2019 Seward Park Showdown Top Performers - 7/11

By Derrick Irving,

Thursday, July 11, RecruitTheBronx.com was in attendance for opening day of the Seward Park Showdown, an indoor high school summer league at Seward Park Campus in Downtown Manhattan. The summer league is run by Seward Park and New Design High School Head Coach Katey Wentworth. Here are our top prospects:

Alione Mbay 2021 5’10 Guard Evander Childs High - A tough nosed defender on the perimeter and on the press. Gives all out effort and has very quick feet on the defensive end. Decent court vision, very unselfish distributor. Shows great enthusiasm on the court.

Josiah Chandler 2019 6’0 Combo Guard Infirnity/LaSalle Academy - Experienced floor general who can play both guard positions. Can run the 1 and control pace as well as find the open man. A cerebral scorer who attacks a lot out of triple threat and is a consistent midrange shooter. Decent perimeter defender.

Gabriel Soto 2021 5’7 Point Guard Infirnity/Upper Room Christian High - Undersized scoring guard with a quick and shifty handle. Creates good separation off the dribble to get his shot off over taller defenders. Good 3pt shooter has a smooth form and release. Throws every pass strong, but needs to keep his head on a swivel and survey the entire court. Needs to move his feet quicker on defense.

Deven Avant 2021 6’1 Point Guard Leman Manhattan Preparatory - Has good size and length at the lead guard spot. Strong handle, nothing flashy but protects the ball well. Sets up his teammates well off the dribble and makes good passes. Decent finisher on the drive, is crafty. Needs to improve his outside shooting.

James Traore 2020 6’4 Forward CST Elite - A man-child physically on the court, has a football linebacker body. Hard to stop on the fastbreak or going downhill on the drive, but needs to finish more consistently. Decent rebounder but with his physical presence needs to start imposing his will. Needs to improve his outside shooting.

Anthony Torres 2020 6’0 Guard Olympus Prep - Stocky guard who can barrel down the lane, creates a lot of contact on the drive and finishes well. Good court vision, finds the open man on the dribble drive. Strong handle, doesn’t play with ball, every dribble is hard. Needs to be a consistent shooter from 3pt range.

Travon Mack 2020 5’9 Point Guard Seward Park - A lightning quick guard with a shifty handle and an explosive first step. Gets to the basket in a hurry, acrobatic finisher thru traffic and around taller defenders. Crafty finisher with both hands, can go coast to coast due to his speed with the ball. Pesky perimeter defender, can get steals on the ball or the passing lanes, pick your poison. Has a non stop motor which sees him involved in almost every play.

Ameer Dyson 2020 6’3 Forward Seward Park - He is the ultimate glue guy, can do a little bit of everything needed on the court. Goes after every rebound and hustles for loose balls. A vocal leader on the court, who does the dirty work and the little things for his team to win. Is a solid inside finisher even against taller opponents.

Xavier Bell Jr. 2020 5’11 Guard Seward Park High - A corner 3pt specialist who shoots with confidence, exhibits good mechanics on the catch and shoot. When dialed in can get real hot from deep. Can take his man off the dribble as well and create.

Bruce Tulloch 2021 6’4 Small Forward Seward Park High - A classic swingman makeup, has an athletic body and is a good slasher. Has quick change of direction when attacking the basket. Can go coast to coast, has a decent handle that’ll improve with more experience.

Allen Fordham 2020 6’2 Shooting Guard Hamilton Hall Academy (NJ) - A cerebral scoring guard who has an array of moves and counters out of triple threat. Good perimeter footwork with the ball creates good separation off of stepbacks. Good 3pt shooter, great arc and rotation on the release. Attacks the basket strong knows how to draw fouls.

Amar Lawes 2021 6’5 Wing Frederick Douglas Academy 1 - A scorer with an assassin’s mentality, always in attack mode and confident in his ability. Has a quick step off the hesitation and is hard to stop once his momentum is going. Good offensive footwork with the ball. Explodes off the ground on the drive and attacks strong consistently. Uses his strong body to create contact and draw fouls. Decent rebounder.

Ibrahim Diop 2021 6’5 Forward Frederick Douglass Academy 1 - Shows good defensive instincts and willingness to play hard on that end. Decent interior defender uses his long arms well, shows potential to be an athletic shot blocker and step out to defend on the perimeter. Long and lanky frame, definitely needs to fill out more and get a lot stronger.

Jonathan Chery 2020 6’1 Guard Team 3PBL - An explosive leaper will throw it down with authority and will show off when left open on the break. His offense stems from his defense, has quick hands and is adept at on the ball steals. Can chase the ball on defense from the inbound. Finishes consistently thru contact and traffic on the drive, really hard to get in front of and stop. Good playmaking ability, makes flashy passes that work.