Published May 13, 2013
Dallas EYBL comes to a close
Eric Bossi
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Analyst
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FRISCO, Texas- Sunday was a relatively short day at Nike's Dallas session of the EYBL. Teams only played once and there seemed to be a bit of dip in the overall level of play. But, some guys like Bennie Boatwright made noise on the last day as a talent filled weekend came to a completion.
Boatwright on course
As a team, California Supreme didn't have the weekend that they were probably hoping for. The Los Angeles based group went 1-3 on the weekend, but the play of 6-foot-8 sophomore wing Bennie Boatwright had to have been looked at as a bit of a bright spot.
Thin and whispy, Boatwright is a 6-foot-8 wing with a deadly jump shot and deep range. Because of his size and overall skill level, he can be used as a tall wing or a stretch four and he's got a good understanding of the game.
Over the last three games of the weekend he poured in 66 points and he finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds in the Sunday morning loss to the Soldiers.
"Coaches like my size and my shooting," Boatwright told Rivals.com. "Some have compared me to an Austin Daye type player. I like the taller Klay Thompson comparison."
So far, Boatwright counts offers from Connecticut, Arizona, Washington, Gonzaga, California, UCLA and USC and more are sure to come.
Currently, he's a four-star prospect who checks in at No. 40 in the class of 2015. Don't be surprised to see him climb the rankings when they are next updated.
Final notes from the Dallas EYBL
* A guy that was fun to watch throughout the weekend was Bonzie Colson of BABC. A three-star combo forward, he's got the size of a wing at 6-foot-5 but plays much more of a power forward's game. He is tough around the basket, gets on the glass and plays with great energy. He'll be mid to upper mid level priority.
* Junior four-star point guard Lourawls Nairn finished a successful weekend. MoKan Elite needed their best player to step up and on Sunday he was playing mistake free basketball just like he'd done most of the weekend. Nairn is likely the fastest guard in the class of 2014 and he did an excellent job of controlling the pace. He engineered a win against Team Scan on Sunday morning and the opposing coaches were quite complimentary of "Tum Tum" when Rivals.com ran into them at the airport.
* Sophomore forward D.J. Hogg is worthy of his four-star status. The 6-foot-7 combo didn't shoot it his best over the weekend, but you can see the talent level and ability to play as a stretch four or a tall, jump shooting wing. However, Hogg has got to diversify his game some. It could be the design of the Texas Titans offense, or it could be him, but Hogg seems to pretty much camp out on the three point line and it seems like an overwhelming majority of his shots are three-pointers.
* The Houston Hoops are now 12-1 through three sessions of the EYBL. They are deep, they are versatile and they have high end talent. Sunday was actually a bit of a "down" day for Justin Jackson as the Hoops rolled BABC. Still, he needs to get some credit for otherwise playing incredibly efficient and versatile basketball throughout the weekend an course of the EYBL. When you are already ranked No. 14 in the country there isn't a long way to go up the rankings, but the North Carolina bound forward is certainly pushing for some upward movement.
* Finally, he's not gotten a lot of run just yet, but Angel Delgado will at least be in the discussion for the next Rivals150 in the class of 2014. The 6-foot-7, maybe 6-foot-8, power forward is very effective for the NY Lightning. He finishes in traffic, has some touch and is an excellent rebounder. Among those that he says have offered early are Florida State, Dayton, Virginia, Seton Hall and Manhattan.
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