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Tri-City Junior Phenom Camp (Co-Ed, Grade 4-10) - Summer, 2019!

Tri-City Junior Phenom Camp (Co-Ed, Grade 4-10) - Summer, 2019!
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Friday, May 03, 2019

Day 1 Recap: Junior Boys' Tri-City Top 40 Camp Presented By Adidas Brands

The first day of the Junior Boys' Tri-City Top 40 Camp in conjunction with Adidas Brands tipped off on Friday evening, and, as is customary with this showcase -- no time is wasted in getting down to business, as the first two showcase games (the four teams of ten players play each other once during the weekend) went into the books.

Before that took place, introductory remarks took place -- with coaches in attendance (Jamie Campbell from Carleton, former Orangeville Prep coach Nathan Johnson, and local alums Sean Nickel and Chyro Blackwood) sharing some poignant tips with the campers.

 That said, perhaps the most resonating piece of advice came from Ro Russell, the Founder of Grassroots Canada and current head coach at Crestwood Prep.  

 Russell gave the campers a bit of a history lesson, noting that they needed to be thankful for the opportunities such as this camp, which didn't exist 15-20 years ago.  Along with that, he emphasized the importance of always competing -- "you have to compete like it's your last time competing; there's always someone watching.  Don't waste the opportunity."

 With those words fresh in the backs of their minds, the campers divided up into their teams for the first time and took to the courts.  Naturally, there's always an adjustment during the first games of the weekend as players adjust to their teammates and settle into their respective roles on the squad -- but the intensity level was certainly high, as was the skill level at both ends of the floor.

 Team Wiggins (Green) vs. Team Lillard (Blue)
Team Wiggins started strong in this one, but -- interestingly enough -- it was thanks to a couple of players not even in high school yet.

 Lucian Lavric (Westheights) drilled a three-pointer, and Diego Ramos (Holy Rosary) put home 4 straight points after that to stake Wiggins to a 14-8 lead.

Not to be outdone, the "three-headed NPC monster" (Chris Hager, Tariq Hamed, and Conor Oliver) took advantage of their familiarity with each other -- Oliver had a couple of nice offensive moves, showcasing an ability to get to the rim as well as hit the outside jumper -- as Team Lillard maintained contact.

 To close the first half, Jahsemar Olembe, a grade 9 who played up in the senior ranks this year for Resurrection, had a strong surge for Wiggins.  He hit a contested three, and then found his teammate in transition (David Bain of Windsor Massey) as Wiggins went on a bit of a run to close the half.  A Diego Ramos putback at the horn gave Wiggins a 38-25 lead at the break.

In the second half, it was Ozay Davis (St. Mary's) turn to step up for Team Wiggins, as he hit a couple of buckets once Team Lillard had trimmed the deficit to single digits.  This basket restored the double-digit advantage:


Team Lillard, to their credit, didn't fold -- they quickly regrouped, and battled back.  In fact, they went on a 17-4 surge over the next 8 minutes, to take a 53-50 lead.  That was keyed by Jordan Love finding his groove, and capped by this "and one" by Brantford Assumption's Nicholas Anthony:


The teams would go back-and-forth the rest of the way.  Tyler Blais (Guelph Centennial) had a key sequence in the waning minutes as he drove in for 2, while quickly getting back on D to help get a stop.

 That helped to set up the final sequence, with Wiggins down 1.  Off a scramble, Olembe canned a three-pointer (with 7 seconds left) that would prove to be the game's final points, giving Wiggins the 68-66 win:


Team Harden vs. Team Murray
Many eyes in the building were on the #1-ranked North American prospect in the class of 2023, Elijah Fisher (Crestwood Prep), and he got off to a quick start -- dicing his way inside for baskets, including this throw-down:



Fisher also got his teammates involved (once on a beautiful no-look assist), and his teammates seemed to feed off of his confidence and energy, quickly going up by 9 (22-13) after this corner pocket three-pointer by Bishop Mac's Will Glaspell:


Of course, with four members of the JF Ross Royals (CWOSSA semifinalists), as well as two of the best grade ten guards in CWOSSA (Bluevale's Daniel Allen and Cameron Heights' Marcus Barnes), you knew that Team Murray wouldn't go quietly.

 Despite a 40-26 halftime deficit, Murray would quickly position themselves within striking distance.  Daniel Allen was certainly a catalyst of that spurt, showing some great moves in transition (like this crossover dribble and bucket): 


The depth of Team Harden, though, was eventually too much.  They'd go on a bit of an offensive spurt -- while getting big defensive stops, such as this block courtesy of North Park's Maximus Doris:


In the end, it was an 81-55 win for Team Harden, who got great performances up and down their roster.  Sure, Elijah Fisher did his thing and scored 30+, but Nicholas Herakovic (another grade 8 paricipant), Richard Spencer-Raymond (Brantford CI) and Milton's Mathew Oliver all had solid outings in the win.

 Mark's Top 5
As I usually try to do each day at the Top 40 Camp, I'll "shout out" my "top 5" players of the day.  These are not necessarily the best players of the day, per se, but 5 (or more in this case...) who left a lasting impression:

 Elijah Fisher, Team Harden
Obviously.  A generational talent, he was a pleasure to watch -- from his first-half dunk to a late-game missed windmill, the athleticism was on display throughout.  He'll be headed to Indianapolis for another basketball commitment the rest of the weekend, so the other members of Team Harden will need to step up in his absence.

 Daniel Allen, Team Murray
Allen didn't shy away from the challenge of having to guard Fisher, and was a solid floor general in all aspects for Team Murray -- finding his teammates, or searching for his own looks (like the video above).  Having played at the senior ranks for Bluevale this season, you can certainly see his confidence gained from doing so shine through.

 The Grade 8s
All 3 of them -- Diego Ramos (Holy Rosary), Nicholas Herakovic (Breslau) and Lucian Lavric (Westheights) came to play, and didn't look out of place at all despite the (up to) 2 year age gap. In fact, you could argue that all of them were among the top couple of performers on their respective squads.  Certainly looking forward to seeing what the rest of the weekend has in store for this trio.

 Jahsemar Olembe, Team Wiggins
Olembe hit a game winning three, so is certainly deserving of a shout-out for that alone -- but I was just as impressed with his ball movement, as he tallied up several assists, making the extra pass to the open man.  

 Ozay Davis, Team Wiggins
Smooth.  Davis showed the ability to take it to the rack, while also being able to hit it from the outside as he took over offensively in the second half during a 5-minute stretch for Team Wiggins.  A veteran of the camp from a year ago, Davis was brimming with confidence and it certainly showed on day one.

 Tariq Hamed, Team Lillard
In the adjustment to the bright lights of the Top 40 Camp, it's easy to forget the little things.  That's one thing that Hamed never forgets, and it earned him a shoutout from Ro Russell during the concluding remarks of day one.  He didn't get a chance to unleash his trademark shooting stroke, but still was able to make solid contributions on both ends of the floor for his squad -- which didn't go unnoticed.  

 Moving Forward
It's a quick turnaround for campers, who will need to hydrate this evening and get ready to be back in the gym tomorrow morning for drills and training sessions, before further games tomorrow afternoon.  For those interested in attending, the action tomorrow at RIM Park in Waterloo goes from 9:30am to 3:30pm, with games taking place in the afternoon (approximately 1-3:30pm).
Posted by Mark Yolkowski at Friday, May 03, 2019

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