Philly C vs. C All-Star Game Player Evals

VUSports was on-hand at the Coaches vs. Cancer double-header at the Fellowship House in Conshohocken last night. The event featured two all-star games. In the opener it was Philly Catholic League vs. Suburban Schools and the night-cap was the Philly Public schools stars against the Independent Schools. All of the players were underclassmen - primarily from the 2012 and 2013 High School classes.

Those that stood out the most (in no particular order):

Miles Overton, 6'4", St. Joe's Prep (2013) Overton has improved considerably since last see in action by VUSports. His game has some similarities to the games of both Celtics legend Dennis Johnson and UNC point guard Kendall Marshall. Overton showed a great feel for the game, a good handle and passing skills, the ability to shoot the deep ball reasonably well and great scoring versatility. He scored on turnaround baseline jumpers, floaters in the lane, bank shots, mid-range jumpers and strong dribble-drives to the rim. He can create for others and get his own - has court savvy and a lot of upside.

John Davis, 6'4", Neumann Goretti (2013) Decent shooter, good handle, good court sense. Davis has a thick build and good leaping ability. He plays a physical style and has some versatility to his game.

Rondae Jefferson, 6'5" Chester (2013) Great handle. Great feel for the game. Jefferson is a good athlete who dunks with ease - throwing down some interesting left-hand jams with his own style and flair. The erratic nature of his jumper is the question mark in his game - as that improves, his stock should rise nationally.

Jordan Reed, 6'4", Wissahickon (2012) High major athlete with hops and a great motor. The style of play in this game seemed a perfect fit for his skill set. He has the quickness, leaping ability and handle to be very effective scoring the ball in transition - and he did a lot of it. He shot the ball well from the outside early in the game but cooled off. If he improves his handle, shooting and strength his recruitment should pick up considerably. His game has some similarity to that of former Niagara star, Tyrone Lewis .

Amile Jefferson, 6'7", Friends Central (2012) The last two times VUSports saw Jefferson in action he spent a lot of time in the low post banging away and trying to score inside. In this game he took advantage of the opportunity to show more of his ball skills and passing ability. The change in position made him stand out more among his peers. He certainly looked like the type of player who could develop into a real solid "Sumpter-4" at Villanova. Curtis Sumpter played a lot at the 5 at Bishop Loughlin and had to develop his handle and jumper to become more effective playing outside at 'Nova. Jefferson has a better handle at the same stage than Sumpter had. He may not be as good a shooter at the same stage.

Savon Goodman, 6'5", ANC (2012) Goodman has already given a verbal commitment to play at Villanova. Physically he will be ready to compete in the Big East the day he arrives on the Villanova campus. From a skills perspective he has some work to do. His handle is sufficient to get him to the rim in transition - putting it on the floor a couple times in transition to weave in and around un-set defenders. Developing more of a break-down handle and the ability to consistently knock down jump shots will take him to a whole new level.

Daniel Ochefu, 6'9", Westtown Friends (2012) Recently gave a verbal to play for Coach Jay Wright at Villanova. On first glance he doesn't look like a guy who would have a lot of athleticism - but he is in very good shape (running the floor consistently in a very hot gym in a 100 point plus pace game) and aggressively finishes above the rim. He has good strength and passes the ball well for a big. At times he played on the front line with Jefferson and Goodman - that would be an impressive front line at Villanova - the three of them passed the ball well among each other for alley-oops and easy lay-ups as they ran the Public League team out of the gym.

Others worth a mention:

Steve Vasturia, 6'4", St. Joe's Prep (2013) Didn't do much to stand out in this game. That appeared in part to be due to the all-star game nature of the style of play. It was race track back-and-forth hoops and Vasturia looked more comfortable playing in half-court offensive sets - moving without the ball and playing off teammates. Didn't get enough touches to show how good a shooter he may be. Worth keeping an eye on.

Yosef Yacob, 5'11", Archbishop Carroll (2013) Narrow build. Lacks strength. On first glance he appeared to be a shorter, poor-man's version of former Philly Catholic League guard, Jeff Jones.

Shafeek Taylor, 6'3", Roman Catholic (2013) OK handle, decent shooter. Not at the level of some of the other guards that played in this event.

Brandon Austin, 6'6", Imhotep Charter (2013) Not a great outing for Austin. The rail-thin, point guard prospect wasn't particularly aggressive off the bounce and didn't take the opportunity to showcase his talents. Overton and Jefferson both looked better than Austin on this night.

Jeremiah Worthem, 6'6", Math, Civics & Science Charter (2013) Toughness. Good shooter. Good ticker. He should be getting looks from Villanova, Temple, St. Joseph's (PA), and LaSalle. Seems to enjoy playing defense.

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