John Lucas Elite Invitational Notebook Part 1

John Lucas Elite Invitational Notebook Part 1

By Darnell “Tate” Johnson

HOUSTON, TX – This years JL Elite was one of the biggest JL camps to date. There were plenty of Division I talent that will someday help a lot of college programs from the low major all the way to the high major level. This was a highly intensive camp filled with a lot of players who understood the game. This made for good competitive games.

Below is part one of a two part write, with part one being myself and part two coming from scout Horace Neysmith.

Some of my standouts below from the September camp.

2020 Micah Peavy 6’5 WF (Duncanville High) Duncanville, TX

This young mans dedication and work ethic has shown in the tremendous growth in his game over the years. There’s nothing he can’t do on the court. He can score every way imaginable. He’s not overly aggressive and plays within himself. He was encouraging to his teammates all weekend. He knew he could score at will, but he has no problem sharing the spotlight. I can’t wait to see his finish product. He still has a tremendous ceiling.

2020 Markhi Strickland 6’8 F (Victory Rock High) Brandon, FL

He’s a physical, skilled wing that’s best when attacking the rim. He plays with a high end motor. He still needs to add more skills and patience to his game. Sometime his aggressive play can be a deterrent. He can guard multiple position and isn’t afraid to get up in you and physical. The way he works, his game should continue to improve.

2021 Carson Basham 6’11 C (Sunnyslope High School) Phoenix, AZ

This was my first time seeing the big fella and I was highly impressed. He has very good footwork and knows how to gain the position he wants. He can finish around the basket with either hand and at times will finish above the rim with authority. He surprised me how well he ran the floor. He had no problem getting physical. He had a very nice touch for a big man from 3.

2021 Damon Nicholas 6’4 G (Duncanville High) Duncanville, TX

The young man really impressed me from the last time I’ve seen him play. He’s gotten stronger and playing with much more confidence. He was strong going to the cup and was knocking down the 3 ball with regularity. He always been a good defender. I also think he has much more room for his game to grow.

2021 Bijan Cortes 6’2 PG (Kingfisher High) Kyingfisher, OK

He may not pass the look test but this young mans a baller. His IQ off the chart and he had a great feel for the game. He seems to know where everyone is at on the court at all times. He gets in the lane with regularity and seems real comfortable. He can finish with either hand and has no problem dropping a dime in traffic. His 3 ball may not be pretty but he consistently knocks it down when left open.

2021 TJ Wainwright 6’3 G (Westchester High) Los Angeles, CA

He’s you typical Cali PG. He plays with good pace and is very smooth. He knocked shoots from NBA range. He sees the court well. He was crafty getting to the rim and finishing. I would just like to see a little more physicality on the defensive end.

2020 Rollin Belton 6’8 F (Ruston High) Rustin, LA

A strong bodied forward that showed nice athleticism and consistently finished around the basket. He rebounded well outside of his area and showed a nice knack for challenging shots on defense.

2021 KJ Adams 6’7 PF (Westlake) Austin, TX

He’s another young man that’s had a lot of expectations put on him at a early age because of very early success. When he does what he does best, he’s very successful. He runs the floor well and finishes at the basket with authority. He distributes well from the PF forward position and he can knock down the 15 footer with consistency. He’s a very physical defender and a good rebounder on both ends. As long as he plays within himself, he should be very successful on the court.

2021 Luke Turner 6’7 WF (Rancho Christian) Temecula, CA

The first day this young man played His was lights out from deep for two straight games. I would say he shit at least 80% from 3. Now day 2 he struggled, but most his shots still looked good. Bottom line you can tell he’s a pure shooter. What makes him valuable though, he’s not only a shooter. He can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket and he has sneaky athleticism.

2021 Oteman Delaney 6’5 WF (Lakewood High ) St. Petersburg, FL

He’s already blessed with a college body and he’s a very good athlete to boot. He has a very nice skill set. He has decent handles and can knock down the open 3 ball. He’s at his best when he’s attacking the basket. With all that being said, with his body and athleticism, when he decides to be aggressive all the time, his game can become special. If he dedicates himself to defense, he could easily become one of the best defenders in south.

2022 Tre White 6’7 WF (Cornerstone Christian) San Antonio, TX

This young man has special written all over him. It’s just so hard watching him play and try to get comfortable in different systems. Hopefully he’s somewhere, where his game has a chance to reach its true potential. He has great size and skills for his age. He can either be a scorer are facilitator. He plays above the rim and has no problem being physical. With all that being said, there’s plenty room for growth in his game.

2022 Joyful Hawkins 6’9 F (Decatur High) Atlanta, GA

He’s a long athletic forward that showed very good explosiveness in blocking shots, transition, and finishing around the rim. As his IQ and Motor continue to grow he has the potential to be a high, high level prospect.

2022 Austin Benigni 5’11 PG (Woodlands Christian Academy) The Woodlands, TX

He played with great pace all weekend. Consistently attack the the paint and made the right plays weather they were kick out for shooters are interior drop offs to bigs cutting inside. He showed he could knock down the open three and he finished in traffic very efficiently all weekend.

2022 Marquise Rice 6’5 WF (Durham Academy) Creedmoor, NC

I think at such a young age, this young man has been saddled with to many high expectations. I like his high energy and physicality. He’s always attacking the basket and doesn’t shy away from competing. His skill set has to get much better.

2022 Timothy Clark 6’1 G (Newton High) Covington, GA

The young man had a brother that stared just last year at the same school. While looking at the kid I swore he was his brother. He looks just like him and plays with the same motor. I feel with the way his skill set is at the moment, he may have a higher ceiling then his brother, who committed to VCU. He plays 94 feet and is always in attack mode. He showed he could run a team at times and I really like his upside.

2022 Austin Nunez 6’1 PG (Cornerstone Christian) Garden Ridge, TX

I’ve had the pleasure of watching this young mans game grow year after year. His games gotten more mature. He seems to continue to get a better understanding of the game. He could always stroke it, but being a PG is also getting your teammates involved and that part of his game continues to improve. He’s become a better on ball defender. The skies the limit for this young man.

2022 Bryce Griggs 6’2 G (Hightower High) Fresno, TX

To start off, it’s kind of unfair the expectations put on this young man so early on in his career. You can say what you want but the young mans a baller. His playmaking skills have gotten better and you can see he’s worked on his jumper. He’s knocking down the 3 ball with more regularity. He’s not just bullying his way to the hole no more, he’s playing with much more finesse. Yes his game still has a long way to go but with the adjustments I’ve seen him make already, I’m confident he’ll continue to improve.

2022 Christopher Marks 6’4 G (Marshall High) Missouri City, TX

I heard a lot about this young man and they may not have lived up to what I heard. He’s still a baller and very talented. He has a good skill and good size for his position. He can score at all 3 levels, he just needs to be more consistent at it. He’s decent defender, but with his size and athleticism I like to see him lock down more.

2023 Kendrick Deluna 6’9 C (Cornerstone Christian) San Antonio, TX

This young big man just so polished for his age. I really like his footwork in the post. He’s not afraid to bang and will fight to get to his spot. He has a nice touch from 15 feet in and looked comfortable knocking down a few 3 balls. He must be more physical and aggressive on defense.

2023 George Washington III 6’ PG (St. Michaels Catholic) Spicewood, TX

For me he was one of the most impressive kids at the camp. He plays way beyond his years and showed no intimidation, while playing with the older players. He was one of the quickest players on the court, but didn’t let the defense speed him up. Even though he’s a natural PG, he played outstanding off the ball, knocking down 3 ball after 3 ball. He has star written all over him

2023 Tristan Gross 6’2 SG (Calvary Christian) Pinellas Park, FL

Out of all the kids I’ve scouted in the 2023 class, this kid has made one of the biggest leaps. He seems to ooze confidence now. He hands down was one of the top 5 shooters in the camp. He went 8 for 10 from 3’s in a 2 game span. He didn’t shy away from contact as much and that’s while playing with you some kids 3 to 4 years older then him. If he continues this pace, not telling how high he can go.

2023 Jacolb Cole 6’5 SG/WF (Bellaire High) Bellaire, TX

If your looking for the next best thing out of Houston. This young man definitely has definitely put his name in that hat. His skills have gotten better and it’s seem he continues to improve. His jump shot looks much better and you can tell he’s worked on his handles. He doesn’t shy away from physical play. I saw him finish with authority a number of times in camp.

2023 DJ Delancy 6’4 G (Somerset Academy) Miami, FL

This camp was similar to last one for this young man. He started off a little slow then really picked it up. He got his teammates involved and controlled the game the way a PG should. He knocked down timely shots and I was really impressed with his efficiency from 3. When he wants to he’s a lock down defender. I like to see him guard 94 feet all game. He knows how to play I just want that motor to be non-stop from the door.

2023 Parrish Johnson 6’4 G (Decatur High) Atlanta, GA

He’s a big combo guard, who just knows how to play. He knows how to control the game and is very good at getting his teammates involved. He’s a good rebounding guard and can guard at least 3 positions already. His shot from long range looked better at times this weekend. I like that he plays with a lot of confidence.

2023 Jaland Lowe 5’11 G (Kinkaid School) Houston, TX

This young man finally had a growth spurt. He always competed against way taller players and never backed down. He’s very skilled and polished for his age. He’s a crafty lefty, who just knows how to make plays.