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The
Beach Ball Classic is one of the top high school basketball
Holiday Tournaments in the Nation. This years tournament
features several of the top players and teams in the
nation. Lets look at the action from Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina!
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Day 1
Wally Judge PF Arlington Country Day (FL) Class of 2009 (Kansas
St.)
Judge struggled mightily early, but got it going in the second
half. Judge has a long and athletic frame. He could
stand to add some weight to his frame before hitting the boards
for the Wildcats in 2009. Early on he forced things and
struggled. In the second session he played strong in the
low post and was a major factor in ACD's win. He dominated
the boards and showed why he is a top interior players in the
nation. Shot blocking will be an asset for the big man on
the next level. The future Wildcat finished with 11 points
(4-9 FG), 13 rebounds, and 3 assists. Judge looked like a
top 50 player in the second half.
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Rodney McGruder SG Arlington Country Day
(FL) Class of 2009 (Kansas St.)
To start off with I think McGruder is closer to 6-3 than the 6-6
he is listed at. McGruder struggled with the long range
shot in this game but showed he is good attacking the hoop in
transition. He broke the pressure and got to the
rim. The best part of McGruder's game is his quickness off
the dribble and ability to break pressue. He has some PG
skills in him. McGruder finished with 17 points, 6
rebounds, and 2 assists. The senior could crack the top
100 in the final rankings of the 2009 class.
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Noel Johnson SF Fayette
County (GA) Class of 2009 (USC)
Johnson did not have his A game on tonight from deep like he did
at the Trusted Choice Tournament of Champions. He really
struggled from the field (5-15) and the 3-point line in
particular (1-6). He opened the game with a patented spot
up three ball, but it was down hill from there for a
while. His team got down BIG early in the second half and
Johnson started to force things. On one occasion, he tried
to go 1 on 5. Once he settled down some, the offense
started to get going. The jumper went down a few times in
the second half and he helped bring his team back to within
striking range. Then, Johnson made two big mistakes.
The first was a walk call on a stutter step and then a bad pass
in transition that went out of bounds. Johnson's team lost
and he finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 7
turnovers. Johnson remains a top 40 player nationally.
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Dalton Pepper SG Pennsburg (PA) Class of
2009 (West Virginia)
I did not know to much about this young man before the tip, but
he proved to be a high major prospect. Pepper is a volume
shooter (22 attempts) that has good overall athleticism.
The best part of Pepper's game was when he was moving without
the ball. This was especially true on a couple out of
bounds plays which Pepper got open for lay-ups. He is
comfortable handling the ball and got in the lane a few times
with penetration. Pepper's biggest play of the game was a
rebound off a missed free throw and he put it back up for the
score to in essence finish off the game. The two guard
finished with 21 points (9-22 FG) (1-7 3FG) and 5
rebounds. Pepper is a top 100 caliber player in the Class
of 2009.
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Dexter Strickland PG St. Patrick's (NJ)
Class of 2009 (North Carolina)
The premier player on the one of the premier teams in the
country did not disappoint. At the collegiate level
Strickland projects as a point guard, but he plays the shooting
guard position for the #2 nationally ranked St. Patrick's.
Dex is at his best in transition. He is fast with the ball
in his hands and gets the ball end to end. Strickland is
also good at running the wing in transition and finishing.
The future Tar Heel point man's 3-point shot was not falling on
this night (2-8), but scored in other ways. He got a nice
bucket off a offensive rebound and put it back in for 2.
His forte is his defense. Dex is a great on ball pressure
defender. He puts pressure on the ball and forces some bad
passes. The rangy athlete has a slim body and could add
some weight. Strickland ended his Beach Ball Classic debut
with 20 points (9-20 FG), 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Strickland is a complete player that is not a huge scorer.
He did exactly that tonight. I believe he is a 5-star top
20 player in the Class of 2009.
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Michael Gilchrist PF St. Patrick's (NJ)
Class of 2011
Gilchrist is one of the top players in the Class of 2011
nationally. He is on a top team where he doesn't have to
be a star. He is INSANELY athletic. That is what
jumps out about Gilchrist. He is raw, but can score and
rebound just off athleticism alone. Gilchrist is a high
energy rebounder that gets high off the floor when soaring for
the ball. The long athlete showed nice footwork on the
offensive end in the post. He also runs the floor well for
a big man. Gilchrist finished with 8 points (3-6 FG), 7
boards, and 2 assists. His potential is limitless and is certainly
a top 10 player in the Class of 2011.
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Day 2
Dexter
Strickland PG St. Patrick's (NJ)
Class of 2009 (North Carolina)
The UNC recruit really had an off night. Every time it
looked like he was going to get a big bucket, a turnover or
charge would be called on him. It started off good for
Strickland with a three point to open the game and then a steal
in transition that ended up with a slam. After that he
disappeared! He had some turnover problems (3 on the
night) and could not get any of the 50-50 calls from the
refs. He did show smoothness in getting in the lane.
Dex ended the game with 4 free throws that put the game out of
reach. He final line was 9 points (2-5 FG) (4-4 FT), 2
assists, 3 boards, 3 steals, and 3 turnovers. Not a great
night for the future Tar Heel. A slight drop from last
night.
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Michael Gilchrist PF St. Patrick's (NJ)
Class of 2011
Gilchrist had a nice night. He is best when he can get a
quick pass on the interior and put it right up, using his
quickness off the floor. The young big got to the line on
a consistent basis throughout the game (14 attempts).
Gilchrist also showed some ball handling skills in this
game. His length was a big key for St. Pat's D
tonight. Gilchrist finished with 15 points (3-5 FG) (9-14
FT) and 6 rebounds. Gilchrist solidified his top 5 ranking
in the Class of 2011.
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Paris Bennett PF St. Patrick's (NJ) Class
of 2009 (George Mason)
The most productive player on the
floor for St. Pat's tonight was Paris Bennett. The George
Mason commitment has a thick body and is a solid rebounder.
He is an undersized big that can play some SF when needed.
These skills were shown when he hit a nice mid range
jumper. His footwork was solid in the post. Overall
a high FG% combo forward. Paris had 21 points (9-15 FG)
and 9 rebounds on the night. He is a boarderline top 100
kid. He makes a nice front court with Johnnie Williams in
the future for George Mason!
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Ari Stewart SF Wheeler (GA) Class of 2009
(Wake Forest)
Stewart was a beast for Wheeler
today. The athletic wing is very active and had a great
day on the boards. He is still a little thin. If he
wants to be a combo forward and play some on the interior in the
ACC he will need to add some weight. Stewart was the best
player on the floor for Wheeler and finished with 20 points
(9-16 FG) and 10 boards. Stewart looked like a top 40 kid
with this performance.
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Richard Howell PF Wheeler (GA) Class of
2009 (NC State)
Howell is a guy that I liked during
the Vegas AAU tournaments in July. Howell showed good
footwork again in South Carolina and he knows how to
position himself on the boards. The thick big man is not
afraid to run the floor either. A down point I saw for
Howell today was that he kept the ball to low in the post.
If he would keep it higher the guards would not come down from
the perimeter after it. The NC State signee had 13 points
(5-9 FG) and 7 boards. Howell was just ok tonight.
He didn't look top 20 nationally, but will only drop slightly.
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Phil Taylor PG Wheeler (GA) Class of 2010
Taylor displayed excellent 3-point
range on the day for Wheeler. He has solid shooting
mechanics and the ball was dropping for him, especially on the
pull up variety. As a point guard he makes the correct
pass and puts his teammates in situations to succeed.
Taylor had 18 points (6-12 FG) (3-5 3PT), 7 assists, 3
steals. He is a potential top 60 prospect in the Class of
2010.
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Championship Game Day 4
Dexter Strickland PG St. Patrick's (NJ)
Class of 2009 (North Carolina)
Dexter had a solid, but not spectacular game in the title
match. He showed off his explosive speed in transition and
his smooth ball handling skills. Strickland had some nice
assists from the interior to open big men. His best play
was an athletic lay up followed by a steal of the out of bounds
pass that led to points. He also hit a nice stop and pop
jumper. Dexter was solid defensively as always with 6
steals and shutting down the Wheeler perimeter game. His
final stats were 16 points (7-13 FG), 7 boards, 5 assists, and 6
steals. He is a low 5-star or high 4-star prospect in the
Class of 2009. Dex never had the spectacular game you
expect from a 5-star prospect in this tournament.
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Michael Gilchrist PF St. Patrick's (NJ)
Class of 2011
THIS WAS THE NIGHT MICHAEL GILCHRIST BECAME A STAR!!!!!!
He took this game and owned it. NC State recruit Richard
Howell was out for the championship game with a back injury for
Wheeler on the interior and they had no answer for Gilchrist
down low. The long bouncy athlete had the most complete
game that I have ever seen him play. Like always he was
active on tip-ins and quick dunks. He consistently scored
from the post. Wheeler kept fronting him and the St. P
guards threw it over the defender, Gilchrist out jumped the
defender, and dunked it or put in a lay up about 5 times in a
row. The sophomore can out leap any big man in the nation
and is just so active on the interior. He was solid at the
line (9-13 FT) and was had a high FG%. He capped it off
with a long 3 to show off the entire repertoire. Gilchrist
final line was 31 points (11-16 FG) (9-13 FT), 14 rebounds, 3
assists, and 2 steals. Gilchrist might make a run at Mike
Shaw, Austin Rivers, and Tony Wroten Jr. for the #1 spot in the
Class of 2011.
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Ari Stewart SF Wheeler (GA) Class of 2009
(Wake Forest)
Stewart picked up the pace for Wheeler in the absence of Richard
Howell, but his team was overmatched. Stewart showed
explosive ability in attacking the basket. Versatility was
the name of the game for Stewart. He scored in the post,
hit the mid range jumper, and stepped out and connected from 3
land. Being in the post is where he is at his best,
showing nice footwork. Stewart had 18 points (7-14 FG) and
9 boards. He is a top 30 player nationally. |