MILWAUKEE -- The Under Armour Summer Jam presented by NY2LA Sports was one of the must-see July events for college coaches. More than 900 college coaches from all over the country made the trek to Milwaukee for last year’s event and the arena was packed just as packed this time around, as coaches piled in to get a firsthand look at the elite talent.
The event -- in its fifth year and organized by Antonio Curro -- attracted elite travel teams from across the country that competed in pool play and a single-elimination tournament with each squad guaranteed to take the court four times.
This year’s event had significant star power, especially in the frontcourt with top-10 seniors Cliff Alexander (No. 2), Karl Towns Jr. (No. 6), Kevon Looney (No. 9) and Myles Turner (No. 10) facing off in high-level matchups with few -- if any -- empty seats in the gym.
Here’s a breakdown of how the elite bigs and others top prospects performed during the five-day event.
Best Player
Cliff Alexander (Chicago/Curie)
2014, PF, 6-foot-8, 225
AAU team: Mac Irvin Fire
Status: Alexander’s list is down to 10 with Arizona, Baylor, DePaul, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis and Michigan State still in the running.
Alexander has a great motor and is a powerful rebounder and finisher in the paint. He has improved his shooting to add range behind the arc and touch in and around the lane.
2014 Cream of the Crop
Karl Towns Jr. (Metuchen, N.J./St. Joseph)
2014, C, 7-1, 235
AAU team: Sports U-17
Status: Committed to Kentucky
Towns has off-the-charts size and skill and is a matchup nightmare for less mobile centers.
Chris Chiozza (Memphis/White Station)
2014, 5-11, 160
AAU team: Team Thad
Status: Committed to Florida
Chiozza displayed terrific court vision throughout the day, completed some crafty finishes at the rim and hit timely jumpers in crucial moments of the games.
Kevon Looney (Milwaukee/Hamilton)
2014, PF, 6-8,190
AAU team: Milwaukee Rebels
Status: Looney claims offers from UConn, Duke, Michigan, Florida, Georgetown, Michigan State and several others.
Looney's length and skill make him special. He is a very unselfish player with tremendous upside.
Myles Turner (Euless, Texas/Trinity)
2014, C, 6-11, 225
AAU team: Texas Select 17
Status: His list features 26 of the nation’s top teams with Kansas, Louisville, Ohio State, Duke and UCLA among his suitors.
Turner has the requisite length, motor, skill and shot-blocking abilities to dominate the game. Like Towns Jr., he is a tough cover for opposing centers due to his excellent face-up game and range out to the 3-point line.
Keita Bates-Diop (Bloomington, Ill./University)
2014, SF, 6-7, 190
AAU team: Illinois Wolves
Status: Committed to Ohio State
Bates-Diop is an athletic and skilled wing player. He has an excellent feel for the game, and the basketball IQ to read and react to situations and capitalize on them.
Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn/Lincoln)
2014, SG, 6-4, 195
AAU team: Juice All-Stars
Status: Schools like Louisville, Syracuse, Arizona and Kansas are all lining up to land Whitehead.
This four-star guard has taken his game to the next level in terms of playing under control, improving his shot selection and being consistently productive.
Leron Black (Memphis/White Station)
2014, PF, 6-7, 215
AAU team: Team Thad
Status: After decommitting from Baylor in the winter, Black has a number of schools after him with the likes of Florida, Ohio State and the Bears all hard on the chase.
Black is a big-body forward who was a presence on both ends of the floor. He controlled boards in and out of his area and showed a knack for finishing through contact.
2014 Players to watch
Jamal Williams (Houston/Episcopal)
2014, SF, 6-4, 170
AAU team: Houston Defenders
Status: Sam Houston, VCU, Minnesota, New Mexico, Loyola-Chicago and Rice are all interested in Williams.
Williams is a long and athletic slashing wing who can get to the rim via straight-line drives off the dribble. He is a good perimeter rebounder and will not hesitate to push the ball after grabbing a board. Williams makes his presence felt on defense, pressuring the ball and knowing where to position himself to offer help to teammates. He is an excellent glue guy, a winner and a player we will keep a close eye on.
Markell Lodge (Woodstock, Va./Massanutten Military)
2014, PF, 6-7, 200
AAU team: Team Loaded Virginia
Status: Lodge lists offers from Mississippi, Oklahoma State, George Mason, Winthrop, Austin Peay, Jacksonville, St. Joseph’s and Stephen F. Austin.
Lodge is a strong, physical forward with a college-ready body. He is a powerful above-the-rim finisher and an excellent rebounder on both ends of the floor, especially on the offensive glass. Lodge is active, runs the floor well and is a rim-protector on defense. He can hit the open 12-15 foot jumper but will need to further develop his ball skills to be more of a threat on offense. This blue-collar forward is not afraid to do the dirty work necessary to help his team and has excellent upside.
Pick-and-Pop Specialist
Zach Haney (Humble, Texas/Atascocita)
2014, C, 6-11, 210
AAU team: Houston Defenders
Status: Haney claims offers from Pepperdine, LMU and Stephen F. Austin, while TAMU, TCU, Montana State and Kansas State are all heavily interested.
Haney is a long and lean post who has a very good shooting stroke. He knocks down open 3-pointers in pick-and-pop situations, in addition to off-dribble penetration kick-outs and ball reversals. He also displayed good touch and body control in and around the lane, including floaters on the move. Haney’s shooting and ability to stretch the floor help him stand out from his peers, but he must add strength and be more of a physical presence in the low post to take his game and production to the next level.
Best Body
Diamond Stone (Milwaukee/Dominican)
2015, C, 6-10, 252
AAU team: Young Legends
Status: Stone has the following schools hot on his trail: Arizona, UConn, DePaul, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, LSU, Marquette, Maryland, Minnesota, UNC, Tennessee, TAMU, UCLA and Wisconsin, among others.
Stone has dropped 23 pounds to get down to about 229 pounds, and his overall production has increased significantly as a result. He can hustle for longer periods of time and is quicker on the glass and in blocking shots. Stone’s size and offensive skill package make him special; now he can use those assets and his improved conditioning to dominate the game.
Most Exciting
Seventh Woods (Columbia, S.C./Hammond School)
2016, PG/SG, 6-1, 175
AAU team: Carolina Wolves
Status: Woods is not commenting on his list at this time.
Rated the No. 14 player in the 2016 class, Woods is an elite athlete who is a highlight waiting to happen on the break and on all clear paths to the basket. Despite standing around 6-foot-1, Woods can catch lobs at the basket and regularly attacks the rim with speed, quickness, crazy bounce and unbelievable body control.
Sweetest Stroke
Romelo Trimble (Arlington, Va./Bishop O’Connell)
2014, SG, 6-3, 185
AAU team: DC Assault
Status: Committed to Maryland
Trimble is a strong shooting guard who can knock down spot-up 3s on the break, when he receives kick outs or from ball-reversal passes. He also has a deadly, midrange, rhythm dribble pull-up. Coach Mark Turgeon will to be able run set plays for him to get open looks. His shooting forces the entire defense to know his location at all times when playing zone.
Most Impressive 2015 Player
Stephen Zimmerman (Las Vegas/Bishop German)
2015, C, 6-11, 215
AAU team: Dream Vision
Status: Zimmerman has a multitude of schools like Indiana, Arizona, UNLV and Memphis trying to lock him up.
Zimmerman is long, skilled, mobile and an athletic finisher who at times reminds me of former NBA star Tom Chambers. This lefty can score inside and out with range to the arc. He competes and adopts an all-business approach to the game, and his basketball IQ and feel is excellent. He is a regular matchup problem and is playing with great confidence right now.
2015 Players to Watch
Karl Charles (Roselle, N.J./Rutgers Prep)
2015, SF, 6-5, 178
AAU team: Sports U
Status: Schools like Miami, Rutgers, Princeton, Cornell and Oregon State are interested while Holy Cross and Davidson have already offered.
This long lefty makes his teammates better with his ability to facilitate from the wing. He is an excellent open court, draw-and-kick and drop-off passer because he has stellar court vision and the size to see over smaller defenders. Charles can get to the rim and finish with either hand and does a good job communicating with teammates throughout the game.
Markis McDuffie (Paterson, N.J./St. Anthony)
2015, SG/SF, 6-6, 175
AAU team: Sports U
Status: Claims offers from Seton Hall and Buffalo to go with interest from Wake Forest, Temple, Miami, Oregon State, VCU, Cincinnati and several others.
McDuffie is a wing who can knock down jumpers off the catch with range out to the arc. He can straight-line drive and deliver buckets off the bounce and has some facilitating ability as well.
Alex Illikainen (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids)
2015, PF, 6-9, 200
AAU team: Minnesota Cyclones
Status: Teams like Creighton, Iowa State and Oregon have stepped up with offers.
Illikainen is a long and skilled power forward who runs the floor well and finishes with touch and body control. He knocks down open 3s off the catch with a smooth and confident stroke and will move to the low post to use his jump hook over his left shoulder. He sets up his offense by operating pick-and-pop jumpers or spacing to the open area on the side of dribble penetration. Illikainen has a very good basketball IQ and competes hard at both ends of the floor.
Most Potential
Doral Moore Jr. (Locust Grove, Ga./Luella)
2015, C, 7-0, 225
AAU team: Atlanta Xpress
Status: Moore has a number of offers from the likes of Auburn, Georgia, Maryland and Mississippi State, while Texas, Ohio State, Florida State and UNC are all showing interest.
Moore is a true center who runs the floor extremely well for his size. He is not a plotter and runs on his toes with long strides and changes directions pretty well. He rebounds in his area with two hands, and blocks and changes shots around the rim. Moore showed the ability to have a good touch deep in the lane as well. He must work on keeping his motor running for longer periods of time and being more aggressive, which would help increase his production because he can positively affect the game with his size.
Best Young PGs
Derryck Thornton Jr. (Chatsworth, Calif./Findlay Prep)
2016, PG, 6-0, 160
AAU team: Dream Vision
Status: Thornton is seeing varying levels of interest from most of the Pac-12, UConn, Duke, Michigan and Kentucky.
Thornton is an attacking lead guard who sets the tone on defense with his intense ball pressure. He pushes the ball with pace on the break to get to the cup or for an advance pass to an open teammate. Thornton does a good job probing the defense by keeping his dribble alive until he locates the right gap to attack. He also has the ability to drive, draw and kick or drop off a pass in the lane for easy buckets. When Thornton doesn't get all the way to the rim, he can light it up from the midrange with his deadly pull-up jumper.
Jaylen Fisher (Millington, Tenn./Bolton)
2016, PG/SG, 6-1, 176
AAU team: Team Thad
Status: Claims offers from USC, Baylor, Memphis and Tennessee.
Fisher is a strong, playmaking guard who finishes well on the break, gets to the basket with a quick first step and keeps teammates invested with his passing. His strong body allows him to finish through contact with ease.
Luwane Pipkins (Chicago/Began)
2015, PG, 5-9, 155
AAU team: Mac Irvin Fire
Status: Currently claims offers from Bradley, UIC and Northern Illinois and interest from Akron and Xavier.
Pipkins competes hard on every possession and plays the entire game in full attack mode. He gets to the rim on the break and complements it with an excellent pull-up jumper. Pipkins is a very good draw-and-kick and drop-off passer to boot.
Best Knack For Scoring
Jamerrio Jones (Memphis/Melrose)
2014, SF, 6-5, 170
AAU team: Team Thad
Status: Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee are among his numerous offers.
Jones looks to score mostly off the bounce with straight-line drives. Once he gets in the lane, he has an uncanny ability to put the ball in the basket via midrange pull-ups and floaters. There is no doubt he can fill it up, but he still needs to continue to work on his handle to be a more well-rounded offensive threat.
Joe Burton (Porter, Texas/ Atascocita)
2014, SF/SG, 6-6, 205
AAU team: Houston Defenders
Status: Claims offers from Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri.
Burton is looking to score every time he catches the ball. His sneaky athletic ability allows him to finish over defenders on the break. In the halfcourt offense, Burton knocks down the midrange jumper, hits the floater with ease and buries open 3s. He can also post up smaller defenders with his size, strength and variety of post moves.
Pleasant Surprise
Darrell Davis (Detroit/Frederick Douglas)
2014, 6-4, 160
AAU team: Michigan Hurricanes
Status: Most of the Mid-American Conference programs, Dayton and Rhode Island have offered, while Virginia Tech, Louisville and Michigan have interest.
Davis makes scoring plays off the bounce with touch and body control and has a nasty spin move to free himself of defenders. He has a nice pull-up jumper and is a willing passer when he draws multiple defenders. Davis will have to add strength in order to help him finish better in traffic, but his unique ability to make plays for himself and teammates is an undeniable asset to his game.
Most Dependable Player
Riley LaChance (Brookfield, Wisc./Brookfield Central)
2014, PG, 6-1, 175
AAU team: Ray Allen Select
Status: Among his notable offers are Drake, North Dakota State, Rice, UC Davis and there is varying interest from Indiana and Xavier.
LaChance is a very competitive player who is playing with a great deal of confidence and making plays with his skills. His tight handle gets him wherever he wants to go on the court, while his passing creates opportunities for others. LaChance's shooting prowess also allows him to excel playing off the ball. He needs to add strength and doesn't blow you away with his speed and athletic ability, but he manages to get the job done each time out.