“U School” on the campus of Nova Southeastern University was alive and bustling today with the 2024 Miami Summer Hoops Festival. A good number of high quality teams came ready for the challenge as a way of getting prepared for the upcoming Live Period in front of college coaches. We’ll give just a sampling of what went down.
All Ball 16U 60, MBJ Elite 16U 48
A solid group of underclassmen from South Florida fill the roster of All Ball and they got out to an early lead in one of the first games of the day. They were up by fifteen, 32-17, at the break but had to hold on and fight back a fierce comeback by MBJ Elite. Christian Yeargin, a 6’4 rising junior at Fort Lauderdale Stranahan, and Brendan Gerard, a 6’0 rising junior at Boca Raton St. Andrew’s, each scored 14 points for the victors.
Team Loaded 17U 65, All Ball 17U 48
Team Loaded is a mixture of players from Florida as well as Georgia and is part of the Adidas 3SSB circuit. The first half was a back-and-forth affair with the lead changing hands multiple times. At the break, Team Loaded was up just four, 29-25. Team Loaded took control in the second half to grow their lead to the final margin. Jordan Tillery, a 6’5 wing looking to do a post-grad year, led the team with 17 points.
SOH Elite 2027 74, Miami Suns 16U 25
SOH was playing up a year in this one but the talent gap was large. Too much speed, quickness, and basketball acumen on the part of SOH doomed the Suns from the start. However, the Suns refused to quit, complain, or point fingers. They kept playing hard despite the large scoring margin. Orlando Roche, a 6’1 rising sophomore at Miami Belen Jesuit, led SOH with 18 points.
SOH Elite 16U 71, MBJ Elite 16U 43
This contest was back and forth for the first ten minutes. At that point, SOH closed out the first half on a 15-5 run to extend their lead to 40-26 at the break. MBJ Elite was unable to recover and SOH grew its lead throughout the second half. Lloyd Swann, a 6’0 rising junior at Miami True North Classical, led SOH with 12 points.
Team Loaded 17U 78, SOH Elite 17U 70
It is always interesting and entertaining when power programs from different shoe circuits face off. As mentioned, Team Loaded is part of the Adidas circuit while SOH competes in the Under Armor circuit. The lead changed hands frequently in the first half which found Team Loaded up by just one, 38-37. They were able to extend that lead in the second half but never by more than a couple of possessions. Team Loaded ultimately prevailed behind 29 points from Mikel Brown.
All Ball 17U 51, Florida Pro 17U 37
The first half was a grind-it-out affair with both teams having to work especially hard for their points. The score was only 23-28 after one half of play in favor of All Ball. In the second half, it was All Ball that found its offensive footing first and that carried them to the win. Randy Livingston, Jr. paced the team with 14 points.
Showtime Baller 17U 91, Miami Ball Hogs 17U 47
Showtime got out quickly and never looked back. The Ball Hogs had some moments of scoring success but as you can tell they were few and far between. Traevon Koch, a 6’2 rising senior from Specialty Fit Academy in Tampa, led Showtime with 24 points.
Florida Pro 17U 62, Team Breakdown 17U 44
Florida Pro was able to turn the tables from their first game of the day, jumping out to a big lead and then holding off a hard-playing Team Breakdown. Christopher Maxon, a 6’2 rising senior at Fort Pierce Central, led Florida Pro with 18 points.
Player of the Day: Our choice is Mikel Brown of Team Loaded. The 6’2 rising senior out of the Overtime Elite program has developed into a three-level scorer that is also an outstanding creator for his teammates. He plays with a calm tenacity that simply overwhelms opponents.
Surprise of the Day: Traevon Koch from Showtime was a revelation to us in our first viewing of him. A very athletic and explosive guard, the 6’2 rising senior makes plays that others simply can’t. He is tough to keep from the basket, has a respectable jumper, and puts in work at the defensive end.