Memphis Roar

by Lamarous Walker

The Kreul Classic is a long-standing, high-profile basketball tournament that began this past weekend and is now celebrating its 20th anniversary in awarding academic scholarships.  The Hawk Kreul Classic non-profit organization has awarded over $500,000 to South Florida students. The tournament’s director, Jim Reilly, has put together another tremendous field of teams and players from across the country, including Florida’s own Brandon Knight (Coral Springs, Fla./Pine Crest School).

Player Evaluations

Brandon Knight – 6′3″ PG – Pine Crest (2011) - Coming off of an injury this past summer, Knight picked right back up where he left off prior to the injury. The saavy lead guard averaged 23 points in his first two contests while going up against a gimmick box-and-one, intense ball-denial and immediate traps when catching the ball. Knight’s shooting stroke, especially in their first contest, was spot on. He drained jumpers out to 24 feet, including  mid-range jumpers and highly contested three-pointers. When given the opportunity, Knight also got into the lane consistently, going straight at post defenders while finishing more than not by using his tremendous athleticism. Despite occasionally forcing bad shots, Knight showed that he is developing into an unselfish player.

After beating Coral Springs Christian (Fla.) 81-63 on Friday, Pine Crest dropped their first game of the season, 55-51, to Northeast (Fla.) on Saturday night. Daniel Sapp scored a game-high 20-points as Northeast upset Knight’s Pine Crest team, 55-51 in the second round Saturday night. Sapp played tough defense down the stretch against Pine Crest’s Brandon Knight. The reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year, was held to just six points in the first three quarters and finished with 10 in the fourth quarter for 16 points.

Daniel Sapp- 6′3″ SG – Oakland Park (2011)- Sapp played gritty defense against Knight, allowing his Oakland Park team to hand Pine Crest their first loss of the season. Sapp put the defense on their heels by being aggressive with the ball and pushing the ball in transition. Sapp, in my book, is best characterized as a slasher because of his body control and ability to finish at the rim. Sapp will need to add strength to become more effective.

Zach Peters – 6′9″ PF - Prestonwood Christian Academy (2012) - Peters, a 6-9, 240-pound sophomore, is a physical speciman. At only 16 years old, Peters has a huge presence in the lane and showed the ability to hit the mid-range jumper. Extremely agressive in the post, Peters did not rebound well for someone of his size and motor, but has all the tools. Expect Peters to get big-time attention.

Photo taken by Joey Seawell

Quincy Miller – 6′9″ SF – Quality Education (2011) -  Miller’s QEA team won their first game Friday night 70-60 with Miller pitching in 17 points. The following day, Miller scored 18 but his team lost to The Rock. Miller is extremely fluid with the ball in his hands and can step inside or out. He is the true definition of a long athlete capable of playing either forward position. Miller can knock down the outside shot when left open and makes his mark in the post as he gets off the floor very quick to grab rebounds. Despite being extremely skinny, Miller plays exceptionally physical. When speaking to Miller after their loss on Saturday, he said that he has been offered by basically every ACC school and, additionally, that Texas, Kentucky, Memphis, Illinois, Baylor, UConn, Tennessee and Florida are involved at this point.

Wayne Martin Jr. – 6′9″ PF – Providence (2011) - This long, slender athlete didn’t do anything particularly breath-taking, but he continued to show why he is simply some minutes away from breaking-out. With a loaded roster and guys like Florida-commit Patric Young to play behind, Martin played well in the minutes given. Boasting elite level athleticism and a frame that will hold weight well, Martin’s upside is tremendous and you will want to mark his name down as “one to watch”. Over the weekend, Martin said that Memphis has offered him along with Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Miami, Georgia Southern, Arkansas and North Florida. In addition, Martin said that Florida State, Tennessee, Florida, USF, Clemson and Central Florida have shown interest.

OTHER NOTES

* Florida got a beast in Patric Young. The young man is huge and plays with so much energy in the paint. He does everything that you want your big-men to do.

* I will be traveling to the City of Palms for the first three days of this week. Look forward to that update.