Hoop Group Pitt Jam Fest Report Part 1

* Any college coach seeking additional information on any players, including projected collegiate level, may make an inquiry at necorridorhoops@gmail.com

Ryan Lang 6’2 Combo Guard 2022 (PK Flash/Knoch HS): Lang provided a park off the bench for PK Flash in their victory over Global Squad. Has compact form on his shot with a quick release, helping him to make three-pointers both when spotting up and coming off screens at a proficient rate. Nailed a trey from the corner on a sideline out of bounds play coming off a screen, in addition to hitting another deep ball in transition from the wing after advancing the ball to a teammate and getting it back. Lang is more than just a shooter, as he can also put the ball on the floor and make plays off the dribble. Had a nice play pushing the ball up the floor in transition to drain a long two near the top of the key, as well as using a slick spin move in transition to score an and-1. Finished the game with 13 points.

Jeannot Basima 6’4 Shooting Guard 2023 (Global Squad/John Carroll HS): Basima showed intriguing upside defensively in Global Squad’s loss to PK Flash. Uses his size, length, and lateral quickness to guard the 1-3 positions effectively. Had a nice play using tight on ball defense against the opposing point guard which led to a steal for an easy layup, in addition to another instance, plucking the ball away from an opponent to take it the other way and draw a shooting foul. Basima used his 6’7 wingspan when an opponent beat him backdoor to tip the ball to a teammate for a steal, as well as a number of times forcing opponents into lower percentage attempts when contesting their shots. Finished the game with three steals. He also makes a solid impact offensively. Uses his good burst off the dribble to get to the basket at a consistent rate. Basima had a nice straight line drive from the wing to draw a shooting foul, in addition to using a jab step move from the wing to get by an opponent and draw another shooting foul. Also showed comfort playing on the block, using a smooth up and under move to score on an opponent. Had 10 points in the contest.

Joseph Chapman 6’0 Point Guard 2022 (Team Final Red/Reading HS): Chapman did a commendable job of running the show in Team Final Red’s victory over Albany City Rocks Orange. He is a good playmaker who makes others better particularly in transition. Had a nice drive and dish to a teammate in transition for an easy layup, in addition to hitting a cutting teammate for a layup. Also hit a teammate in stride on the break for a slam dunk. Chapman has a shifty handle, allowing him to get to the basket effectively. Used a nice through the legs hesitation move from the top of the key to get by an opponent and finish at the rim, as well as a crafty spin move in the lane to score a left hand layup. Also showed some nice burst off the dribble, finishing a pair of straight line drives from the top of the key. Had 10 points in the game. Chapman is a pesky defender. Moves his feet very well, making it difficult for opposing point guards to get dribble penetration on him. Had a nice play using tight on ball defense where the opposing point guard could not get by him and with the offense becoming stagnant, a timeout was called by the opposing coach. Also is adept at creating steals making quick movements to the ball. Chapman jumped into the passing lane for a steal when an opponent threw a lazy pass, in addition to getting his hands on the ball of an opponent when they were pushing the pace in transition. Finished the contest with four steals.

Jackson Kulik 6’6 Combo Forward 2022 (Albany City Rocks Orange/Webster Thomas HS): Kulik made a variety of contributions in Albany City Rocks Orange’s loss to Team Final Red. Has a smooth stroke from long range where he is particularly effective when spotting up. Hit a pair of spot up three-pointers in the contest. Hit his first trey from the top of the key when an opponent gave him too much space, while his other long ball came from the corner on a drive and kick from a teammate. Kulik has nice touch on his floater, hitting one after catching the ball in the middle against the opponent’s zone. Had 10 points in the game. Kulik also is a good passer who likes to make unselfish plays. Hit a teammate right behind him in transition for a layup with a jump pass, in addition to making a nice push ahead pass in transition where a teammate scored a mid range jumper. Finished the contest with three assists. Kulik makes his presence felt on the glass, making a consistent effort putting a body on opponents to get advantageous position. Corralled six rebounds in the game.

Dan Vessey 6’3 Shooting Guard 2023 (NY Lightning Select/Hun School): Vessey played an important role for NY Lightning Select in their win over York Ballers with his scoring and rebounding. He does a good job moving without the ball. Finished a reverse layup off a sharp cut, in addition to drawing a shooting foul at the rim on a give and go from a teammate. While he did not have any three-pointers in the game, he has shown this past high school season to be proficient in this area both when spotting up or coming off screens. Vessey can also get to the rim effectively when opponents are not controlled with their closeouts. When an opponent closed out too hard on him from beyond the arc to take away his three ball, he drove right by him, drawing a shooting foul at the rim. Had 18 points in the game. Vessey has good intuition when guessing where the ball will come off the rim for rebounds. Corralled 10 boards in the contest giving him a double-double.

Julian Gabbidon 6’3 Point Guard 2022 (York Ballers/Trinity HS): Gabbidon did a nice job balancing scoring and facilitating in York Ballers’ loss to NY Lightning Select. He has a quick first step, allowing him to get dribble penetration at a very good rate. Had a pair of straight line drives from the wing finishing strong at the rim. Gabbidon also makes sharp cuts leading to easy buckets for his team. When a teammate got doubled in the post, he moved to the open spot next to the basket where his teammate could find him for a layup. Had another play where he face cut an opponent to finish a layup through contact. Finished the game with 16 points. Gabbidon has good vision as a floor general and was particularly effective in this game creating open three-pointers for teammates on drive and kicks. Had a play where he pushed the ball in transition to find a teammate on the wing for a three, in addition to another instance in the halfcourt where from his penetration, he hit an open teammate for a trey from the corner. Had five assists in the contest. Gabbidon was also very active on the defensive side of the ball using his size and length to create steals and use his playmaking ability even more. Picked off an opponent’s outlet pass and then immediately hit a teammate with a pinpoint bounce pass for a layup, as well as intercepting a lazy lob pass thrown by an opponent into the post and taking it the other way to hit a teammate spotting up for a three-pointer from the corner. Had four thefts in the game.

Saivon Pressley 6’0 Point Guard 2022 (SJ Hoops Elite/Colonia HS): Pressley lit it up from long range but also got his teammates involved effectively in SJ Hoops Elite’s victory against Metro Boston. Needs very little time and space to get his shot off, making three-pointers proficiently when spotting up or on the move. Had a pair of spot-up threes from the wing, in addition to a pair of on the move treys, running to the open spot in the corner on a fast break and hitting another one moving to the corner when his team beat the opponent’s press. Had five threes and 17 points in the contest. Pressley also is a good playmaker, particularly showing this ability in transition during the game. Hit a teammate with a bounce pass running the break with him, as well as making a nice push ahead pass leading a teammate in stride for a one hand slam. Had another play in transition throwing a precise alley-oop to a teammate for a two hand slam. Finished the game with five assists. Defensively, Pressley is active with his hands to create steals. Showed good composure after missing an easy layup in transition to run back hard and tip the ball from behind to a teammate, in addition to taking the ball away from an opponent when he and a teammate doubled the ball. He is consistently in the right positions when defending on the ball or coming over from the help side.

Davonte Sweatman 5’8 Point Guard 2021 (Lawrence Academy/Metro Boston): It was not his most efficient game, but Sweatman showed in spurts what has made him such a dangerous scorer in the NEPSAC. He is a very good athlete with his burst off the dribble, making it difficult to keep him out of the lane. Has a solid mid-range game in his arsenal. Had a nice drive from the top of the key to finish a floater when the big collapsed on him in the lane, in addition to pushing the ball in transition after receiving an outlet pass for a 15 foot jumper. Despite his size, Sweatman is able to finish at the rim effectively with his impressive body control and touch off the glass. Had a nice play using a screen to get to the rim and finish a finger roll layup high off the glass over a big, as well as finishing a difficult layup in traffic shielding off opponents in the air with his body. He also needs to be respected from beyond the arc with his ability to make three-pointers both off the bounce and on the move. Drained a trey moving to the wing, giving his teammate a better passing angle to get him the ball when penetrating. Hit his second long ball dribbling into a three from the top of the key when the opponents forgot about him bringing it up. Finished the game with 22 points. While Sweatman is known for his scoring, he can also make others better with his passing. Had only one assist in the contest but easily could have had 3-4 more as he set up teammates nicely on a number of occasions for good looks from beyond the arc. Showed at Lawrence Academy the ability to also find teammates well on drive and dishes in the lane and hitting them in stride for easy layups in transition. Averaged 4.1 assists per game in the NEPSAC’s last full season in 2019-20.

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