, Rider, Brown and New Hampshire. And he’s getting interest from schools both in the CAA (William and Mary) and Atlantic 10 (Davidson).

So Iorio is hoping, like three months ago, this live period turns into more offers and interest. Playing alongside a handful of Division-I bound players with the Jersey Shore Warriors, Iorio gives the AAU team a stretch forward who can shoot the three and score inside.

“I want to show that I have a high motor and I can be a high major player,” he said, “And I’m not just one position. I don’t see myself as one position. I can play anywhere on the floor, and I feel like I can do a lot of things.”

~~~

Quick Hits

--WeR1 swept the 16U and 15U championships, beating Team Final Blue in each. In the 16U title game, Isaiah Wong (Notre Dame, NJ) scored 23 points and Tyree Pickron (Archbishop Wood) added 18 in a 73-51 win. In the 15U game, Chereef Knox (Imhotep) dropped 14 and Eric Dixon (Abington) notched 12 points as WeR1 cruised to a 25-point win.

--Touted 2017 big man Malik Williams put up 11 points as his team, Legit, won the title game in the 17U Silver bracket. Williams, who stands at 7-foot, is tabbed as the No. 42 player in ESPN’s latest top 100 of the class. His team jumped out to a huge lead against Philly Pride thanks to the 3-pointer and never looked back.


Recruiting News:

HS Coverage:

Tag(s): Home