With the final weekend in July coming to an end, The Entertainment Capital of the World played host to one final show on the AAU summer circuit. And what a show it was!! Across various gyms in Las Vegas, the Adidas Uprising Summer Championships, the Las Vegas Classic, The 8 and the Fab 48 were the meeting place for dozens of the country's top AAU teams, highest ranked players and coaches from the most prestigious college programs.
8 of the top 10 teams from IndiHoops.com's national rankings were present, including the number one overall ranked Georgia Stars, who won the Las Vegas Classic to follow-up their Peach Jam victory and the seventh ranked Team Loaded NC squad, who won the Adidas Uprising Summer Championships Showcase Game, which was televised on ESPNU.
In addition to the top summer teams playing in Vegas, the nation's elite players were on display. 9 of the top 10 players from ESPN's 2016 rankings were in Vegas, including number three ranked Josh Jackson, who led his 1 Nation squad to a title in the Fab 48. With so many of the top AAU programs and players in Vegas, hundreds of coaches flocked to the desert. On hand were the coaches of the last two National Champions in Coach K of Duke and Kevin Ollie of UConn, among hundreds of others from every level.
There were a number of lessons from the final weekend of the summer season. The first was that the Georgia Stars made a loud and clear statement that they should be considered the best AAU team of 2015. Despite playing without talented swingman Brandon Robinson, the Stars were able to win The Las Vegas Classic. The win gave them their second title in as many weeks, with the first coming at the Nike Peach Jam. Both of those titles followed a regular season where the Georgia Stars went 14-3 in the Nike EYBL. As a side note, the NY Rens would have had a compelling argument for the top spot if Rawle Alkins had played this past weekend and helped the Rens win the Summer Championships.
The second lesson was that Adidas had the most talented crop of point guards in the 2016 class and a long time, with Dennis Smith,Kobi Simmons, Lonzo Ball and Frank Jackson all competing in the Adidas Summer Championships. The four guards all excel at different aspects of the game, with Smith being the most explosive, Simmons being the best off of a pick and roll, Ball being the best passer and Jackson being the best scorer. Smith was able to showcase his talents to the entire nation as he scored the go ahead basket with four seconds left for Team Loaded NC in their win on ESPNU.
Team Loaded showed that they have an elite program. Following Loaded NC's victory, Loaded VA won the Adidas Summer Championships. The Loaded VA team was led by the ultra-athletic duo of Mamadi Diakite, who plays with a nonstop motor, and Javin DeLaurier, who is an elite rebounder with a nose for the ball.
There were also a number of lessons coming from teams and players from Hardwood Insiders' coverage area. Both the DC Thunder and DC Premier have shown that the DMV, has a ton of talent. The Thunder's 16u squad made the Final Four of the Summer Championships, and have a lot to be excited about in Nate Watson, Jamir Moultrie, who scored 19 in a half during one game this weekend, and 2019 prospect Sherif Kenny.
DC Premier failed to repeat as Fab 48 champions but once again made the Elite Eight with dozens of coaches flooding the sidelines of their games in hopes of landing a player from their team.
Like the Thunder and DC Premier, the NY Rens showed they have a bright future as well. Led by rising junior Jose Alvarado, the Rens 16u team advanced to the Final Four of the Adidas Uprising Summer Championships before narrowly falling to eventual champion Indiana Elite. The Rens' Marco Morency also burst onto the scene, including a 23 point performance against the DC Thunder.
Other highlights from the weekend came from Charlie Moore and Zach Norvell of Mac Irvin Fire, specifically Norvell's 53 point performance. New York's Jordan Tucker proved he can adapt to any situation as he played his first tournament of the summer with Team Loaded NC and averaged 8 points and 4 boards in just 19 minutes a game. The champions of the four Vegas tournaments were Team Loaded VA (Adidas Summer Championships), Georgia Stars (Las Vegas Classic), Arkansas Wings (The 8) and 1 Nation (Fab 48).
Although the AAU season has come to a close there are two more events before summer season is completely finished. Next weekend in LA Adidas Global Nations will take place and the summer will come to an end in late August with Under Armour's Elite 24 game in Brooklyn, New York.
x Paul Johnson
Cover photo courtesy of Adidas
