After 2 full sessions, Baltimore Elite record is 6-3 while Team Takeover is at 4-5. While Team Takeover and Coach Keith Stevens are not as talented as previous years, the cupboard isn’t exactly bare either. That being said, Baltimore Elite was able to take bragging rights for the Baltimore/Washington DC area. Leading the way for Baltimore Elite was 6’7 Jamel Artis with 21 points while 6’3 Daxter Miles and 6’3 Kameron Williams tallied 10 and 8 points respectively. Leading the way for Team Takeover was 6’5 Stanford Robinson with 11 points while6’9 Beejay Anya and 6’5 Josh Hart scored 9 and 8 points respectively. It was a quiet game for 6’6 Ishmail Wainright had 4 points and 4 rebounds. It wasn’t the prettiest game to watch, but effort was there by both teams and at the end of the day, that is all you like to see, two teams competing hard.

6’7 2013 PF Jamel Artis (Baltimore Elite) in this particular game, Artis was simply the best player on the court and his numbers speak for themselves. He went for a game high 21 points going 7-14 from the field (2-2 from the 3 point line) and 5-7 from the FT line. Not a bad stat line for a rugged and physically mature PF. Artis doesn’t have elite level athleticism, but the powerful PF simply knows how to play the game and more importantly knocked down crucial and timely free throws down the stretch to secure the victory for Baltimore Elite. Artis can be a real match up problem on the offensive end of the court. He has the muscle and strength to overpower less physically mature WF, but the ability to step out and knock down jumpers with the best of them. In addition, he exhibited advanced ball handling and passing skills for his size and position. Defensively, we liked the way he anticipated passes in the passing lanes and competes hard on both ends of the court. While the Baltimore Elite team doesn’t have the numbers in the higher elite level players, they are currently 6-3 in EYBL play and Artis is a big reason for their success.

6’3 2013 SG Daxter Miles (Baltimore Elite) at 6’3 and 180 pounds, Miles is a strong and powerful SG that has a beautiful and textbook jumper. That being said, he wasn’t his best day at the office as he went 4-8 from the field (0-3 from the 3 point line) and only 2-6 from the FT line. While he may have missed more than his fair share of 3 pointers and free throws, that didn’t deter him from playing aggressive on both ends of the court and the often efficient scorer was more impressive on the defensive side of the ball. Although Baltimore Elite played zone the majority of the game, Miles was active with quick feet and rotating nicely in the zone.

6’3 2013 SG Kameron Williams (Baltimore Elite) listed at a generous 6’3, Williams came into the contest as a “flat out scorer.” Like Miles, Williams does sport a textbook jumper with excellent fundamentals. Against Team Takeover, he had quiet day from the floor going 3-7 from the floor (0-2 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the FT line. Williams has excellent speed and quickness and could transition nicely to the PG position at the next level.

6’4 2013 WG Stanford Robinson (Team Takeover) is a high elite level player that excels in attacking and finishing at the rim. He has a quick step and utilizes the “crow hop” effectively in avoiding bigger defenders which is one of his most effective moves. Robinson is excellent in transition, but this game featured very few transition opportunities and settled into a half court game. Baltimore Elite sat back in the zone for the majority of the game and dared and even double dared Team Takeover to shoot 3’s including Robinson. Team Takeover only took 8 threes for the game while Robinson missed his only 3 point attempt. That being said, Robinson knows his strengths and knows them well. Outside of the miss 3 point opportunity, he went 5-5 from the floor and grabbed 7 rebounds which are strong numbers for his size/position. The next step for Robinson is to become more confident in attempting midrange and 3 point shot opportunities and that will come in time.

6’9 2013 Beejay Anya (Team Takeover) is a physically imposing player with a wingspan that is endless. While Anya enjoyed a solid game, we expected a little more from the nationally ranked Anya. He chipped in 9 points going 3-8 from the floor and 3-5 from the FT line. While the stats had him down for only 3 rebounds, we thought that was somewhat misrepresented. Anya did show flashes of his lofty ranking at times, but the next step for him is consistency on both ends of the court. At 6’9 and a 7’5 wingspan, we expected more activity from him in terms of dominating the offensive and defensive boards. While Anya will not overwhelm you with jaw breaking bounce off the floor, he does have the physical maturity, size and strength to dominate the post area.

6’5 2013 SG Joshua Hart (Team Takeover) has excellent size for his position and one of the most overlooked attributes is his ability to rebound. Hart was efficient from the floor going 4-6 for 8 points, but was the leading rebounder for the game with 11.  Like teammate Stanford Robinson, he has great size for his position and is excellent in attacking the rim and finding the spots in the zone for dribble penetration. We were impressed with his aggressive ability to rebound but would like for him to take the next step in his development and becoming a confidence shooter from the perimeter.

6’6 2013 PF Ishmail Wainright (Team Takeover) came into the game with a lot of buzz and excitement. Not always known as a flashy player, but certainly known as a “blue collar” guy that simply gets the job done by doing the intangibles and dirty work on the court. His performance against Baltimore Elite was solid but not outstanding, but we do like his understanding of the game and high basketball IQ. He only attempted 3 shots for the game making two of them for 4 points and also 4 rebounds.