USA 16U: Jones stock is rising
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Friday night at the USA Basketball 16U trials, Tre Jones showed anybody who was watching that he belonged with
the high-level talent in attendance. The class of 2018 point guard was one of many Friday night standouts.
One, two, Tre
It's going to happen so it's best to go ahead and get it out of the way. Apple Valley (Minn.) High point guard Tre Jones is always going to draw comparisons to his older brothers
Tyus and Jadee. He's fine with that, but Jones is quickly carving out his own reputation thanks to another good night.
A good ball handler who can set up his teammates, what Jones really does well is attack the paint off of the dribble. He has some explosion at the rim and is a pretty good on the ball defender. Through the first two days of camp Jones has raised his profile as much as any player in attendance.
As of now, Jones only lists an offer from Texas Tech. He also has interest from Marquette and Minnesota and it is a safe bet that his list will be much longer after college coaches get a chance to see him on the Howard Pulley 16U team during the July evaluation period.
Connor VanoverClick Class of 2017 point guard Jaylen HandsClick Friday evening notesHere to view this Link. looked a little gassed by the end of Friday evening's second session. He should have been. Friday was a pretty intense and long day of basketball and Hands' energy stayed pretty consistent. Talk has been that his recruitment is a showdown between ArizonaClick Friday evening notesHere to view this Link. and UCLAClick Friday evening notesHere to view this Link.. However, Hands told Rivals.com that he is open and mentioned others like CaliforniaClick Friday evening notesHere to view this Link., San Diego StateClick Friday evening notesHere to view this Link., USCClick Friday evening notesHere to view this Link., LouisvilleClick Friday evening notesHere to view this Link. and Arizona StateClick Friday evening notesHere to view this Link..Here to view this Link.,
a 7-foot-2 center, is a unique prospect. He lacks strength and he prefers to play facing the hoop, but he can shoot and has a high skill level. During one stretch, Vanover posted strong to score while being fouled, hit a three, altered a shot and scored on an offensive rebound. He can be pushed around because of his lack of strength, but Vanover has fight in him and a good motor.
It isn't always pretty with 2018
A smooth 6-foot-6 wing from the class of 2018, Cameron ReddishClick One of the more physically tough wings is Montez MathisClick A class of 2018 point guard from Oakland (Calif.) Bishop O'Dowd, Elijah HardyClick Once again, 2017 point guard Markus HowardClick prospect Michael Barber, but his effort cannot be questioned. A thin 6-foot-7 power forward, Barber got out in transition, grabbed some rebounds and played with a terrific motor. He has plenty of time to refine his skill game and said that he has offers from Mississippi State, UT Martin, UNLV, Ohio State and Baylor while Texas and LSU have shown interest.Here to view this Link. was solid. Because he can score, his playmaking skills have been a little underrated. Howard delivered many crisp passes for buckets and got his teammates going. Defensively, Howard was just as good because of how well he moves his feet laterally.Here to view this Link. is an intriguing prospect. He has speed and looks to attack. His jumper will be an area of focus but he has the tools to develop into a nice player.Here to view this Link. from the class of 2018. The Baltimore (Md.) Mount Carmel product is a power wing who attacks the rim and can take a bump. Mathis is also a good defender.Here to view this Link. got going a little on Friday night. He is a jump shooter with good range, long arms and some athleticism. Reddish has big upside and should get more dangerous with added strength and game off the dribble.
Based on production,
When 2018 power forward Nazreon ReidClick Wendell CarterClick no one has been better through the first two days of the U16 trials than 2018 power forward Jordan Brown. Brown's biggest asset is his quickness, but he's very skilled and has touch on jumpers. Brown hits the glass, plays above the rim and he plays with great energy. His upside as a prospect looks to be pretty considerable.Here to view this Link. doesn't seem to concerned about whether or not he gets the ball on offense. Touches or not, he's going to find a way to impact the game on both ends of the floor. Carter has been the camp's best shot blocker and he has been consistent on the glass. When he gets to operate in the low post, he has good feet and soft touch.Here to view this Link. plays with energy he can be a load to deal with. Pushing 6-foot-9, Reid has a strong frame, can finish above the rim in traffic and he has stretches where he dominates on the glass.
