Jarron Cumberland (Elite Cavaliers)HYPEBasketball continues our coverage of the 2011 13U Division I AAU National Championships with part two of our recap from Memphis, Tennessee. Our focus now turns to the remaining teams who qualified as a nationally-ranked squads after placing in medal-round contests on the final day of competition.
2011 13U Division I AAU 9TH / 12TH Place Game: Elite Cavaliers (OH) 47, B.W.S.L. New Generation (VA) 46
One of the most successful teams in the 2016 class since the beginning of the group’s introduction to the travel basketball scene, the Elite Cavaliers posted yet another top 10 finish at this year’s AAU National Championships. Cavs’ Forward Jerron Cumberland continues to expand his game and the improvement of guard Carlik Jones since last year also had many people talking during the week. Pencil down the name Kobe Brown and keep it somewhere safe for a few years. The talented guard is just figuring out what he is capable of doing on the court and is one of the Elite Cavaliers better long-term prospects. New Generation is the future of the well-known Boo Williams organization and the stable looks safe with guard Kameron Hedgepath and forward Chris Orlina. A talented athlete, Hedgepath had four 20+ point games on the week and wiry forward Orlina was the team’s leading rebounder while also posting multiple double-digit scoring games.
2011 13U Division I AAU 10TH / 13TH Place Game: Playground Elite (WI) 58, The Family (MI) 55
Playground Elite surprised a lot of people with their top ten finish at this year’s AAU Nationals, but with a roster full of talent, don’t be surprised to see even more out of this group in coming seasons. Elite’s strong backcourt is anchored by steady floor general Bobby Hambright and shooting guard John ‘Jack’ Popp. Inside, twin towers Darpeirreontae Burt and Kaj Days both stand 6-foot-6 and have help from 6-foot-4 Ammar Becar. Also keep an eye on wing Courtland Cuevas who should be a significant contributor on the perimeter soon than later. The Family is a well-known grassroots program on the high school level, and the Detroit-based organization often has many of Michigan’s elite hoops talent. The 2016 class appears to be no different, as The Family’s 13U group this year was a top 15 medalist with plenty of players on their roster.
2011 13U Division I AAU 11TH / 14TH Place Game: Team Texas Black 49, Detroit Elite (MI) 36
Team Texas Black finished just outside of the top ten nationally and had several impressive players from the Dallas-metro area. Forward Evan Peters, young brother of Kansas-commit Zach Peters, was a versatile presence for Team Texas while brothers Mark and Matt Paterson provided backcourt stability. Noah Harmon brought toughness and competitiveness to the aggressive group from Texas. Meanwhile, Detroit Elite had a successful week in Memphis behind the play of 6-foot-7 big man Kelvin Fuller. Guards Richard Talley and Julian Warr posted solid numbers for the Michigan team but Derek Murphy could end up being the best of the bunch. Also keep an eye on 2018 guard Julian Dozier, who participated several age/grade levels above his division at this event, but was a catalyst from Detroit Elite’s national semifinalist squad last year at the 10U AAU Championships.
2011 13U Division I AAU Classic Championship Game: Arkansas Wings 52, Team Richmond (VA) 43
Rarely is much attention given to the Classic bracket at the AAU National Championships, but the Arkansas Wings and Team Richmond of Virginia both had quality teams that failed to make it out of pool play at this year’s competition. While stronger teams participated in the week-long tournament, both the Wings and Team Richmond had two of the better players in the event. The Arkansas Wings, Classic bracket champions, featured an excellent player in 6-foot-2 guard Malik Monk. The brother of former Arkansas Razorback standout wide receiver Marcus Monk, the younger Monk is an impressive athlete in his own right, and is an exceptional perimeter scorer. He’s right at the top of 2016 standouts from Arkansas behind wing Adrian Moore (who played this week with Louisiana Select). For Team Richmond it was 6-foot-4 wing Justin Henry, a do-it-all forward, who handled much of the scoring and rebounding load for his squad in Memphis. Henry is a versatile athlete who can defend the post but is quickly expanding his game to the perimeter.
