James Kerti

By: James Kerti

DALLAS, TX – Though the VIP Exclusive Run didn’t feature the same kind of elite talent some of the weekend’s other events offered, the Dallas tournament had prospects worth discussing.

Here are several of the players who stood out in the adidas Tournament.

Brandone Francis (2014/Florida Elite/Arlington Country Day/Jacksonville, FL)
James Says: The 6-5 guard’s consistently stellar decision-making out of the dribble-drive gives him the ability to play the point. He has a well-developed understanding of when and how to get the ball to a teammate in an advantageous scoring position.

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By JAMES KERTI

Players like Cliff Alexander (6-9/Chicago, IL/Curie/2014) and Andrew Harrison (6-4/Richmond, TX/Ft. Bend Travis/2013) have deservedly garnered much attention on the high school basketball scene this summer.

With the standout play of some of the elite players up to this point, it’s inevitable that some prospects have gotten lost in the crowd.

Those underappreciated players, however, will have ample opportunities to make names for themselves as July literally and figuratively heats up.

I’m expecting some of the following players to surprise onlookers with strong performances in July.

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By JAMES KERTI

GARDEN GROVE, CA — While all eyes were on Oakland, teams gathered on the other side of the state for the Magic Memorial Festival in Garden Grove from May 26-28.

The event featured several Magic teams, as well as other west coast standout squads such as Dream Vision and Belmont Shore.

In the 17U Elite division, the Compton Magic Elite and The Magic both won their semifinal games before declining to play each other in a championship game.

In earlier action, 5-7 guard Derrick Randolph (Whitney Young/Chicago, IL) led Paul George Elite to an upset win over Dream Vision 17U.

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By JAMES KERTI

I had the opportunity to attend the Pangos Spring Spectacular and the adidas VIP Exclusive Run in Las Vegas over the weekend of April 20-22 as well as the Real Deal in the Rock tournament in Little Rock from April 27-29.

While the following players aren’t necessarily the best prospects in the events, they are among those who stood out the most for me.

* Kasey Hill (6-1/Florida Rams/Montverde Academy/ FL/2013)

James Says: He’s the best point guard prospect that I’ve seen in his class.

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By JAMES KERTI

LAS VEGAS, NV — Teams from California, Utah, and Idaho joined some of Nevada’s best for the Las Vegas Easter Showdown from April 5-7.

In the 17U Boys Division, Marcus Banks Hard 2 Guard, Salt Lake Prospects, Hard 2 Guard — Inland Empire, and Salt Lake Rebels Red each went an undefeated 3-0 in pool play to claim first round byes.

The Salt Lake Prospects cruised into the championship having been challenged only by the Henderson Heat, which featured Kentrell Washington from Clark and Foothill’s Tyler Roberts.

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