On the Road w/ Texas Hoops: Houston National Invitational

Houston - John Eurey introduced his Houston National Invitational to the state of Texas with a strong line-up of teams that started in a bracket play format Monday morning.

Tipping off the day was SATCH and Aldine Nimitz. SATCH was in complete control of the game since the tip and finished with a 62-40 win to advance in bracket play.

There wasn't too much any defender could do against J.J. Caldwell to stop the Texas A&M-bound point guard, as he hurried past defenders and whipped the ball up court to his teammates. On the receiving end of a few of those passes was unsigned senior DeAndre Williams. The 6-foot-8 stretch forward hit threes and finished above the rim, for 19 points. Sophomore teammate Antoine Davis had his jump shot dropping as he went for a game-high 22 points that included the 6-foot-1 guard drilling six three-pointers. In the 22 point victory, Davis showed his soft touch from the three-point line and a few times from 15-feet away. He took his defender off the dribble to get separation but is deadly when he sets his feet.

For Nimitz, It was nice to watch Walter Prevost get opportunities from the block. Standing 6-foot-7, Prevost received the ball in positions to make plays, and he was good coming off spin moves but does need strength. Prevost scored a team-high 21 points (7-for-9 from the free-throw line), scoring around the basket and putting a few back after grabbing an offensive rebound. He will sit on the block and take some bumps and bruises to get to the line.

Prevost said he has received offers from Long Island-Brooklyn, Sam Houston State, Middle Tennessee State, New Orleans, Texas- Rio Grande Valley, and Weber State.

Smith Best Prospect on the Floor

Can't say that there was one particular unsigned senior that stole the show in Westbury Christian's 82-62 victory over Dickinson, but I can say that it was a total team effort with players having their moments during the 32 minutes.

Senior Grant Hazle hovered around the rim having a one-man dunk fest. Hazzle threw in at least five maybe six uncontested dunks in the game as he tallied 15 points. Marlin Davis hit jumpers and made excellent passes to slashing teammates to make his contribution in the 20 point victory. Christian Barrett was solid as always rebounding and hitting his free-throws after several hard fouls. And the fourth unsigned senior of the group was New Kid on the Block, Gabriel Salibi. A forward at 6-foot-6 put together an impressive first quarter hitting three three-pointers and got to the basket a for a score giving him 11 points to start the game.

The most overall talented prospect on the floor throughout the game was Westbury's freshman wing Charles Smith. Listed at 6-foot-4, Smith has a long active body and hits the gaps on the defensive end, and will pull down rebounds. Offensively Smith had 12 points and scored in transition and from behind the arc. Smith did break loose from the defense and pounded one in using his athleticism.

On the other side of the court was Dickinson's sophomore point guard Faite Williams, and he showed that he could score as he finished with a game-high 29, which featured six three-pointers (of course, the magic number from behind the arc today). Williams was quick off the dribble and found open space in a relaxed Westbury defense while they lead the majority of the game by double digits.

Teammate and fellow sophomore Malik Williams (no relation) chipped in 14 of his own.

Etienne, Top 10 in Class of 2018

It's getting closer, but still too early to talk class of 2018 rankings, or is it? As names and resumes are being built, one player that has been consistent in front of the TexasHoops.com/GASO staff (dating back to his freshman season) is sophomore Bryson Etienne. The talented shooting guard continues to show a flow of his game with little hiccups as he attacks the basket and hits jumpers. In the Fort Bend Bush win over North Forest, Etienne collected a game-high 23 points and 12 of those coming in the final quarter of the Broncos 77-64 first round win.

Etienne has the body needed to compete on both ends, and he is relentless headed to the glass taking and creating contact, whether to rebound or score. He will also drop a three here and there as he reads the defense and plays at a high level.

Another sophomore from Bush is Point guard P.J. Byrd. The 6-foot Byrd is a penetrator and will get the ball to paint and finish with body control, or if there is a man open, he will dump it off. Byrd can and will play off the ball, but he shows that he is more comfortable with the ball in his hands.

Davis Becoming One of the Top Sophomores in the State

In a system full of fast guards and scorers, Houston Sam Houston's Kendric Davis sticks out as the leader and the point guard that controls ever aspect of the game. It would be easy for any guard to get caught up in the system of heading up the court and pulling from open spots on the floor to try and score as quickly as possible, but Davis is just the opposite.

The 5-foot-10 point guard is savvy and recognizes when the team needs to slow things down and get organized. He is slippery and takes high percentage shots. In a system that allows for first look shots, Davis limits himself to open looks and finds the cracks in the defense to penetrate.

Sam Houston won their Monday night opener against Fort Bend High Tower 68-59.

Gordon, Another Sophomore Putting on a Show

Fallbrook took down Katy Mayde Creek 82-60, largely due to the quick start of sophomore, 6-foot-7 forward Jacobi Gordon. Nineteen out of his game high 30 points came in the first 16 minutes of play. Gordon is strong, and when he wants to assert himself, he is the best player on the court, which he did Monday night.

His physical presence is striking, and he plays with a solid skill set. Gordon came off the dribble and hit shots, nailed a couple of threes, and got to the basket and exploded while taking contact.

Unsigned and Ready

• Coming into Monday night's game, Mayde Creek's senior guard Jvon McCormick was said to be averaging 25 points a game (coming from the head coach and staff), and he surpassed his average against Fallbrook as he tallied 28 points. McCormick uses speed and for a 6-foot point guard, he plays with bounce when he cuts through defenders. He is shifty, and though he is a high volume scorer, he is an excellent passer with up the court vision. McCormmick will be able to create at the next level.

• Hightower has two players that should see their recruitment take off. Point guard Kaelin Jackson and shooter John Mouton, both have an active and athletic basketball body. It goes without saying that they play physical and use their body while getting the ball to the basket. Jackson scores off penetration and has nice passing skills while Mouton likes to get behind the arc and shoot it.

Both finished with 14 a piece in their loss to Houston Sam Houston.

• Manvel's unsigned post, Linton Acliese has good footwork and can hit the perimeter shot, but he does the most work inside the paint. Listed at 6-foot-7, Acliese creates space on the block and moves opponents out of his way with his thick body. He has trimmed down, and continues to improve. He went for 21 in his game against Aldine Davis, who took the game 59-53 over Manvel.

TexasHoops.com Jukes and Jumpers

• Darrell Braxton dropped 19 points in for Aldine Nimitz and did it from the perimeter connecting on three-pointers late in the fourth when SATCH was on cruise control. The senior has good speed in the open court.

• Houston Pro-Vision were waiting for both Shaq Gainey and Terrion Miller as they were on delayed flights coming back from Christmas break. Even without their two prospects, Pro-Vision handled a Houston Madison squad that was without their main contributor, sophomore Jeremiah Gambrell.

Pro-Vision coaches didn't have to worry about missing their two players as they were nearing a 30 point lead in the fourth. Junior post, Taj Royster had over 20 points and worked his way through Madison's guards that had to guard him one-on-one, and senior shooter Jamir Coleman nailed a few three-pointers. Coleman is a nice prospect with skill and a basketball body. He shoots with a nice touch and has handles.

• Markques Houston couldn't lead Aldine MacArthur to a win, but the North Carolina A&T signee did his best by putting 27 points on the board against a talented Landry Walker (56-48) team from New Orleans. Houston matched Antoine Davis and Faite Williams three-point total of six, and displayed some explosiveness to the rim.

• Texas State signee Nijal Pearson of Beaumont Central totaled 21 points as he did most of his damage heading to the bucket in Central's 71-55 win versus Houston Second Baptist. Central received a team-high of 24 points from future Lamar Cardinal Tyrin Atwood. He hit shots from behind the arc and used his athleticism to get into the paint.

Game-high point leader was Second Baptist's Jalen Weber. The HBU-bound guard scored 25 points off a balanced attack of three three-pointers, five from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line. An all around productive effort in the loss.

• It was good to get the chance to watch unsigned senior Sonny Cousins from North Forest and to see what type of numbers he would put up on the offensive side of the ball against Fort Bend Bush. It was a challenge that Cousins could use as a way to measure his competitiveness and overall game. It was a personal victory of sorts for Cousins as he scored 22 points in the loss, but showcased his ability to get by defenders and to use his strong, 6-foot compact body on the way to the basket. Cousins pounds the ball and uses his strength take contact.

Teammate, Jermaine Drewey is a lefty that can put the ball in the basket. A son of a former WNBA basketball player, Drewey shows off his fundamentals as a ball handler and shooter.

Other Houston National Notes

• Ricky Nelson led Houston Episcopal to a 59-53 win over St. Bernard's, as he scored 18 points in the game, which included one three-pointer and perfect 7-for-7 from the line.

• Playing host, Aldine Davis' Royce Hamm finished with 13 points in their 59-53 win against Manvel. Late free throws sealed the victory for Davis.

• Fallbrook's junior guard Juan Hood is small at 5-foot-8, but he can get the job done on both ends of the court. Hood dropped 15 in his game versus Mayde Creek.

• In a running away first half, sophomore Jaedon Ledee wasn't challenged by Aldine Eisenhower, as Kinkaid took a 46-16 lead into the half. Ledee had 10 points in the first half of play.