2018 MTG Back2School Top Performers (9/22/18)
Saturday September 22nd, Recruit the Bronx was on hand to watch the opening week of MTG Back 2 School Preseason HS Invitational at the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Queens in Queens, NY. The tournament is run by Rob Moses. Here are the top prospects that we saw:
Tyrese Apple 2019 6’2 Guard John Bowne - crafty scorer finishes well on the drive, good court vision at the off guard spot, quick hands on defense. Needs to look for his shot more passes up easy scoring opportunities, needs to play in attack mode.
Davonta “Tank” Cook 2019 6’0 Point Guard Brooklyn Law & Tech - quick first step helps him get the basket and finish thru traffic, quick handle with good court vision, pesky perimeter defender. Sees the floor well but needs to make more accurate passes, needs to be attack mode from the beginning of the game.
Joseph Pena 2019 6’5 Forward Brooklyn Law & Tech - attacks the basket strong, plays within himself, plays hard on both ends of the floor, good athletic rebounder can finish thru contact on the putback, hustles hard for 50/50 balls, lefty. Needs to improve his handle and outside shot to be true wing in college, still needs to be more consistent finishing down low.
Emiliano Tappin 2020 6’3 Wing August Martin - high energy, runs the floor well and can take contact on the drive, moves his feet well on defense quick reaction time, good athleticism, strong body, does a little bit of everything for his HS team. Confident 3pt shooter but needs to be more consistent.
DeMarco Watson 2020 6’2 Point Guard Eagle Academy (BX) - crafty finisher on the drive, strong handle, very good court vision, distributes the play we’ll to his teammates, plays at a calm pace, moves well without the ball. Needs to be more active on defense, needs to improve his outside shooting.
Vernon Simmons 2020 6’3 Wing Eagle Academy (BX) - attacks the rim strong, explosive leaper, jump out the gym hops, lots of energy on defensive end very active, uses his athleticism to block shots and challenge drives well, long arms. Needs to improve his outside shooting.
Joel Simpson 2019 5’10 Guard Eagle Academy (BX) - attacks the basket strong, good corner 3pt shooter, good defensive instincts, plays hard and hustles on D. Needs to get his motor going earlier in the game he started playing more aggressive as the game ticked on, needs to trim down to be more effective on drives and fastbreaks.
Tyriek Primus 2019 6’0 Guard Francis Lewis - crafty finisher on the drive, finishes well thru traffic, uses a lot of misdirection dribbles and footwork to create driving lanes, shifty handle keeps defenders off balance, not afraid to take and draw contact on the drive stays in attack mode. Needs to add muscle to be more effective on drives, needs to improve his outside shooting so his game isn’t one dimensional.
Jazan Johnson 2021 5’9 Point Guard Francis Lewis - quick and shifty handle very agile, good playmaker passes teammates open, adept at driving hard to draw the defense then giving a dump off pass in the paint, can break double teams with his dribble, relies on his quickness score on the drive. Needs to add muscle to be an effective scorer.
Liam Drennan 2019 6’9 Center Chaminade - good inside finisher, can finish with both hands, decent low post moves, solid interior defender can protect the basket, good rebounder, soft hands catches the ball well down low and in traffic, solid body. Needs to improve his stamina he gets lost in transition at times and be more aggressive on the boards.
Michael O’Connell 2020 6’2 Guard Chaminade - combo scorer can score on all 3 levels, good pull up jumper rises up quickly, sees the floor well is a cerebral passer, very active on both ends the floor, good rebounder for a guard has a nose for the ball. Needs to be more aggressive on the court. A University of Maryland lacrosse commit.
Majesty Johnson 2020 5’7 Point Guard Brooklyn Collegiate - one of the top point guards in NYC, a true floor general who can set up teammates and see the floor, quick and shifty handle, create good separation off the dribble, good outside shooter, can finish thru traffic on the drive.
Glen Anderson 2019 5’9 Point Guard Brooklyn Collegiate - one of the best PGs in NYC, great floor general make his teammates better, exciting playmaker with great court vision, can pass guys open, pesty perimeter defender, quick hands on defense, strong body. Streaky outside shooter.
Jaylin Anderson 2020 6’5 Small Forward Brooklyn Collegiate - finishes well on the drive, very active on the boards uses his length and athleticism to his advantage, high motor feeds off his team momentum, good defensive instincts can defend inside and out, long arms. Needs to add muscle and improve his outside shot.
Jaylen Davis 2019 6’3 Shooting Guard Cardozo - cerebral scorer makes it look easy, very crafty can score inside-out, has an array of moves off the dribble and out of triple threat to break down his defender, good foot work with the ball. Needs to be more aggressive on defense, streaky shooter.
Andre Curbelo 2020 6’1 Point Guard Long Island Lutheran - high IQ guard, great playmaker know his personnel and how to get them going, floor general, crafty finisher thru traffic, adept at drawing contact and getting to the line, good outside shooter, good perimeter defender.
Essam Mostafa 2019 6’9 Center Long Island Lutheran - consistent inside finisher can finish thru contact, carves out space down low hard to move on the block, good rebounder, shows great emotion on the court, big body. Needs to develop his low post game and trim down more.
Drissa Traore 2021 6’7 Forward Long Island Lutheran - long and lanky, long arms bothers a lot of shots, athletic shot blocker and rebounder, runs the floor well. Needs to add muscle and be more consistent inside, has a lot of potential.