Adidas’ 3SSB (Three Stripes Select Basketball) had its first session this past weekend in Texas.  3SSB upgraded the game stats portion of its website for all three age groups.  Let’s take a look at some notable numbers for the Austin Rivers Southeast Elite programs from the opening weekend.

17U

This squad finished 2-2 over the weekend.  Solid wins over Lu Dort Elite out of Canada and New World 3SSB were offset with losses to Phenom United out of Wisconsin and New Heights out of New York City.  In the win over Lu Dort Elite, SE Elite benefited from a 15-7 advantage in made threes in the four point win while against New World they team was en fuego from the field, shooting 24-38 overall and 13-23 from behind the arc.  In the losses, it was a case of giving up too many opportunities and the opponents making them pay.  Phenom United made seven more shots on twelve more attempts while New Heights made ten more shots on thirteen additional attempts.

Joseph Hartman, a 6’4 junior at The Rock School in Gainesville, was SE Elite’s top scorer at 16.5 points a game.  He was also extremely efficient as he shot 56.8% overall from the field, a blistering 55.6% from behind the arc and over 80% from the foul line.  Hartman was also the third leading rebounder for the team.

Martay Barnes, a 6’2 sophomore at The Academy of Central Florida in Orlando, was only a single point behind in terms of total points, averaging 16.25 points a game.  He too shot well from the field with splits of 50% overall from the field, 36.8% from three-point range, and 82% from the stripe.  Barnes registered a very good three-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio.

Brandon Bass, a 6’4 junior at Windermere Prep, had a somewhat slow start to the event until he erupted in the final game vs. New World.  He went off for 29 points, going 10-14 from the field which included an amazing 6-9 from three-point range.  For the four games, Bass averaged 14.5 points a contest, shooting a crazy 65.6% overall and 55.6% from behind the arc.

16U

The 16U squad also finished with a 2-2 record out in Texas.  It just as easily could have been 3-1 as the team fell in the final game to Phenom United by just three points.  In that game, SE Elite attempted eleven more shots but made three less than the opponent.  In the loss against Game Elite out of Georgia, our Peach State neighbors simply couldn’t miss, outshooting SE Elite in field goals, three point shots, and free throws made as well as attempted. The team defeated New Heights NYC thanks to 50%+ shooting from the floor despite being outshot from the foul line 20-9.  In a three-point win over Upward Stars out of South Carolina, it helped to have a 12-4 advantage in made free throws.

Johnny Lackaff, a 6’2 sophomore out of Sarasota, was the team’s primary offensive weapon.  He averaged 20.8 points a game, shooting 47.5% overall, 34.3% from deep and 86.7% from the charity stripe.  He also led the team in assists.  No other player averaged double-figures for the event, so someone needs to step forward to take some scoring pressure off Lackaff.

15U

Another 2-2 finish for SE Elite.  In a win over Game Elite, SE Elite hit three more field goals overall, two of those three being three-pointers in the seven point win.  In a four-point win over New World, despite being outscored 10-6 from behind the arc, SE Elite made four more shots overall from the field.  The one-point loss to Phenom United was due to Phenom making a single free throw more than SE Elite.  The last game of the session against New Heights NYC might as well be thrown away as the stats suggest this group was ready to go home.

Ethan Mott, a 6’5 freshman at Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest, led the team with 12 ppg.  He shot the ball pretty well from the field (48.4%) and the foul line (81.3%) but his 31.3% rate from behind the arc is a tad low for a shooter of his quality. Mott was also the team’s third leading rebounder and led the team in steals.

Reginald Evans, a 6’4 eighth grader at Tampa SLAM, averaged 10.5 points a game for the weekend.  His numbers were a respectable 44% from the field, 36.5% from deep and 77% from the foul line.  As much as Evans handles the ball, he will need to lower his number of turnovers. Evans was the team’s second leading rebounder.

Johnas Maurice, a 5’10 freshman at Orlando Edgewater, averaged just over 9 points a game but it was his 4.5 assists per game, compared to just 1.5 turnovers per game that caught our attention.  On the flip side, he was just 2-13 from beyond the arc for the four games.  That will need to improve going forward.