Adidas Nations: Saturday A.M. news and notes
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GARDEN GROVE, CALIF. -- With his team down almost 20 points, five-star point guard
Dennis Smith turned up the heat and led his team to a comeback win. He was one of several big timers doing big things during Saturday's first session at the loaded Adidas Nations camp.
Saturday morning stars
Dennis Smith - The highest-ranked point guard in the class of 2016 and the No. 4 overall player, Smith had a forgettable first half as his team fell down nearly 20 points. In the second he got focused and got cooking. He got into the lane for baskets, pushed the tempo and turned up the heat defensively while finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and a win.
Wenyen Gabriel - Clearly, Gabriel's play from the final two live periods is no fluke. All the 6-foot-9 combo forward did on Saturday morning was go for 26 points and 23 rebounds. He was all over the floor, hit jumpers, scored through double teams and continued to take his game to a new level.
Kyle Guy - While Dennis Smith was doing the driving, the future Virginia shooting guard was doing the damage from deep. Guy made eight of his 12 three-point attempts and finished with 30 points and five rebounds. He has firmly established himself as one of 2016's elite shooters but Guy is also a very good athlete. He just needs strength.
Rawle Alkins - Alkins is another who didn't want his team to lose on Saturday morning. A physical scorer who is known for putting up big numbers he did so scoring 20 points. However, it has been his passing that has really stuck out at Nations. Alkins had eight assists on Saturday morning and is leading the camp in assists through two games. For good measure, he added six rebounds to round out a very solid all-around performance. Alkins also released his final 10 schools on Saturday listing Kansas, Louisville, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, St. John's, N.C. State, Maryland, UNLV and Texas.
De'Ron Davis - A big and strong post player who recently cut his school list down to Arizona, Indiana, and Texas, Davis was aggressive in a 17-point and seven-rebound outing. He used his strength to bury defenders in the low post and then aggressively demanded the ball.
Hamidou Diallo - Because his Team Africa squad doesn't have a true point guard, the 2017 five-star shooting guard has had to play a lot at that position. He's shown that he's not bad in that role but his forte remains scoring the ball. He was explosive with the ball and showed that he loves to finish off the glass as much or more than anybody in the country with short to medium range shots.
Edrice Adebayo - Big Bam continues to dominate with his athleticism and toughness. He doesn't have many refined post moves yet but he will learn those in college and he does have good feet and astounding quickness for a kid who is 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds. Just another day at the office while scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Koby McEwen - Playing for the Canadian camp team, the Rivals150 guard was part of a total domination of one of the United States two class of 2017 teams in camp. He can play on or off the ball, is a strong athlete and he gets to the free throw line. McEwen scored 17 points and said that he's set official visits to Utah State (Sept. 4) and Wake Forest (Sept. 27).
Simisola Shittu - A class of 2018 product from Canada who will play at Montverde (Fla.) Academy this upcoming season, Shittu is one to watch in that class. A 6-foot-7 athlete with long arms, above average athleticism and a big time motor, he was all over the glass and ran the floor. Shittu was impressive during the summer playing for Canada's national team in the 19U world championships and his play at Nations backed it up.
Jaylen Hands - The top 25 rising junior was just ok from the field but he made lots happen off the dribble. He's very explosive turning the corner in pick and roll situations and delivers the ball with crisp passes. Hands looks like he has grown some this summer and remains a big time prospect.
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