Bryan/College Station GASO: Showcase & Pool Play Takeaways

TexasHoops/GASO analyst Lyndon Cook takes a look at the standout performances and major talking points from the Bryan/College Station Great American Shoot-Out.

Coming off a 12-1 record on the EYBL regular season circuit, there's no doubt that Texas Titans are one of the best grassroots teams anywhere. And even when missing a top-10 national player in the 2020 class (Greg Brown on visit to Auburn), Cade Cunningham and co. more than proved they have what it takes to pull off impressive wins on Saturday.

The first matchup with Houston Defenders started out on a 16-2 Titans run and they never looked back, with Montreal Pena taking over Brown's role as dunkmaster-in-chief as part of a 20 point display. Cunningham was borderline unstoppable in the open court, scoring with ease on the drive and making the right play when his path was blocked. Mike Miles, Rondel Walker, and Richard Amaefule each shared some of the scoring load, while Hayden Brittingham's all-action style of play impressed evaluators.

The second game with Texas Hardwork saw much more resistance as it was a three point game at the break, but the second half proved to be too much Cunningham as they cruised to a 20 point win. There's a reason that Cunningham was recently named co-MVP at the Pangos All-American Camp and has many, myself included, touting him as the no.1 prospect in the 2020 class. His blend of finesse and strength on the drive, and knowledge of when to use which makes him a unique prospect to evaluate. He's also one of the few elite scorers that consistently makes his teammates better rather than just providing end product with his scoring. We'll get to see the Rivals national rankings soon enough, and though Cunningham should be a lock for top-3, I wouldn't be surprised to see him top the list after the past year he's had.

Mykell Robinson has already chosen the prep route after de-committing from Denver and choosing to spend next year in Bel Aire, Kansas with Sunrise Christian, but on Saturday he looked college ready to say the least. Robinson was catching everything in a 5 foot radius around the rim and throwing it down with authority, and actively looking to put dudes on a poster, something he achieved in Harden's game versus Texas Hardwork with a one handed tomahawk. While Robinson's scoring from the forward spot was impressive, almost equally so was how Marcus Williams went about his business as a scoring guard. Williams has silky footwork on the drive and steps into his shot with confidence from just about anywhere.

The second game of the day against Houston Defenders gave Team Harden's other guards a chance to shine, of which Deuce Guidry was the standout. Guidry's smoothness on the drive and wide array of finishes make him lethal even when facing rim protectors, as he has some Steve Nash-esque quick finishes to avoid a block.

While there are plenty of talented 15u teams in attendance so far at the BCS GASO, 3D Empire's group of sophomores-to-be have by far had the best showing. They've taken on all challengers with good ball movement and lots of tough finishing at the rim, and Ryan Agarwal has had himself a stellar weekend shooting the ball to top things off. Agarwal's aggressiveness in getting into his dribble weapons to make a play or hit a pull up looks very promising for the future, as does Zane Hicke's motor to run the floor and finish at the rim. Hicke has the tools to be a special player if he keeps developing his perimeter skillset as he matures. While this team naturally runs through their talented guard tandem of Naz Brown, Anthony Black and Terrance Ramirez, their frontcourt has something to be proud of this weekend as they look set for another title run.

It's not often that a high major matchup like Texas Titans vs. Houston Defenders ends in the manner that this one did. By the end, Titans' starters had their feet up and the recliner eased back watching the dunk show Montreal Pena was putting on. Nobody could get any rhythm for Defenders on offense, and defensively they just couldn't cope with the lane penetration that Cade Cunningham and Mike Miles were getting with ease.

But that all changed when they took on Team Harden, as their guards decided it was time to show out. Justin Hill was lightning quick on the drive to finish his chances, and showed off the range with a few makes from deep. Bakari Lastrap has some of the quickest ups in the state and also got his points from a variety of sources. Ethan Taylor and Hayden Hefner both showed why they're so highly regarded with some smooth scoring to land them in double figures for the game, and Valentin Catt returned several shots back to sender with excellent anticipation. While you have to factor in the capitulation versus the Titans to the overall performance of the day, there was a fair amount of redemption to be had in pulling out a win in their second matchup.