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The Evans Awards from Spiece Run-n-Slam in Fort Wayne

Terrence Shannon Jr.
Terrence Shannon Jr.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The annual Spiece Run-n-Slam is in the books, so it's time to give out the awards from our time spent in Fort Wayne. No one had a better three-day stint than Anthony Leal, and no one has had a better three weeks than Terrence Shannon. They were two of the top winners of the weekend.

RELATED: Scouting notebook from Speice Run-n-Slam on Saturday

RANKINGS: 2018 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2018 Team | 2018 Position

BIGGEST QUANDARY

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Shannon Jr. received some pub here two weeks ago with his breakout performance in Dallas at the first session of the Nike EYBL. But he hasn’t stopped making waves. The 6-foot-7 wing, who has grown close to a foot since his freshman year, continued his work in Fort Wayne by acting the lead role for the high-octane Mac Irvin Fire bunch.

The lefty can do it all, whether that is distributing off of the high pick-and-roll or knocking down his unconventional-but-accurate perimeter jumper. He can finish with athleticism or defend three positions in the half court.

DePaul, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Wake Forest are hopeful to add him as late additions to their 2018 class this spring, making the idea of going prep or remaining in his original class a giant quandary for the Chicago native.

BIGGEST HEAD SCRATCHER

Leal filled a void in the backcourt left by Trey Galloway, his teammate on the Indiana Elite 16-under team who was sitting out the weekend with a minor injury. Leal took that opportunity and ran with it, thanks to his fundamentally sound skillset and toughness in the backcourt.

It is rather head-scratching that he has no scholarship offers. He looks the part of a prototypical Big Ten guard who can shoot, dribble, pass and rebound. Not an explosive athlete, Leal makes up for things with his intellect and unrelenting mindset on the attack. He's a native of Bloomington, Ind., and if the Hoosiers offer this recruitment could be over before one can say ‘IU.’

TOP PROSPECT

Playing at the 15-under level, Michael Foster was the primary reason why his Milwaukee Spartans’ squad was able to make its way deep into the championship bracket. Built like he has been through his fair share of college weight sessions, Foster is a tremendous physical specimen who has revamped his all-around skillset since the fall - in a big way.

We first discussed Foster here at Rivals.com in October, bringing up his chances of securing the top ranking in his 2021 class. This weekend, the native of Mississippi played the part, as he nailed a handful of impressive mid- and short-range jumpers, completed emphatic dunks in traffic and acted as a giant playmaker on the open floor while showcasing underrated passing skills. Foster is the cream of the crop in the 2021 class, and Arizona State and its coach, Bobby Hurley, have a major stud headed their way three years from now.

BEST FINISHER

Missing two of his Spiece Indy Heat’s contests over the weekend, Jackson-Davis had to make amends for his rather lethargic Saturday morning outing before exiting Fort Wayne for his high school prom.

Back on the floor at the Spiece Fieldhouse on Sunday, the top-25 junior went to work, and in a major way. While his right hand still needs more polishing, whenever Jackson-Davis can get his defender on his right shoulder the opposition might as well retreat to the offensive end, because it is going to be a bucket. A 6-foot-9 power forward who works extremely well out of high-low sets, Jackson-Davis’ use of angles and elite hands in the paint is are good as you’re going to find at this stage, and that's a major reason why practically the entire Big Ten has made him a priority. A quality finisher around the basket, Jackson-Davis is one of the top frontcourt prospects in the nation.

BEST DEFENDER

Isaiah Jackson is already a top 5 defender in high school basketball, and he's knocking on the door of five-star Scottie Barnes for the title of most versatile defender in the 2020 class.

Jackson, a Detroit native, was practically everywhere at the Spiece Run-n-Slam, showing tremendous anticipation skills in covering every inch of the playing floor as he disrupted what seemed like every pass or shot that was attempted in his proximity. Jackson has begun to revamp his offensive repertoire, but his bread will always be buttered on the defensive end.

He has grown to 6-foot-8, but he has remained as nimble and active as he was a year ago, when he was two inches shorter. On the cusp of a five-star rating, Jackson looked the part in Indiana, and Maryland, Iowa, Mississippi State, Florida State and a handful of others have offered.

NEXT BIG TEN PRIORITY

The sky is the limit for Max Christie, as the 6-foot-4 freshman was sensational in Fort Wayne as he displayed tremendous maturity in the backcourt. He still has a lot of time to go before his body catches up with his raw talent and abilities, but Christie was more than up to par, finishing the weekend competing at the 17-under level with the Illinois Wolves and taking home game-high scoring honors in a couple of his outings with his original 16-under unit.

His pace and ball control is phenomenal at this stage, as is his ability to see many of the minor gaps in an opposing defense. He already holds offers from DePaul and Florida, but before long Christie will have offers from everyone in the Big Ten as he becomes a priority for the Midwest powers.

SMOOTHEST PLAYER

Carrying offers from Dayton, Cincinnati and Providence, Jackson made a statement with his play. He is not just a high-major prospect, but also a worthy member of the Rivals150 in the coming months.

A slender but skilled lefty guard who exhibits great size and poise on the perimeter, there is one way to summarize the Toledo native: smooth. There isn’t much an opponent can do to rattle the C2K product, and his ability to use his hang dribble before crossing back to his left hand en route to his patented mid-range pull-up is as precise as can be. Jackson still needs some time to fine tune his game and decision-making, but with his size, length and quickness, the sophomore guard made a name for himself.

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