As the sun fully sets in on what was a 104 degree day, the “Rumble in The Jungle” presented by Erven Davis of the Dallas Showtyme commenced that evening. Who won the individual matchups in the pivotal evening game between Texas Impact 4:13 and Dallas Mustangs? Friday’s action hosted several big time prospects but also revealed new prospects that caught the staffs eyes.
Texas Impact 4:13 & Dallas Mustangs Highlight Game of The Night
It was all about matchups in this contest between Texas Impact 4:13 and the Dallas Mustangs. Impact garnered the win as they won by a double digit margin but let’s take a look at the individual battles.
2019 Davian Sanders (Mustangs) & 2019 KJ Cunningham (Texas Impact)
In a anticipated guard matchup between two TBB prospects, Davian Sanders and KJ Cunningham gave each other their best shot. Cunningham found his teammates for open looks and he shot the ball well from the perimeter. Sanders was aggressive, looking to get to the teeth of the defense and was playing the role of a pesky defender. One didn’t completely outplay the other but Cunningham was more efficient.
2019 Joshua Miller (Texas Impact) & 2019 Jakevan Leftridge (Mustangs)
Miller in the first 10 minutes looked as if he was going to be the player of the game…. period! He rebounded, had his hands in the passing lanes and just played with an aggressive nature but he calmed after that. Leftridge strung together a solid performance,finishing around the basket, playing sound defense as he nearly collected a double double.Miller was great the beginning of the game but Leftridge was steady throughout.
2019 DJ Bassey (Mustangs) & 2020 Jonathan Aku (Texas Impact)
In my eyes I consider this matchup a tie as the big man battle between 2019 DJ Bassey and 2020 Jonathan Aku provided a tug of war in the paint. Aku changed shots at the rim and did a solid job rebounding however was in foul trouble early. Bassey excelled in his role as a rebounder and rim protector as the rising senior added second and third chance opportunities for his team. Both are still raw when it comes to their skill offensively but these big men show promise.
Standouts
Caleb Lohner, 2020 SF – BMM: Lohner is a tough cover, he scores on all three levels Ashe tallied 18 points in BMM’s win on Friday night.
Jeremiah Keys, 2019 SG – Texas Impact 4:13: Keys was hitting on all cylinders at Duncanville Fieldhouse. He exuded confidence and put together a strong 20 point outing.
Donte Houston, 2020 PF – Lonestar Elite: Houston utilized his size and was a matchup problem for his opponents on Friday night. He notched a double double in Lonestar Elite’s win.
Christian Turner, 2020 CF – Mudiay Elite: Turner’s stock keeps raising on Texasboysbasketball.com as he continues to look fluid out on the perimeter. He knocked down a couple shots from beyond the three point line as he was influential in Mudiay Elite securing a 1-0 record heading into Saturday.
Samazha Hart, 2019 SF – E.A.D: Hart put on the black and green uni’s and played for E.A.D on Friday. Hart, who is a top 30 prospect at TBB scored in an array of ways and kept his team within striking distance against Mudiay Elite.
Intriguing Prospect Storylines
2020 Lias, Richardson Shined in Back & Forth Affair
The 16U teams of the Dallas Mustangs and Urban DFW fought tooth and nail but the Mustangs came out victorious. DaVeontae Lias was productive with a 22 point outing as he got to his spots and used his body to create separation from defenders. Ahmad Richardson is a smooth operator and although he only had five points, the way got his shots off in an effortless approach impressed the texasboysbasketball.com. Both prospects stood out as we will take a deeper look at them more this weekend.
Dallas Showtyme’s North Duo Lead the Way
At a slight glimpse, I saw two long intriguing looking prospects battle on the glass in a tight matchup. One plays with an edge, is physical and hunts for offensive rebounds and that is 2020 Wallace Onditi who goes to Justin Northwest. The other one is a TBB prospect in Donald Ghostone, who impacted the game on both ends and carries a nice scoring package. Wallace and Donald manned the front court and provided a scoring punch and production on the boards that led to a overtime win.
A Promising Prospect Out Of Atlanta, TX
Entering the game for the Dallas Mustangs 17U is this lanky prospect that sports these goggles equivalent to what Horace Grant use to wear. We could tell he was probably younger and in the limited minutes he received, his presence was felt. 2021 Daimion Collins flew up and down the court, cleaned up one shot with a put back dunk, blocked multiple shots including a dunk attempt at the end of the game. Collins is raw, but the energy he plays with and the physical tools he possesses definitely caught our eye and we will definitely keep looking at the talented, young prospect going forward.
Edited by AB