UAA Finals: Battle of Rivals150 bigs highlights opening night

EMERSON, Ga. -- On the first night of July's second live evaluation period for college coaches, the Under Armour Association Finals were highlighted by a heavyweight battle between 2017 Rivals150 big men Ejike Obinna and Malik Williams. They were just two of many who stood out in front of hundreds of college coaches.

The matchup between Legit Basketball and the Uncommon Bulls meant two of the better post players in the 2017 class would do battle. No. 35 overall Malik Williams of Legit and No. 126 Ejike Obinna of the Bulls (who won the game) didn't disappoint in a battle of bigs who couldn't have much more opposite styles.

Obinna is a pounding a 6-foot-9, 230-pound center who preferred to play closer to the basket and was better in the half-court game. He used his big, strong frame to seal defenders in the post and did a good job with his footwork. Most of his moves were based on power, but he did score one basket off a pretty up-and-under move.

The Rivals150 prospect says he’s taken visits to Florida, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Xavier and Temple so far, but he has a longer list of schools recruiting him heavily right now. Xavier head coach Chris Mack and an assistant were on hand to see him on Wednesday night.

Williams is the complete opposite of Obinna. At 6-foot-10, he’s a thin post player and preferred to show off his perimeter game offensively. That’s not to say wasn't willing to play on the block, but his quickness and ball-handling ability along with his perimeter stroke made him a tough matchup offensively. Defensively, his length and athleticism allow him to be a top-notch rim protector.

Iowa, Michigan State, Purdue, Georgetown, Xavier, Louisville and Michigan are among the schools recruiting William. Fran McCaffery, Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino and Matt Painter were all courtside to keep tabs on him along with Mack.

The matchup between Texas Hard Work and Team Rio in the 16-under division brought out quite a few coaches. Head coaches from Cincinnati, California and Notre Dame popped in at different times, as did as assistants from Syracuse, Texas, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Florida and Seton Hall.

Scottie Lewis is already one of the more highly recruited guards nationally from the class of 2019. With three years of high school ball left, he’s already such a complete player. He’s very gifted as a scorer, but what stood out most on Wednesday night was the work he did defending Gerald Liddell, who's three inches taller. Because of Lewis' defense, Liddell, a five-star in the 2018 class, had a hard time getting a clean look all night.

Joe Jones showed some promise for Team Rio as well on the block. One of the few 2018 prospects on Team Rio, the 6-foot-8 big man does a great job establishing position on the block and has a dynamite baby hook going to his left hand.

Caleb Bennett had a quality showing for Oklahoma Run PWP. The three-star shooting guard knocked down a few jumpers and had a few nice drives to the basket to help Run PWP close out a win over Sports U late. Houston, Ole Miss, DePaul, Memphis and Tulsa are showing interest. Offers have come in from Middle Tennessee, Northern Iowa and Oral Roberts.

Nate Pierre-Louis had a dominant second half against Oklahoma Run PWP, but it wasn’t enough to get Sports U over the jump. The 6-foot-4 guard had several deflections and steals on the defensive end and some crafty finishes at the basket in traffic. The three-star guard's passing was also very impressive in transition.

DJ Jeffries is a likely five-star prospect who will have a long list of suitors in the 2019 class. The 6-foot-7 forward from Team Thad is a highlight waiting to happen, and it didn’t take long for him to throw down a few impressive dunks in the last game of the night. He’s not just an athlete, though. He has a smooth looking jumper out to three-point range, and he connected on a couple nice floaters going to the basket. Memphis head coach Tubby Smith and an assistant were on hand hoping to make sure Jeffries doesn’t slip away. Bruce Pearl of Auburn, Andy Kennedy of Ole Miss and Josh Pastner of Georgia Tech were also on hand.

Jamal Johnson played a big part in Team Carroll pulling away for a comfortable win over Wisconsin United. Ranked No. 97 overall in the 2017 Rivals150, the shooting guard hit a trio of three-pointers, including one from NBA range, and pumped in over 20 points with Georgia's Mark Fox and a number of high-major assistants watching.