April Live Period GASO: Friday Pool Play Recaps
The final weekend of the Spring live period has drawn top level talent from all over the country to Duncanville for players to test their mettle against the cream of the crop. TexasHoops analyst Lyndon Cook clocks in to recap the weekend’s top matchups from pool play, and offers insights into which teams will be must-watch throughout the weekend.
FRIDAY GAMES
BMM 17u Elite 64 Urban ASAK Elite 63
BMM looked like they were pulling away by taking a double digit lead in the opening game of the Live Period GASO, but a strong effort from Urban ASAK nearly hauled back the lead at the end as they ended up falling by a single point. A monster game from Quevian Adger (Coppell 2020) put college coaches on notice for the weekend, with the forward dropping 24 from all over the court. MJ Leslie also kept up his good form of late, burying 3 threes for 10 points. For Urban, the story always seems to begin and end with the play of Darius McBride. The 2019 wing was super aggressive Friday night, attacking the bucket and ringing up the foul count for BMM in a 22-point display. Dillon Gooding also looked the part with 15 in the loss for ASAK.
Dallas Showtyme Elite 74 Team Griffin 2019 71
Devaunte Lee (Kimball 2019) and KannTrell Burney (Skyline 2019) combined to knock down 8 threes as Dallas Showtyme outlasted Team Griffin Friday night 74-71. The pair went for 21 and 14 respectively, and were helped out by a 16 point game from South Garland rising prospect Keyon Craddock. For Team Griffin it was Drew Tennial (Edmond Memorial 2019) doing the heavy lifting, producing a 25-point performance to keep things close. 6-foot-11 Kingston (OK) product Jacob Germany had many college coaches in the stands for him and did not disappoint, scoring 16 for Team Griffin in a losing effort.
KS Pray N Play 16u 69 Proskills 16u EYBL 66
Kansas products KS Pray N Play came away victorious in their matchup with one of DFW's best 16u groups in Proskills, taking this one by a 3-point margin. Big second halves from Shawn Warrior (Southeast 2020) and Tanner Manns (Carroll Catholic 2020) were enough to push Pray N Play past Proskills, with the players going for 14 and 11 respectively. Proskills were paced by 14 from guard Cody Deen (Bossier 2020), while Joy Madimba (Lake Ridge 2020) also hit double figures to score 10.
Texas Playmakerz 17u 69 NJH Elite 50
Texas Playmakers tipped off their weekend at the Live Period GASO the right way, impressing plenty on their way to a 19-point win. Unsigned senior center Nabil Rurangirwa (Fossil Ridge) powered Playmakerz to an early lead with strong play inside and finished the game with a team leading 18 points. Preston Hannah (Keller 2019) also impressed on the perimeter, penetrating the lane and knocking down his outside looks. Coryn Bennett (Cedar Hill 2019) and Tyren Miller (SOC 2019) had 10 a piece for NJH, who weren't at their best but will be looking for better results as the weekend goes on.
Centex Lockdown Elite 72 Team FOE Black 17u 64
18 points from Bennett Mohn (Lake Travis 2019) and some quality free throw shooting down the stretch proved sufficient for Centex Lockdown to move to 1-0 on the weekend in an 8-point win over Team FOE Black. Lockdown only led by 2 at the half, but Mohn would score 10 of his 18 in the second frame to help grow the lead. Hunter Stevens (Leander 2019) and Ryan Bormann (Lake Travis 2019) provided solid scoring options for Lockdown from the guard spots, adding 12 and 11 respectively. Bishop Lynch forward Zach Muller (2019) was a big factor in keeping FOE in the game in the first half, scoring all of his 13 before the horn. Karlyn Kenner (SGP 2019) took over after the intermission, pouring in 14 of his team leading 15 in the second half.
TX Hardwork 15u 57 Dallas Mustangs 15u Black 49
Hardwork is one of the most talented freshman groups in the state, and showed that here in an evenly-spread win over Dallas Mustangs Black. Only Norman Beckford (Brennan 2020) and Adam Benhayoune (O'Connor 2021) reached double digits in the scoring department, but the team's defensive solidity and transition game helped boost them to a 1-0 start to the weekend. Hardwork still had to overcome a 20-point game from Teon Erwin (Chapel Hill 2021), a very promising 6-foot-6 prospect. Erwin was helped out with 11 points from Channon Hall and 9 from Xavier Rhodes in the loss.