HAYWARD, CA – OK.
There may be a better 2014 point guard prospect in the U.S. of A than Tyus Jones of Apple Valley High in Minnesota.
You wouldn’t have imagined that possible, however, if you’d watched Jones’ performance Saturday night for the Howard Pulley Panthers during the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League in the seven-court, Dream Courts facility in this East Bay town.
Jones – only cleared to play by doctors on Thursday after a bout with mono – directed a decisive victory over the Oakland Soldiers.
The Soldiers, playing without standouts Aaron Gordon (broken bone in a foot) and Jabari Bird (tendinitis in the knees), had beaten Chicago Mean Streets earlier Saturday – less than 12 hours after Mean Streets handed the CIA-Bounce its first loss of the four-weekend EYBL spring campaign.
Jones directed the ebb and flow of the game to near-perfection, setting up teammates for high-percentage shots in both transition and in half-court settings, while scoring – when all other options were exhausted – with short jumpers and drives of his own.
The Panthers also got solid efforts out of Jones’ backcourt mates Quinton Hooker (Brooklyn, MN, Parker Center) and Anders Broman (Duluth Lakeview Christian).
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Jones emerges as CIA-Bounce’s Andrew Wiggins’ top challenger for the tag of “No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2014” by the end of the summer.
Other observations taking from Saturday’s sessions:
*The Team Takeover vs. The Family contest Saturday afternoon was as toughly contested a game as I’ve watched over the first two days of events.
Six-foot-four Stanford Robinson, a left hander who scores equally well via short pull-jumpers, slashing to the rim or rebounds in congestion, took over things over the final six or seven minutes to lead Team Takeover to the three-point victory.
Robinson (Fairfax, VA, Paul VI) could prove to be one of Tom Crean’s more significant recruiting coups.
He committed to the Indiana Hoosiers recently and that had to prove disconcerting to everyone who recruits in that region – including a lot of Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East programs.
*Sindarius Thornwell (6-5/Team United), who recently announced that he will transfer from Lancaster, SC, High to Mouth of Wilson, VA, Oak Hill Academy, was among the best “scorers” I watched Saturday.
To fall back on one of sport’s most trusted clichés, Coach Steve Smith doesn’t “rebuild” at Oak Hill, he . . . .ah, you know how the rest of it goes.
*Duane Wilson Jr. (6-3/Milwaukee Dominican) was among the six or seven best players I watched Saturday.
Is he a PG or a SG?
Call him whatever you’d like. I’m sure Coach Buzz Williams will be calling the Wisconsin Playground Elite standout “one of my starting guards” at some point during Wilson’s freshman season at Marquette during 2013-14.
*Other than Tyus Jones, 6-5 Theo Pinson(Greensboro, NC, Wesleyan Christian) of the CP3 All-Stars was the most impressive junior-to-be I watched Saturday.
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