Man, July sure has flown by this summer. Frankly, I feel like I find myself reiterating that each year. The increased amount of exposure events taking place within the travel basketball scene serves as one of the main reasons, typically, and this past weekend in Northern Virginia proved as anything but different. The ‘Hoop Group’ organization arrived to town to host their ‘DC Jam Fest’ tournament in an enormous facility titled ‘The St. James’ (Springfield, VA). Outside of the players’ talent, I was fascinated with the massive sports complex the most. Many surrounding spectators lauded it as one of the best on the East Coast. With the two-day tournament being my third ‘Hoop Group’ event I’ve covered this summer, I had a strong feeling of how things operated and once again came across some new eye-catching teams/prospects. I saw some of the most hard-fought games and best team ball out of any event I’ve covered throughout the last four months. However, the weekend also brought along another realization for most 2020 players: their final game(s) of travel ball. It’s never easy to accept…I can remember my final AAU performance back in 2013. Still, I hope the rising seniors share feelings of accomplishment and can soon start prepping for their last go-around of high school, which will be here before we know it. The end of AAU is just one closed chapter; there’s plenty of basketball left to play. Congrats to all who have made it through another busy summer season!
I mainly saw a number of underclassmen perform well on Championship Sunday, including a ridiculous ending to the 15u title game between Expressions Elite and D.C. Premier. With less than three seconds to go in overtime, Kyle Hicks ’22 knocked down a contested buzzer-beating three-pointer from NBA range to give Expressions a 59-57 victory.
Sunday’s Five Standouts
Dowar Jioklow ’20 – New World Gold 17u – Flint Hill School (Oakton, VA): With some of his older high school peers having graduated from the 2018-19 group, including 6’10” Georgetown University signee Qudus Wahab ’19, I’m expecting the 6’8” Jioklow to embrace a stronger leadership role later into this winter season. On Sunday morning, against Wrightway Skills-HGSL 17u, he definitely led by example in working the hardest for New World. He steadily held a very active presence by hustling for as many rebounds possible and rarely rushed any shots after securing an offensive board. I also liked his unselfish demeanor to pass back out to the perimeter for open looks if defenders crowded him more inside. Jioklow undoubtedly has solid skills at his position and size but I feel his constant movement simply works for him best. Moving without the ball always has been an underrated part of the game but the forward shows how effective it can be. His lengthy frame, great hands, midrange shot, and maturity all suit him well as a next-level target.
Deon Perry ’22 – Team Melo 15u – Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Essex, MD): The 5’9” Perry had a VERY strong offensive start to Team Melo’s first morning game against CTAB Elite 16u on Sunday. He showed off high confidence in his shooting and attacking ability to pour in 15 first half points. Playing as a lead guard, it takes zero time to notice his shiftiness, getting him past defenders and into the lane for dishes or scores. Everything he performed was off of the bounce and continued to work fairly easily for him up until the final buzzer sounded. Perry definitely looked capable of getting a bucket on his own without any real issues at all. One thing I did indeed notice is his tendency to drive right into taller defenders a bit too much. At his size, I think having a go-to floater would make things less complicated and his offensive package more deadly. Selected as an honorable mention pick for the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) last season, he’s definitely one to keep in mind within the competitive conference.
Andre Greene, Jr. ’22 – VA Havoc 15u – St. Christopher’s School (Richmond, VA): Greene’s one of those guys who’s looked better each time I’ve seen him since the high school season wrapped up in March. Prior to this past weekend, my most recent opportunity to watch him compete took place in both sessions of June’s ‘Virginia Live Period Shootout.’ His versatility honestly hasn’t missed a beat but I’m seeing improved perimeter shooting in the 6’2” wing’s arsenal. He aggressively looked for his shots and knocked them down during VA Havoc’s blowout win over Team MD3D 15u. In addition, Greene showed more of a desire to push the ball up the court, which mainly occurred due to his rebounding and pass perception. He picked off several steals, likely more than anyone else in that same contest. Combining those skills to his toughness, he’s becoming more noteworthy by the day and it’s all still in the early stages. Both he and the St. Christopher’s Saints have the chance to make more noise in the Virginia Prep League this school year.
Chance Westry ’22 – Team Melo 15u – Trinity HS (Harrisburg, PA): I had some difficulty determining Westry’s true position on the floor…but that’s honestly nothing to ever fret about. If anything, it speaks volumes to his productivity. In the games I saw all weekend, NOBODY drew more fouls than the young 6’4” product when he faced up against CTAB Elite 16u’s team defense in that aforementioned Sunday morning matchup. Westry’s smarts and quickness led to many free-throw attempts; where he made the most of his chances. Early on, he spent most of the time as a cutter to the basket and showed a strong defensive focus. In the second half, his defense continued, but the rising sophomore then began to bring the ball up the court more. His passing ability became more evident and opponents couldn’t speed him up. I didn’t get a good sense of how well Westry could shoot the ball simply because he never had to settle. Regardless, the Pennsylvania native impressed in multiple areas and contains intangibles not typically seen at that age. He’s a hooper for sure…one we may start seeing on more lists of rankings quite soon enough.
Paul Lewis ’22 – D.C. Premier 15u – Bishop O’Connell HS (Arlington, VA): I left the gym that Sunday afternoon feeling a bit bad for Lewis. The lead guard gave it all he had in the 15u title game after posting a 19-point performance and showing his clutch mentality as well. Surrounded by defenders, he made a pull-up jumper to give D.C. Premier a one-point lead with 2.5 seconds left. That play quickly became out of mind, however, once Hicks succeeded on that last-second attempt for Expressions Elite (noted above). Still, the outcome didn’t take anything away from the fact that Lewis showed he’s capable of bringing plenty of promise to the renowned Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC). He’s a crafty playmaker with very good ball skills and scoring tools. I especially liked how well he could finish with either hand in straight-line drives; an advanced skill that he’s likely been working to establish since his youthful days. His shot has some range to it and I can see him potentially emerging as a lethal combo guard down the road. That talent doesn’t surprise me too much though when considering he’s a younger brother of James Madison University standout Matt Lewis, who was an All-WCAC first teamer at Bishop O’Connell as a senior and earned an All-Colonial Athletic Association third team nod this past college season.
Also make sure to check out my Day 1 standouts of the ‘DC Jam Fest!’