2009 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament: Day 3By:

Game 6

Norfolk Sports Club 88 – Portsmouth Sports Club 77

The 2nd consolation game was out of reach early, allowing Norfolk Sports Club
to cruise to an easy victory.

	Leo Lyons

Leo Lyons (16 points, 5 rebounds)

Has continued to play well, and is showing more of his ability to operate on
the perimeter. He utilized attacks off the dribble, getting to the basket on
a number of occasions; he is also able to incorporate a counter move when he
gets cut off on drives, which is impressive for a player his size. Defensively
he showed nice lateral quickness by staying in front of smaller and quicker
players. Overall, he has looked very good, and while he does not dazzle in any
one particular aspect, he is able to do a number of things well.

AJ Abrams (23 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists,
5 steals)

Abrams come out to play and showed a very good scoring touch that has been
displayed throughout his career. Off the dribble he used a variety of moves
to get by people, and completed the plays by either finishing with floaters
in the lane or with pullups from midrange. He has an extremely quick midrange
jumper, which allows him to be effective even though he is undersized. However,
overall he has not shown much in regards to his playmaking skills, strictly
looking for his own shot, rather than being the facilitator. For the next level
his potential if fairly limited as he is a very undersized 2 guard.

Ahmad Nivins (17 points, 11 rebounds, 3
blocks, 2 steals)

Reading the action well, Nivins was able to get to open spots and be the recipient
of many passes inside. He has great hands and is very active which gives the
defenders a very hard time staying with him. He has a nicely developed body
and good athleticism, which he is able to use on the defensive end by disrupting
the passing lanes and by blocking shots.

Jermaine Taylor (21 points, 5 rebounds,
2 assists)

Even though he took 18 shots, he tried to work more within the offense rather
than forcing the issue off of iso situations. His first step is very good, as
he is able to get by people out of jabs and shot fakes. He is still struggling
to make shots from the outside- while his stroke looks fairly smooth, his accuracy
has been nonexistent. Thus far he has proven to be a good scorer going to the
basket, but he will need to show that his stroke from the outside can also be
a weapon.

	Jermaine Taylor

Taylor Rochestie (8 points, 3 assists)

His ability to beat people off the dribble and get into the lane make him a
very potent weapon. His assist numbers may not be impressive, but that is due
to the fact that his teammates mishandled some of his nifty dishes. He is undersized
and did not show much in terms of shooting ability today, but operating off
the bounce he proved to be very effective. He has a knack for finishing around
the basket even when challenged by bigger help defenders.

Notes: Russell Hicks had a nice game
with 11 points and 5 rebounds, the big man has a fairly soft touch around the
basket, and his mobility is also good for a player his size. Lee
Cummard looked a lot better today finishing with 13 points, 6 rebounds and
5 assists. Tyrese Rice had an off day, his
shots were not falling and his decision making was also very suspect on a number
of plays.

Game 7

Sales System LTD 80 – Portsmouth Partnership 78

The most exciting game of the tournament came down to the wire, but some questionable
shots on the part of Portsmouth Partnership allowed Sales System to pull it
out at the end.

Michael Bremos (12 points, 3 assists,
3 steals)

His stats or athleticism will not blow anyone away, but his fundamentals and
feel for the game help make him a big factor. He does not force the issue, but
rather operates within the flow of the game; his outside shot is very consistent
and his stroke is very smooth. While he is not overly quick, he is still able
to get by people by using shotfakes and jabs to get defenders off balance. Although
he is not an NBA prospect by any means, his overseas stock is definitely growing
with performances like today.

KC Rivers (17 points, 4 rebounds)

Rivers’ shot was falling from the early going, which gave him confidence to
also attack the basket. His shooting form looks very good and his range extends
well to the 3 here at Portsmouth. Off the dribble he is also pretty good, where
he incorporates hesitation moves to get by people. He is listed at 6-6, but
looks a lot more like 6-4 with limited athleticism, which hurts his potential
for the next level. Continuing to show his outside touch will help open up the
other aspects of his game.

Diamon Simpson (7 points, 9 rebounds,
3 blocks)

Did not show anything in terms of ability to create his own shot, but he continues
to work hard and as a result he is able to create his opportunities in that
fashion. Defensively, he is a very difficult matchup because of his length and
good lateral foot speed.

Robert Vaden (15 points, 5-8 3FG)

He found his stroke in the 2nd half, and he almost willed his team to a come
from behind victory. Most of his shots came from spotups or off screens, and
he made them under great duress. Unfortunately, he showed very little in terms
of other ways of scoring; even with defenders closing out hard, he could not
effectively put the ball on the floor and get by them. When he did get into
the lane, his mediocre explosiveness showed with his inability to finish at
the basket. He is strictly a shooting specialist, yet if he continues to shoot
it like today, he may have a chance because of the premium placed on shooters
at the next level.

Josh Akognon (7 points, 4 assists, 3-9FG)

He displayed his tremendous quickness and open court speed, but he struggled
to show his decision making. A play that speaks volumes of his mentality came
down the stretch, with his team up 1, he had the chance to waste clock before
attacking the hoop, instead he opted to take a contested outside shot with about
10 seconds left on the shotclock, which allowed the other team to get an easy
and one in transition on the other end. His game IQ has always been a question
mark, and he has failed to answer many questions thus far.

Aaron Jackson (8 points, 5 assists, 4
rebounds)

Jackson has good size for the position and he is a very hard worker on the
defensive end, where he gets his hands on many balls because of his activeness.
With all that said, his inability to prove his outside shot, makes defenders
sag and clogs up his driving lanes. Since his first step is only mediocre, it
makes it that much more difficult for him to get into the lane.

DeMarre Carroll (11 points, 9 rebounds,
5 assists)

Carroll works extremely hard and plays with a lot of energy. His activity
and athleticism allow him to make some nice plays around the basket. Overall,
he has not shown a go to aspect to his offensive repertoire, struggling to do
much with his back to the basket, or by facing up and attacking slower post
players.

Game 8

Norfolk Naval Shipyard 89 – Cherry, Bekaert & Hollan 73

Not much of a contest in the 2nd semifinal matchup, Norfolk NS had a good start
and they were able to carry the momentum to an easy victory.

Alade Aminu (13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks)

For the second game in a row, Aminu proved that his length and athleticism
form a very good combination on both ends. He started the game with a smooth
running hook, and he also made some moves around the basket that showed his
scoring touch. Defensively, his anticipation was impressive as he blocked and
altered many shots inside. If he is able to get his points off of scramble and
broken plays, then he can be effective, yet if he is forced to create with his
back to the basket then he becomes uncomfortable and struggles.

David Holston (13 points, 5 assists, 3/6 3FG, 4 steals)

His quickness, handles and ability to make shots from the outside make him
a very difficult matchup. He has a good hesitation dribble as well as a crossover
that creates great space, allowing him to get his shot over much bigger defenders.
He tends to overdribble at times, and stagnates the offense, but overall, he
played well and showed some nice tools. As a prospect he is very small, and
his skill set looks more geared towards a scoring guard.

Kenny Hasbrouck (14 points, 3 assists)

Has been running the point at times, and shows some nice tools for the position.
At 6-3 he has great size and his build is very strong, allowing him to body
smaller guards out of position. On his jumpshot he gets great elevation and
his release is very smooth and consistent. He plays with poise and under control,
but he is also more than capable of getting into the lane and finishing. His
passing ability has come in spurts, and he will need to show more of it in his
last game tomorrow.

Jon Brockman (11 points, 16 rebounds)

Not as big of a game as last night, but he was still very effective while getting
limited touches. He was able to knock down a 15 footer in the early going, and
he also missed a couple others that looked good leaving his hand. His stroke
is pretty decent, and there is no reason he cannot become a decent threat as
a spot up shooter from about 15.

Notes: Ben Woodside had some nice moves
off the pick and roll where he was able to split the defenders and finish at
the basket. While he doesn’t have blazing speed or quickness, his handles
are good and his change of pace moves make him difficult to contain. Kahiem
Seawright had a decent game finishing with 13 points and 4 rebounds, he has
a nicely chiseled body to go along with a decent scoring touch inside.