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adidas Nations Saturday Morning Thoughts: Louisville’s backcourt and the lack of 2015 point guards

Terry Rozier, Chris Jones

Louisville guards Terry Rozier, left, and Chris Jones, smile during a news conference at at the NCAA mens college basketball tournament Friday, March 21, 2014, in Orlando, Fla. Louisville will play Saint Louis in the third-round game on Saturday.(AP Photo/John Raoux)

AP

LONG BEACH, California -- Day two of adidas Nations began with some skill station work, followed by another round of games. With the college counselors playing amongst themselves and there also being four games matching high school-aged players, there was plenty of action to be seen in the gym. Below are a couple thoughts from the action observed during the morning session from Raphielle Johnson and Scott Phillips.
Friday’s adidas Nations Recaps: High school | College

- Louisville’s backcourt puts together a good morning.

With the Cardinals playing their first season in the ACC, a question to be asked is how they’ll go about accounting for the loss of Russ Smith on the perimeter. Smith began his career as an erratic player, only to develop into a first team All-American as a senior, and guards Chris Jones and Terry Rozier have both shown that they’re ready to step forward and be even more productive than they were in 2013-14. In regards to Jones, he made good decisions with the basketball in his hands, and he was also good when it came to understanding when to look for his shot and when to set up the other players on his team. The key for Jones is continuing on that path and making sure it carries over into the season. (RJ)

Terry Rozier was the best player on the floor in the college camp counselor game I saw this morning and it really wasn’t that close. The sophomore point guard from Louisville finished with 17 points and seven rebounds -- in a game with six-minute quarters and some substitutions -- and he was simply devastating with the ball in his hands. Often rebounding around rim level, Rozier would push tempo off of defensive boards and utilized a lethal mid-range pull-up that often resulted in a seemingly effortless basket. On high ball screens, Rozier was shifty enough to get in the lane at will and finish around the hoop or find teammates. While he has a propensity to over-penetrate and trap himself, and his perimeter jumper is still a work in progress, Rozier was very impressive in the morning game and has continued to have a breakout summer. (SP)

- The lack of 2015 point guards is hurting American adidas Nations teams.

In the high school games, both American Class of 2015 rosters lost to international teams on Saturday morning as the glaring lack of good point guards in the class reared its ugly head. Team Howard fell to the African team, 74-68, as the team’s two main ball handlers were a scoring point guard in UConn commit Jalen Adams and a combo guard in Arizona commit Justin Simon. Adams and Simon are both talented players and scorers, but they don’t get easy looks for other players and that has become abundantly obvious as camp has worn on.

Team Rose fared even worse. Featuring combo guard Tyler Dorsey and Pitt commit and point guard Damon Wilson, they lost to Europe, 79-74, and had only two assists as a team for the entire game. A team that scored 74 points only had two assists and neither of them came from primary ball handlers Dorsey or Wilson. It was a pathetic display of ball movement and execution for Team Rose as they shot 28 percent from the field, 16 percent from the three-point line and 56 percent from the free-throw line in the loss.

Both Class of 2015 American teams are now 0-1 in pool play and will have to work hard just to make it out of pool play at adidas Nations. If that’s going to happen, the guard play for both teams and the overall ball movement has to improve. (SP)

- UCLA’s Norman Powell has played very well thus far.

It goes without saying that Powell will be a key figure for a UCLA team that has to account for the early departures of guards Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Zach LaVine. And the Powell who has been on display in Long Beach is one who’s ready to step forward not only as a producer but also as a team leader. Powell was in attack mode offensively but he wasn’t reckless or selfish in finding his shots, and once he got to the rim the rising senior finished with authority.
RELATED: Powell sees defense, rebounding as keys for UCLA this season

Another UCLA-related note from Saturday: while he didn’t make every shot around the basket, Tony Parker played with some of the focus many have been pining for since he arrived in Westwood. Having Kevon Looney (not playing this weekend), Jonah Bolden and Thomas Welsh in the fold will help UCLA inside, but they need Parker to make good on the promise that led to him being a McDonald’s All-American as a high school senior in order to contend in the Pac-12. (RJ)