BRADENTON, Fla. -- Rivals.com’s Rob Cassidy was on hand for the opening day of games at the IMG Academy Beach Bash on Friday. And while he wasn’t able to watch all games on all courts, he managed to take in six contests. Below, he hands out some awards concerning the day that was on Florida’s gulf coast.
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Rivals Roundtable: Rankings, NBA Draft, conference tournaments
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
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MR. COMMITMENT COUNTDOWN
One of the top-ranked uncommitted players in the 2021 class, Bediako says his recruitment is coming to an end. Following his game on Friday night, the four-star big said to expect a commitment “sometime in March.”
Bediako says he wants to watch the first couple weeks of the NCAA tournament and see how things shake out before choosing Texas, Alabama, Duke, Ohio State or Michigan. Alabama seems to be the favorite to land the talented prospect, and Bediako offered only a smile and half response when asked about that line of thinking on Friday. Any other choice would bring some manner of surprise, but stranger things happen every year in the recruiting world.
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THE BULLY
Simply put, Haynes is a load under basket. And while he may not have truly elite length for a center, his upper body strength makes him tough to handle. The College of Charleston commit spent Friday matched up with St. John's commit O'Mar Stanley, whom he held to two points and got the best of on the other end as well. Haynes’ 15 points could have been 20 if he made just half of the free throws he earned. And while the Charleston coaching staff will certainly want Haynes to reshape his body a bit in college, his sheer power is undeniable. He should be an elite rebounder and banger in the CAA down the road.
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MR. DO IT ALL
Williams, a Syracuse commit, says he’s put an emphasis on becoming a more well-rounded player and a better teammate this season. There’s no way for an outsider to know what kind of teammate the five-star forward is, but the second item on his checklist has certainly been accomplished. Williams has absolutely stuffed the stat sheet each time I’ve seen him this year, and Friday’s game against Rocktop Academy brought more of the same. He finished the night with 24 points that included a pair of 3-pointers and a couple of emphatic dunks. Official stats on assists and rebounds were not; kept, but the future ACC star had a handful of each in the victory. Williams is the straw that stirs the drink for the IMG post-grad team and has a way of making his teammates’ lives easier on the offensive end.
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ON THE BRINK
The day’s most pleasant surprise, Diboundje-Eyobo led Montverde’s post-grad team to a victory over a Link Year Prep squad that boasts a number of Div. I-bound prospects. The 6-foot-6 French import scored 25 points in a narrow win and grabbed the game-sealing rebound to boot. Diboundje-Eyobo’s lone offer is from George Washington, but Georgia, TCU and Tennessee are involved. His list of options should grow in the month ahead.
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SMALL FRAME, BIG GAME
Miller isn’t gonna blow anyone away with size. He is all of 5-foot-11 but needs to beef up considerably at the college level. That said, the point guard has a game that dwarfs his size.
Friday saw the Victory Rock Christian star score 26 points in a victory and make a statement. Miller plays fast without being out of control and makes mostly wise choices with the ball, as his assist total had to be near six in the contest. There’s little doubt the class of 2021 prospect can help a number of mid-major programs. According to his coach, Miller is hearing from programs such as Central Michigan, Akron, Bradley and Central Arkansas.
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SECOND-HALF SURGE
McPherson’s game seems to be based on confidence, and the Link Year Prep guard started getting it in the second half of Friday’s game. After scoring just a pair of points in the first half, the 6-foot-4 prospect erupted for 13 in the period that followed to give him 15 for the game.
Once he got going, McPherson showed an ability to score at the rack and also knocked down a late 3-pointer that kept his team in a game that they eventually lost in the final minute. McPherson is a tenacious defender and has spent the last few months improving his outside shot. He earned offers from places like St John’s and Providence out of high school and is hoping his recruiting profile raises as a prep.
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MR. CONSISTENT
Murray has spent the last year earning a reputation as a high-level scorer and Friday brought on more of the same. The LSU signee managed a game-high 22 points, most of which came in the second half. He scores at all three levels and has a powerful upper body that allows him to score through contact on a consistent basis. The performance certainly wasn’t a shock, as Murray has been scoring like this for some time now, but it’s certainly worth noting.
