The Apple's Best Ballaz

The Rumble in the Bronx
Game Recaps

Player Evaluations

Kelvin "Peedy" Nelson 6'3 SG Riverside 2002- This was his first tournament coming off of his injury he suffered a couple of months ago, he showed no signs of rust. He played great defense, hit the boards and played great defense on the wing, and on the press.
Jason Wingate 6'0 PG Riverside 2002- Continued his stellar play, he showed a nice touch from the outside, and as usual ran the team brilliantly. If he continues to play like this, he will have a great Nike Camp and Rice will be tough to beat next year.
Keydren "Kiki" Clark 5'8 PG Riverside 2002- His jump shot had been off the last few times I saw him but it certainly wasn't off this weekend. He consistently knocked down the outside shot, and was able to break his man down and get to the rack. Once again showed he was clutch after making the game winning shot in the Nike Memorial Challenge championship and hit the 3 to put his team into overtime in this championship. He continues to show, just because he is undersized doesn't mean he won't dominate a game.
Ryan Williams 6'4 PF Riverside 2002- Everyone knows about the hops, he jumps better then anybody in New York, by far. But at times this week he showed a good 15 foot jumper. He just dominated the boards in the games I saw him.
Rashad Anderson 6'5 SG Tallahassee Wildcats 2002- He has the total package, he can shoot, jump and handle. In the game I saw against the Panthers he was the best player on the court. He can hit the fade away from 3, I expect he will end up at a big time school.
Darius Washington 6'1 SG Tallahassee Wildcats 2004- One of the few players in the 2004 class who come close to Sebastian Telfair. He has a good jump shot, and can take it to the rack, he is also very strong. Scored 13 points on the Panthers in his teams victory.
Curtis Sumpter 6'6 SF Long Island Panthers 2002- He wasn't aggressive for the first two games he played but stepped  it up against the Ravens. He hit the outside shot enough, to make you respect it. He is a good shooter and will be a very good wing player in college. He grabbed boards, and showed something that a lot of people questioned about him, he showed he has heart.
Lenny Cooke 6'5 SF Long Island Panthers 2002- What can you say about Lenny that hasn't already been said. He can knock down the 17 footer all day, and can hit the 3 enough that you won't leave him open. He can jump out the gym, and can hit boards with anybody. He showed the handle and made a couple of nice passes. His weak point is his defensive game, if he gets that better he will be a superstar on the highest level. The one thing I hear about him that concerns me is that he is not the easiest person to play with.
Jason Fraser 6'9 C Long Island Panthers 2002- He is the best rebounder I have in high school basketball. He didn't block as many shots as I am used to seeing him block but he is always a presence down there. As usual he scored off the break, and on put backs, and broken plays. If he develops a polished offensive game the whole nation better watch out.
Josh Wright 5'10 PG Brooklyn Beasts16u/Long Island Panthers 2004- I see no weaknesses in his game. He can shoot the rock, whether he is spotting up or off the dribble. He can get to the basket against anyone, with his speed, and he has good athleticism. Maybe the best part of his game is ability to hit the open man, he can also "D" it up. And to think he was sick this weekend. He isn't as good as Sebastian but he isn't far, but hey who knows how good he is when he is 100%, well we will see at ABCD.
Rashard Turner 5'9 PG Westchester Hawks 2002- He is a flat out scorer, he scores in a variety of ways, shooting the 3, hitting the pull up, taking it to the basket. He is very strong and very quick and that is a tough combination to stop, his set back is he really has no point guard skills, he is a shooting guard in a point guards body.
John Winchester 6'4 SG Tim Thomas Playaz 2002- The first thing you notice about John is that he is built. Then when you see him play you realize he can jump out the gym. When he is on the break he has one thing on his mind, and that is dunking no matter who is under the rim. He is also a very good jump shooter, and his hops allow him to get the shot off no matter who is on him.
Lee Melchionni 6'7 SF Tim Thomas Playaz 2002- He is a very good shooter and can rebound. But besides that he isn't really a threat. He scores when he is open, because his jump shot is very good. He can hit the "J" over the smaller man.
Sebastian Telfair 5'11 PG Brooklyn Bridge 2004- When he looks to pass first he is one of the 5 best players in New York, but when he is just looking to score he drops quite a bit. He showed a great jump shot, and a sick handle as he made one kid hit floor when he was being pressed. He got the biggest response from the crowd with his dazzling passes, that made it through 3 people then hit his man in the chest for 2. When his team is trailing in a game he tends to want to take the game over, and doesn't look for his teammates. He will learn that he has to let the game come to him no matter the score, and when he learns that he will be a great pro.
Karron Clarke 6'6 SF Brooklyn Bridge 2003- Played excellent this weekend for the Bridge, as he hit the boards, got a few stick backs, and showed the ability to create off the dribble. He will be a player that surprises a lot of people in the summer.
Ramel Bradley 6'2 SG Brooklyn Bridge 2003- At times he scored whenever he wanted to. He has a great mid range game, and is quick off the dribble. He get out in transition and will score a lot of points every game like that. When he gets a better 3-point shot he will be unstoppable.
Chris Taft 6'9 PF Brooklyn Bridge 2003- He is a very good scorer around the basket. He can score off of a baby hook, spin move or off the rebound for a dunk. The one thing he didn't show in the games I saw him was the medium range jump shot, but I have seen it before. He rebounded well, but that part of his game needs to be worked on. He loves to get into his opponents head, and talked a lot this weekend.
Daon Merritt 5'9 PG New York Ravens 2003- Was late for a couple of games but in the games he was on time for he played great. He gets to the basket whenever he wants to, but he didn't finish as much as he could've he would use a jump stop. He didn't show great playmaking skills but he did make smart decisions in the half court and open court.
Allan Ray 6'0 SG New York Ravens 2002- He is a scorer, he continued to show a great stroke, hitting fade aways, pull ups and the open 3's. He can get to the basket with nearly anyone on him, and when he got on the break he finished with big dunks. He is very strong which allows him to post smaller players up.
Curtis Stinson 6'0 PG/SG New York Ravens 2002- He mostly played on the wing but he did run the show from time to time. He is much more comfortable scoring. He isn't a great shooter but he gets to the basket, and since he is so strong he finished strong. He showed the ability to rebound from the guard spot, and looked like he may be one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Donnie McGrath 6''2 PG/SG New York Ravens 2002- He was another player who played both guard spots for the Ravens but he is much more comfortable at the 1. When he was handling the ball he showed good playmaking decisions. He hit a lot of tough shots off the dribble which is his bread and butter.  The one thing he can do but doesn't do is take it to the rack.
Francisco Garcia 6'7 SF New York Ravens 2002- Francisco played great in the tournament, hitting the mid range jumper, getting to the basket, rebounding and coming up with thunderous dunks, and in my opinion had the best dunk of the tournament for the second straight year. He showed something that he never showed before, great shot blocking ability. If he continues to block shots like that he will be up there with Amare Stoudemire and Jason Fraser as 1 of the 3 best shot blockers in the nation.
Roscoe Biggers 5'9 PG Gauchos 2002- Didn't score nearly as much as he usually does, but he ran the show for his team brilliantly. He never really got his shot going but he was able to find his teammates and allow the to make up for it.
Matt Walsh 6'6 SG Philly Elite 2002- He is a scorer but can make the nice pass from time to time.. He will knock down the 3 open or not. He runs the floor very well, and likes to break as soon as the shot hits the rim. Because of that he isn't a real strong rebounder.  He probably shoots too much but it worked for his as he lit up the Newark Rams for 38 in the Silver Bracket championship.