GymRat Challenge Top NY Performers (Day One)
ALBANY, NY- Saturday was Day One of this year's GymRat Challenge, one of New York's marquee events throughout the spring AAU season. It may not have the depth that it once had in its heyday but the GymRat still provides a good amount of the Empire State's best a chance to showcase their skills at the highest level.
We at NYCHoops.net perched ourselves at the Capital Center in Downtown Albany on Saturday and watched 12 hours of solid 17u basketball. It was a good opportunity for us to see a good amount of talented uncommitted kids as we now give you the best of the best that we saw with evaluations from those who stood out most on the day.
Zed Key, 6'8" PF, Long Island Lightning-Wagner (Long Island Lutheran '20)- Without question Key was the biggest name on hand to take part as with his usual team the NY Jayhawks having an off weekend, he decided to make the trip up with Lightning-Wagner. Key as per usual was able to dominate with his back to the basket in his Lightning teams two games on the day but it was his midrange game from 15 feet out that really showed the continued growth and development of his game.
Kobe Long, 6'1" SG/PG, Roc City Rocks (McQuaid Jesuit '20)- Not the biggest and not the strongest guard that we saw on the day but Long is without a doubt one of the bounciest as once he was able to get out in the open floor he was finishing higher and with more athleticism than most. His handle was good as he was able to take on defenders and as his games went on Long was able to get more consistent from the outside as his all-around offensive touch was truly on display.
Jaemon Turner, 6'2" SG, The Unit Promise-Red (Niagara Falls '20)- Another long and bouncy guard, we have seen Turner a good amount on the high school level with Niagara Falls as he was a starter and an integral piece of the Wolverines success this past season, and with The Unit he was able to score in a variety of ways to show that when tasked with being the offensive leader he could handle the challenge. Great in transition because of his speed, Turner was an effective scoring at all three levels.
Dylan Diaz, 5'10" PG, Long Island Lightning-Haber (North Babylon '20)- A top guard on Long Island this past weekend as an offensive creator with the ball in his hands, Diaz showed a much bigger scoring touch on Saturday as in his first game on Saturday he scored 31 points in what was one of the more dynamic showings scoring the ball on the day. Every time he had the ball Diaz went right to the rim making a living at going at defenders and either finishing strong or getting to the FT line where he was equally solid.
Scott Woodring, 6'7" PF, Hoosiers (Waverly '20)- If you were looking for a big bruising body who also showed some skill and good footwork and hands down low then Woodring would've been a good one to look at. He has had knee issues in his past but seemingly fully healthy now, Woodring was able to play with his back to the basket and spin going either left or right and finish with an array of solid moves in the paint. His defensive abilities were just as strong as well as he was an elite rebounder throughout the day.
Brian Moore, 6'1" SG, Early Risers (Kingston '19)- A prolific scorer at Kingston over the past couple of seasons, Moore is still waiting and hoping for a Division 1 offer. He has a lot of traits that he once again showed on Saturday that could impress as his ability to shoot and connect off the dribble makes him stand out from others, plus he showed more of an ability to create for others and be an offensively facilitator as he isn't just a flashy high octane scorer, but a playmaker as well.
Azriel Almodovar, 6'0" PG, Riverside Impact (Bronx H.S. for Law, Government, and Justice '20)- Leading the PSAL in assists this past season at over 13 a game for one of the top Class B schools in New York City, Almodovar again showed that he doesn't necessarily need to be looking to score to have an impact on the game. He displayed great vision and IQ, and not only in transition but in the halfcourt too, and when he needed to score Almodovar showed he could attack and finish going to the basket.
Rolando Meyers-Turner, 5'11" PG, Long Island Select (Uniondale '19)- Finally it's another Class of 2019 guard who put up really strong numbers on the high school level that is still available. Turner is not all that big but he plays bigger than his size as he is very strong and doesn't mind mixing it up inside for rebounds. He is great pulling up off the dribble as that was a strong quality to his game on Saturday, and when he looked for his outside shot it was on point often in a very strong outing.
