TOC 16/u Recap

The 16/u division at the TOC was very competitive, with only 32 teams in this age bracket, just making it out of pool play was an accomplishment. Traditional powers such as DC Assault and Ohio Basketball Club didn't even make it out of their pools. Although there were great big guys in attendance like 6'9 Soph DaJuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, 6'9 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (Northeast Catholic) PA. However, the story of thisage bracket was guard play. This is a big reason why the Playaz (NJ) led by 5'8 Myles Mack from Paterson (Catholic) NJ,6'1 Myles Davis of St. Peter's Prep (NJ), and 6'5 Kyle Anderson '12 of Paterson Catholic (NJ), were able to beat the Long Island Lighting in the championship game to take the title. The Playaz have been dominate on the AAU scene this year and they continued there dominance down in North Carolina.

Player Notes

Myles Mack 2011, Paterson Catholic (NJ)
Mack is the wheels that makes the Playaz go. He is ultra quick off the dribble and can stop on a dime and knock down the open jumper. Mack is not going to wow you with his size or strength but he flat out just gets it done and is a proven winner. Mack hit the biggest shot of the tournament when he knocked down a 18 foot fade away at the buzzer to give the Playaz a quarterfinal victory over Indiana Elite.
Aquil Younger 2011, West Catholic (NJ)
It is almost impossible for defenders to keep this kid in front of them. Younger can blow by his defender and finish strong at the rim. Almost led his Team Kobe team to the upset of the tournament over Indiana Elite in pool play. In the game he totally dominate Indiana commit Matt Carlino. Younger needs to improve his jump shot but if he gets that down he could be hard to stop.

Jermaine Saunders 2011, Rice (NY)
Saunders is a knock down shooter. He reminds me of a former player at Rice, Chris Fouch who now plays for Drexel University. The only difference between the two is Saunders is a little bit bigger then Fouch which could allow him to go to a higher level. Saunders needs to work on his handle a little more, which would allow him to create his own shot, but he will have a bright future at Rice
Deon Jones 2011, Paul IV (VA)
Jones is the younger brother of Virginia player Jeff Jones. Deon is similar to his brother in terms of knocking down open shots but is a much better athlete. Jones can attack you on the wing in transition and finish strong at the rim. He has really improved from last year and seems to be more comfortable handling the ball now.
Quin Cook 2011, Dematha (MD)
Cook runs his team like a proven veteran, not someone who just got finished there sophomore year in high school. Cook is a proven winner and refuses to let his team lose. He had a great match up with Ohio Basketball Club guard Stevie Taylor on Sunday. Both players were going back an forth at another and you could tell neither was holding anything back. Cook looks to be the next great guard that will come out of the DC Assault program.

All Tournament Team
MVP - Myles Mack - Playaz Basketball Club
Quin Cook - D.C. Assault
Kenny Osse - D.C. Assault
Jermaine Sanders - New Heights
Rakeem Christmas - Team Final
Jabari Hinds - Westchester Hawks
Juna’ya Green - Team Philly
Myles Davis - Playaz Basketball Club
Vaughn Gray - Playaz Basketball Club
Devantay Grace - Long Island Lightning
Dereck Gordon - Long Island Lightning
Achraf Yaicoubou - Rich Soil
Stevie Taylor - Ohio Basketball Club
Aaron White - Ohio Basketball Club
Devin Coleman - Team Phenom


* Picture is of Myles Mack