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Eurobasket Summer League 2009 - Men Basketball
Eurobasket Summer League Las Vegas Awards & ESL Coach of the Year - Aug. 4, 2009 Eurobasket Summer League (ESL) Las Vegas 2009 announces the All Tournament Team and All Big Men Team. The ESL featured some outstanding players this summer in Chicago, Malaga Spain, Las Vegas and New York City. However in Las Vegas the ESL assembled the best talent outside of the NBA Summer League. The Co MVPs were Myles McKay (191-G, college: Wisc.-Whitew.) (191-G, college: Wisc.-Whitew.) and Kyle Lamonte (191-G-84, agency: Beggs and Lane, college: William Carey) (191-G-84, agency: Beggs and Lane, college: William Carey) both from the ESL Las Vegas Championship team. Myles McKay - was the biggest surprise in the ESL Las Vegas event considering there were a lot of players with professional experience and other players from notable major college programs. In the 2008-09 season Myles McKay was nominated a NCAA D3 All American and played for the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater where he posted some outstanding numbers. In his first game at the ESL he was rather quiet but his defensive pressure on the opposing PGs was outstanding and scouts witnessed a glimpse of his unique talent. However in the semifinal he exploded for 21 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists dazzling the audience at the Orleans Arena with very smooth penetration moves off the dribble for either sweet finishes around the basket, feather like jump shorts or easy layups for his team mates. He is a master of creating off the dribble and is very tricky being left handed but at the same time he is 6'4' and very long arms with a silky smooth jump shot. He is very efficient with his scoring opportunities and does not need to dominate the ball because he fits in well within a team structure and moves well without the ball. Defensively he is quick and has very long arms creating problems for smaller guards. In the championship game Myles McKay scored 23 points and 4 rebounds but was dominate in the overtime period as he scored the majority of the points for Monaco hitting all of the crucial free throws and a big 3pt shot to ice the championship. Our ESL staff liked the fact that he demanded the basketball in the overtime period and had that special winning mentality. With more experience and a little strength training he will be a Euroleague type player and has the talent to be a NBA prospect in the very near future. He was the ultimate surprise of the ESL Las Vegas event and we are looking forward to follow his development in Europe. Kyle Lamonte - was sensational in the ESL Las Vegas 2009 event as he was the leader of the winning Monaco team and led the ESL in assists. Kyle made the ESL Las Vegas 2008 All Tournament Team in Las Vegas and was the MVP of the ESL Chicago event in 2008. As a result Kyle landed a contract in Turkey but ended up in the minor leagues in the United States. Last year Kyle was a special player on defense and was a score first guard but this season you could notice a more mature game featuring better control and a sweet mid-range jump shot. Kyle probably could have scored over 25ppg in the ESL event but he picked his spots perfectly and looked more like a leader. He is a very athletic combo guard who can do it all and has the talent to play at the highest level in Europe. The Eurobasket Summer League 2009 Coach of the Year is Adolfo Sanchez from Halcones in the top league in Mexico was outstanding in the Las Vegas event. He did an excellent job of organizing a very talented team and getting them to play team basketball as they won the ESL championship in style. Mike Taylor of Ulm was did a great job as well managing a team of lesser talent all the way to the ESL Las Vegas Championship only to lose in overtime without the services of their top player in the final two periods. The ESL in Las Vegas featured a range of outstanding coaches including Guillermo Vecchio/a>, Dan Tacheny, Deane Martin (agency: Prime Select Sports ), Scott Chinarian, and Glen Hayes. ESL Las Vegas 1st Team All Tournament: Myles McKay Co MVP Kyle Lamonte Co MVP Bennet Davis (206-F-84, agency: KMG Sports Management, college: Northeastern) (206-F-84, agency: KMG Sports Management, college: Northeastern) - Bennet is a high level player in Europe and has played in Israel and last season played in the NBDL. He definitely was one of the best players in the ESL event in Las Vegas and at 6'9' is very athletic and can play the swing and power forward positions. He is great around the basket and has a great slashing game to the basket. He will play at a high level in Europe for while and is an outstanding prospect with a bright future in the prominent leagues in Europe. Emmanuel Little (196-F-85, college: N.Dakota) (196-F-85, college: N.Dakota) - Emmanuel was simply fantastic at the ESL Las Vegas event and showed his nice all around game. Emmanuel is a warrior on the court and is one of the most intense competitors you will see on a basketball court. Emmanuel is extremely athletic, plays above the basket, versatile to play the 1,2 & 3 positions and is an outstanding defensive player. He creates of the dribble and is a dynamic slasher and scores in transition due to his deer like qualities. He is 6'5' but rebounds like he is 69 and last season made the ESL All Tournament Teams in Chicago and Salt Lake City. As a result he was the #2 pick in the 2008 CBA draft and eventually landed in Japan where he had an outstanding 2008-09 season. He is an outstanding prospect for teams in Europe looking for a very athletic player who does it all. Nate Linhart (201-F-87, college: Akron) (201-F-87, college: Akron) - Nate was a victory and an early flight from winning the ESL Championship and a possible MVP of the ESL Las Vegas event. In the 2008-09 season he was the MAC Defensive Player of Year and his talent was on display at the ESL. He scored, rebound and played excellent defense leading his team to the ESL Championship game and was probably offered contracts in Europe on the spot in Las Vegas. However he had to leave in the third quarter of the ESL Championship which his team lost in overtime to catch a flight back home. His team lost their best player and if Nate had played the forth quarter there was a possibility Dublin may have won the game. Sometimes you looked at him in amazement witnessing his defensive skills, knack for rebounding and offensive skills. He runs the court like a deer and is always around the ball. Nate Linhart is a player that will do extremely well in Europe next season. Kevin Sowell (190-G-81) (190-G-81) - Kevin was the most exciting and athletic guard at the ESL Las Vegas event. He has crazy ball handing skills and can break anyone in the world down off the dribble. He is extremely confident and a little cocky but definitely can back it up. He is an athletic freak and when he gets on a fast break its like a NBA highlight. His mid range game is virtually impossible as he will come down and nail 5 - 6 jump shots in a row with no problem. He is so talented is scary but exciting as he posted the best statistics in the ESL Las Vegas event and one game he had a triple double. Kevin has the talent to play at a very high level in Europe but has to tone down his decision making a little. Ronald Allen (208-F/C-84, agency: Elleby Sports, college: Cincinnati) (208-F/C-84, agency: Elleby Sports, college: Cincinnati) - Ronald is a highly skilled 610 player who can flat out shoot he ball and is an excellent prospect in Europe. He was one of the most consistent performers at the ESL Las Vegas event playing well in all three games. He plays well on the inside and is a quality athlete and rebounder. However his unique skill is the ability to take the big guys to the perimeter and simply destroy them with a pure jump shot from anywhere. He is a big time talent that played in the NBDL in 2008-09 but needs to start making money in Europe in the high quality leagues. Brandon Smith (198-G/F-86, college: Minnesota) (198-G/F-86, college: Minnesota) - Brandon is very talented and once was considered a future NBA prospect at the University of Minnesota. He was outstanding in Las Vegas displaying his nice athleticism and pure jump shot. He also takes the ball to the basket and scores in a variety of ways. Brandon was blessed with the perfect basketball body and athleticism with serious skills. He deserves an opportunity to display his talents in Europe. He is that diamond in the rough player who will be a big time steal. In college he did not play his final two seasons due to unknown circumstances to the ESL but has the talent to play anywhere. Melvin Tyler (206-F-84, agency: Elleby Sports, college: St.John's) (206-F-84, agency: Elleby Sports, college: St.John's) - Melvin is a big man with unlimited potential due to his power, athleticism and great footwork. In the ESL Las Vegas event he was unstoppable and every time we looked up at the ESL he was dunking all over the opposition. He played in South America and in Finland in the past but has the ability to play at a higher level in Europe soon. He needs a quality situation in Europe and his future is unlimited. Melvin was probably the best power forward/ center at the ESL in Las Vegas. Riley Luettgerodt (196-G/F-85, college: Hawaii) (196-G/F-85, college: Hawaii) - Riley can flat out play and looked like a veteran European professional at the ESL in Las Vegas. He is a great shooter but takes the ball to the basket at will. He mixes up his scoring opportunities well and has a nice mid range game. He is a good athlete as well and should being playing in high quality leagues in Europe with no problems. The ESL staff kept asking who is that guy? His scoring ability was well appreciated by all of the ex-professionals who were on our staff. He is a former University of Hawaii player who posted qualities statistics in college as well. He would be a perfect player for the top leagues in Poland, Belgium or Germany but has the skills to advance to the highest level in Europe. ESL Las Vegas 2nd Team All Tournament: Mike Copeland (201-F-85, college: N.Carolina) (201-F-85, college: N.Carolina) - Mike did not get the opportunity to play a lot of minutes for North Carolina the 2008-09 NCAA National Champions due to injuries and a stockpile of future NBA players. However at the ESL Las Vegas he was the emotional leader for the Dublin team and he scored and rebounded well. He hit some big time 3pt shots during crucial periods for the Dublin team who lost in overtime in the ESL championship game. Mike played great defense and scored inside well especially when the team really needed some scoring. He definitely can play in Europe and it will be interesting to see where he lands. John Millsap (198-F-82, college: UTSA) (198-F-82, college: UTSA) John was a scoring machine in the CBA and in the ESL Las Vegas he was probably the most aggressive scorer in the Orleans Arena. When he gets the ball he is always looking to attack. He has the size, athleticism and work ethic to be a great scorer in Europe and will find a team soon. He is the older brother of Paul Milsap from the Utah Jazz but is looking to establish his own legacy in Europe. Andy Gebru (193-G-87, college: Fayetteville St.) (193-G-87, college: Fayetteville St.) - Andy played great all tournament considering he was surrounded with a lot of other talented players who needed the ball. He is a big guard who can play both positions and has a very consistent jump shot. He plays good defense, rebounds well and quietly will post quality numbers on limited opportunities. He was the quite killer of this years ESL Las Vegas event. He is a steal for a European team looking for a combo who can do it all. Jamal Johnson (201-F-81, college: Clayton St.) (201-F-81, college: Clayton St.) - Jamal is a very talented performer who looked great in Las Vegas. He can really flat out score and rebound. He has professional experience in Venezuela and other markets but would be a quality player in Europe. He is athletic and has great size. He can really shoot the ball and well as score inside. Jamal has a quality game and will do extremely well next season. Chris Hayes (206-F-87, college: Detroit Mercy) (206-F-87, college: Detroit Mercy) - Chris was the ESL MVP in Chicago and was one of the most talented players with all the tools our staff scouted this summer. At 69 he can play (3) positions and guard probably (4) positions. He is extremely athletic and can really score inside and outside. He is a highlight in waiting and has the skill set to play in France Pro A or Italy A2 today. He was one of the most talented players in Las Vegas but his whole team had a poor performance in the semi-final and he landed on the ESL Las Vegas All Tournament 2nd Team. He has the potential to be a Euroleague player in the next few years. He is definitely that good. Terquin Mott (203-F-74, agency: EM-PA, college: Coppin St.) (203-F-74, agency: EM-PA, college: Coppin St.) - He is a veteran player in excellent shape with great scoring skills and a supreme knowledge of the game. He used his skill, experience and great shooting touch to school the younger players at the ESL in Las Vegas at will. We could tell he has played in some of the top leagues in Europe and would be an asset for a team looking for player with size, skill and experience. In Las Vegas Terquin presence was intimidating to the younger players. Derrick Stevens (180-G-80, agency: Elleby Sports, college: Colorado St.) (180-G-80, agency: Elleby Sports, college: Colorado St.) - The former ESL MVP of 2008 put up some serious number in the three day event but his team lost by large margins and struggled in the tournament. Derrick is a strong scoring PG who can take it to the basketball using his skill and craftiness. He also has an excellent jump shot and would be a quality player for a team looking for a veteran PG with skills. Terrance Whiters (183-G, college: Arkansas Tech) (183-G, college: Arkansas Tech) - He only played two games in the ESL but he was a 1st Team type of performer. This guy was unbelievable offensively and defensively. In one game at the ESL the guards on the opposing team were actually frighten to bring the ball up court against him. In that game he had maybe (4) four straight steals against a couple of guards who had fear in their persona when they played against him. He is so fast and quick and can score at will. He is a big time talent who has the potential to go all the way in Europe. If he did not get hurt and played all the games he would have been on the 1st team for sure. Look out Europe for the exciting PG from Baltimore. Jessan Gray (208-F-84, agency: Beggs and Lane, college: Iowa St.) (208-F-84, agency: Beggs and Lane, college: Iowa St.) - Jessan is a big finesse player who can score and really shoot the ball. He had an excellent ESL Las Vegas event and we believed was offered a contract on the spot. He is a legit 610 but has the softest touch. He slashes, rebounds and also run the floor very well. Jessan played in Finland last season but was injured a lot in the past year. Once healthy he is definitely a quality player who is a natural 3/4 player. Rickey Huckaby (183-G-83, college: Tex.A&M-Kingsv.) (183-G-83, college: Tex.A&M-Kingsv.) - Rickey is scary quick and exciting to watch. All the guards that faced him in Las Vegas backed up several feet and were forced to respect his speed and quickness. His talent is unlimited and he showed why he averaged over 31ppg in Kuwait in 2008-09. The kid has the tools and athleticism of a NBA type PG. He was the talk of the ESL in Las Vegas by many scouts. Rashad West (185-G-84, college: Hampton) (185-G-84, college: Hampton) - Rashad had the sweetest jump shot at the ESL and can score with the best of them. Rashad is an excellent scoring PG with silky moves and the ability to play at a high level in Europe. He creates off the dribble extremely well and directs the team nicely. Last season Rashad did well in Argentina but this season we expect him to land on a quality team in Europe. He is a former ALL MEAC standout with a lot of potential to have a great European career. ESL Las Vegas ALL Big Man Team: Melvin Tyler - Ronald Allen - Terquin Mott Chris Hayes Bennet Davis - Carey Rigsby (206-F/C-80, agency: Prime Select Sports, college: Belhaven) (206-F/C-80, agency: Prime Select Sports, college: Belhaven) - Carey was definitely one of the best inside prospects in the ESL Las Vegas event and had two quality games but probably did not get the ball enough due to all of the talented perimeter players on the Brussels team. He is strong and athletic and displayed skills to play at a quality level in Europe. He already has professional experience but requires a quality team in Europe. He is an outstanding prospect. Carey probably should have been on the ESL All Tournament Team. John Ruffus (207-F/C-81, college: Fayetteville St.) (207-F/C-81, college: Fayetteville St.) - John did everything at the ESL event. He finishes well around the basket and has excellent hands, footwork and pro size. Like his team mate Carey Rigsby he played two quality games but lacked touches on the talented packed Brussels team. John was outstanding in the PBL last season and would be an excellent choice for a quality European team looking for a big man with skills. John definitely deserves to be on the ESL Las Vegas All Tournament team but his team did not get him the ball enough. He is a nice inside talent. Dan Waterstradt (208-C-86, college: Oakland) (208-C-86, college: Oakland) - Dan had an outstanding tournament and shot the ball extremely well from the perimeter. He is an excellent rebounder who has great size but most of his offensive production is perimeter orientated but he is a great shooter from deep. He is an excellent prospect for a European team looking for a big who can shoot the lights out. Glen Whisby (203-C/F-72, college: S.Mississippi) (203-C/F-72, college: S.Mississippi) - Glen has played in the ACB in Spain, Italy, Russia, Turkey, and France where he was considered one of the top American inside players in Europe around the year 2000. The past two seasons Glen dominated the Slovakian League posting double doubles and winning the Slovakian Championship averaging 17ppg and 11rpg in 2008. In Las Vegas the veteran player showed he could still mix it up with the young studs and used his experience, size and skill to impress scouts at the Orleans Arena. Glen still has a couple of years left and his athleticism is still in place and would be a valuable commodity for a team needing a reliable inside presence. Calvin Roland (208-C/F-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Va Commonwealth) (208-C/F-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Va Commonwealth) - Calvin is a big man who loves to bang and did a great job of providing an inside presence for his team at the ESL in Las Vegas. He had three solid performances while scoring and rebounding well. He has a couple of years of experience in Europe and should land a job in Europe for a team looking for a big who knows how to do him job. ESL Las Vegas Results - Final Stage - Jul. 29, 2009 The Championship game at the ESL Las Vegas event was a classic thiller that went to overtime. The fans at the Orleans Arena was treated to a fantastic finale of a three day tournament that featured some outstanding talent. Monaco was favorite going in this contest based off of the talent level on their squad. However Mike Taylor was able to get Dublin to play as a team and their chemistry was the best in the ESL Las Vegas event. Monaco ended up winning in overtime 110-101 but after a hard fought contest where Dublin stayed close all game. The Co MVP's of the ESL Las Vegas led the way for Monaco. Myles McKay (191-G, college: Wisc.-Whitew.) the ultra-smooth D3 All American guard from Wisconsin-Whitewater scored 23 points and came up real big in over time as he scored all the big free throws down the stretch and a dagger 3pt shot in the extended period. Kyle Lamonte (191-G-84, agency: Beggs and Lane, college: William Carey) the other MVP scored 14 points and handed out 11 assists as he controlled the tempo with fine PG play. Kyle was also the ESL Chicago MVP in 2008 and landed in nTurkey via the ESL last year. Bennet Davis (206-F-84, agency: KMG Sports Management, college: Northeastern) the NBDL player and one of the most talented guy in Las Vegas added another 13 points and 8 rebounds to the winning cause. Mikey Marshall (196-G-81, agency: Pro Management Agency, college: Texas Tech) another excellent player with international professional experience looked real good and added 13 points and 7 rebounds. John Millsap (198-F-82, college: UTSA) the brother of Paul Milsap added 12 points and 7 rebounds. The Dublin team was paced by Marcus Watts (201-F-86, college: Chattanooga) who played in Finland last year with 13 points, Marquis Scott (186-G-82, college: Mt.Mercy) the pure shooter who added 11 points and Darius Howard (192-G-83, college: SW Assemblies of God) who chipped in another 11points. The Dublin team was well balanced and was fuel my the emotionl leadership of Mike Copeland (201-F-85, college: N.Carolina) of UNC. The game was a perfect ending to the Eurobasket event in Las Vegas that also featured the Global Basketball Expo with attendee like Herb Brown, Bill Duffy, Sharon Drucker, Spence Haywood and a collection of other notables.
3rd Place Game report: The Third place game featured two highly talented packed teams who could have easily won the Las Vegas event. Lugano escape the third place game with a 119-115 victory in a hard fought contest. The Brussels team consisted of players who all had international expeience and was the favorites prior to the tournament. Their downfall was having too much talent. Lugano had most young players coming out of college or second year pros beside the veteran Glen Whisby (203-C/F-72, college: S.Mississippi). They were crushed the day before by 50 points by the Champions due to their selfish one on one play. This game they decided to play team ball and was led by Emmanuel Little (196-F-85, college: N.Dakota) who playd in the Japan BJ league last seaosn with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. He was probably the most intensed all around player in the event. Rashad West (185-G-84, college: Hampton) the former MEAC Tourney MVP who played in Argentina showed his class by dropping a smooth 18 points and Emmanuel Jones (201-F-85, college: UTPA) the athletic phenom from Texas- Pan American chipped in 14 points and 6 rebounds. Brussels was led by the most talented and entertaining guard in the ESL Kevin Sowell (190-G-81) who was unstoppable as he scored 27 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out 13 steals and 6 steals to record a sensational triple double. Jamal Johnson (201-F-81, college: Clayton St.) put on a show as he scored 23 points and had 14 rebounds while Andy Gebru (193-G-87, college: Fayetteville St.) had anothr outstanding performance scoring 20 points and played a nice all around game in the losing cause for Brussels.
5th Place Game Report: The 5th place game in the ESL Las Vegas event saw Zurich overwhelm Geneva 111 - 95. Zurich was simply better from the start. Team Zurich was one of the best teams in the ESL Las Vegas event as they went 2-1 in the tourney and their only blemish was their first day defeat to the very talented Brussels squad. Once again they where led by the very versatile big man Ronald Allen (208-F/C-84, agency: Elleby Sports, college: Cincinnati) who played in the NBDL last season. Ronald scored 21 points and had 4 rebounds as he displayed his tremendous shooting touch from everywhere as all the big man from Geneva struggled to deal with his shooting range. Melvin Tyler (206-F-84, agency: Elleby Sports, college: St.John's) was very impressive again as he scored 12 points, 8 rebounds and had 5 assist to capped of an excellent tourney from the former St John prospect. Michael Sneed (192-G-82, college: Texas Southern) added a double double scoring 10 points and 10 rebounds to the winning effort. The talented Raymond Canady Jr. (201-F-84, college: Valdosta St.) pitch in 12 points as well. Geneva was led by the great play of Riley Luettgerodt (196-G/F-85, college: Hawaii) who was unstoppable all week with his excellent shooting skills and scoring ability. Travoy Edwards (201-F-88, college: Great Falls) added 16 points and Jessan Gray (208-F-84, agency: Beggs and Lane, college: Iowa St.) had 10 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists to capped of an excellent week at the ESL. The ultra quick and exciting Rickey Huckaby (183-G-83, college: Tex.A&M-Kingsv.) who created fear in the oppossing guards all week with his blinding quickness and ball handling skills had 10 points and 7 assists in the lost.
7th Place Game Report: The 7th place game featured two teams trying to notch the first victory in the ESL and it was a very competitive contest as Venice edged Manchester 90-88. This game was very exciting as both teams played hard and the momentum went back and forth. Venice emerge victorious in the end and was led by the brilliant play of Derrick Stevens (180-G-80, agency: Elleby Sports, college: Colorado St.) the MVP of the ESL Las Vegas event in 2008. He scored 23 points and handed out 5 assists as he controlled the tempo of the contest and shot the ball extremely well. Freddy Robinson (196-F-83, college: Colorado St.) and Calvin Roland (208-C/F-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Va Commonwealth) both played well and were consistent all week. Freddy Robinson chipped in 14 points and 5 rebounds and Calvin Roland scored 11 points and 7 rebounds for the winning team. Belgium Rose (196-F/G-81, college: Missouri So.) played well and added another 12 points and 7 rebounds for the Venice team. Manchestor was led by Terquin Mott (203-F-74, agency: EM-PA, college: Coppin St.) the highly skilled veteran who added 16 points and 3 rebounds. Brandon Smith (198-G/F-86, college: Minnesota) the former Minnesota product played well again and added 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for Manchester. Dan Waterstradt (208-C-86, college: Oakland) had an excellent performance scoring 13 points and 14 rebounds illustrating his size and talent. Corey Jefferson (183-G-85, college: Texas St.-San Marcos) played extremely well and probably had his best game of the ESL displaying his talented PG skills notched 12 points and 10 assists in this exciting contest.
ESL Las Vegas Results - Games 5-8 - Jul. 29, 2009 Game 8 report: This game was suppose to be a classic matchup of the two most talented teams in the ESL Las Vegas event but ended up as old fashion beat down by Monaco who destroyed Lugano 120-66. The first quarter the game was tight and it looked like we were going to watch a dog fight but Monaco was too physical inside and played excellent team basketball. On the other side Lugano played selfishly and all of their talented players played one on one basketball with no ball movement. As the game progressed the wider the margin of the score increased. By halftime the game was over and Lugano put thei heads down and gave up and Lugano was like a group of Sharks that smelled blood in the ocean just kept pouring the pounding with excellent play from everyone. Myles McKay was the man as he broke out with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assist as everone in the Orleans Arena asked who is this kid. He was shaking Lugano out of their boots with his killer crossover moves and finishing everything smooth as silk with the left hand shots from everywhere. He pressured their guards into turnovers and he penatrated at will and handed out many assists as he broke their defense down. Edjuan Green was in a smooth groove of hitting that nice turn around 15 foot jumper all day in the faces of the Lugano defenders as he scored 16 points and 9 rebounds. Bennet Davis did whatever he wanted and unleashed a couple of showtime dunks and nice athletic moves to the basket as he scored 17 points and had 4 rebounds in the crushing win. Todd Peterson played well and logged 10 points and 8 rebounds displaying that blistering shooting ability from deep. Lugano few brights spots were Emmanuel Little, Curtis Carlson and Rashad West. The bigs of Monaco intimated the inside players of Lugano as well as the referees allowed probably too much aggressive play and the game was over after a couple of physical incidents.
Game 7 Report: This was one of the most high scoring and exciting contests of the ESL in Las Vegas. Geneva defeated Manchester 119 - 117 in a contest that featured fine play from a collection of individuals. This game went down to the final possesion and was a seesaw battle all game but Geneva survived at the end to steal the bragging rights. Jessan Gray had a big time performance as he had it clicking on all cylinders. He was smooth inside and outside as he scored 26 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. He simply did it all and landed a job while doing it. Rickey Huckeby is one of the most talented guards in Las Vegas made the scouts just ooze in the seats with his amazing quickness and talent. He scored 17 points and 11 assists. Todd Martin was nice with his long range bombs as he scored 18 points and had 8 rebounds. Riley Luettgerodt was unstoppable again as he scored 16 points and James Booyer added a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Manchester was led by the big time talented Brandon Smith who exploded for 27 points and 12 rebounds showed why he was once considered a NBA prospect at Minnesota. The kid has some much talent it's amazing. Terrance Whiters putt on another show as the small but quick PG scored 20 points and had 8 assists in the lost. Dan Waterstradt added double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Game 6 Report: This game was the best contest of the day at the Orleans Arena. Dublin the team with the talent and size disadvantage taught chemistry, hardwork and the importance of team play to the highly talented Brussels team. Dublin defeated Brussels 105-102 in a exciting contest that came down to a couple of costly turnovers in the end by Brussels who had controlled most of the game. However Mike Taylor had his Dublin team fight and stayed in a position to steal the victory in the end. Mike Copeland the emotional leader on the Dublin team had 17 points and 10 rebounds showing the class of a North Carolina Tar Heel. He was vocally charged up and willed his team to follow his belief in this contest and played extremely well on both ends. Nathan Linhart the MAC Defensive Player of the Year did it all in the victory. He scored, rebound, played great defense and got key steals when the game was on the line. He scored 13 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals in this exciting contest. Cederick Middleton hit some big dagger 3pt shots as he scored 15 points and had 4 steals in this game. Marcus Watts played well and scored 14 points and had 5 rebounds for Dublin. Anton Currie provided big points and rebounds at critical times in the contest and showed his nice talent as he had 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals in the victory. Kevin Sowell led Brussels once again with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals. After two days in the ESL Kevin has showed he is definitely the most talented guard in Las Vegas. Tim Latiker was really smooth and did not miss too many shots in this contest as he scored 18 quite points. Jamal Johnson played well and scored 16 points and had 6 rebounds. Carey Rigsby and John Ruffus the two bigs for Brussels had nice games as both of the had 7 rebounds a pience and scored 14 and 13 points respectively. However a couple of untimely turnovers were crucial in the stretch for the Brussles team as Dublin booked their ticket to the ESL championship.
Game 5 Report: The first game of day two featured Zurich stomping 123-91 Venice in a day featuring a couple of beat downs at the Orleans Arena. This game was a mismatch from the beginning and on paper the Venice team posted the biggest front line in the Tournament. Over seven players on Zurich team scored in double figures. Melvin Tyler played well again and was hard to deal with around the basket as he scored 18 points. Marc Williams scored 12 points and pulled 14 rebounds in a quality performance. Devin Smith and Leigh Gayden both scored 13 points each. However Ronald Allen was sensational again as he torched Venice for 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists as he scored from the outside and inside. Venice was led again by Derrick Stevens who scored 28 points as he was aggressive offensively and showed his professional experience. Freddy Robinson played well as he chipped in 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in the lost. Calvin Roland posted another double double scoring 11 points and 10 rebounds. However this game was rather one sided and not very interesting as the contest was over ten minutes into the game.
ESL Las Vegas Results - Games 1-4 - Jul. 29, 2009 Game 4 Report: Lugano sneaked past Manchester 123-121 in a great game for the first day of the ESL in Las Vegas.There was a lot of hype leading up too the ESL in Las Vegas. This game was the final contest of the day but was the icing on the cake with drama. There were some serious performances by players on both sides that caught the attention of many scouts in the contest. Lugano stormed out of the gates early with brilliant play from Robert Cox who dunked and hit jumpers all over the place for an early 17 points in the first half. However Terrance Whiters of Venice started stealing the ball from the guards of Lugano at will and at one point in the first half no guard from Lugano wanted to bring up the ball against the ultra quick Terrance Whiters. He put his imprint on the game early and scored 20 points, 9 assists and had 5 steals in the game. Casey Wohlleb was outstanding for Manchester as he torched the Lugano defenders with timely jumpers scoring 20 points and 6 rebounds. The veteran Terquin Mott who has played in the big leagues in Europe was outstanding and his leadership, shooting ability and physical presence was intimatating to the Lugano team. Terquin scored 23 points and 7 rebounds.Brandon Smith the athletic but highly skilled prospect from the University of Minnesota was outstanding scoring 20 points and 4 rebounds. However Emmanuel Little the energetic and very athletic big guard from Lugano was not going to let his team lose and he did everything and was big down the stretch as he scored 22 points and 6 rebounds. Chris Hayes the ESL Chicago MVP was outstanding and scored 17 points and 8 rebounds and was big in the final minutes as he hit a couple of crucial free throws to ice the game. The other veteran in the game was Glen Whisby who came up big for Lugano scoring 17 points and 9 rebounds to add great inside play for Lugano who won the hard fought and exciting contest.
Game 3 Report: Monaco was impressive as the crushed Geneva 125-94 in a no contest. Monaco has a lot of talent and depth with great inside play. Coach Sanchez and Lewis Lofton thanks the ESL organizing committee for their blessed team. Some people ask who put the teams together? Bennett Davis who has played in Israel and the NBDL did whatever he wanted from hitting mid range jump shots, alley oop dunks and swift athletic drives to the basket over the Geneva defenders. Kyle Lamonte was awesome as he scored 16 points and 10 assists as he dominated the guard play in the game. John Milsap grabbed the attention of the head scout from Portugal as he demolished the Geneva players with 19 points which could have been a lot more. He is very talented and a very agressive offensive player. Geneva was led by Jessan Gray who scored 15 points, 6 rebounds and Riley Luettgerodt who scored 15 points as well. Chris Berry added 12 points and James Booyer scored 11 points but all seemed not to significant in the loopsided defeat.
Game 2 Report: Dublin destroyed Venice 109 - 86 in a blowout victory. Marcus Watts was outstanding and showed why he was all ESL pplayer in 2008 and played in Finland last season. He scored from everywhere notching 23 points and 3 rebounds. Mike Copeland from UNC and won a National Championship this year played great as he scored 15 points and 4 rebounds while being the vocal leader for Dublin. He entertained the crowd with his intensity but showed some nice basketball skills. Brice Fantazia the D2 All American was great as he slashed his way to 13 points. Nathan Linhart played great defense and did it all as he scored 11 points, 11 rebounds and had 4 steals in the win. Nathan showed why he was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. Cederic Middleton played well and hit 3pt shots all over the court as he scored 18 points and 4 rebounds for Dublin. Derrick Stevens the former ESL Las Vegas MVP scored 15 points, Freddy Robinson notched in 14 points and 6 rebounds for Venice. Calvin Roland, Travis Walton from Michigan State 09 Team that played in the NCAA Championship game scored 15 oints and 14 points respectively. However this game was a pure blowout and Dublin was too good of a team for Venice.
Game 1 Report: The first game of the ESL Las Vegas event at the Orleans Arena was a quality contest that featured a talented Brussels team sneaking a 117 -112 victory over another highly talented Zurich team. Brussels stormed out of the gates and opened a double digit lead in the first half and seem destined to a blowout. However Zurich was not going to lay down and the intensity of Nathaniel Burton and Melvin Tyler got Zurich back into the game. However Brussels had the super guard Kevin Sowell on their side and when the game was tied up in the forth quarter and Zurich had all the momentum kevin came down and hit four straight baskets and the game was over. The kid put on a show as he scored 23 points and 12 assists as no one could guard him and his athleticism was phenominal. Andy Gebru added a nice 18 points and 7 assists and did it effortlessly. John Ruffus the quality big man had 16 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Carey Rigsby the other quality big guy added 13 points for Brussels. Ronald Allen played extremely well scoring 18 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists for Zurich. Melvin Tyler was tough inside and scored 18 points for Zurich. Nathaniel Burton the former CBA player was tough defensively provided great all around play and scored 13 points 4 rebounds and 3 assists for Zurich. Andy Genao also contributed fine guard play for Zurich and chipped in 13 points in the losing effort.
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