McDonald's Takeaways: AAU Super Showcase Friday

ORLANDO — Rivals.com was back at the ESPN Wide World of Sports for the first day of bracket play at the AAU Super Showcase. With the stakes a little higher and plenty of college coaches in attendance, we saw a few prospects raise their level of play.

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Earlier this year, Anthony Edwards decided to transfer from Therrell High School in Atlanta to Holy Spirit Prep, and in the process he moved back his graduation date from 2019 to 2020. It’s a move that will make him one of the more highly sought after prospects in his entire class.

With Leonard Hamilton looking on, Edwards shined in a way that probably made the Florida State head coach have flashbacks to watching his incoming five-star wing M.J. Walker. At 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds, Edwards dominates both with physicality and with his high skill level. He’s a tough shot maker, but he’s at his best attacking the rim where he probably has a little more explosiveness than Walker. His best play of the day came when he waited on a defender to come out and play him at half-court, at which point he proceeded to go right by him and down the lane for a highlight reel dunk.

Hamilton had an assistant coach with him and there were also assistants from Clemson and Georgia in attendance. Auburn, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M are among the other programs involved with Edwards early on.

Jordan Mitchell, the No. 57 player in the 2019 rankings, was one of the standouts on Friday at the Super Showcase. The 6-foot-7 forward has a game that will translate perfectly to college as he’s skilled enough and athletic enough to play on the wing but also has the traits to be a “stretch four.” He was at best in a win over Team MOAM slicing up the defense from the high post attacking a 2-3 zone.

Mitchell added an early offer from Ohio State to go along with Florida, Iowa and Xavier. With Thad Matta out and Chris Holtmann in, the Ohio native is waiting for official word from the new staff if his offer still stands, but he remains interested.

“They said I’m still on their mind and they want to recruit me and get me up there,” Mitchell said. “I’m still interested in them. It’s a nice school.”

Cole Swider, a recent Villanova commit, had about as efficient of a game as you’ll see a prospect have when BABC defeated the 16-under AOT squad. He pumped in 22 points in the first half and tallied 29 by the end of the third quarter as BABC cruised to an easy victory.

The future Wildcat has a smooth stroke from three-point range to the point where it is surprising when he misses. He’ll be an ideal “stretch four” for Jay Wright as he’s comfortable putting the ball on the floor and making plays off the dribble as well. He uses ball fakes, angles, and change of speed to make up for not being the most overwhelming athlete. Villanova fans should be excited about his future as he’ll likely be a four-year contributor.

TMP cruised to a mercy rule victory on Friday night over Metro Boston, and guards Aaron Nesmith and Josiah James were a big part of it.

Nesmith, a 6-foot-5 wing in the 2018 class, showed exactly why he’s received offers from Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, USC, Texas A&M, Cincinnati and Clemson have offered so far this month. He’s a pretty good shooter from deep, a good athlete, and very strong on the defensive end.

James, a 6-foot-6 point guard in the 2019 class, holds offers from Cincinnati, Virginia, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Florida and South Carolina with Louisville and NC State showing interest. He’s an explosive athlete as well and a high level play-maker. He’ll get after it defensively as well and thrives in the transition game.