With the Under Armour Elite 24, UA has successfully created the best basketball atmosphere on any level. With New York City Skyscrapers as the perfect background, Hannibal from Rucker Park as the MC, NYC basketball fans as the rowdy judges & top players in the nation as the main attraction, nobody would’ve expected anything less than greatness. Although the Elite 24 is filled with future pros, the game turned into streetball right off the bat. With fans on their feet yelling “yeaaaaaaaaaaaa” and Hannibal forcing the spotlight on players, 1 on 1 battles was what this game was all about.
Thon Maker vs. Billy Preston
Thon Maker is 7’1 and very skilled , he’s bound to be a pro someday. Although he’s one of the few players who’s almost guaranteed the NBA, he didn’t show that he was built for a game like the Elite 24. He had a few rebounds and dunks but that wouldn’t be enough for him to be declared winner of the matchup. The game called for too much 1 on 1 play and Billy Preston wanted to show NYC what he was about. This game was chaotic, everyone had their good and bad moments. However, Billy had more good moments than Thon and he topped it off with a three pointer in Thon’s face. On the next level, in an organized system, Thon may be the better player. In the Under Armour Elite 24, in front of NYC fans, Billy won.
Josh Jackson vs. Rawle Alkins
If you were to base the winner of the matchup off of fan’s chants, Rawle Alkins won. However, Josh Jackson showed that he’s just a step ahead of Rawle. His game is more composed and today it just seemed like he was the better basketball player. The fan’s chants caused Rawle to get a little excited and get sloppy on some plays. Josh capitalized and got a few steals and blocks. Rawle had a couple of impressive crossovers but there was a lot of contact at the basket and he didn’t always convert. Josh limited his mistakes and after making a Kobe Bryant type baseline fadeaway, he had to be declared the winner of this one.
Shamorie Ponds vs. Trevon Duval
Shamorie Ponds was undoubtedly the hometown favorite. Hailing from Brooklyn, the game was in his backyard. Fans were yelling for him before the game even began. Every time he touched the ball, fans were on their feet. Shamorie’s style of play is finesse and flashy, it’s hard to not like his game. If he would’ve converted on two more three pointers and two more reverse layups, he could’ve been crowned the winner of this matchup. However, Trevon Duval is too good of a point guard. He splits the defense too easily and had a couple of impressive dunks. Unlike Day 1 and Day 2, he didn’t have a problem driving to the basket this game and had many impressive assists if the lane was too congested for a dunk. Some of his highlights weren’t when Shamorie was guarding him so this matchup feels unfinished. However, based on their overall play, Trevon seemed like the better player this game. They both can be great point guards on the pro level someday and hopefully they’ll get to finish this matchup on a higher level.
Although the most memorable moments are from matchups, some players played so well individually that they deserve a mention. Frank Jackson, TJ Leaf and Edrice Adebayo all had great games. Frank is bouncy and the fans loved that. His 360 dunk was his most memorable highlight but there were multiple points in the game where he was impressive. If he can consistently play that well, he will be a great player someday. TJ Leaf is the perfect example of what going hard will get you. He’s not extremely skilled in one specific thing but he goes hard in everything. There were points in the game where it seemed like he would be crowned MVP. Just like Frank, if he consistently goes hard, he’ll be a great player someday. Day 1 and Day 2 were slow for Edrice “Bam” Adebayo. He looked like a beast in warmups and drills, but didn’t do much in games. Today, in the game that mattered most, he showed up. Edrice is the forward that point guards love playing with. It seems like they purposely throw lobs higher than they usually do just because they know he’ll catch it. To anybody that’ll play against Bam in the future, don’t jump. Edrice Adebayo could be the next Dwight Howard some day.
Overall, the Elite 24 was an incredible event. The only disappointment was that some players from Day 1 and 2 didn’t play in the actual game. If fans would’ve seen Mark Vital use his Kenneth Faried motor, he would’ve became a fan favorite very quickly. He could’ve had a great dunk for dunk matchup with a player like Edrice Adebayo. Although some players from Day 1 and Day 2 didn’t play in the actual game, the game was still filled with amazing talent and fans left with unforgettable memories. The Under Armour Elite 24 highlighted what’s most important and what’s unfortunately losing value in today’s basketball community, the love for the game.
