Here's a rundown of the action, including the top performers from Day 2 of the Portsmouth Invitational:Game 3 (Boxscore):
Micah Downs: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 4-11 FG
Alfred Aboya: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3-11 FG
Gary Wilkinson: 13 points, 15 rebounds, 6-9 FG, 1-3 3FG
Alex Ruoff: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-7 FG, 0-1 3FG
Marcus Cousin: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 7-11 FG
Courtney Fells: 13 points, 1 steal, 5-11 FG, 2-3 3FG
Jimmy Baron: 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 5-11 FG, 3-8 3FG
Comments: Courtney Fells continues to shoot the ball well and might have a chance to be this year's Anthony Morrow. Gary Wilkinson has put together back to back good games. Big man Marcus Cousin put together a good game, so he might be someone to keep an eye on. I don't see much NBA talent playing in this game though.
Game 4 (Boxscore):
Jon Brockman: 24 points, 21 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 10-21 FG
Ben Woodside: 7 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2-9 FG, 1-2 3FG
Wesley Matthews: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 5-12 FG, 0-1 3FG
Chris Johnson: 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 blocks, 4-9 FG
Kenny Hasbrouck: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assists, 4 steals, 6-14 FG, 1-3 3FG
Lee Cummard: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2-9 FG, 1-2 3FG
Jermaine Taylor: 30 points, 5 rebounds, 11-24 FG, 1-4 3FG
Ahmad Nivins: 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 3-11 FG
Comments: Just a monster game from Jon Brockman, who at 6'7 seems to be an undersized PF, however, he was one of the best rebounders in college and could possibly find his way into the NBA as a role player. Jermaine Taylor had a big scoring game and the buzz is that he has NBA-level scoring ability, so he's definitely someone who is going to have a great chance to get drafted. Ahmad Nivins had a disappointing game, but will have a few more chances to improve his play.
Game 5 (Boxscore):
Tyrese Rice: 14 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 5-11 FG, 4-7 3FG
Antonio Anderson: 0 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 0-4 FG
Taylor Griffin: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, 2-9 FG
Leo Lyons: 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 6-11 FG, 1-2 3FG
Weyinmi Efejuku: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 5-11 FG, 0-1 3FG
A.J. Abrams: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3-10 FG, 0-5 3FG
Marcus Landry: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 5-14 FG, 2-6 3FG
B.J. Raymond: 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 7-14 FG, 4-5 3 FG
Comments: I think B.J. Raymond and Leo Lyons showed up the strongest in this game. I still think both of them have a chance to be drafted. Tyrese Rice and Weyinmi Efejuku didn't do anything to hurt their chances here either, but will probably have to do more to impress scouts, although Rice showed up nicely with 7 assists and 4 threes.
Here are some more observations, via Draft Express:
Jon Brockman: Jon Brockman had one of the more dominant performances we’ve seen thus far at Portsmouth, showing off his outstanding rebounding abilities to pull in an amazing 21 rebounds in 30 minutes. Brockman threw his body around all game, showing no hesitation to bang with Ahmad Nivins and Russell Hicks. Brockman’s combination of excellent timing, hands, and mobility to pursue in combination with his ridiculously high motor played a big role in his performance. Other than rebounding, Brockman was a force scoring in the paint as well, often on putbacks, but also on catch-and-finishes and a few occasional post moves. He shows good touch in the post and a solid base of moves, but he struggled getting separation from his opponent on his moves, not having much range. While Brockman occasionally shows good vertical explosiveness when he has time to gather himself or gets momentum going on the run, he isn’t able to power up from other positions, not being a very good overall athlete, something that will hold him back if he doesn’t improve.
Jermaine Taylor: Although his final stat-line might not have been quite as jaw-dropping as Jon Brockman’s, there wasn’t a player who helped their NBA draft stock in day two more than Jermaine Taylor. He displayed an NBA-level ability to create offense for himself, showing that his status as the #1 scorer in college basketball wasn’t just a product of the level of competition he played at, and that he has no problem putting the ball in the basket against some of the best wing players in the NCAA—for example Marquette’s Wes Matthews in this particular game. Physically, he passes the eye test and then some, showing a NBA caliber body and better athleticism than almost any wing player in attendance here. Taylor looked like nothing less than a scoring machine in this game, showing a complete offensive arsenal by scoring in a variety of ways. He showed an advanced ability to operate in the mid-range area, making a number of very smooth pull-up jumpers, showing excellent mechanics and creating separation from his defender in impressive fashion. Even though he only made 1 of his 4 attempts from beyond the arc, it’s pretty obvious from looking at him that he can really stroke the ball. He also showed the ability to move off the ball, utilizing screens nicely and then taking the ball to the basket with excellent body control. His ability to create his own shot looked much more impressive in person than we had given him credit for from watching him on film, as he has a quick, powerful first step, long strides, terrific footwork, and even some shifty hesitation moves. His strength and aggressiveness got him to the free throw line at will in this game, and he converted 7 of his 9 attempts from the charity stripe. Showing that same type of hunger to put the ball in the basket that all great scorers have, Taylor was an absolute jet leaking out in transition, creating numerous easy scoring opportunities in the process. We can now see why college football coaches were so interested in him at the wide receiver position, as his ability to get from one end of the court to another was absolutely outstanding, even if he might have been cherry-picking just a little on a possession or two. That same hunger to score translated to the offensive glass as well, where he picked up no less than 4 extra possessions for his team. It also may have caused him to look a little too much for his own offense at times, as he did get up 24 field goal attempts in just 32 minutes without recording a single assist. Some teams we talked to felt like he may have played a bit selfishly at times, but it’s a little bit hard to fault him for that too much considering what’s at stake here and how well he started off (with 18 points in the first half). Although you don’t want to take away too much from a single game in a setting like this, it was hard not to come away extremely impressed with what Taylor showed here in his first game. Judging by the reaction of a couple of scouts we spoke with, we weren’t the only ones who felt that way. He reminds us quite a bit of Kelenna Azubuike, both in his build, athleticism, scoring instincts, and overall game. We’re curious to see how he manages to follow this game up. Players like him are what makes the PIT great, as he’s really using this setting to separate himself from many of the wing players in this class.
Micah Downs: Micah Downs had another solid game today, making a couple athletic plays all over the floor, and playing aggressively on both ends. His ball handling ability still leaves a lot to be desired, but he stood out today with his physical tools and activity level, despite only tallying 8 points and 5 rebounds. Considering his size and athleticism for a wing, he may have the most potential of any player here in Portsmouth, which has helped him create a nice little buzz amongst teams we’ve talked to.
Marcus Cousin: Marcus Cousin was a force on both ends in this game. He showcased his athleticism with a couple of impressive tip dunks today, but also knocked down a couple of midrange jumpers. We criticized him in our last write-up for settling too much for perimeter jumpers, but he definitely showed that he can comfortably hit that shot, which makes him a little more intriguing. The touches that he got with his back to the basket today indicate that he needs more polish with his footwork and is more comfortable facing up, but his blend of size, length, and athleticism makes him an interesting player. Defensively he really lacks fundamentals, particularly guarding the pick and roll, but all in all he’s been one of the camp’s standouts thus far as far as big men are concerned, and has clearly helped his stock.
Wesley Matthews: Wesley Matthews showed some very nice flashes in his first day, showing a bit more advanced ball-handling than we’re used to, including a very nice crossover drive, but he wasn’t able to put it together for a complete performance, going for 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting. On the other hand, Matthews showed a lot of the little things he’s become known for, reading the floor well, making good cuts, finishing strong at the rim, and making opportune passes. We expect a better overall performance from Matthews in the next two days.
Weyinmi Efejuku: Weyinmi Efejuku also had some good flashes, showing off his athletic abilities and shot-creating abilities, both pulling up and attacking the rim, but he struggled to put together an efficient performance, scoring 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting along with 3 turnovers. Picking his spots a little better and moving more off the ball to get the ball in prime scoring position should be among his priorities, although he did show nice potential.
B.J. Raymond: B.J. Raymond had an excellent first outing here, knocking down a number of deep three-pointers to finish with 19 points and 7 rebounds. He also played very strong defense, coming up with 3 steals and doing a good job containing his man. His physical build is impressive—like seemingly all Xavier players—but his below average athleticism really stands out.
Tyrese Rice: Tyrese Rice knocked down four of the seven three pointers he attempted en route to 14 points, but he also dished out seven assists. Clearly, Rice is being asked to do more distributing, and he had a pretty efficient game in doing so. He could have even finished with more than the 7 assists he was credited for, as some nice passes he made were dropped by his teammates. He looked under control and could have probably easily dropped another 15 points or so if he felt the urge to, but right now he looks focused on showing off his playmaking skills, which probably isn’t a bad idea.
Gary Wilkinson: Gary Wilkinson had another strong performance here, further increasing his stock for, at the very least, the many European league executives that came to scout this event. He hit a number of mid-range jumpers thanks to his superb touch, even showing range out to the three-point line, and also showed some crafty footwork in the paint, which led to some mixed results. He’s one of the biggest hustlers you’ll find at this tournament, grabbing 15 rebounds in 32 minutes today. Wilkinson draws some comparisons to Brian Scalabrine due to their obvious similarities in their build, hair color (fiery red) and comparable games, but at age 26, he is probably a long shot for the NBA.
Jimmy Baron: Had a very strong second half en route to a 13 point performance. He made shots from all over the floor but also showed a strong basketball IQ with some excellent passes and plenty of unselfishness. His physical limitations are obvious, and he’s clearly not a point guard, but this coach’s son will surely make a team happy overseas.
Ahmad Nivins: Ahmad Nivins had a tough time playing against the likes of Chris Johnson and Jon Brockman, scoring just 7 points on 3-for-11 shooting while pulling in a respectable 7 rebounds. Nivins’ lack of vertical explosiveness is clearly holding him back, with him being very much an under-the-rim player.
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