Thanksgiving Hoopfest: Jones shines in win
DUNCANVILLE, Texas -- Unsigned top 40 senior guard
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and 2017 four-star guard Trae Young got the 2015 Thanksgiving Hoopfest
started off right on Friday at Duncanville High. The game was actually the third
of the day, but the two highly-regarded guards gave the Hoopfest a charge.
I was impressed with...
It was a tale of two halves as 2016's No. 38 player
Andrew Jones and
his Irving (Texas) MacArthur team squared off with 2017's No. 26 player Trae Young and Norman (Okla.) North. By the time it was all done, the two high
end four-star guards had combined for 70 points and made sure that a highly
anticipated matchup lived up to the billing as Irving Mac won a 97-93 shootout
SMU looked on.
During the first half, it was Young's show. He made five of his first six
three-point attempts and was finding teammates with ease. Young is highly
skilled with the ball and while still slender, he's now pushing 6-foot-2 and the
extra size helps him to see over defenses. There is zero hesitation with his
decision-making and he plays at high rate of speed. After 22 in the first half,
Young finished with 33 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Young -- whose most recent visit was to Kentucky for their Big Blue
Madness event in October -- is planning to cut his list to between eight and 10
schools in the next few weeks.
On the other side there was Jones. One of the biggest risers of the summer
months, the 6-foot-4 combo guard proved that his ascension towards the top of
the 2016 rankings was no fluke. In the first half, Jones missed badly on a few
deep jumpers but was solid going to the rim. He banked in a shot from just
inside half court right before the buzzer to finish the first half with 14
points and gain momentum for the second half.
In the second half, Jones was in total takeover mode as he led his team back
from a double-digit deficit. He went over the top of screens for deep threes, he
got to the rim off the dribble, he hit mid range pull-ups and he was dominant as
a rebounder and playmaker. By the time he was done, Jones had racked up 37
points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and a pair of steals in an outstanding
individual performance. Next up for Jones is an official visit to Texas
the second weekend of December and he said that he's down to the Longhorns,
Arizona, Baylor, Louisville and SMU.
"I haven't really discussed it yet with my dad when I'll decide," Jones said.
"He still wants me to watch some games to be sure I'm making a good decision but
I was surprised by...
He enjoyed a tremendous size advantage, but I was pleasantly surprised by the
continued development of Plano (Texas) Prestonwood center
The burly 6-foot-10 big man who signed with Mississippi State played a
true back to the basket five man's game. He set up on the block, he used his
size and strength to hold off defenders and went to work. He's really developed
his jump hook and when given the opportunity he will try to tear the rim down.
He finished with 22 points and eight rebounds while making 10-11 from the field.
#HailState commit Schnider Herard making use of size to advantage. Very impressed by catch, spin and jump hook from 8 feet. #tgivinghoopfest- Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) November 28, 2015
A final stat line that revealed 10 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals for Texas A&M-bound four-star point guard J.J. Caldwell wasn't a surprise. But, the 13 turnovers were a surprise. Watching the game I knew that he had some forced plays and instances where teammates just let him down by dropping very good passes, but I would have never thought there were 13 of them. Obviously, that's not ideal but I've seen him enough in he past to know that isn't the norm and they were a result of trying to make things happen. Caldwell is a true pass first guy and he's virtually impossible to press (at the high school level). He's got college level strength and the Aggies' offensive weapons are going to love a guy who will be focused on getting them the ball.
Other thoughts...
An
available three-star combo forward at Houston (Texas) SATCH, 6-foot-7 senior
DeAndre Williams had a really nice game. He went for 23 points and 13
rebounds and was versatile in his play. He ran the floor, hit some jumpers and
used his activity on the glass to generate some easy buckets. He is very thin,
but he has talent and an opportunity to help somebody down the road. He
mentioned offers from Houston, Oklahoma State, Baylor,
Western Kentucky and Kansas State to go along with interest
from
A
sophomore power forward at Dallas (Texas) Bishop Dunne,
has generated some buzz. A skilled and cerebral four man, Carter showed some
soft touch and good instincts. He is very similar to Kansas senior Perry Ellis at the same age. Carter already has offers from Houston, Iowa
State, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Arlington and UCLA. He's taken fall
visits to UCLA and Alabama.
Junior
big man Cameron Martin was solid for Norman North as well. The 6-foot-7
center/power forward is a big and strong kid who fights on the interior and has
some touch to around 12 feet. He already holds offers from Mercer, Oral Roberts,
Missouri State and Stetson.
Little
Rock (Ark.) Hall junior Isaac Beal has a chance to develop into a
pretty good player. A long and athletic 6-foot-6 forward, Beal has some
quickness, tracks the ball well and plays with a very good motor.
Only
a freshman, Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Christian shooting guard
Justin Webster has lots of time to develop. But, his introduction was an
impressive one as he went for 16 points, two rebounds and two assists. The son
of former Oklahoma star forward Jeff Webster, he's skilled and has a smooth
looking jump shot.
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