The Pittsburgh Jamfest wrapped up on Sunday and it was a much less eventful day in terms of Pitt's 2012 targets. Amile Jefferson and his Philly's Finest team and Nkereuwem Okoro and his Long Island Lightning squad both got knocked out of the playoffs on Saturday night, leaving Myles Davis as the only 2012 player that is high on Pitt's radar left in the tournament.
Davis and the New Jersey Playaz took on Team Loaded at the Petersen Events Center at 11:00 A.M. in the quarterfinals. In this one, Davis got off to a much better start than he did in the Saturday games, tallying 13 points by halftime. But it was the second half that Davis really started going to work.
Any time the Playaz needed some points or a big shot to stay in the game, Davis delivered. He nailed a three on the break to cut Team Loaded's lead to six and on the next possession got fouled on a shot from behind the arc and made all three free throws. Davis struggled with his jumper most of the weekend but when he got hot, he took advantage, as did his teammates, who made sure to look for him in transition.
He finished with 32 points on 8-15 shooting, 5-11 from three, and a perfect 11-11 from the charity stripe, but it wasn't enough for the Playaz as they lost to Team Loaded, who eventually went on to make the finals, 77-67.
But Davis wasn't the only guy Pitt is involved with that was having success on Sunday. Youngster Austin Colbert, a 2013 forward ranked #14 in his class by ESPN, was a key cog in Team Final's run to the championship of the 16 and under gold bracket.
The 6'9" sophomore struggled in the quarterfinal game, scoring only 5 points on 2-6 shooting, but he was able to get it going in the semis against Garner Road Elite (NC). Colbert posted 16 points in a win for Team Final to advance to the championship game.
Colbert, who plays for New Jersey powerhouse St. Patrick's during the regular season, showed off a beautiful face-up game against Canada's CIA Bounce and the 7'3" Tanveer Bhullar. He only scored 11 points but they didn't come off of put backs or right-place-right-time opportunities. Colbert looked very natural hitting shots from 10-15 feet away from the hoop and even handling the ball on the perimeter, which is intriguing for a player of his age and size.
The final stat line for Colbert in the 65-61 Team Final victory: 11 points, 4-7 FG (4-6, 0-1), 3-3 FT, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover.
Lastly, some final thoughts on each player.
Amile Jefferson: One of the best players I saw all weekend. Extremely skilled but not necessarily a finesse player. Has no problem banging under the hoop with players much bigger and stronger than him. However, he does need to add some muscle and strength to his wiry thin frame. Didn't connect on many shots from the outside but his form isn't bad, so with some repetition he may be able to become a more consistent shooter. Really likes to run the floor, is pretty strong with the ball despite being so skinny, and is a decent ball handler and passer. On the defensive end, he uses his excellent length to contest and alter shots. He tends to complain to the refs a little too much, but all in all, he's a pretty smart player who lets the game come to him and doesn't try to do too much.
Nkereuwem Okoro: If he can improve his ball handling and jump shot, he could be a nightmare to guard. He's already tough to stop when he wants to go to the basket, but occasionally he gets carried away picks up charges. I think he projects to a slightly undersized three man at the college level who plays bigger than he is and can body up taller, less physical players. Okoro would fit right in with the Pitt teams of the Howland/Dixon era. I would've liked to see a little more production out of him this weekend but, in his defense, AAU basketball is a bit of a double-edged sword in that you want to see a kid be aggressive but you also don't want him to force things and chuck up shots in an attempt to look better for scouts and coaches.
Myles Davis: Certainly has a game very similar to Ashton Gibbs, who also played for the Playaz and is friends with Davis. What impressed me is that even though his three pointers weren't falling for much of the weekend, he still found ways to put points on the board against great competition. I was wondering if he would still be able to make an impact without making outside jumpers, and at times he did seem content to wait for his teammates to get him an open look, but for the most part he didn't hesitate to try to drive the lane and either score inside or get to the line. Davis didn't show a whole lot of playmaking ability, which he'll have to improve on if he wants to be a point guard at the next level like he says. He also has to work on his physique so that he can hopefully increase his lateral quickness which will help him penetrate more and play better on-ball defense.
Austin Colbert: Still two years away from the next level but it's no wonder why he's such a highly rated prospect. Coaches and scouts love guys with his height and skill set. He looked very comfortable away from the basket but needs to work on his post game since he'll probably be a four man in college. Runs the floor like a guard and showed some nifty passing ability out of the high and low post, but adding strength and bulk needs to be the number 1 priority for this intriguing prospect going forward.
