Malik Newman and 2016's
Josh Jackson were both in the house. Both put on shows, but 2015's No. 3 player
Diamond Stone stole their thunder a bit with an impressive night.
You don't have to watch for long or be an expert to figure out that the Milwaukee (Wisc.) based Young Legends want to feed
Diamond Stone the ball as often as possible. It is a plan that makes sense. After all, Stone is the No. 3 player in the class of 2015 and knows what to do with the ball when he gets it.
The Young Legends game against 2016 No. 1
Josh Jackson and One Nation turned into a long and drawn out affair thanks to aspiring college refs blowing their whistles any chance they got. But that didn't stop Stone from looking awfully impressive while racking up 36 points and 16 rebounds to lead his team to a win.
The 6-foot-10 junior is a throwback post player who understands how to use his size and skill. Stone has done an excellent job of getting into shape and he showed some added explosiveness while going to the rim. He made mid range jumpers, he used fakes and spins near the rim and then stepped to the free throw line to make a boatload of free throws.
Anybody hoping to figure out who leads for Stone is going to be in the dark. He declined to speak specifically about any schools but in the crowd watching were the likes of
Bill Self,
Kevin Ollie,
Scott Drew,
John Thompson III,
Larry Brown,
Mark Gottfried and many more along with assistants from
Kentucky,
Michigan State,
Duke and more.
Because of NCAA rules that require no games tip off after 10 p.m. at a live period event, the game between KC Run GMC and MWA Elite had to be shortened so that the evening's final game could tip off in time. Despite only having 26 minutes of running clock to work with and his MWA squad struggling a bit, 2015's top player
Malik Newman went to work.
The 6-foot-4 combo guard combo guard from Jackson (Miss.) Callaway backed up his status as the top player in his class while showing off the complete arsenal offensively. Newman has always been a prolific jump shooter and he hit a few from deep. Most noticeable, though, was his added strength and explosiveness. Newman has never lacked for explosion, but more physical maturity has been very good to him in the athleticism department.
Whether or not his added strength and burst have anything to do with it, Newman seems to be more confident attacking the paint via the dribble. His first step is both quick and strong and he looks comfortable driving right or left.
Like Stone, Newman declined to discuss specific schools.
Mississippi State's
Rick Ray didn't miss a single game Newman played during last July's live period and he was up front and center for him on Friday night.
Kansas,
Connecticut,
Baylor,
SMU and
N.C. State had their head coaches watching and
Kentucky had an assistant on hand.
One of the schools of thought is that Newman and the previously mentioned Stone have discussed being a package deal in college. Part of Saturday's plan is to get a better feel for how likely that may be.
Another five-star in attendance at the Jayhawk is 2015's No. 12 player
Chance ComancheClick His ability to handle the ball, lose defenders, change directions and run by everybody in the open floor is sublime. There is not a better open court player in America, regardless of class. Jackson also has the tools to be superior defensively and he had some nice plays on that end as well. By our tally, Jackson scored 18 of his 20 in the second half. It's also notable that Jackson looks to have grown to at least 6-foot-7. That he still shoots his jumper a little bit off of his right shoulder is a concern, but his physical tools and natural instincts are of the highest level.Here to view this Link.. His Earl Watson Elite Black team managed to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory on Friday night, but the 6-foot-10 power forward out of Los Angeles (Calif.) View Park was plenty impressive while scoring 23. Comanche is not particularly strong, in fact he is very lean. But, his body type should carry more weight without hurting his mobility and that is key. Comanche isn't a super leaper, but he is as mobile and quick as any big man in the country. Especially from one end of the floor to another. He can make jumpers to 15 feet, has soft touch and is a big time player. Assistants from places like
UCLAClick His ability to handle the ball, lose defenders, change directions and run by everybody in the open floor is sublime. There is not a better open court player in America, regardless of class. Jackson also has the tools to be superior defensively and he had some nice plays on that end as well. By our tally, Jackson scored 18 of his 20 in the second half. It's also notable that Jackson looks to have grown to at least 6-foot-7. That he still shoots his jumper a little bit off of his right shoulder is a concern, but his physical tools and natural instincts are of the highest level.Here to view this Link. and
CaliforniaClick His ability to handle the ball, lose defenders, change directions and run by everybody in the open floor is sublime. There is not a better open court player in America, regardless of class. Jackson also has the tools to be superior defensively and he had some nice plays on that end as well. By our tally, Jackson scored 18 of his 20 in the second half. It's also notable that Jackson looks to have grown to at least 6-foot-7. That he still shoots his jumper a little bit off of his right shoulder is a concern, but his physical tools and natural instincts are of the highest level.Here to view this Link. were watching while Comanche also seemed to draw a lot of attention from