Game 5

USA THREE 86 – Puerto Rico 72

USA looked deflated after the tough loss they suffered the previous night, but Puerto Rico just doesn’t have enough talent to stay with the better teams…even against those that don’t bring their A game.

Mike Moser (11 points, 4 rebounds)

He had only a decent game statwise, but he was able to show some nice things from the perimeter. His length and athleticism make him a very intriguing prospect from the wing position…he also has some nice moves off the dribble to go along with a reliable outside jumper.

Milton
Jennings
(11 points, 3 rebounds)

Nothing spectacular in the stat department, Jennings has been somewhat of a letdown so far. He has a great body and shows flashes of brilliance every now and then, but for the most part he just seems too passive and like he is coasting. He has a world of potential to go along with a nice physical package, but he will need to show more heart and determination if he is ever to become the player that he has the potential to be.

Daniel Orton
(9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals)

Orton has been a disappointment so far, he has not found his rhythm and he has struggled scoring over the bigger post players. He has a big knee-brace and it seems to limit his mobility substantially, but even more than that, he just does not seem to be playing to the level he’s capable off.

Jeremy Tyler
(6 points, 4 rebounds)

For two games in a row, Tyler has been completely invisible. He has strictly focused his game on the low post area, but his limited repertoire down there makes it very hard for him to score. He is a year younger than many of his USA teammates, but he just seems out of place.

Raymond Cortes (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists)

He had another very good game, showing his ability to get in the lane as well as shoot the long ball. His assist numbers aren’t very impressive, but that is because his teammates miss many of the opportunities that he creates for them.

Game 6

Lithuania 81 – Senegal 52

Senegal’s lack of shooting and the fact that the team is made of very raw talent has made it difficult for them to contend with the other skilled teams. Lithuania broke the game open in the 2nd quarter and cruised to a one sided victory.

Mindauskas Kuzminskas (25 points, 10 rebounds)

He was able to show his complete scoring package today, hitting from the outside, as well as taking people off the dribble and finishing around the basket. He found his rhythm early in this game and he was able to knock down a number of long range shots. While his quickness is nothing to write home about, he does have nice leaping ability as he showed with a couple of dunks in transition.

Game 7

USA ONE 96 – Canada 80

The Canadian team was able to stick around for the 1st half, unfortunately being undermanned in the post (big man Michael Allison is out with an ankle injury) meant they just couldn’t hang on long enough. The deep USA ONE team really stepped it up in the 4th quarter and ran away with the victory.


Royce White
(14 points, 7 rebounds)

At 6’7 and about 210 lbs, White showed that he has enough skills to eventually move his game permanently to the perimeter. He was able to take people off the dribble and either find open teammates or finish at the rim. With his size he is also more than capable of backing down smaller defenders and scoring over them. He is a very intriguing prospect and because of his versatility he should be able to garner serious attention from the NBA in the upcoming years.

Harrison
Barnes
(22 points, 8 rebounds)

Barnes has good size and length for the wing position. While his handles aren’t the best (especially in the open court) he is very athletic and has great body control when finishing around the basket. He has a very high release on his shot and his stroke is very smooth, allowing him to shoot over people and hit at a very efficient percentage.

Demarcus
Cousins
(12 points, 5 rebounds)

He seems to be a little hurt or just out of shape…on numerous occasions he didn’t even bother to cross half court on offense. His mediocre athleticism showed again today, as he was outrebounded and outhustled by the less athletic Canadian big men.

Mason Plumlee
(6 points, 5 rebounds)

The 1st touch he got in the game he took the ball hard to the basket from the top of the key and on the 2nd one he made a spin move in the low post and finished the play with a dunk. It seemed like he was ready to step up, unfortunately that was the last we heard from him the whole game. He has good athleticism and nice mobility for a big man, but he is very weak and also passive, which means that he is easily moved out of position in the post, making it very difficult for him to score. With his size, he looks to be a PF, but he needs to show more outside game and some shooting ability.

Game 8

USA TWO 81 – FMP (Serbia) 75

The Serbians have been given the death draw (needing to beat all 3 USA teams to win the tourney) and they were not able to pull out this 2nd victory. This was arguably the best game so far, as we had a back and forth battle the entire time. The action got very physical…Avery Bradley had the highlight of the tournament as he dunked right on Serbian bigman Uros Lukovic. The crowd went crazy, and the embarrassed Lukovic got tangled with Jordan Hamilton, which caused the benches to clear and some pushing and showing ensued. Nothing serious happened, but the dunk seemed to give the Americans all the momentum they needed and they were able to pull out a well fought victory.

Avery Bradley
(24 points, 3 steals)

He was able to once again show his tremendous shooting touch and not to mention his dunking ability. Not only is he able to get up very high, but he gets up so quickly that it gives the defender no time to react. Down the stretch he took over, he was able to get to the basket and finish over the defense, and he also hit some big threes to put his team over the top.

Abdul Gaddy
(13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists)

He has been less than spectacular this week…the Serbs played a lot of zone D, which makes it somewhat difficult for Gaddy to get in the lane and find open teammates. However, down the stretch he was able to knock down some very big shots and he also found Bradley on a number of occasions for easy hoops.

Nikola
Markovic
(20 points, 12 rebounds, 5 steals)

The Serbian big man played a complete game, unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Even though his explosiveness is not extraordinary, he is able to make up for it with his crafty game and good footwork. He can spread the D with his outside shooting and he is also very good at getting into the lane and finishing. His game is well rounded and he has been one of the better performers this tournament.

Facebooktwitterredditmail

1 Comment

  1. Guards
    I would like to know how Tommy Mason-Griffin is playing for USA1. After reviewing the stats from the first two games, it appears that the is playing very well, except for the 4 turnovers in one game. I have read reviews on the USA2 and USA3 point guards in Gaddy and Wall. If possible, I would like thoughts on the points guards of Tommy Mason-Griffin and Phil Pressy or USA1.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.