Texas Invitational, Northwest Classic & Coppell Showcase Notes

Pasadena/ Fort Worth/ Coppell - TexasHoops.com/GASO recruiting analyst Blue Zertuche spent time in Pasadena for the Texas Invitational Thursday and part of Friday. Then finished the weekend catching a few games from both the Texan Classic and the Coppell Showcase.

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One person who is excited about the future of his basketball program is head coach Ryan Campbell of Pasadena Sam Rayburn. Campbell is fortunate enough to have one of the state’s top freshmen, forward Keon Edwards.

In Edwards' match up against Langham Creek to tip off the Texas Invitational, Edwards scored 14 points in the Texans 61-51 first round win. Edwards split time as the lead ball handler for the Texans and he made it look easy. Langham didn’t apply pressure 94 feet so it allowed for Edwards to show his versatility. At 6-foot-7, Edwards was impressive as a ball handler and especially as a passer. Edwards is skilled and demonstrated that he could get a shot off from the perimeter. He will put the ball on the floor to create separation and take contact.

Edwards did spend most of his time on the perimeter, but what stood out the most was his length. There were a few instances that Edwards went to the paint on defense and altered and blocked shots and rebounded. He had a couple of outbursts that gave the TexasHoops/GASO staff a glimpse into the future of what Edwards should become.

Edwards currently holds an offer from local program University of Houston and has interest from Baylor, LSU, Purdue, Texas A&M.

Signing Day has come and gone and now it’s that time of the year to find those players that have been overlooked or who are blossoming at the right time.

With only a handful of well-known bigs available in the class of 2018, Nigheal Ceaser will be an intriguing prospect. At only 6-foot-5, the Fort Bend Ridge Point prospect makes up the few inches he lacks with an aggressive style of play. Ceaser has an endless work ethic in the paint and is a pure athlete with a big strong body. He scores with his back to the basket and finishes around the rim.

Defensively, Ceasar bodies up to his opponent and uses strength to push them away from the block. He showed in the Texas Invitational against both Converse Judson (24 points) and Manvel that he was in control of the paint. He didn’t face anyone in those two games that could challenge him physically, but with the tools he displayed, Ceaser is on the watch list.

Mike Miles will be among the top guards in the class of 2021 and it will be due to his ability to score and multiple ways. The Lancaster combo guard can read the defense and make decisions on what part of his game is working. When he sees the opportunity to drive, the sophomore puts the ball on the floor and scores in the paint and is a crafty scorer. When he feels it from the perimeter, Miles will sit behind the arc and drain the three. As a ball handler, Miles pushes the ball and gets by pressure and will give the ball up to his teammates. Miles is skilled and plays more off the ball in a system that has interchangeable parts and is very guard heavy. Miles is consistently scoring in double figures and has the body to compete.

One player who I have been high on for the past two years is Bryson Etienne of Fort Bend Bush. The shooting guard is aggressive attacking the basket and plays hard. An unsigned senior, Etienne has shown the leadership and the scoring power needed for the next level. A nicely built ball player, Etienne is always willing to take the big shot and he gives himself the opportunities for those situations by floating around getting to open spots on the floor.

The Northwest Texans basketball program is flooded with Division I talent and another trip to State is in their sights. One of the players that will be responsible for contributing to the Texans success is senior Jordan Keys. The Texans small forward has been hidden behind the likes of UTA signee Mason Hix, and the notoriety of Avery Anderson, Sam Freeman, and the up and coming guard play of Julien Smith.

Keys falls along the line of letting his play on the court do the talking for him. And we hear him. What every team needs is a player like Keys who will be the extra ball handler, a rebounder, a scorer and get to the ball when no one else has the energy to. Keys is a defender and is a skilled forward that fills in the gaps on both ends of the court. When watching the 6-foot-2 prospect, Keys demonstrates the understanding and continues the flow of the offense when the “big names” exit the game. In his final game of the weekend at the Texan Classic, Keys finished with 14 points in the Texans 64-49 win over Haltom.

The TexasHoops.com/GASO staff has Keys currently ranked No.140 in the state which shows that he has done enough in the past to earn a spot in the Top 150 for the class of 2018, but his actions on the floor and the style in which he delivers for the Texans has his stock moving upwards.

Switching to the Dallas Metroplex, David Nzekwesi opted to wait till the spring to sign with a program. Through six games (4-2), the 6-foot-9 Byron Nelson product is averaging nearly double with 19 points and 11 boards per.

Saturday, TexasHoops/GASO staff made it over to the Northwest Classic to catch a few games including Byron Nelson and Nzekwesi.

Byron beat their opponent in Fort Worth Brewer 44-38. Nzekwesi finished the game with 15 and 12 and had a couple of nice face-up jumpers and finishes around the rim. His body is still developing and he needs to add strength, but overall Nzekwesi is producing.

The MVP honors went to South Garland’s Chris Harris and rightfully so after he torched the Coppell Cowboys for 34 points in the Finale of the Coppell Showcase. The South Garland Colonels went undefeated in five games and took home the championship hardware after beating Coppell 68-59.

Harris was remarkable as he set the nets on fire hitting five three-pointers. It’s safe to call Harris a “blue-collar” player as a guard because he has a high level feel for the game and mixes it up in the lane. At 6-foot-2, and a body that resembles a running back, Harris dips his body into the paint and aggressively attacks the boards. Every time you watch Harris he is good for more than a few offensive rebound put-backs.

On this day Harris was stroking the three with his opponent contesting shots, he hit runners and the lane and fought for the ball off the rim and laid the ball back in.

“My teammates set me up and I felt that everything I shot was going in,” said Harris. “I did what I needed to do on the boards, and coach [Dominique Parker] challenged me to get my body in the paint and do what I do best.

Harris said that the most recent schools that have contacted him are Arkansas, Kansas State, Purdue, Texas A&M, plus others.

Samuell Williamson of Rockwall had a great outing against San Antonio Clark as Kansas State assistant watched on from the sideline. Already sitting at the No.7th ranked player in the class of 2019, Williamson showed a bit more than his shooting ability versus a rugged Clark squad. Williamson scored a game-high 22 points and was actively attacking the paint in this matchup. The 6-foot-7 guard has a smooth stroke and a polished game, but the one thing that the TexasHoops/GASO staff came away with was his ability to put the ball on the floor and use the glass to finish. There were multiple times that Williamson jump-stopped in the paint and scored with his off hand. His long reach and athleticism beat the Cougars off the dribble and his defense on the perimeter altered shots by his opponent.

If there is any one thing you want to do best as a player that's to find the bottom of the net and junior Alec Grandstaff is making a living doing just that on a consistent basis. Grandstaff, a Rockwall product hit three three-pointers in the win against San Antonio Clark for all nine of his points. What needs to be seen is the maturity of Grandstaff as a player. He isn’t the most athletically gifted prospect at this point but his ability to run an offensive play through its entirety to get open looks is the one advantage he has over his defenders. TexasHoops/GASO will continue to monitor the progress of Grandstaff as he is capable of rattling off five or six threes in a game.

Sam Freeman is turning the corner as a post player under Justin Northwest head coach Mike Hatch. Freeman has trimmed down as he matures and it shows on the court with the ease he moves around. Freeman gets position and will feel his way scoring over either shoulder using a soft touch off the glass. He is showing skill that can take others years to develop and at 6-foot-9, the junior is a shot blocker, rebounder and is a scorer in the paint.

Teammate and fellow class of 2019 guard Avery Anderson will break down the defense and plays as if he is gliding on ice. The Texans floor general has a quick bounce off the court and squares his body for bank shots. Once he enters the lane and leaves the floor, he has great body control.