Austin Ford Played Good On The Blocks!Five Star conducted its Elite 80 Showcase at Temple University and Basketball Spotlight was in the building. The Class of 2013 had a good amount of players so we decided to do 2 reports. The first one will focus on the players that are fresh faces on the scene.
Class 2013 Report (Fresh Faces)
Austin Ford Forward (Blue Bell, PA)- Ford was one of the few post players at this event. He did a good job in terms of catching the ball on the blocks and using a soft touch to get buckets. He runs the floor well, rebounds and has a good face shoot from the foul line in.
Sterling Johnson Guard (Wilmington, DE)- Johnson has an awkward looking shot from the perimeter but yesterday it was dropping. In transition he exploded to the bucket for easy scores. He had a good showing yesterday.
Tyler Reed Guard (Philadelphia, PA)- Reed was an explosive scorer that showed his mid range game. He has a nice pull up and floater that he unleashes over shot blockers. In transition he did a good job filling the lanes and converting buckets.
Devon Haines Guard (Philadelphia, PA)- Haines is a very confident point guard. His ball handling, passing and change of direction was very impressive. Haines understands that his job is to get into the lane and make things happen. I look for him to have a good future in Philly.
John Rodriquez Guard (Perth Amboy, NJ)- Rodriquez can really stroke the rock and has some shiftiness in his ball handling. The southpaw hit the deep and mid range jumper while also scoring in traffic. He definitely used this time to get his name out there.
Elijah Torres Guard (Carteret, NJ)- Torres unselfish play stood out during this event. He hit his teammates in stride and played good on the ball defense. He’s a good floor general and will make a high school happy. 
Chad Mordecai Guard (New Brunswick, NJ)- Mordecai found his stroke in the third game. He spotted up and canned several shots in the flow of the game. He’s a streaky shooter. 
Jakari Rowe Guard (Chester, PA)- I got a chance to watch Rowe put on an offensive show during one of his games. He had his shot falling and even used some slick dribbling moves to get to the rack. He shined on the stage yesterday.
Darrell Nicholson Guard (Chester, PA)- Nicholson usually runs the point and attacks the lane but today he showed his outside shot. Darrell uses a wind-up type release one his shot which was very effective but might be too slow once he reaches high school.
Jahyde Gardiner Forward (Philadelphia, PA)- Gardiner has a versatile game. He’s primarily a post player but will step out and knock down a trey ball or two. He seems to have a few inches to grow which should be vital for his high school game. I love the positive energy he brings on the court in terms having fun.
