CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – Cole Anthony – even with his team just splitting its two games – continued to make an impressive on-court argument as to why he may be the No. 1 player of the national high school Class of 2019 Saturday in the Lakepoint Community Sporting Community Champions Center.
His PSA Cardinals (NY) team was knocked off by another New York squad – The Lightning, 69-61 – Saturday morning on the second day of the third Nike/Elite Youth Basketball League session.
But the Cardinals were impeccable that night against yet another New York-based EYBL squad, rolling past the Renaissance, 76-40.
Numbers, of course, don’t always tell a story completely.
But the statistics the 6-foot-2 Anthony (Archbishop Molloy High) rang up were into the realm of the eye-catching:
He had averages, for the two games, of 27 points, 8.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists.
The “National Player of the Year for 2019” baseline he’s establishing this spring is going to be quite the sturdy foundation for his summer schedule and regular-season efforts next winter and spring.
Other impressive efforts turned in Saturday included:
*Rejean “Boogie” Ellis continued to demonstrate why he’s not only the No. 1 player in San Diego County (at Mission Bay High) but also is making a nice claim this spring of being the top 2019 point guard-type in all of California.
The 6-3 Ellis, who led his high school team to the San Diego Open Division crown in March, dropped in a weekend-best 43 points (with eight 3s) in the Oakland Soldiers’ 89-69 win over the Nike Phamily.
*Six-nine Jaden McDaniels (Class of 2019/Federal Way) scored 21 points, with 17 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots as Seattle Rotary overpowered CIA Bounce, 87-74, in its morning game.
*Memphis East 7-footer James Wiseman is rated by some as the No. 1 prospect in the national Class of 2019.
But – for now, anyway – he’s not even the best all-around player on his Bluff City (TN) squad.
That would be 6-8 D.J. Jeffries (Olive Branch High in Mississippi).
Jeffries, who is committed to the University of Kentucky, could be as skilled as any “big wing” on the EYBL circuit.
He went for 21 points and eight rebounds in Bluff City’s 69-64 victory over MOKAN Saturday morning.
It was a year ago in this same facility that he out-played – or, at least, got a standout with – Marvin Bagley III, who is going to be a Top 5 (at worst) selection in the June 21 NBA Draft.
*And, as far as the “best teams” category is shaping up, Team Takeover (DC) continued to roll along in the top spot, picking up Saturday wins over Renaissance (85-78) and Team Melo of Maryland (63-46) to sit at 11-0 going into its Sunday morning game vs. Rose City (OR).
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