Kell puts on shooting show, earns offers
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- There were four-star prospects at the Double Pump Best of Summer tournament, and there were dunkers, high-flyers, shot blockers and elite underclassmen.
Advertisement
But there wasn't a single player who caught the eye of more college coaches than three-star shooting guard Trey Kell this weekend in Southern California.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard put on a shooting clinic en route to his SDA San Diego All-Stars Pump N Run squad's open championship win.
On the way, Kell proved he's arguably the best shooter in the West for the 2014 class, at least when the pressure cooker is set on high. He repeatedly connected on 3-balls throughout the weekend, and by the end of the tournament had head coaches from Colorado, St. Mary's, Washington, San Diego State, Arizona State and New Mexico, plus assistants from Pac-12 staffs, crawling on the bleachers for his games.
With his team's life in the balance though, it wasn't a 3-pointer but a driving layup with less than 10 seconds left in a semifinal win that defined Kell's performance.
"It was a broken down play," Kell said. "I was supposed to come off a screen, but they flashed to the ball so I saw I had a one-on-one matchup, our big man set a great screen and I ended up wide open under the basket."
Afterward, Kell said he'd come away from the tourney with new offers from USC, Loyola-Marymount and Vanderbilt, plus renewed interest from UCLA.
"Right now, I'm just looking at the schools who are showing me support," Kell said. "And those are the schools that I'm going to take a serious look at because they have a serious interest in me."
Kell was repeatedly the biggest draw for college coaches as the tournament wound down Saturday and Sunday. Every school needs shooters, and while he was clearly the best in the field in that category, he also showed off a great ability to score off the bounce and find the open teammate.
The three-star guard said he's not close to figuring out where he'll be shooting, driving and passing next year, though. He's going to play out the July period, pair down his list to a top five at some point, take his official visits and then go from there.
"Close to home is something I'd prefer," Kell said. "But for me, the main thing is just finding the right school. So if that happens to be in the East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, wherever that is, I'm just looking for whatever school fits me the most."
Ball so hard
Kell may have been the best shooter at the Pumps tournament, but 2016's Lonzo Ball was by far the best prospect in the gym this week in Anaheim.
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound point guard was electric, and at one point he had Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar fixated from the front row of one of his games.
Ball has range from the halfcourt logo, incredible vision and the ability to pass the ball from baseline to baseline that no other prospect could have fathomed this weekend in Southern California.
The guard was so good, in fact, that scouts and coaches were buzzing that he may be the best prospect in the West for 2016.
"I always think I'm the best," Ball said after dominating one game this weekend. "I go into every game thinking I'm the best."
He proved that during nearly every game this week.
The guard prospect has yet to land an offer, but he said nearly every school from the Pac-12 is in on him.
Williams emerges on scene in big way
With his Pangos Elite squad this summer, 2015 Santa Monica (Calif.) guard Nuwr'Iyl Williams has mostly played off the ball, with quality 2014 Division-I prospect Devin Watson manning the point guard duties admirably.
That's not going to be Williams' future, however, as he demonstrated at the Pangos Stars of the Future Showcase on Sunday that he's more than capable of playing the point at the highest level imaginable.
Williams, a 6-foot-2 southpaw who missed essentially all of the regular season in high school ball with a broken wrist, was nothing short of a revelation on Sunday. He scored at will from every level of the court, showcased elite athleticism with rim rattling dunks and was almost indefensible in pick-and-roll situations. Not only did he score at will, but his passes were uncannily conceived and executed.
When the day was done, Arizona State and San Diego State extended scholarship offers to add to Williams' lone previous offer from Northern Arizona, and the West had yet another in a long list of guards capable of being considered top 100 national prospects.
"I came back during the playoffs and gained the trust of my coach," Williams said. "It was streaky, I averaged around six or seven points. We went all the way to state (playoffs). All my life I've been playing the two but lately people have said that it'll be good to learn the point guard position. I'm supposed to be 6-foot-5, so I have a high potential if I could do that."
Consider it accomplished. Williams will almost certainly become one of the hottest commodities in the region as the year unfolds.
Two Las Vegas products had college coaches lining up for their games this weekend: 6-foot-7 forward Nate GrimesClick Top-100 guards Jeremy HemsleyClick Sunday tip-ins Here to view this Link. and Kendall SmallClick Sunday tip-ins Here to view this Link. deservedly generated much of the buzz surrounding Superior Athletes' outstanding performance in the Best of Summer event, but a legitimate case could be made that another 2015 guard, Gardena (Calif.) Bishop Montgomery 6-foot-3 standout Stephen ThompsonClick Sunday tip-ins Here to view this Link., could wind up the best prospect of the group. A heady combo guard, Thompson is crafty with the ball and a very good shooter. Pac-12 schools are increasingly alert, and Gonzaga, New MexicoClick Sunday tip-ins Here to view this Link. and San Diego StateClick Sunday tip-ins Here to view this Link. have already offered. Here to view this Link. and 6-foot-3 guard Darrian TraylorClick Top-100 guards Jeremy HemsleyClick Sunday tip-ins Here to view this Link. and Kendall SmallClick Sunday tip-ins Here to view this Link. deservedly generated much of the buzz surrounding Superior Athletes' outstanding performance in the Best of Summer event, but a legitimate case could be made that another 2015 guard, Gardena (Calif.) Bishop Montgomery 6-foot-3 standout Stephen ThompsonClick Sunday tip-ins Here to view this Link., could wind up the best prospect of the group. A heady combo guard, Thompson is crafty with the ball and a very good shooter. Pac-12 schools are increasingly alert, and Gonzaga, New MexicoClick Sunday tip-ins Here to view this Link. and San Diego StateClick Sunday tip-ins Here to view this Link. have already offered. Here to view this Link.. Grimes was the big draw because of his gifted frame and his athleticism. But Traylor showed scoring ability that could have more schools calling with offers soon.
Click Here to view this Link.
[rl]