April 1

Due to technical difficulties, our report on the Showtime Ballers Shootout is a little late. But better late than never. Diana Neal put together a well-run event with a good line-up of teams. Due to prior arrangements, we missed the finals. In the 16U Division, Team Stat 16U defeated the Ormond Beach Bruins while Showtime 16U defeated the Lee Bulls 16U in overtime. In a replay of their game we saw on Saturday night, Team Stat 16U defeated Showtime 16U, 82-41. In the 17U Division, Breakdown 16U won the first semi-final (we didn't find out the opposing team) while Lee Bulls 17U defeated FL Assault in the semis. In another replay of a Saturday game, the Lee Bulls defeated Breakdown in a low scoring affair 49-41.

For Team Stat 16U, many felt that 2011 6'2 combo guard Austin Rivers (Winter Park) was the key to the team's success this weekend. He looks a little taller since we saw him this past season. Rivers can play either guard spot but he may be at his best when he's looking to create off the dribble from the wing. He has a deceptively quick first step and an even quicker crossover dribble when changing directions. Defensively, we counted him with four steals in the contest, three of which he turned into scores at the other end. The one flaw one believe is that he uses a lot of the off-hand when shooting his jumper. While it goes in, this tends to diminish the consistency of his shot. Even with that issue, we still consider him the top guard in the state for the class of 2011.

Team Stat has an excellent tandem inside in 2010 6'8 center Steve Forbes (Clermont East Ridge) and 2010 6'6 big forward Justin Jackson (Eau Gallie). Forbes is a big, burly guy inside. While not in the greatest shape, he has a soft touch around the basket, pretty fair footwork, runs the floor admirably for his size. He's not much of a shot blocker and quicker guys can pull him out of the lane on defense, but Forbes will take up space in the lane and make little guards think twice about attacking the rim. He's going to get fouled a lot so he needs to improve his free throw shooting.

Jackson just bubbles over with athleticism and enthusiasm. We like the fact that his basketball skills are improving and he's not relying on his athleticism to get things done. Jackson explodes off the floor to block shots and grab rebounds on both ends. Offensively, he does get most of his points on lobs, offensive rebounds, and in transition but he did show off a quick spin move inside for a dunk that caught everyone's attention. Jackson needs to work on his ball-handling and passing as well as extending the range on his jump shot to be a more complete player. Even with those issues, his future is easy to get excited about.

Because of the lopsidedness of the game, it was hard to pull a standout from the Showtime Ballers 16U squad. For our money, we think the player with the best potential is 2011 6'4 wing guard/wing forward Robert Brown (Clermont East Ridge). With his size, ball-handling ability, and shooting range, he has a lot of upside for a first year player. He'll need to get stronger of course, and continue to develop his skill set, but the foundation is there and he just has to build upon it.

For the Lee Bulls 17U, the player that was most impressive was 2009 6'2 point guard J.P. Kuhlman (Jacksonville Providence). First off, Kuhlman is a deadly shooter from anywhere on the court. Whether off the catch or the bounce, he knocks down shots with consistency. He's also solid with the basketball and quick to the cup off the dribble. Kuhlman makes good decisions with the basketball and is an above-average defender. He'll need to get stronger and continue to improve defensively, but he should find a home collegiately on some level.

The most skilled inside player for the Lee Bulls 17U this weekend was Vladyslav Koudraterv, a 2009 6'8 big forward from The Rock School in Gainesville. "Vlad" has some very nice scoring tools: a jump hook inside, a mid-range jumper that he'll kiss off the glass from the wing, and range to the arc given time to set his feet. He's got a fairly solid frame and battles hard inside for rebounds on both ends. He struggles a bit guarding players out on the perimeter and can be over-powered inside but as he gets stronger the latter won't be much of an issue.

Playing up a year, the potential of 2010 6'8 big forward Patrick Young from Jacsksonville Paxon was very evident. The guy is strong and a very good/run jump athlete so all of the physical tools are in place. Now the focus needs to be on developing his scoring arsenal from fifteen feet and in. Paxon is one of the best schools in the state and Young is an excellent student so he's got a bright future regardless of what happens with hoops.

For Team Breakdown 16U, there was no doubt that 2010 6'2 combo guard Jelani Hewitt (Fort Myers East Lee) was the man this weekend. For starter's he went beserk from behind the arc, knocking down five of nine and many of them off the dribble. He's also done a very good job of improving his ability to create on the move and get teammates the ball where they can best use it. Defensively he gets after it and makes his opponent work harder than he's use to. Hewitt should star though out the spring and summer with the 16U group and more than hold his own when he plays with Team Breakdown on the 17U level.

He's only a freshman, but 5'8 point guard Jacari Bush (Tallhassee Rickards) gets it. He knows he's got talent around him and that his job is to get them the ball. The thing we liked best about his play on Saturday was the way he keeps his head on the dribble as he heads toward the basket, always looking for the best option. He's small, slight, and didn't show off any type of jump shot, but it's too early to judge him. As long as he keeps the pass-first point guard mentality, he should do just fine.

Breakdown 15U has a squad that should continue the program's winning tradition. The most impressive on the day was 2011 6'2 wing guard Daniel (T.J.) Sapp of Boyd Anderson. He showed great range on his jumper, canning shots from all angles. Leave him open and he's deadly. Sapp is also pretty good with the ball, displaying a quick right to left crossover that sent him to the foul line. Athletically he's pretty good and that serves him well defensively. Sapp had a few too many turnovers to put him at the point full-time so that is certainly an area of improvement. He should contribute a great deal for Breakdown 15U and see sometime at the varsity level for BA next season.

Another solid performer for Breakdown 15U was 2011 6'4 big forward Delron Summey (ACDS). We really liked his ability to take his man off the dribble from the high post, usually going right, and either finishing or getting to the line. He also knocked down a contested mid-range jumper off the bounce and had a nice scoring move inside. So offensively, he's progressing ahead of schedule. Defensively he works hard and will have to continue to do so against bigger players inside. His development will be very interesting as he could end up with a dreaded "tweener" tag. Further physical growth may be as much a determining factor as anything in his basketball future.

He's only in the 8th grade, but 6'7 center Demetrius Henry (Rickards Middle) has tremendous promise. Of course at his age and size he's going to lack strength and quickness as his body has to catch up to itself. However, he's got a soft touch around the basket, has some basic post moves, and hits his free throws. Too early to throw any kind of label on him, he certainly will be on a lot of colleges' radar in the coming years.

The best part about coming to an event like this is viewing a breakout performance. That performance this weekend was turned by 2010 6'3 wing guard DeQuan Knight (Jacksonville Raines) of the Lee Bulls 16U program. We were just so impressed with his ability to see the court and make the right pass at the right time to the right teammate in the right spot. His ability to put the ball in the basket is questionable, but everything else seems to be there. Knight's size and athletic ability serve him well defensively and on the boards. How his offensive improves will be something to watch for over the coming year.

Tomorrow, we'll bring part II of our coverage of the Showtime Ballers Shootout.