2012 Portsmouth Invitational – Day 2 Recap

Carl Berman

13 Apr 2012

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In the first game of the second day of the 2012 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, Norfolk Sports Club topped K&D Rounds Landscaping 80-67 behind Charlie Westbrook and Alex Young’s 15 points and 17 rebounds from Augustus Gilchrist. The players that caught our eye were:

Gilchrist (South Florida) – The 6’10 Gilchrist grabbed 17 rebounds, eight on the offensive end and also blocked two shots. He’s now averaging 14.5 rebounds in two games. He only averaged five rpg in the season so the increased numbers are likely the result of the style of play and better effort. Gilchrist’s downside has been his offense. He shot 2-for-11 in the game and missed seven shots in the paint. His mechanics aren’t great as his release is slow and low, he can generally hit the mid-range shot but missed badly on an 18-footer. During the season he shot 28% from long distance on 25 attempts. His lack of strength hurts him defensively as he’s unable to defend the low post well.

Young (6’6, IUPUI) -  Young hasn’t put up great numbers (9-for-27 on FGA so far) but you can see his talent. He can play the 2 or the 3 and can guard both positions. He’s a lefty with a nice release ad good rotation. He’ has a good first step, can score from deep, finish off dribble-drive penetration and is strong enough to finish in the paint. He utilizes pump fakes, ball fakes and jab steps to get to the hoop. He’s also a solid athlete and a good rebounder for his position.

Rakim Sanders

Rakim Sanders (6’5, Fairfield) led his team with 18 points. He’s extremely strong and long and can overpower most 2′s and has the ability to defend the 3. He’s able to get into the paint consistently, it’s the decision he makes when he gets there that needs improvement. He’s a solid rebounder, averaging 8.3 on the season. He pulled down 11 in the game and is averaging 9.5 in his two games.

Kent Bazemore (6’5, ODU) has not shot well at the event (4-for-16 in the two games including 1-for-6 on 3′s) but is a very versatile player. He has good hands and anticipation on defense which translated to 2.1 steals per game in the season. He’s been generally a solid rebounder and can be compared as a smaller, better-shooter version of Julyan Stone.

Zack Rosen (6’1, Penn) has had a lot of buzz around him at the event. We’ve been watching him since the ABCD camp he participated in with Derrick Rose, Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo. He’s an extremely cerebral player, an underrated defender and a joy to watch. He’s extremely effective in pick and roll sets, although he hasn’t been able to exhibit that ability at the PIT. We think he’ll be a solid player in Europe with Israel as his logical destination as word has it that he possesses an Israeli passport.

In Game 4 of the event, Roger Brown’s edged Sales System LTD 74-71 behind Ricardo Ratliffe’s 13 points and ten rebounds. The players in this game that impressed were:

Ricardo Ratliffe

Ratliffe (6’8, Missouri) was extremely impressive in the paint. He is active and can score around the basket. He’s a good athlete, quick off his feet with the strength to deny low post position. He’s a good weakside defender and made a nice block on the weakside of a Kyle Fogg drive. Ratliffe doesn’t have much of a face-up game.

Terrance Henry (6’9, Mississippi) has size and athleticism with the ability to get to the hoop and finish with very long strides. He has 3-point range but doesn’t force the 3, he’s more effective from mid-range. He doesn’t  rebound well for his size and must get stronger. He’s the stereotypical SEC athlete who needs to improve his skill set.

Chris Johnson (6’6, Dayton) had a very efficient game for Sales System shooting 7-of-12 including 4-of-9 from 3, scoring 18 points and pulling down seven rebounds. Johnson is very long and athletic and displayed his athleticism on a nice offensive rebound and put-back. Our main criticism of him is that he has not shown he can beat his man off the dribble and sometimes does not appear to give maximum effort. He does moves well without the ball and puts himself into position for spot-up and catch/shoot 3′s.

Jet Chang (6’4, BYU-Hawaii) has been a pleasant surprise. He hit several long two’s and has shown a nice mid-range jumper off the dribble. Hes a good but not exceptional athlete but was not intimidated by the competition. He shot 6-for-12 in the game and scored 13 points.

In the nightcap, Portsmouth Partnership topped Mike Duman 85-79 behind JaMychal Green’s 29 points and ten rebounds.

JaMychal Green

Green (6’8, Alabama) had the high point game of the event so far. he shot 14-of-18 from the fields and six of his boards were off the offensive glass. The up-and-down nature of the game, without many half-court sets, allowed Green to showcase his skills and athleticism. He scored on a variety of dunks, put-backs and transition baskets.

Jordan Theodore (6’0, Seton Hall) ran the point well for the winners, dishing out seven assists with only two turnovers while scoring 14 points. He has a variety of hesitation dribbles and changes his speed well to get into the paint and score or dish. He made several difficult shots that helped his team reach the semi-finals.

David Michaels (6’7, Whitman) is another small college player not afraid to mix it up with the big boys. Michaels showed a nice touch from outside hitting 2-of-3 3′s while scoring 10 points with six boards and can be a nice swing forward overseas. He shot over 46% on three-pointers this season.

Kim English (6’6, Missouri) was very active on offense scoring 22 points on 7-for-16 shooting. He’s able to score in a variety of ways and his drives resulted in eight free throws. He also was solid with eight boards.

Julian Mavunga (6’8, Miami, OH) had a very solid game with 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting including two three-pointers. He also had five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Muvenga is a versatile big-body (232-pounds) and averaged nine rebounds during the season.

Ashton Gibbs (6’2, Pittsburgh) had an excellent offensive game for Duman with 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 3-for-5 3′s. However he still hasn’t exhibited solid point guard skills (4 assists, 4 turnovers) and we simply do not see him as a lead guard at this point. He’s a small two guard who can score in bunches and seems more suited to a high-level European career.

Dave Maron is a Scout and Correspondent for NetScouts Basketball.