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Team Final Scrimmage Preview (April 15)

04/14/2017, 12:45pm EDT
By Josh Verlin

Cameron Reddish (above) leads the Team Final 17s in their sixth annual scrimmage on Saturday. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld)
--

For the sixth consecutive year, Team Final will host several high-level AAU programs in a set of scrimmages to prepare for the first live recruiting periods of the offseason later this month.

“The Scrimmage” will take place on Saturday, April 15 at Peak Skills Basketball in West Berlin, N.J., bringing together five different programs that play on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball (EYBL) circuit, as well as one top non-shoe program and even an appearance by a top-level local Under Armour Association (UAA) squad as well.

Here’s a brief look at the 17U teams involved, with the full schedule down below; admission will be $5 for the day:

Team Final
Teams Participating: 15U/16U/17U

The Philadelphia-area’s representative on the EYBL has done well by the City of Brotherly Love, making it to the EYBL championships at the Peach Jam in 10 of its 11 seasons as a program. This year’s group is strong yet again, led by ESPN No. 4 Cameron Reddish, the Westtown School’s super-versatile 6-8 guard who’s got his pick of the blue bloods. St. Benedict’s (N.J.) wing Matt Cotton (6-5), Neumann-Goretti big man Marcus Littles (6-9) and Archbishop Carroll guard Justin Anderson (6-4) already have offers under their belts, while talented Shipley School point guard Sam Sessoms (5-11) is close with a number of mid-majors. Louis King (Hudson Catholic, N.J.), a different-but-also-versatile 6-8 forward who’s currently ranked No. 38 in the senior class by ESPN, also joins the group this year, giving head coach Aaron Burt yet another powerful scoring weapon. Look out for the only 2020 prospect playing with the team, Girard College (Pa.) 6-8 wing Mikeal Jones, who’s developing a smooth inside-out game.

Others to watch: A.J. Hoggard (2020/Archbishop Carroll), versatile 6-3 lead guard plays up with Final’s 16s, could hit high-major territory as soon as this summer with his two-way abilities; Noah Collier (2020/Westtown) is a lanky 6-6 wing who didn’t get much of a chance to shine this year on a loaded Moose squad but has future star written all over him.

Jersey Shore Warriors
Teams Participating: 15U/16U/17U

The only program in the event that isn’t affiliated with one of the major shoe companies -- Jersey Shore participates on the Hoop Group’s circuit instead -- the Warriors have built their reputation as one of the best non-shoe programs in the entire country in several decades under Tony Sagona. This year’s 2018 group is chock-full of potential breakout candidates, including 6-4 Archbishop Wood (Pa.) G Andrew Funk, 6-6 Lenape (N.J.) wing Andrew Sims, 6-6 State College (Pa.) wing Drew Friberg and more. The Warriors have a reputation for being one of the more well-coached and better-shooting programs around, so it’ll be interesting to see how the chemistry is on a group of 17s that is fitting in a lot of new pieces.

Others to watch: Tyler Norwood (2018/Penncrest), talented 5-10 scoring guard with range led Lions to the District 1 5A title; Alex Capitano (2019/Great Valley), 6-4 wing missed most of sophomore year but has tools to be a very intriguing player.

Philly Pride (UAA)
Teams Participating: 17U

If you’re there in the evening, stick around for a great 17U game as Philly Pride plays Team Melo in the final set at 7 PM. What certainly sticks out about this Philly Pride squad is its frontcourt, from a pair of prepping bigs in Strath Haven’s John Harrar (6-9, 260) and Martin Luther King’s Elijah Kiah-El (6-7, 230) to King 2018 C Will McNair (6-9, 260), not to mention St. Joseph’s Prep 2018 PF Ed Croswell (6-7, 220). That’s enough of an advantage, but the guards are strong, too: 6-3 Chris Arcidiacono (2018/Neshaminy), 6-4 Allen Betrand (2018/Roman Catholic), 6-6 Justin Steers (2018/Friends’ Central) and 6-6 Jack Clark (2018/Cheltenham) all have Division I offers, while 6-1 Denelle Holly (2018/Martin Luther King) should pick up a few of his own from schools who like his scrappy defensive play and scoring abilities.

Team Takeover (EYBL)
Teams Participating: 15U/16U/17U

Perennially one of the top teams on the Nike summer circuit, this year’s group from the DMV figures to be no different, led by two top-50 2018 prospects in 6-7 combo forward Brandon Slater (Paul VI, Va.) and big man Jalen “Sticks” Smith (Mount St. Joseph, Md.). There have been talks of a potential package deal between the two, as both are being recruited by the likes of Villanova, Syracuse, Virginia, and Miami, to name a few. Not lacking for depth, Takeover will trot out Penn State commit Myles Dread (Gonzaga HS, D.C.) on the wing along with a second high-major big man in versatile Saint James School post Bryce Golden. Look for 2019 Anthony Harris, also a high school teammate of Slater’s, to make an impact at the point guard spot.

Others to watch: Wynston Tabbs (2018/St. Mary’s Ryken, Md.), a top St. Joe’s target who has the chance to breakout on the circuit; Jeremy Roach (2020/Paul VI, Va.), perhaps the top freshman point guard in the entire nation

Albany City Rocks (EYBL)
Teams Participating: 15U/16U/17U

Yet another consistently strong EYBL group, the City Rocks annually put together a star-studded group featuring players from throughout central New York. This year’s group is led by Rochester native Isaiah Stewart (McQuaid Jesuit, N.Y.), a fringe 5-star prospect in the 2019 class who plays like a man amongst boys in the paint; Syracuse and Georgetown are among the schools already after his services. The rest of last year’s 16U core remains intact as well, namely high-flyer Jeenathan Williams (University Prep, N.Y.), point guard Mika Adams-Woods (Bishop Ludden, N.Y.), and sharpshooting 2019 Joe Girard (Glens Falls, N.Y.), all of whom should have high-major ball in their future. From a local standpoint, keep an eye out for 6-foot-7 Hill School forward Xavier Mayo, another 2019 who will be playing up on the 17U circuit.

Others to watch: Symir Torrence (2019/Syracuse Academy of Science), emerging high-major point guard prospect getting his first glimpse of high-level AAU; Andrew Delaney (2019/Clearview Regional, N.J.), brother of Villanova forward Tim Delaney who’s impressed City Rocks coaches early on; Andre Jackson (2020/Albany Academy), high-upside freshman wing flying under the radar in central NY

Team Melo (EYBL)
Teams Participating: 15U/16U/17U

One of four programs new to the EYBL 17U circuit, Team Melo knows it can hang with the Nike programs after a solid showing at “The 8” last July. Keep an eye out for 6-9 swingman LaQuill Hardnett, a Philly native who moved down to Baltimore in eighth grade and sprouted up from six feet tall to become a super-versatile prospect with high-major looks. He’s just one of five players on the Melo roster that stands 6-8 or taller, topped off by 6-10 Brewster Academy center Nate Roberts. The backcourt scoring will likely be done by committee, though 6-2 Noah Locke (McDonogh High School, Md.), who has offers from Florida, Xavier, St. Joe’s and more, and spring breakout candidate Demetrius Mims (Baltimore Poly, Md.) figure to lead the way.

Others to watch: Judah Jordan (2019/Capitol Christian, Md.), another high-upside lead guard who’s exciting to watch with the ball in his hands; Che Evans (2020/Dulaney HS, Md.) and Justin Lewis (2020/Calvert Hall, MD.), two elite 2020 wings already with high-major offers who will team up for Melo’s 15U squad

Boo Williams (EYBL)
Teams Participating: 17U

Zion Harmon drew headlines last year when he made his debut on the EYBL circuit with We All Can Go, as the seventh grader was the youngest player in the circuit’s history -- and all he did was put up 19 points, six assists and three rebounds in his debut, averaging 17 ppg and 4.4 apg in nine games. The Bowling Green (Ky.) guard and DMV native has moved over to Boo Williams, where he’ll certainly draw a crowd on Saturday as he makes his debut with his new program; he’s one of four underclassmen on the Boo Williams roster. Keldon Johnson (Huntington Prep), a 6-6 wing guard, has offers from Oregon, Auburn, Xavier, Louisville, Indiana and more; he averaged 16.7 ppg and 5.4 rpg in 15 EYBL games last year. In the middle, Boo features 6-11, 245-pounder Qudus Wahab (2019/Virginia Academy), who should see high-major offers pour in this summer.

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The Scrimmage Schedule

9:00 AM
Court 1: Team Final vs. Jersey Shore Warriors (15U)
Court 2: Team Final vs. Jersey Shore Warriors (16U)

10:15 AM
Court 1: Jersey Shore Warriors vs. Team Final Black (17U)
Court 2: Team Final Red vs. Team Final Black (15U)

11:30 AM
Court 1: Jersey Shore Warriors vs. Team Melo (15U)
Court 2: Jersey Shore Warriors vs. Team Melo (16U)

12:45 PM
Court 1: Team Melo vs. Jersey Shore Warriors (17U)
Court 2: Team Takeover vs. Albany City Rocks (15U)

2:00 PM
Court 1: Team Takeover vs. Albany City Rocks (17U)
Court 2: Team Melo vs. Albany City Rocks (16U)

3:15 PM
Court 1: Albany City Rocks vs. Team Final (15U)
Court 2: Team Takeover vs. Team Final (16U)

4:30 PM
Court 1: Team Takeover vs. Team Final (17U)
Court 2: Boo Williams vs. Albany City Rocks (17U)

5:45 PM
Court 1: Team Takeover vs. Team Melo (15U)
Court 2: Team Takeover vs. Albany City Rocks (16U)

7:00 PM
Court 1: Team Final vs. Boo Williams (17U)
Court 2: Philly Pride vs. Team Melo (17U)


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