I attended the 4th week and 5th round of the Arizona Club Basketball League located at Arizona Christian University in Phoenix organized by Kenny Mullins. There were 3 games on the night with AZ Venom vs Blue Chip Nation Gold being the 1st game.
Once again this league is an amazing tool to showcase your talents to scouts and college coaches around the country. It is well organized, great competition and has talent plus every single game is recorded. The last game is also live streamed with a play-by-play announcer. I even chimed in a few times with the color analysis.
BCNP Gold 65 vs AZ Venom 63 notes:
It was one of the more competitive games on the night that was going back and forth throughout the game. There wasn’t a lot of bigs playing so it was mostly guards and wings going at it. A few new faces popped up that I have never viewed before which is always exciting to see as a scout.
BCNP's 2019 6'2" SG Cam Bender (Ben Franklin) made 2 free throws with 5 seconds left to win it. Bender has a beautiful looking stroke from anywhere on the court.
Some of the stars of the game:
DJ MCneal PG 6’0” 2018 of Agua Fria HS (AZ Venom)
-McNeal is one of the top candidates for the player of the year. He poured in 31 points with 6 rebs 7 asts and 2 steals. He does what his team needs him to do. He started off as the facilitator diming all his teammates then took the role of a scorer. He can score from all 3 levels and plays at his own pace. He is very hard to speed up. He carves into the lane with his strong body and can hit the perimeter jumper. He got hot from deep with 4 3’s in a row in the second half to actually take the lead. There is not many out there who play harder them him and he is his teams true leader.
Adam Martin SF 6’4” 2019 of Ben Franklin HS (BCNP Gold)
-Martin is a new player from a small school but he has some game. He can score it from deep plus drive it to the rim. He can pull-up from mid-range and plays a cerebral game. He isn’t explosive but he’s tough and skilled.
Daveed Markham F 6’3” 2019 of Chandler HS (BCNP Gold)
-Markham is an active forward who can shoot it from 17-feet and in. He can control the glass with his quicks and sheer effort. He collects steals and blocks shots with his motor and length plus hustles for loose balls. He is a nice glue guy for a team.
Team Zona 72 Factory 68 notes:
It was two talented teams with many future college players.
The game went back and forth like the first game and Factory actually led 57-56 with 5:50 to play but a strong stretch of shooting by the Zona guards gave them a 65-62 w 2:10 to play. Josh Johnson made 6 FTs down the stretch to pull off the victory.
Some of the stars of the game:
Emmanuel Taban SG 6’7” 2019 of Apollo HS (Factory)
17 points.
-Taban was good once again. He, like McNeal, is one of the front runners for player of the year. He is a long guard who can handle it well, shoot it and dish it. He is a stud on defense using he freaky long arms. He collects steals that most players could not even come close to where he is 2nd in the entire league in that category. He also is a top-10 shot blocker in the league plus he is top-10 in the league in scoring, as he can score from all 3 levels. He does need to keep filling in his body moving forward as he lacks strength.
Cameron Katal C 6’10” 2019 of Westview HS (Factory)
-Katal was great all night long. He showed all his traits to becoming a D1 player down the road. He can shoot it to the 3pt line, plus he made hook shots inside the paint with either hand and he even powered his way with a quick crab dribble to score it. He isn’t usually the strongest player, but he is showing signs in moving in the right direction.
Cedric Bridges PF 6’5” 2018 of Westview HS (Factory)
8 pts 4 asts 5 rebs
-Bridges is a top-10 rebounder in the league using his strong build/frame and incredible bounce. He finishes way above the rim/many lob dunks catches and has that warrior mentality. He also is a sneaky good passer showing off his cerebral side of his game with great court awareness. He’s extended his shooting range out to the 3pt line and he has a consistent jump hook shot.
Josh Johnson PG 5’7” 2018 of Maricopa HS (Team Zona)
21 points including 6 clutch FTs
-Johnson has speed to burn and the ball is on a string for him. He can dish it out to anyone plus he uses his speed to blow by his man and score it. He has a consistent shooting stroke to the 3pt line and doesn’t take bad shots. Johnson is their team leader and always seems to come up big vs top tier teams.
Keyvaughn Williams PG 5’11” 2018 of Deer Valley HS (Team Zona)
16 pts--4 3’s made.
-Williams is another talented guard for Team Zona. He has a very consistent stroke all the way out to the volleyball line with an ultra quick release. He is very crafty getting into the lane and scoring it and he has the ability to find teammates with his left or right hand. He takes good care of the ball and understands how to change speeds to keep the defense off balance.
Adam Hamilton PF 6’8 1/2” 2019 of Buckeye HS (Team Zona)
-Hamilton didn’t have a monster game but I need to mention him. He grew close to 3 inches and he is a legit 6’8 and a hair under 6’9”. He is really long and somewhat thin but has some skill. He can block shots and rebounds well with his newfound height and length. He can shoot it to the 3pt line and is starting to get more comfortable in the post. The more reps he gets with his back to the basket and put on some weight may see him becoming a late D1 get next year this time.
Wizards 71 vs BCNP Gold 62 notes:
The Wizards were in control of this game by a very slim margin most of the night. This game was also a game of all guards and wings primarily. The Wizards probably should of won by more points as they missed over 10 FTs to possibly pull away. BCNP hung in tough but may have worn down a little as they played earlier that night. The Wizards bench 4 of Tyler Curvey, Rashad Smith, Tramane Lee and Tyson Brown were big difference makers in the game.
Some of the stars of the game:
Tyson Brown SG 6’0” 2018 of Hamilton HS (Wizards)
17 pts 4 3’s
-Brown is a gunner. He has no conscience and lets it fly at any time. He has a super quick release and a consistent shooting stroke. He does need to take better shots but every shot looks good from him. He is quick enough to get into the lane and score at the cup and athletic enough to dunk the ball.
Rashad Smith CG 6’5” 2018 of Hamilton HS (Wizards)
8 pts
-Smith is a long defensive play-maker. He has good springs, a good build and great instincts. He takes long strides to get to the basket and can finish it off or get fouled. He has deep shooting range with a quick release but he has to become more consistent moving forward.
Tramame Lee SF 6’4” 2019 of Apollo HS (Wizards)
7 pts
-Lee is a long active forward. He can shoot it from deep plus post up a little as well. He is more of a face-up slasher and relentless on the glass. He is athletic to throw it down plus grab rebounds in and out of his area and block and steal balls.
Tyler Curvey SG 6’1” 2019 of Hamilton HS (Wizards)
10 pts
-Curvey is a thicker guard who isn’t afraid of contact. He can bowl his way into the paint with his strength and good handle. He can shoot it from deep plus drive it to the basket. He will be another breakout player for the Huskies this coming season.
Michael Lord SG 6’1” 2019 Highland HS (BCNP Gold)
11 pts
-Lord is another player that will make some noise next varsity season. He has a strong build and can drive it to the lane with his speed. He has a streaky jumper to the 3pt line but defends well on the perimeter.
Eric Babcock SF 6’4” 2019 Casteel HS (BCNP Gold)
14 pts
-Babcock is a nice inside/out threat. He can hit the deep ball, albeit with an unorthodox shooting release, but he is tough inside to score it. He is very good driving the lane and using his bigger frame to bounce off of players and score it. He rebounds well in his area and if he can get more consistent from deep, he can break out for Casteel next year.
