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Nightrydas Memorial Day Recap

By Connor Quigley , 05/30/18, 11:45AM EDT

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                             Scouting Service

Connor Quigley

Director of Scouting

Nightrydas Memorial Day Weekend

 

Top to bottom I think you’d have a tough time finding an AAU program in the country with as much talent as the Nightrydas had with them this weekend.  From the first game I saw with their 2023 group, all the way up to their 2020 class you could see these kids genuinely enjoyed playing with one another.  Summer hoops can appear sloppy at times because of the limited practice time these kids have with one another, however the common theme with these Nightrydas teams was their Defense and Ball Movement. In today’s recap I’ll highlight some of the guys who really stood out from the classes of 2020-2022.  For anyone I missed I apologize, only got to see everyone once or twice from each team - will definitely catch you guys next time!! And if anyone has any comments or concerns feel free to message me on Twitter or IG @CoachQuigs!!

  

2022

#9 Cari Henderson (6’1/SG/2022)

- Incredibly athletic, has a prototype build for a Shooting Guard: Long & Explosive

- Fluent shooting mechanics, wasn’t afraid to let it fly when given space

- Potential to be an elite defender - great anticipation, very disruptive on the ball

- Seems to be involved with every play, high ceiling  

 

#12 Fabio Basili (6’0/CG/2022)

- Crafty Playmaker, fluent and confident with the ball, has a great feel for the game

- Smooth shooting mechanics, showed he has the potential to be a 3pt threat

- Tough defender, uses his length well & proved to be very disruptive on and off the ball

- Attacks looking to create for others, impressed with some of the angles he was able to drop passes through - His game is very mature for his age

 

#13 Mari Henderson (6’1/SG/2022)

- Dynamic playmaker with a high motor, impacts the game on every possession

- Great hesitation dribble, able to get his defender off balance & explode to the rim

- Fluent shooting mechanics, was able to create his own shot off the dribble

- Explosive athlete & a dynamic finisher around the rim - ability to hang in the air, absorb contact & finish - High Ceiling

 

#22 Nate Sasser (6’5/Wing/2023)

- Big, strong, & skilled, - has the ability to be dominant inside & on the perimeter

- High basketball IQ, great at drawing the help defense & finding the open man

- Attacks the basket with power & grace - Smooth euro-step, finishes through contact

- Potential to be special, has a unique balance of size and skill

 

#23 Greg Glenn (6’6/CF/2022)

- Hate to put a position next to his name, at this point his upside is limitless

- Effects the game in every aspect: Scores, rebounds, defends, and facilitates

- Already possesses a solid skill set as a guard and a big, range extends to 3pt line

- Game well beyond his years, intelligently takes advantage of his size & athletic superiority - Impact player at the Varsity level right now

 

2021

Thaddius Franklin (6’0/CG/2021)

- Powerful athlete with a lot of game, scored from all 3 levels & got everyone involved

- Impressed with ability to finish around the rim, absorbs contact & finishes tough angles

- Tough in transition - finds open man up court or bullies his way to the rim, High IQ

- Played a lot of point guard this weekend, seems like a good fit for his style of play

 

(Missing names/info for the rest of this team, will add to this list in the next week or so)
 

2020

#2 Walter Clayton (6’2/PG/2020)

- Explosive playmaker & a solid facilitator with the ability to score from all three levels

- Excellent finisher around the rim, able to jump off 1 or 2 feet & finishes with both hands

- “Microwave” once he gets hot it’s difficult to slow him down, solid shooting mechanics

- Potential to be a great defender, anticipates well and explodes for weak side steals

 

#3 Kam Woods (6’0/CG/2020)

- Natural born scorer, able to fill it up in a variety of ways

- Shot the ball well consistently throughout the weekend, reads defense & spots up well

- Uses shot fake well, gets in the paint & finishes with variety (both hands/floaters/etc)

- A sleeper to keep an eye on, capable of playing point guard as well

 

#4 Dudley Blackwell (6’8/Wing/2020)

- Can do it all: Scores from all three levels, handles the ball like a guard, can defend 1-4

- Long explosive athlete with size to his frame, has all the physical tools of a Pro SG

- Talented playmaker - Crafty passer with a High IQ, loves dropping backdoor dimes

- Potential is limitless, expect him to rise through the national ranks over the next few years

 

#5 Leonard Manuel (6’5/SG/2020)

- Explosive athlete with a high motor, a Draymond Green like presence on the floor

- Relentlessly attacks the rim - Unselfish passer, threw a couple crafty no look dimes

- Strong finisher around the rim, seeks out contact & possesses great body control

- Dynamic defender, can lock up 1-3 comfortably, uses strength/mobility to guard bigs

 

#12 Justin Bufford (6’6/F/2020)

- Dynamic long & wiry athlete - High Ceiling, has a lot of physical gifts you can’t teach

- Handles the ball effectively on the perimeter, uses length well to step past his defender

- Really tough around the basket, attacked the offensive glass relentlessly all weekend

- Range extends beyond the 3pt line, as his perimeter game expands expect him to blow up   

 

#13 Dionte Blanch (6’2/G/2020)

- Athletic playmaker with a lot of upside, plays with a lot of energy

- Tenacious defender, moves his feet well & harrasses the ball handler

- Ability to score from all three levels - Super bouncy, can finish in a variety of ways

- Crafty passer, great at dropping off passes to his big man after he gets help to commit

 

#24 Caleb Murphy (6’3/CG/2020)

- As smooth as they come, incredibly crafty with the ball in his hands

- Impressed with his ability to maintain his handle through pressure, ball is on a string

- Unassumingly athletic, has quick/explosive bounce that he’ll catch you off guard with

- Also impressed with his toughness in the paint, has a nose for the ball and finishes strong at the rim

 

#25 Moussa Diabate’ (6’10/F/2021)

- One of the best Freshman in the country, a physically imposing presence in the paint

- Long, strong, & athletic - showed he’s already advanced as far as gaining post position

- Big time rim protector; covers ground quickly & times the ball very well for huge blocks

- Dangerous in transition, terrific rim runner with great hands - Sky’s the limit