Hoops Showdown
This past weekend all roads lead to Bronx River Gym in the Bronx, NY. The 2nd annual Hoops Showdown was as good as advertised. Top ranked High School talent took the floor to give the audience what they came for. Announcer extraordinaire Cha Ching gave the play by play like only he could. The gym filled up quickly and was packed in a matter of minutes. Everybody keeping an eye out to see which players were going to suit up for their respective teams. I saw a few heavy hitters enter the building and knew it was going to be a good day.
The first game featured some good players like Bishop Loughlin’s Keith Williams, who committed to play at Cincinnati earlier this year, and recent Seton Hall signee Jordan Walker. Other standouts playing in that first game included Elijah Diouf, Cartier Bowman, Saquan Singleton and Louis King, who arrived late but suited up anyway. The two teams played hard throughout. Each team not wanting to get outdone by the other. At times the game got a little chippy with Singleton and Walker going at it, but it remained all love on the court. Singleton is a 6’6 point guard from Monsignor Scanlan HS, he’s a special player who at his height has a clear advantage over shorter guards. He holds offers from Manhattan College, Rider, Stony Brook, Seton Hall, and Saint Peter’s, just to name a few. There were no easy buckets for anybody and each point was earned. Keith Williams had a few highlight dunks during the game and I knew that the day would get interesting as the games went on.
The game was controlled by Jordan Walker who sliced the defense with his quickness and ball handling ability. I had the opportunity to see Mr. Walker at a few other tournaments and every time he proved that he was the premier guard on the floor. His team would wait on the winner of the next game and face them in the Championship.
The second game of the day appeared to be high powered. The matchup that the crowd was buzzing was Tremont Waters, the lightning quick point guard out of Notre Dame (CT) versus Jalen Nesmith, son of Streetball legend The Future, who attends Cardinal Hayes (NY). Waters, who currently holds offers from Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky, is the real deal. This would be a huge test for Nesmith, who is coming off a NY Catholic League City Championship as a Sophmore. Alongside Waters was Nick Richards, the All American Center from The Patrick School in New Jersey. In addition to Richards another New Jersey baller suited up, Juwaun Daniels, swingman from Teaneck High School. Nesmith and gang tried to pull out a victory but Waters, Richards, and Daniels proved to be too strong. The result was a blowout victory for Waters, Richards, and Daniels team.
The Championship game was set. The Red team (Jordan Walker and Keith Williams) versus the Green team (Tremont Waters, Nick Richards, and Juwaun Daniels). These were clearly the best teams on display and the players didn’t disappoint the fans for one second. It was a physical game with many of the points coming off well deserved strong buckets. Jordan Walker and Tremont Waters were going basket for basket. The two lightning quick guards were going head up with each other. One trying to get the best of the other on almost every possession. Juwaun Daniels proved to add some valuable scoring as he found his way to the rack very easily.
The score remained deadlocked for some time with each possession becoming crucial. With time expiring in regulation a late game turnover on the Green team inbounds play proved to be vital for the team in red. With time winding down in regulation Red had a chance to ice it with a buzzer beater. Walker isolated at the key and saw daylight. He drove left and hoisted up a step back jumper over the stretched arms of Nick Richards to send the crowd into a frenzy. Walker’s shot won the game for his team and earned him the tournament MVP award. This kid continues to impress me and does it with a smile on his face. He is a class act and so humble and respectful. Seton Hall has a proven winner in Jordan and I can’t wait to see him at the next level.
NEW YORK CITY – May 6, 2017: Hoops Showdown Junior. (Video by East Coast Hoops / Clips courtesy of Overtime)