More top players from Nike EYBL Indianapolis session:
Cody Riley – 6’9″ PF Sierra Canyon School (CA) playing for Phoenix Phamily. Riley is nothing if not a bruising relentless low post demon who does his best work down low but can impact the game from midrange also. With this group playing with Marvin Bagley III he can use the baseline to get great position on the offensive glass for quick post feeds or putbacks which plays to his strengths and defensively to snatch rebounds and trigger the break. His 12-15 foot mid-range jumper is quite an effective weapon and keeps opponents from focusing solely on Bagley. Riley may not be the best athlete on the floor but I’d take him in a hot minute because he hustles, plays defense and uses his skills with a quiet confidence to get the job done. After the first two sessions he’s averaging 14.4 PPG with 35 FTM and 7.7 RPG very efficient indeed.
Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree – 6’8″ PF Sts. Neumann-Goretti HS (PA) playing for Team Final. The recent Villanova commit has always been thought of as a complimentary player you know that guy who rebounds blocks shots and scores as a last resort. Well Cosby-Roundtree has a bit of skill that is starting to surface and opponents are finding out the hard way. He could always block shots going back to freshman year and he’s gotten better at it over time as he averages 2.1 BPG in league play. His rebounding comes and goes but the effort is always present and he’s at 7.5 RPG so far. Offensively is where the biggest gains are being made as he no longer has to rely on alley-oop lobs to score buckets but in fact has developed an ever improving 10-12 foot faceup jumper plus his awareness of space and situation has allowed him to pick his spots to get to the rim and finish through contact if necessary. His FT shooting once a minus has now improved a lot from two years ago. With graduation hitting the Saints hard he will take on more of a leadership role this coming HS season and what better proving ground can he have than this spring and summer EYBL showcases.
Jordan Goodwin – 6’4″ SG Althoff Catholic (IL) playing for St. Louis Eagles. Goodwin is a player who can run the floor with ease, spot up for jumpers from the perimeter, make the crisp pass to a cutter yet go down low and battle for boards or putbacks and even the tough layups at the cup. Against BABC on Sunday morning he did a bit of everything in the Eagles big win and made it look easy. He finished with 20pts on 9-19 shooting (several attempts rimmed out) made his only three point attempt had 14reb, 8 on the offensive end, and added 4 asts in the victory. His skill set is multifaceted and he works hard it would appear to gain any advantage he can to come out on top. For the first two sessions his averages of 17.6 PPG and 10.3 RPG are among the top twenty in the EYBL statistical categories but he’s also shooting 35% from the arc and has pulled in 32 offensive rebounds which showcases his all around game. I can see why a school like Michigan State would be interested in Goodwin because HC Tom Izzo not only looks for great players but also winning players and Goodwin certainly fits the bill.
Brandon Randolph – 6’6″ SG Westtown School (PA) playing for PSA Cardinals. When you look at the statistical leaders in FG % you mostly see big men or guys who don’t shoot it that often so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the top 20 in EYBL play are shooting at least 66%. Randolph however is tied for the lead in made threes with 21 while shooting 50% from the arc and is shooting the same percentage from the floor in all attempts which I think is pretty impressive. Randolph has a nitch and it happens to be shooting and playing with Quade Green he gets plenty of opportunities in catch and shoot situations and so far he has taken advantage of these chances. If you’re thinking he’s just a one dimensional player you’d be wrong as he can put the ball on the deck with a very good handle as well as slash to the rack for athletic finishes creating and one chances too. His FT shooting (74.1%) is not bad but I believe he can shoot better from the stripe just by relaxing and not rushing the attempt. As far as recruiting goes some of the big fish are noticing his improved play and he recently picked up an offer from Kansas.
Devontae Shuler – 6’3″ SG Oak Hill Academy (VA) playing for Team CP3 . After seeing Oak Hill play about 6 times this past season I think Shuler played well in only 1 of those games. This kind of perplexed me as I could see he moved well played with heart on both ends and appeared to have a grasp of what was expected from him. But he didn’t shoot well in most of those games and maybe he just had a crisis in confidence which happens sometimes. Well before anyone writes him off I viewed two of CP3’s games and confidence was definitely not an issue for him in either contest. On Saturday he had 15pts with 2 threes 4reb and 2stls then followed that up Sunday morning with 30pts while shooting 12-19 from the field and 5-8 from distance and adding 4asts plus 2stls in a pair of wins. His shot looks smooth and he’s attacking the basket using a blend of power and finesse and defensively his quickness and penchant for cutting off passing lanes is a benefit to his squad in there drive to qualify for Peach Jam. I look for his recruitment to expand this summer and his offer list to grow beyond Clemson, his home state Gamecocks and Southern Cal with continued improvement in his game.
Brian Bowen – 6’7″ SF LaLumiere School (IN) playing for Meanstreets. The Saginaw MI. native has been a known commodity for some time now and the interest from schools such as Illinois, Indiana, Florida State, Iowa State, UCLA, Louisville and of course Michigan State should come as no surprise. Bowen is among the leaders in points (19.6) and rebounds (8.3) after the first two sessions and with his proclivity to put up points and willingness to play inside this also shouldn’t come as a surprise. He’s shooting 47% from the field but only 26% from three and an inexplicable 61% from the line. In the game I viewed Bowen went for 26pts 7reb while hitting 10-18 from the field and 5-6 at the line which is more in tune with the shooter I’ve seen in the past. His explosive hops allows him to attack the rim and also to slam home put-backs and this athleticism also serves him well on defense at the point of attack. Shooters go through periods where shots just aren’t falling and with his smooth pullup and off the catch threes I’m not to worried about his 3point and FT percentages as they will definitely improve going forward.
Davion Mitchell – 6’2″ PG Liberty County HS (GA) playing for the Georgia Stars. In the only game that I saw the Stars play Mitchell stood out as a floor general that leads by example playing tough hard nosed defense directing traffic on offense and dishing the rock with accuracy all while refusing to jack up bad shots with his team trailing much of the second half in a 5 point loss to Pro Skills. He showed very good court vision with 6asts and getting 2stls defensively while scoring most of his 15pts in the second half including 7-8 from the line. While he struggled from the arc (0-3) he simply created for others who were shooting better on this day which is a team guy move since I’ve seen him shoot the trifecta well in the past. With the maturity and heads up play he’s shown I believe he’ll make a fine addition to Auburn where he committed back in October.