By Anthony Jaskulski

It was championship Sunday at the Hoop Group’s Pittsburgh Jam Fest as the Petersen Events Center on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh was rocking with championship games from each division, and plenty of Division-one coaches to scout the teams and players every move.

Sunday closed out a thrilling weekend of top-notch basketball and every coach and scout in attendance got their money’s worth. From the DC Assault and their rising stars in each age bracket, to the traditional dominance of Team Final and the New Jersey Playaz, the Pete was rocking all weekend with some of the best AAU basketball teams in the country being showcased.

Here is a look some of the top teams and recruits from the final day of the Pittsburgh Jam Fest.

Sunday’s Top Games:

Indiana Elite 78, New York Panthers 59
(17 and under division)

Before taking home the 17-U championship trophy, the Indiana Elite took care of the New York Panther with surprisingly ease in a semi-final blowout in the second installment of games Saturday at the Pete. Duke recruit Mason Plumlee showed why one of the most prestigious schools came after him, driving players to the hole, dropping contested jumpers and finding open players on beautiful behind-the-back passes all game long. The 6’10 forward finished with 15 points and eight rebounds and seven assists in the stunning blowout victory. Guard Omari Lawrence did his best to keep the Panthers in the game, scoring 22 points, including three late shots from beyond-the-arc, but it proved not enough as the quick Indiana team ran away with the show late in the game.

Scouting Report:

Omari Lawrence
Small Guard/Forward, 6’3, class of 2009

Top Interest: Pittsburgh, Arizona, Memphis, St. Johns, Seton Hall, Georgetown

Strong Point: Is a very strong defender and possesses great court awareness.

Area of Improvement: Needs to take better care of the ball.

The Skinny:
Lawrence has an incredible feel on the defensive end, and brings great intensity to every possession. His court vision works on both ends of the floor, giving him an exceptional ability to make impact plays. He is a finisher that with the help of a better passing game can become a full-package star. His shot selection was at its best, and he proved he can hit the long-range buckets as well as the short-range jumpers. He showed several times in the game he can drive to the hole and finish strong.

He said it:
“I’m the guy that wants to win. If it has to be a pass, or if it has to be my shooting, I want to do what ever it takes to win ball games.”

DC Assault 58, All Ohio Basketball 51
(16 and under divison)

Two of the best recruits in the 16-U division got the chance to square off against each other, as DC Assault’s Joshua Hairston took on Ohio’s Jared Sullinger. As the younger brother of stand-out Ohio State star J.J. Sullinger, Jared showed his importance to his team, as he scored four of the five field goals registered by All-Ohio in the first half. Sullinger, an Ohio State commit as well, finished with 18 points and eight rebounds from his power forward position. DC Assault stole the show in the second half thanks to Joshua Hairston’s 16 points. A top recruit in his class, Hairston showcased his incredible talent on several occasions today, including an impressive tip-slam with a foul over a defender in the first half. Hairston was helped by Cedric Lindsay, who finished with a game-high 25 points. DC Assault took home the championship in the 16-U division.

Scouting Report:

Joshua Hairston
Power Forward, 6’8, class of 2010

Top Interest: Georgetown, North Carolina, Villanova, USC, Virginia, Duke

Strong Point: Has incredible athleticism with quick feet in the paint.

Area of Improvement: Needs better control when driving the lane.

The Skinny:
Joshua has an uncanny ability to make plays and finish them. He showed he has an impressive leaping ability on several dunks in today’s game, and proved to be a strong, versatile player that can face-up defenders as well as back them down inside. Hairston’s passing and court smarts helped him find the wide-open teammates for easy baskets, as opposed to driving the lane contested. With that, Hairston can draw other defenders and leave 2-3 guys open on a single possession, creating a versatile offensive threat wherever he is on the floor. Joshua can create plenty of space in the paint, and prides himself on the ability to find the ball rebounding on both sides of the floor.

He said it:
“One thing I’ve noticed is how many scrap points you can get on offensive rebounds, and how many possessions you take away from teams on the defensive side. It’s a big part of the game, and I’ve turned my attention to that aspect a lot.”

Cedric Lindsay
Guard, 5’10, class of 2010

Strong Point: Has a very crisp long-range shot.

Area of Improvement: Needs to take better shots or find the better option.

The Skinny:
Lindsay, although not clear on making any decisions for college interests yet, should have plenty of scouts and coaches knocking on his door this summer with plenty of offers. Cedrick, despite his size, brings plenty of attitude to the defensive end of the floor and is relentless when guarding his man, often resulting in steals and easy transition points for the guard. He has a very strong outside jumper that he showed off today, dropping long-range bombs from different spots on the floor. Once Cedrick gets the assist part of his game down, he will turn into a versatile player that will eventually find more open looks, as opposed to many of the contested shots he faced today. With the will to want to learn more versatility, Lindsay will turn an already exceptional game into a down-right unstoppable package with his few years of development left to go.

Grassroots Canada Pump and Run 67, DC Metro 52
(Open pool divison)

Hailing mostly from Toronto, the group that stole the show last year to win the Jam Fest championship, returned this year in the open pool bracket and dominated DC Metro to take yet another trophy home. Dwayne Smith led the way with 24 points and eight rebounds, physically dominating every player DC Metro threw at him. With strong drives to the bucket on one end of the floor and quick hands defensively that got the pick-pocket easy steals, Smith may have made a bigger name to the coaches in attendance watching the youngster excel up and down the floor. Tramar Sutherland kicked in with 15 points for Grassroots second championship campaign.

Scouting Report:

Dwayne Smith
Guard/Small Forward, 6’6, class of 2008

Top Interest: George Washington, Central Connecticut State, Rutgers

Strong Point: Can use both hands handling ball with ease; makes defenders miss.

Area of Improvement: Needs better approach defensively.

The Skinny:
Smith is 6’6, but plays much taller offensively, pounding the glass going for offensive rebounds and attacking the hole, dodging each defender he faces. Dwayne has incredible court vision that saw him find beautiful no-look passes to the paint for wide-open lay-ups. He can muscle up with anybody on the floor and pull down tough rebounds on both ends, making him a deadly force at any spot. Smith, with better defensive skills, can build up a big resume and possibly get more scouts north of the border to check on his up-lifting talent that can match up to grade-A Division One talent.

He said it:
“I get plenty of motivation from my teammates and the hard work we put in day in and day out. We won here two years in a row because we worked that hard to reach this level and we never had the thought of backing down.”

Juice All Stars 91, DC Triple Threat 83
(17 and under division)

On the heels of a two game winning streak, Juice squeezed DC Triple Threat to wrap up the last installment of the 17 and under semi-finals at the Pete Sunday. With guard Yves Jules (a Hofstra commit) leading the way with 16 points and five assists, Juice finished off what was a close game late with a 12-2 scoring run to finish the game. Vincent Counsel also had 16 points and pulled down five rebounds for Juice, including an impressive reverse lay-up that split two defenders and broke the tie, which led to the big game-ending run for the Juice All-Stars. Triple Threat’s Chris Braswell led all scorers with 28 points, while Maurice Creek added 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

Scouting Report:

Chris Braswell
Power Forward, 6’8, class of 2008

Top Interest: Georgetown (verbal commit)

Strong Point: Is a versatile forward that can take defenders head on or back-down to the paint.

Area of Improvement: Needs a more consistent mid-range jump shot.

The Skinny:
Braswell is a top-tier forward that can pose as a guard and score almost possible way. He is strong on the boards and hustles from start to finish in the game. He proved today he is a strong finisher that can take the pressure of defenders in his face and still create a nice look at the basket. While he needs to focus on his jump shot, as it shows a little inconsistency, Braswell still has the likings of blending in with the hard-nose, physical nature that the Big East brings in every matchup. Chris muscles up on defense and with quick hands and feet, can stick with anybody he is matched up against with or without the ball.

He said it:“I’m glad to keep in my hometown area and (Georgetown) is a tradition with my family and with my friends. I like what they have to offer and I think they can work me into a pretty good ballplayer.”

Maurice Creek
Guard, 6’4, class of 2009

Top Interest: Marquette, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Texas, Maryland, South Carolina, Clemson

Strong Point: Can take a game over with his shooting and ball handling skills.
Area of Improvement: Needs to hustle for the games entirety.

The Skinny:
At times Maurice showed signs of fatigue and laziness on the defensive end, but stuck with it and became stronger as the game progressed today. Creek showed he has a nice touch from long-range and is not afraid to bury a contested three. His mid-range game was just as good and he made exceptional drives to the bucket to draw fouls as well as drop reverse lay-ups, making it look easy at times. Maurice mixed it up for the ball and created tension defensively while picking up several steals that led to easy baskets on the other end. Offensively, he also showed great patience when waiting for plays to open and did his part in creating them as well. He is a strong finisher and hard to guard with the ball in hand. Improving footwork and instincts defensively will be of top priority for Creek, but despite his small troubles, looks to have the ability to be a star wherever he decides to go.

He said it:“I just love playing basketball. It’s the game I want to be good at and the game I want to learn more about every time.”

Anthony Jaskulski covers the University of Pittsburgh basketball beat as well as the Pittsburgh high school beat for the Pittsburgh Sports Report. Look for more of Anthony’s coverage this weekend from the Jam Fest here at the NBE Basketball Report.

Related Articles:
Pittsburgh Jam Fest: Day Two
Pittsburgh Jam Fest: Day One

This entry was posted on Monday, April 21st, 2008 at 4:55 am and is filed under Georgetown Recruiting, Marquette Recruiting, Pittsburgh Recruiting, Rutgers Recruiting, Seton Hall Recruiting, St. John's Recruiting, Villanova Recruiting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.