High School Boys Holiday Invitational (Featuring Rasheed Sulaimon)

[Newton_14]

Nice article on Rasheed here as his team prepares to play in the Holiday Tournament. More high praise for the Duke recruit.

http://www.highschoolot.com/content/story/10517476/

His team (Strake Jesuit) starts play Dec 28 in the 7:20pm game at Broughton. Below is the tourney schedule for the boys for those local and interested in attending.

DECEMBER 28:
Broughton:
Dec. 28, 12:40 PM – Wheeler vs. Kinston (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 28, 2:20 PM – Wesleyan vs. Miller School (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 28, 4:00 PM – Mix 101.5 Girls Bracket Championship (GIRLS – Broughton)
Dec. 28, 5:40 PM – Upper Room vs. Body of Christ (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 28, 7:20 PM – Garner vs. Strake Jesuit (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 28, 9:00 PM – St. Marks vs. United Faith (BOYS - Broughton)

DECEMBER 29:
Broughton:
Dec. 29, 11:00 AM – Wheeler/Kinston loser vs. Garner/Strake Jesuit loser (BOYS – Broughton)
Dec. 29, 12:40 PM – St. Marks/United Faith loser vs. Ravenscroft/Greenfield loser (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 29, 2:20 PM – Upper Room/Body of Christ loser vs. Wesleyan/Miller loser (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 29, 4:00 PM – St. Raymond/Middle Creek winner vs. Word of God/Millbrook winner (Boys – Broughton)
Dec. 29, 5:40 PM – St. Marks/United Faith winner vs. Ravenscroft/Greenfield winner (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 29, 7:20 PM – Wheeler/Kinston winner vs. Garner/Strake Jesuit winner (BOYS – Broughton)
Dec. 29, 9:00 PM – Upper Room/Body of Christ winner vs. Wesleyan/Miller winner (BOYS - Broughton)

DECEMBER 30:
Broughton:
Dec. 30, 11:00 AM – Summit Hospitality Bracket Fifth Place (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 30, 12:40 PM – American Airlines Bracket Fifth Place (BOYS – Broughton)
Dec. 30, 2:20 PM – Summit Hospitality Bracket Third Place (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 30, 4:00 PM – American Airlines Bracket Third Place (BOYS – Broughton)
Dec. 30, 7:20 PM – American Airlines Bracket Championship (Boys – Broughton)
Dec. 30, 9:00 PM – Summit Hospitality Bracket Championship (BOYS - Broughton)

[Greg_Newton]

Dec. 28, 2:20 PM – Wesleyan vs. Miller School (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 28, 4:00 PM – Mix 101.5 Girls Bracket Championship (GIRLS – Broughton)
Dec. 28, 5:40 PM – Upper Room vs. Body of Christ (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 28, 7:20 PM – Garner vs. Strake Jesuit (BOYS - Broughton)
Dec. 28, 9:00 PM – St. Marks vs. United Faith (BOYS - Broughton)

Nice, thanks. May have to check it out.

A lot of other prospects there, besides Sheed:

Wesleyan:

-Jaquel Richmond, 2014 PG (Duke recruit
-Theo Pinson, 2014 SG (Duke recruit)
-Montay Brandon, 2012 SG (FSU commit)
-Aaron Scales, 2012 C (Mizzou Commit)

Upper Room:

-Rodney Purvis, 2012 SG (NCSU commit)
-Tyrek Coger, 2013 C (Miizzou commit)

St. Marks (Alex Murphy's school):

Kaleb Tarczewski, 2012 C (Arizona commit)
Nick Stauskas, 2012 G (Michigan commit)

United Faith:

-Braxton Ogbueze, 2012 PG (Florida commit)
-Peter Jurkin, 2012 C (Indiana Commit)

Body of Christ:

-Isiaah Hicks, 2012 C (UNC commit)

Miller School:

Andrew White, 2012 SG (KU commit)

[Greg_Newton]

I stopped by for Sulaimon's game tonight, where his team got blown out in the second half by Garner. Short version - he was about as advertised. Long version:

I have to start by saying that his teammates - no offense if any are reading - don't belong in this tournament. Without Sheed, Strake would not even be competitive in any of the local public school leagues. For example, aside from Sheed and a very quick PG, they had a 6'2/6'3 wing who was quick but couldn't do much of anything with the ball, a post rotation that consisted of two 6'3-6'6, overweight kids and a strong, bouncy kid who couldn't have been bigger then 6'1-6'2... and that's about it.

As for Sheed, the three things that stood out were his length, his activity and his dribble moves. He has very long arms and big hands, and is constantly moving and disrupting things on defense - I'd say there were 10 balls he either stole or deflected. Great defender. He was also just active in general - kind of the opposite of Dre in terms of body language, in that he was always moving, even during dead balls (kinda hard to explain)... he just had an energetic, confident air about him. He also really reminds me of a mini-Kobe in how he moves - he's got that same saunter and long, loping strides, but is also extremely fast when he turns on the jets. He's a very good leaper off of one foot, but is not a two-footed jumper at all yet.

His handle isn't tight like Kyrie or Austin's - he doesn't usually snap the ball off the floor fast like most PGs, and lets the ball spin in his palm sometimes - but it almost seems due to lack of focus rather than ability. Because when he gets in a tight spot or decides he's going to break down a defender, look out; he kicks things into another year and looks almost like a longer Rivers with the ball (minus the explosion of a first step). He never shields the ball or goes into "protect" mode (like we've seen Seth do this year), he just snaps off a series of superquick moves with those long arms that force the defender onto his heels.

So, he beat his man pretty much at will, but the entire defense collapsed on him as soon as he'd make a move. He probably should have had ~15 assists on crosscourt kicks to wide-open shooters or dishes to teammates under the basket, but most of them resulted in bricks or layups pinned on the backboard. He gets a ton of lift on his jumper, which means it's unstoppable when it goes in but sometimes way off when it doesn't; he had to create them all off of the dribble though, so maybe that was out of necessity.

He's got a good frame, but needs to get much stronger. This was evident in the lack of two-footed ups, but also his finishing in traffic; he doesn't seem used to going up against big, athletic rim protectors once he gets into the lane, and didn't really seem to have a "plan" once he got there (like Kyrie, Austin and Murphy always seem to). Although he had to force it more than he might have liked to due to the collapsing defense and lack of passing options.

All in all we're getting a very good one, but he's built more to be a positive, all-around player rather than a team-carrying, offensive juggernaut (e.g. Austin)... which is what he's currently being asked to be. Bet he's as eager to get to Duke as we are to have him!

[Greg_Newton]

I also stayed for the first half of St. Marks/UFC, where I got to see the following:

Tarczewski (Zona) - also as advertised. Take Marshall Plumlee, give him normal arms and a powerful build (especially lower body) and take away a little athleticism, and you've got Tarc. He is surprisingly well built, finishes way above the rim, and really knows how to throw his weight around on offensive. He has questionable hands, can't shoot and is a bit klunky in his movements at times, but he's a legit center that knows how to bang and stick to his strengths. Really think he should have gone to KU.

Stauskas (UM) - might be a sleeper for Michigan. He's basically a clone of Zack Novak, and scored at will against a talented UFC squad 3-point shots, drives for dunks, etc.

Ogbueze (UF) - I was a little underwhelmed, given how he'd supposedly dominated some previous tournaments. Solid PG, not dominant though.

Jurkin (IU) - hilarious. Legit 7-footer with very long arms, but perhaps the gangliest, most uncoordinated, worst-handed prospect I've seen in person. Definitely a "project".

[Native]

...to see Sheed. My take — and that of most people around me – was that he had an off night. He definitely has the skills; the ball simply wasn't falling tonight. As said above, his teammates weren't much help tonight, either. He did a good job of trying to get them involved, but they couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat. Also, Garner face-guarded Sheed and completely took him out of the game for the majority of the first half. Garner's no slouch; from someone who's kept track of the HS athletics scene in the Triangle (having just graduated last year), they're very quick and athletic and played fantastic defense tonight. They had a great game plan and executed it.

I agree with Greg_Newton in that Sheed's handle could be tighter. He seems to dribble the ball away from his body at times. He's definitely improved on his quickness and has a Rivers-esque jab step and crossover that can shake many defenders. He needs to work on his conditioning, however. He played for most of the game — he was subbed out for the last thirty seconds of the first half and fouled out in the last minutes of the game — but he looked tired and worn out for a lot of it. Whether that was a function of conditioning or having to be the superstar on a night when your teammates aren't helping remains to be seen. Either way, at Duke both of those will be solved relatively quickly. He could also bulk up a little bit; he's still a bit skinny. Again, something that can be solved quickly at Duke.

Seemed calm and coachable throughout. Encouraged his teammates and was a leader out on the floor. Wasn't afraid to tell his teammates to keep shooting even if their shots weren't falling. I think he's going to strike a great balance between being a team player and a standout player during his time at Duke.

Nice to see Austin, Alex, and Quinn there to support as well. Coaches K and Capel were also in attendance.

[dcar1985]

I stopped by for Sulaimon's game tonight, where his team got blown out in the second half by Garner. Short version - he was about as advertised. Long version:

I have to start by saying that his teammates - no offense if any are reading - don't belong in this tournament. Without Sheed, Strake would not even be competitive in any of the local public school leagues. For example, aside from Sheed and a very quick PG, they had a 6'2/6'3 wing who was quick but couldn't do much of anything with the ball, a post rotation that consisted of two 6'3-6'6, overweight kids and a strong, bouncy kid who couldn't have been bigger then 6'1-6'2... and that's about it.

As for Sheed, the three things that stood out were his length, his activity and his dribble moves. He has very long arms and big hands, and is constantly moving and disrupting things on defense - I'd say there were 10 balls he either stole or deflected. Great defender. He was also just active in general - kind of the opposite of Dre in terms of body language, in that he was always moving, even during dead balls (kinda hard to explain)... he just had an energetic, confident air about him. He also really reminds me of a mini-Kobe in how he moves - he's got that same saunter and long, loping strides, but is also extremely fast when he turns on the jets. He's a very good leaper off of one foot, but is not a two-footed jumper at all yet.

His handle isn't tight like Kyrie or Austin's - he doesn't usually snap the ball off the floor fast like most PGs, and lets the ball spin in his palm sometimes - but it almost seems due to lack of focus rather than ability. Because when he gets in a tight spot or decides he's going to break down a defender, look out; he kicks things into another year and looks almost like a longer Rivers with the ball (minus the explosion of a first step). He never shields the ball or goes into "protect" mode (like we've seen Seth do this year), he just snaps off a series of superquick moves with those long arms that force the defender onto his heels.

So, he beat his man pretty much at will, but the entire defense collapsed on him as soon as he'd make a move. He probably should have had ~15 assists on crosscourt kicks to wide-open shooters or dishes to teammates under the basket, but most of them resulted in bricks or layups pinned on the backboard. He gets a ton of lift on his jumper, which means it's unstoppable when it goes in but sometimes way off when it doesn't; he had to create them all off of the dribble though, so maybe that was out of necessity.

He's got a good frame, but needs to get much stronger. This was evident in the lack of two-footed ups, but also his finishing in traffic; he doesn't seem used to going up against big, athletic rim protectors once he gets into the lane, and didn't really seem to have a "plan" once he got there (like Kyrie, Austin and Murphy always seem to). Although he had to force it more than he might have liked to due to the collapsing defense and lack of passing options.

All in all we're getting a very good one, but he's built more to be a positive, all-around player rather than a team-carrying, offensive juggernaut (e.g. Austin)... which is what he's currently being asked to be. Bet he's as eager to get to Duke as we are to have him!

Just thought it was cool (not really) that you threw Alex in there

[Greg_Newton]

Just thought it was cool (not really) that you threw Alex in there

Wha? He's always been very good at not only getting to the rim, but scoring or getting fouled once he gets there.

[AlaskanAssassin]

Here is a nice little read on 'sheed:

http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/...uke-hate-early

[chrishoke]

Here is a nice little read on 'sheed:

http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/...uke-hate-early

Haters of the light blue persuasion are more plentiful than rats.

[Kedsy]

Wha? He's always been very good at not only getting to the rim, but scoring or getting fouled once he gets there.

Really? All I've seen of him were the China/Dubai games and I heard about the exhibition games. And he didn't strike me as "always" being very good at anything (although he seemed to have potential). I certainly wouldn't have put him in even the same zip code as Kyrie and Austin.

Have you seen more of him than that?

[Native]

...just heard from a pretty reliable source that Sheed is playing with flu-like symptoms and hadn't eaten solid food all day yesterday. Looks like he felt a little better today.

[Devilsfan]

i knew something must have been wrong when I heard "mighty" Garner High beat his team.

[Newton_14]

...just heard from a pretty reliable source that Sheed is playing with flu-like symptoms and hadn't eaten solid food all day yesterday. Looks like he felt a little better today.

He mentioned in an interview this morning that his stomach was hurting at the half in yesterday's game. Said he ate a snack and felt better in the 2nd half where he scored most of his points. He bounced back today with 26 points (13 in both halve's) in a 70-63 win.

[Greg_Newton]

Really? All I've seen of him were the China/Dubai games and I heard about the exhibition games. And he didn't strike me as "always" being very good at anything (although he seemed to have potential). I certainly wouldn't have put him in even the same zip code as Kyrie and Austin.

Have you seen more of him than that?

Yeah, I watched him a lot this summer and saw him once or twice in high school. I did think he was consistently effective at slashing to the rim in China/Dubai, though, despite a couple bad bounces; he got to the rim and got a strong look up pretty often, even if it rolled out or he missed the ensuing FTs. He's always looked like he's had a good nose for the rim to me.

i knew something must have been wrong when I heard "mighty" Garner High beat his team.

Garner's no joke; they have size, depth and athleticism at every position. The guy checking Sheed had a couple big dunks, including a one-handed alley-oop that about brought the house down.

I felt bad for Sheed, but I have to say, I felt a little NC pride seeing an unheralded local squad out-talent the hotshot team from Texas.

[Kedsy]

Yeah, I watched him a lot this summer and saw him once or twice in high school. I did think he was consistently effective at slashing to the rim in China/Dubai, though, despite a couple bad bounces; he got to the rim and got a strong look up pretty often, even if it rolled out or he missed the ensuing FTs. He's always looked like he's had a good nose for the rim to me.

Well, if you've seen a lot of him I'll defer to your judgment. My take on the China/Dubai games was he always went to his right, even if he had to circle half the court, and when he went to the rim it was more over his guy than past him. He didn't seem particularly quick, or anywhere close to Kyrie or Austin in any meaningful way.

But if he is, then great. Can't wait to see him in real action.

[Newton_14]

Interesting article here on the Duke hate tsunami, and how Rasheed deals with it. He says it ramped up right after he committed and has not slowed down yet.

http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/...uke-hate-early

Per the article, Rasheed and his team practiced at Cameron and got to meet the Duke players and staff. Pretty cool.

Edit: Well duh! I was clue'd into the fact that AlaskinAssassin had already posted this article. My bad on the redundant post...

[Greg_Newton]

A few Sheed highlights from Weds (#10 looked a lot faster in real life and I still don't know how Sheed didn't get the block in #9): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjZ9dFdpmAw

[airowe]

Rasheed is a great basketball player, but probably a better person off the court. A look at his role as a leader on his Strake Jesuit team and his insistence on sportsmanship, even in defeat.

http://www.dukehoopblog.com/2011/12/...heed-sulaimon/

[Greg_Newton]

A few Sheed highlights from Weds (#10 looked a lot faster in real life and I still don't know how Sheed didn't get the block in #9): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjZ9dFdpmAw

More Sheed (from Thurs): http://www.highschoolot.com/content/.../#/vid10547632