Zembal's Takeaways: Sunday at the Under Armour Association

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Sunday was a coronation for the Team Thrill traveling team program at the Under Armour Association event.

The program which is sponsored by former Rivals.com No. 11-ranked player Will Barton in the class of 2010, who is now with the Toronto Raptors, won the 16s and 17s title Sunday. The 15s, 16s and 17s are a combined 24-0 in UAA competition.

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The 16s and 17s have two components in common — stars at point guard and center.

Few traveling teams regardless of shoe affiliation have two class of 2025 point guards like Tyler Jackson on the 16s and Chance Mallory on the 17s. Rivals.com ranks the 6-foot-2, 160-pound Jackson as the No. 18 overall player in the country and he showed why with great quickness, ability to create and a knack for putting defenders on their heels. He finished with 22 points in the 58-45 win over We R1 16s.

Jackson is a hot recruiting name with colleges, and he’ll now get to know the new Georgetown staff.

“Syracuse just offered me and Alabama just offered,” said Jackson, 17. “I’m waiting for that Kentucky offer. I haven’t heard from Georgetown yet. I went to Maryland and went with [UMD signee] Jahnathan Lamothe [of Saint Frances], who is going there.”

Saint Frances Academy has had some powerhouse football squads, and LSU national champion Angel Reese is an alum.

“It was a crazy feeling knowing she is from my school,” Jackson said. “Getting a national championship is big for our city. Our city is known for the opposite.”

The 5-foot-9, 160-pound Mallory attends Charlottesville (Va.) St. Anne’s-Belfield and is also quick and can stick the three-point shot. He has recently picked up offers from Seton Hall, Maryland and Virginia Tech since April 22, and also from Liberty, Radford and NJIT. He helped Team Thrill 17s top West Coast Elite 69-49 in the title game, scoring 15 points.

“It is so much fun,” said Mallory, 17, on playing in front of college coaches. “I really like coming out here and playing AAU. I’ve been playing with these guys all my life, and we’ve always had that chemistry. It’s really fun to play with them.”

The two evaluation periods have allowed Mallory to show how he’s improved, and he broke through with the three high-major offers. He hopes to unofficially visit Maryland and Virginia Tech in the future.

“I want to facilitate the floor, being able to score at will and get my teammates better,” Mallory said. “It’s an honor to get these type of opportunities. I’m just very thankful.”

Mallory has been to Virginia games and has been around the Cavaliers program growing up.

“I’ve been around them my whole life and they have a great coaching staff,” Mallory said. “It’s a great atmosphere.”

Jackson and Mallory have played each other in the past, but now push each other.

“We went against each other once live in preseason and they blew us out, I won’t lie,” Jackson said. “Chance is a real hard worker and he’s coming up. We’ve been in this since we are little.”

Junior center Derik Queen of Montverde Academy had 22 points in the title win over West Coast Elite, living up to his Rivals.com No. 31-ranked billing.

Strong sophomore center Marcus Jackson of Baltimore (Md.) Edmondson-Westside anchored the Team Thrill 16s. The likely Big Ten/ACC/Big East future target had 17 points in the win and was a feared shot-blocker in the paint. Illinois became his first offer Sunday.

Sophomore wing Jordan Scott of South Lakes High in Reston, Va., had quite an April.

Washington offered him April 26 and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo stopped by the school Thursday. He was able to play in front of college coaches Friday-through-Sunday and had an epic game Friday night with 21 points, 10 rebounds and an astonishing 16 blocks at a slender 6-6 and 175 pounds. At some point he thought why did they keep challenging him.

“I didn’t think I had 16, but more like eight or nine,” said Scott, 16. “I watched back the film and counted them up. I did think that [about challenging him]. Why were they keep going at me?”

Scott has unofficially visited Virginia, VCU, plus an offer from George Mason. He backed up the newfound recruiting attention with 21 points Saturday night in a 64-35 win over Texas-based Crab5 16s.

Scott was glad his prep coaches could meet Izzo.

“I had everyone there to meet the coach,” Scott said. “It is special that a coach would fly all the way out there from Michigan. Then there was the Washington offer, which was unexpected.”

Reston South Lakes High has produced the likes of Grant Hill (Duke/NBA) and Joey Beard (Duke/Boston), but also both his parents.

Christy Winters-Scott had a prolific prep career and played at Maryland from 1986-1990, where she is in the top five all-time in both points (1,679) and rebounds (723). The Terrapins won the ACC title in 1989 and reached the Final Four. She played overseas and then went into coaching at George Mason and Georgetown. She is now a multi-media standout for the Washington Mystics, Wizards and an assortment of college games.

The 6-3 Jerome Scott played guard at Miami (Fla.) from 1988-92, with his last year when the Hurricanes joined the Big East. He averaged 10.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 104 career games (73 starts), and shot 34.6 percent from three-point land. He was coached his last two years by Leonard Hamilton, who is now the Florida State coach.

Jordan Scott jokes that he gets his inside presence from mom and his outside abilities from dad. He hopes to unofficially visit Maryland in the future.

“My mom was a really big competitor,” Scott said. “It’s good that I have teachers that have been through it. Most people don’t have two parents that go through it, and I’m lucky enough to have those.”

New Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has made the phrase, “I’m coming,” famous this winter. Highlands Ranch (Colo.) ThunderRidge High junior guard Andrew Crawford is also coming, but in basketball, building up momentum with KC Run GMC.

The versatile 6-6, 185-pound Crawford can play point guard and both wing spots, and colleges have taken notice. He has earned new offers from Oregon and George Mason, to go along with Colorado, Colorado State, Rice, UC-San Diego, Seattle, Denver, Montana and the previous coaching staff at California. He capped his weekend with 15 points in a win over Florida-based SOH Elite (School of Hoops).

“It’s great and I love the recognition that I am getting and so appreciative of it,” said Crawford, 17. “Last week I didn’t play as well, but this weekend I put it down and I hope to blow up this week with a bunch of colleges calling me.

“I’ve been to CU. I definitely want to go up to Oregon. I think I’m getting close [to offers] from Stanford and Creighton.”

Tommy Crawford played in the post at Pacific, but he wanted his son to be a do-it-all guard. To that end, Andrew Crawford knows the name of the game in the future is to get stronger.

“He is my lifetime trainer and I love him to death,” Andrew Crawford said. “My dad played college ball, so I know all about it. I just want to follow in his footsteps.”

Crawford also takes pride in his defense.

“That is my whole game and I take huge pride in my defense,” Crawford said. “I guarded [No. 31-ranked junior guard] Vyctorius Miller in another game. I love guarding the best players on every team and try to shut them down.”