Tournament of Champions Best Players
Words. Jason Jordan
Chapel Hill, N.C. –
One hundred and twenty-eight teams played in nearly every gym on Tobacco Road vying for the Tournament of Champions crown. In the end, Philly-based Team Final’s backcourt duo of Dion Waiters, the tournament’s MVP, and Mike Gilchrist was too much for CP3 of Winston Salem, N.C.
Waiters and Gilchrist were just two of the many prospects who caught our eye during the weekend.
Here’s a breakdown of who turned in impressive showings…
Kyrie Irving (2010), PG, NJ Roadrunners – Let’s start by saying this definitively – Kyrie Irving will jump up drastically in our rankings. He was nearly on the outside looking in of the initial list (No. 50), but his play so far this AAU season has been stellar. Irving picked up right where he left off at the Adidas May Classic two weeks ago by averaging 31 points and six assists (This would be higher if his teammates didn’t drop so many passes). The only knock all weekend was, at times, he seemed to play lackadaisical, which sounds crazy because of the aforementioned stat line. Imagine if he played hard on every play? Indiana, Notre Dame, Duke, Seton Hall, Texas A&M, Florida, Marquette, Maryland, Georgia Tech, and Pittsburgh are all putting the full-court press on Irving.
Dion Waters (2010), SG, Team Final – He’s listed as a shooting guard, but Waiters was very effective at the point for Team Final. Can you say Johnny Flynn? Not one of the talented guards from CP3 – Reggie Bullock, P.J. Hairston, Dezmine Wells – could stay in front of Waiters, a Syracuse commit. That was evident of his game-high 27 points in the title game. When he wasn’t penetrating he was knocking down 3s and scoring in transition. Waiters also threw down the dunk of the tournament in the title game – a one-handed jam over three CP3 defenders. He ran out of gas for a small stint in the second half, but when the second wind kicked in CP3 had no answer.
Mike Gilchrist (2011), SF, Team Final – The other half of the championship backcourt, Gilchrist was too much to handle on the perimeter for CP3 and most other teams Team Final faced. Gilchrist, who dropped 22 points in the title game, blew past defenders, knocked down 3s and played solid defense. He looked unguardable most of the time and chose his spots perfectly. Yes, he’s No. 19 in the HighSchoolHoop top 50, but this tournament may have made a legitimate case for his rise. Memphis, Villanova, Connecticut and Kentucky are just a few of the schools that have offered Gilchrist.
TaShawn Mabry (2010), SF, Carolina Cobras – Remember when we said “Mabry’s not ‘kind of’ good, he’s ‘potentially breaking into the HighSchoolHoop top 50’ good” in a recent post? We’ve been validated. Mabry dropped 31 points and 10 rebounds in a win over LaQuinton Ross’ MBA squad. Unfortunately for Mabry, he twisted his ankle in the win and favored it for the rest of the tournament, slowing what could have been a monster tournament for him. Still, in his final two games, Mabry dropped 13 and 21 points respectively. And on a team with a monster shot blocker like C.J. Leslie, Mabry led the team in blocks. His timing in that regard is exceptional. Mabry is on the rise.
C.J. Leslie (2010), PF, Carolina Cobras – Leslie was his usual self – throwing down rim-rocking dunks and swatting shots. Our knock on Leslie is more a knock on the Cobras coaching staff, which had Leslie running the point a lot. Sure, Leslie is talented enough to take his man off of the dribble and finish in the lane, but let’s just say his strong suit as a point guard wasn’t setting up his teammates. When he was running the floor and finishing plays and blocking and changing shots, Leslie was at his best. You can’t teach his motor and desire. After backing out of his verbal to North Carolina State (Which trust us he won’t be recommitting to), Leslie’s hearing from North Carolina, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Memphis, Maryland, Tennessee and Florida to name a few. He’s visiting the Tar Heels this week.
Jack Flournoy (2012), SF, WV Wildcats – Never heard of him, huh? Well, mark it down, Flournoy will be a household name in due time. He played with the 15-and-under team and dominated a talented DC Assault team with 24 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Think Mike Dunleavy with post moves. At 6-6, Flournoy was a matchup problem because he could take it off of the dribble and mix it up inside. He also found the open man when the defense collapsed.
Aaron Brown (2011), SF, Team Final – The lefty, who played with the 16-and-under squad, has a similar game to Syracuse swingman Paul Harris. Brown is very athletic with a consistent short pull-up jump shot.
Jonathan Thsimbuy (2012), PF, Team Takeover Canada – Here’s another player you’ll hear a lot about in the future. Thsimbuy plays like Oklahoma stud Blake Griffin, dunking everything and getting out in transition to finish plays. Thsimbuy also has a solid jump shot from about 15 feet. His aggressive play is sure to have him on the national radar soon.
Ray McCallum (2010), PG, Team Detroit – Looked really smooth at the controls and never got rattled. McCallum was automatic from deep and made the right passes at the right times. He didn’t break down the defense with blazing speed, but McCallum was a star. He says that his dad, Ray McCullam Sr., has a legit shot at beating out Michigan State, Kansas, Duke, Texas, etc., and landing him at Detroit. But we don’t buy it for a minute.
Tyler Thornton (2010), PG, DC Assault – Ran the show well and made good decisions in transition. Thornton will be the perfect backup at Duke because, while we were impressed, we understand why the Blue Devils are recruiting over him. He’s just solid all around, not a major impact player right now.
P.J. Hairston (2011), SG, CP3 – Has a big reputation for draining deep 3s and he didn’t disappoint at the TOC. Hairston didn’t force anything and picked his spots well on a loaded CP3 squad. It’s easy to see why Florida, Wake Forest and Memphis have already offered. At 6-6, Hairston already has the size to be an NBA guard and at the TOC he displayed the skills to back that up.
Trevor Cooney (2011), SG, Team Final – It was hard to shine sharing the backcourt with Waiters and Gilchrist, but Cooney did well in his “Robin” role. We’d heard about his sweet stroke from deep, but when he drained 28 straight 3s from different spots behind the arc during halftime of the title game, we knew his rep was legit. He showed the ability to create his own shot against quick guards all weekend. Villanova, Syracuse, West Virginia and Rutgers are a few of his suitors.
Dezmine Wells (2011), SG, CP3 – When they took him off of the point he was a star. Wells is a lot more effective when he’s getting out in transition, slashing and finishing plays because he’s so athletic. He’ll have to improve his jump shot and ball handling, but we expect Wells to turn in a big summer. So far East Carolina, South Carolina, Villanova, North Carolina State, Baylor, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Virginia are involved.
Marquis Rankin (2011), PG, Team United – We’d heard a lot about Rankin coming into the TOC, and though we only got to watch him play briefly, he managed to impress. He’s very fast and very quick and puts you in the mind frame of former North Carolina guard Tywon Lawson, which is ironic since Rankin grew up a Tar Heel fan. His jump shot is a little suspect, but Rankin definitely has the tools to be among 2011’s elite guards. North Carolina, Duke, Ohio State, Alabama have all jumped on the bandwagon lately.
It would have been nice to see what Tay Mabry could do even with a hurt Ankle had Leslie! possibly thought! of passing the ball! Leslie definitely RAN! his AAU team and it was pretty obvious why he chose to play with them as I see they let him play however he wants to (even when he’s playing stupid and selfish) With all that said he’s a GREAT talent! and I’d love to have him in Chapel Hill where Roy will reign in his dicipline when playing and help him reach his full potential. He would be a great player with the Heels down the road unlike! MR. OVER RATED! himself (John “Stickman” Henson) HOW ON EARTH! is he a top 10 player?? People confuse Athleticism with length! “oooh he dunks! a lot” that doesn’t mean he’s “athletic” sometimes it means he’s TALL! (freak’n idiots) He will be a marginal Role player for the heels I suspect but all the talk of him being a 1-and-done player is Laughable!
Saw Rankin play there and wooooooow! dude is a beast! too quick for words. I agree on Irving too… I think he was the best pg there. and that’s saying a lot.
waiters was such a baller in that game! came to see reggie bullock and left mad because reggie wasn’t waiters! what a beast!
great stuff! love the new site!
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