Ever heard of the phrase, “Don’t wake up the sleeping giant?” Well someone or something woke up 2019 DJ Thorpe and on Saturday at Duncanville Fieldhouse and he attacked anyone who was in his way. The second week of the July Live Period is ending and on Saturday, texasboysbasketball.com was on hand at Mansfield and Duncanville, TX and we are here to provide what you subscribe for with our Saturday news and notes.
DJ Thorpe Was Laser Focused
The Lake Travis product played with a lot of energy in TJ Ford-Austin’s games against Lone Star Elite and Drive Nation EYBL. Thorpe against Lone Star Elite, knocked down jumpers from deep, scored off hooks on the block and punished the rim when the opportunity was present. Against Drive Nation, it was more of the same, as he even outplayed top 5 prospect Drew Timme. DJ, who when we last saw him, have a subpar performance at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, looked alive and played with a chip on his shoulder.
Jamal Shead Performs on The Main Stage
We have been following up on 2020 Jamal Shead’s performance throughout the whole grassroots season and one thing Jamal has been consistently doing is producing. Him and his Urban ASAK squad took Drive Nation to overtime and even in the lost against Nike ProSkills, Shead was the best point guard on the floor.
Houston Defenders, Texas Titans Concluded in Triple OT
“Not one, not two, but three.” The juggernaut matchup between two premier 16U programs between the Texas Titans and Houston Defenders capped off the night at Duncanville Fieldhouse. The Titans pulled away in triple OT to win as 2020 Mike Miles for the Titans conducted a heroic late game performance as his 4 points in the third OT was key to their victory. 2020 Richard Amafuele showcased why he is a top 10 prospect in his class. He’s athletic, can hit shots from outside, and he is aggressive on the glass. The talented forward for the Titans showed why we are very high on him. 2020 Jakobi Coles has a mature game, he’s not the most athletic, the fastest but he sure is crafty and knows how to put the ball through the hole. Cole’s was also big time late in the game for the Texas Titans as he finished with 22 points. The Colossal frontline the Houston Defenders possess with 2020 Eddie Lampkin and Nathan Clover were a handful in the paint. They combined for 33 points and they are so physical inside, that it takes a toll on the opposing big men. Lampkin recently received an offer from Georgetown as high majors have been calling for his services. UTSA and Lamar have offered Clover and we expect more offers to come his way.
Donovan Williams Continues to Produce
“Stretch” is looking to or even has taken the crown as the best player in Houston for 2019. Donovan Williams two way production was on display on Saturday with the Houston Hoops, as the long, athletic guard has received offers from Missouri, Northwestern, Nebraska, Texas, Texas Tech & Oklahoma in the last 10 days.
The Maturation of Jesse Zarzuela’s Game
When recollecting back on Jesse Zarzuela’s game now to 12 months ago, Jesse has always been what we call a “bucket getter” someone who can score the ball and can do it in high volumes. Zarzuela at the Main Floor, not only showed he can score it, but also that he can make sound decisions with the ball and find his teammates. Jesse utilized the first July viewing weekend and has received offers from Sam Houston State, Dencer, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, UTEP, LA Tech, North Carolina A&T and has heard from Texas, Kansas State, Texas State, Houston and Fresno State as these schools have came to see him play this well.
What Can’t Samuel Williamson Do
A great point was made about Samuel Williamson and it’s that his game has gotten to the point where people try to find what he can’t do. Williamson hasn’t shown any glaring weaknesses in his game (Not saying that he doesn’t have any at all) and his performances on Saturday did not go unnoticed. Not many times he shoots it, that I don’t think it’s not going to go in, he facilitates it well, can handle it and played with some more grit. Williamson is a to 3 player in his class in Texas and could be pushing to the number 1 spot by the end of the scholastic season.
Performers
Cody Collinsworth, 2019 C – Lone Star Elite: Collinsworth is still raw but he possess an intriguing skill-set for a kid his size. Has a solid touch around the rim and has shown capabilities of knocking down shots from the perimeter. Collinsworth who will be attending Lindale High School, has been solid all weekend and received an offer from Northwestern State.
Langston Love, 2021 CG – Texas Hardwork: Langston looks more than comfortable playing 17U for Texas Hardwork as he has been efficient from the field and locking in defensively. Like what he brought to the table on Saturday.
DJ Bassey, 2019 C – Dallas Mustangs: Bassey is another big man that has seemed to be in the process of figuring it out as the active big man rebounded very well, finished with hooks coming off the right shoulder and played the role greatly of a rim protector.
Cobe Williams, 2019 PG – Dallas Showtyme: Williams has won his guard matchups throughout this week and Saturday was the same theme. Williams against the Houston Hoops constantly put pressure on the defense and has seen his recruitment seen a slight boom with offers from Texas Southern, UT Arlington, Southern University and UT Permian Basin
Terrell Williams, 2019 Wing – 3D Sports: Williams has been knocking down shots at a high clip for 3D. He has played with more confidence and on Saturday he put together two noteworthy performances.
Baylor Hebb, 2020 SG – 3D Empire: Hebb is a fiery competitor that can shoot the lights out from deep. Had a notable 43 point outing and will see his recruitment pick up.
Jonathan Aku, 2020 C – Texas Impact 4:13: At Aku’s height and his ability to move and mann the paint, Jonathan’s stock has risen even more. We predicted a big summer for the big man out of McKinney and Saturday he was a presence on both ends.
Edited by AB