Jr Prelude Day 1 notebook

Jr Prelude Day 1 notebook

Cordova, TN – The inaugural Jr Prelude sponsored by New Balance got off to a smooth start Friday night.

Teams traveled from nearby Memphis to far reaching locations like California and Pennsylvania. Each team, its players, and parents were excited to get this travel season started. These sixth through eighth graders showed exceptional skills on opening night. Here are some notable performance on first impressions.

Hausman has a big night

Vander Hausman waited until he last game of the evening to put on one of the best performances of the evening. The wiry member of the Class of 2028 finished with a game-high 30 points. His performance helped Wisconsin-based ABC Young Lions to a single-digit win. Hausman shows the ability to play inside and out, which was difficult to defend throughout the night.

PAC runs deep

Depth is so important in any sport, especially basketball. The Pennsylvania Coalition (PAC) can go deep in its bench with talent. They have guards capable of handling the rock, wings who can shoot, and interior players not afraid to bang inside. This combination lead to a dominating win for this seventh grade group the Keystone State.
Leading the way in a variety of categories were Dave Mota, Orlando Williams, Sean Smith, Marcel Stapler, and Alex Rodriguez.

Mota is a smooth looking combo guard. He can play on or off the ball equally. His handle was solid enough to help handle the pressure. Mota has a fluid feel for the game. His game resembles that of former NBA player Mike Bibby.

Williams is the orchestrator to the PAC’s offense. He runs the team with the patience of a surgeon. His feel for the game is impressive considering the way he its teammates in the correct scoring position. Williams’s demeanor doesn’t change regardless of what is going on around him. This is the impressive part of his game.

Smith impressed on both ends of the floor. This frontline prospect moved well inside and finished like a grown man. He then showed excellent footwork switching off on smaller guards and keeping them in front of him. His strength for his age give him a significant advantage.

Stapler is the glue every team needs. His game is versatile enough where he can do just about anything on the floor. He has excellent court vision dropping off some precision passes. His touch around the basket is soft. Stapler has a serviceable handle.

Rodríguez served as the sniper for this group. He knocked down shots but more importantly impressed on the defensive end of the floor. Rodriguez showed off some quick hands and was picking pockets if their handle was not secure.

Florida Vipers return with venom

The Florida Vipers were laying low for a few years and are now back. This time when they too, the floor you could see they still have the ability to strike and leave a mark.

They did just that in its opening day win. The eight grade squad started off slow but made wakes as they became more comfortable as a group. Ryan Eddings dominated the interior with his length and agility. Will Garner and Noah Garner provided a tandem that was difficult to defend. You can tell these twins had a synergy for success. Maddox Gosney, a seventh grader, shot the ball with consistency.

Being able to attack its opponents for every angle helped to slowly put its opponents away. This is exactly what Vipers do to its prey.

2029 War Eagles dominate

Memphis War Eagles did not have to travel far as it was familiar to leave its mark. The Tennessee-based organization looked great from the opening tip to the buzzer.

Koby Shaw was an impressive pass first floor general. He was dishing out passes like a card dealer at in a Tunica, Mississippi casino. His wizardry at the position, laser vision, and quick hands helped impact the game without any real necessary reason to score the ball. Romello Armstrong is a monster athlete. He was impactful making plays by deflecting passes which ignited the fastbreak.

This team showed it will be a problem throughout the circuit the remainder of the spring and summer.