Suffolk Tops Hudson Valley; Wins BCANY Chip
JOHNSON CITY, NY- This year's BCANY Summer Hoops Festival proved to be among the best in recent history with the Suffolk team winning it for the first time in tournament history. Not many may have given Suffolk a chance to win it when the week began, but with a number of underrated stars that college coaches need to begin getting focused on, they knocked off Hudson Valley on Sunday for the title, 80-72.
One of Suffolk's stars poured in 24 points in a real dominating championship game outing, while a number of other players to watch thrived in other opening round and consolation round matchups throughout the day. NYCHoops.net was once again on hand to take in all the action and here now are our top performers from Sunday from the suburbs of Binghamton.
Bryce Harris, 6'6" SF/PF, Suffolk (Brentwood '21)- For Harris this was just another big time performance on a big stage for him. He has routinely over the past couple years brought his A game to the must step up game, and Sunday was no different as he had 18 points in his team's semifinal win over Central, and then came up with 24 points in the title game victory over Hudson Valley. There wasn't any one way that defenses could've contained Harris either as he connects on 3 long balls from the outside, but was just as solid and confident going inside and posting up, or outworking and outhustling bigger matchups inside should've his versatility and intriguing all around skill set for the future.
Tah'Jae Hill, 6'3" SG, Rochester (Hilton '20)- The question mark that routinely comes up about Hill is how consistent of a perimeter shooter can he, or will he be. His athleticism and ability to explode off his first step and get to the rim is maybe the best in New York, and as a midrange shooter pulling up off the bounce he is just as solid, but throughout the weekend and especially on Sunday morning it was Hill showing a very quick release in knocking down 5-8 from behind the arc to prove that he is more than just a good athlete who can do things in the open floor, but a much improved shooter whose stock deserves to continue to rise.
J.J. Starling, 6'3" PG/SG, Central (Baldwinsville '22)- We have known how good Starling is for some time but on Sunday he basically put his Central team on his back in the semifinals against Hudson Valley and nearly led them to the win. He has extremely long arms and was able to go up inside and get rebounds and push the tempo where he would slither his way in some instances 1 on 5 for transition layups, unafraid to take on entire defense's and finish going all the way. He would move well without the ball and came off screens ready to shoot and was a confident three point weapon going 4-8 in his team's semifinal defeat where a 27 point game had him among the day's best.
Jalen Bradberry, 6'4" PG, Buffalo (The Park School '21)- Compared to past Buffalo area teams this wasn't the strong Section 6 group that was brought to Johnson City but it was Bradberry who still was able to shine as he showed that at his size he is a dynamic on ball weapon who sees the floor extremely well and will make those around him better. Bradberry didn't look to score as much as he could've which may have been to his team's detriment in some ways, but even though his teammates didn't always finish it was clear that Bradberry's vision and court IQ have grown exponentially over the past few months. He was able to make things happen and get the ball in tight spots, and while he did look to shoot Bradberry showed a quick release a good form from the outside.
Eisaiah Murphy, 6'4" SG, Hudson Valley (White Plains '20)- Here's someone who may have been the biggest eye opener of the weekend as Murphy may not have been a big name coming in but he left as someone who could be considered among New York State's more underappreciated talents. His ability to shoot off the dribble and rise above defenders to give himself excellent looks at behind the arc was second to none. Murphy knocked down 3+ three balls in each game he played until the title game when he only knocked down 2. Murphy's handle was very strong and he was a capable playmaker and attacker off the bounce to go along with showing he is an off ball threat who can shoot and hit shots in bunches.
Kemore Johnson, 6'2" SG/PG, Capital (Green Tech '20)- Having blown up as a social media favorite because of his prowess for highlight level dunks this past week out at an AAU event in Las Vegas, Nevada, Johnson came back this weekend to the Summer Hoops Festival and showed that he is a lot more than just a flashy dunker, but an all-around weapon who is an underrated shooter and playmaker as well. Johnson seemed to go out of his way to at times not to dunk when he could've as he pulled up and showed he had the ability to hit runners and floaters in the lane, while being a good facilitator of the Capital team offense on Sunday in a consolation game against Mid-Hudson. A good spot up shooter from the outside as well, Johnson showed he is a lot more than just an eye-opening dunker.
