EYBL Session #3: Dallas – Terps Basketball Targets Dominate
Mar 14, 2013; Greensboro, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Mark Turgeon calls to his players against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the first round of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
After a week long hiatus from complete and total domination of the Nike EYBL, Team Takeover continued to prove they are one of the best AAU teams in the nation with yet another impressive showing in Dallas. Takeover went 4-0 for yet another weekend, bringing their win total to 13. For those keeping track, their loss column remains barren so far this summer.
Meanwhile, Kai Locksley got back on track, and Terry Larrier of Team Scan looks to be getting a bit more interest from teams with his recent play.
So how did the Maryland Terrapins targets in the EYBL finish up?
Team Takeover
Dion Wiley, SG
At this point, saying that Dion Wiley is an amazing shooter is merely a formality. Wiley started the weekend off in his first game by dropping 14 points and connecting on 4-of-7 three pointers. On the weekend, he finished with eight triples, which was good enough for 42% from beyond the arc overall. He finished up averaging 10.7 points through four games, leading his team overall in scoring (though it was close this weekend.) While he’s very talented in the scoring department, Wiley was also a pretty good thief this weekend, too. He averaged just a shade under two steals a game with seven total takeaways, showing that he is also a capable defender in the process.
Wiley may not be in the top five of shooting guards in the 2014 class yet, mostly because he isn’t the most amazing passer/rebounder. But still, it’s hard to argue that anyone in his class has a much more developed shot. Landing Wiley for the Terps would mean acquiring the shooting talent they’ve been searching for for a long time, and as it stands he is numero uno on their want list.
Obi Enechionyia, F-C
Obi finally had his coming out party during his first game against the Albany City Rocks (a 30 point win.) He finished with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with five boards. Obi’s play has been erratic at times this summer, so it was nice to see him come in and provide some scoring for the first time in awhile.
Unfortunately, the rest of his weekend didn’t go as well. One of Obi’s best attributes is his ability to send away shots at a high rate of production, but he didn’t record a single one at Dallas this weekend. Granted, there was a game where Obi played four total minutes, but he did get in double-digits minutes wise every other game and still couldn’t muster up a major impact. He also only scored six more total points over the remainder of the weekend, and didn’t pull down very many boards, either.
This doesn’t mean he’s a bad player by any means; it’s more a by-product of the completely loaded AAU team he is a part of. Obi provides whatever is necessary, and isn’t being asked to be a top scorer or rebounder.
Martin Geben, F
Geben is the newcomer on the Terps radar, and heading into this weekend he was playing some very good basketball: through nine games, Geben averaged 7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and a little over one assists, block, and steal per game. All this while shooting 46% from the floor, being the leading rebounder on Team Takeover by a wide margin, first in blocks, and scoring the fourth-most points on the team (only 5 behind Hoyas commit Tre Campbell). On an undefeated team.
So how did he do this weekend during the third session of EYBL? More of the same. His first game, Geben didn’t miss a shot from the floor, going 4-of-4 and finishing with eight points, six rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. It’s that kind of all-around performance that is making him stand out to scouts. His second game was the first statistical oddity I’ve seen out of Geben throughout EYBL. He still scored nine points, but didn’t compile a single rebound.
You can attribute that to going up against a big time sleeper in Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year Bonzie Colson. Colson isn’t getting much love on the recruiting trail but that guy can flat out ball. He’s been one of the best players of EYBL, averaging 18.3 points and 7.6 rebounds, and he’s incredibly efficient as a post player (though undersized). Just goes to show you Geben isn’t invulnerable.
His third game Geben returned to form, scoring 11 points and 7 rebounds, while also sending away two shots, in a win over Mokan Elite. All in all, a pretty darn good weekend yet again for Geben, who is likely going to see more and more schools enter his recruitment.
Baltimore Elite
Kai Locksley, G-F
Locksley has cooled off significantly since his first weekend where he went on a scoring and rebounding spree. Still, the third session was one that saw Locksley return a bit to his form, as he started things off right with a ten point, four rebound performance in his first game of the weekend. He followed that up with a nine point, six board game, but what stood out in both games was the fact that he shot over 50% from the floor. Heading into the weekend, he was connecting on less than 40% of his shots, so to see him get that number up is a good thing.
A lot of that has to do with playing on a team that isn’t too great. Baltimore Elite currently sits at 3-10 so far, and with Locksley being one of their best players, he’s probably trying to force the issue. But as a two-sport athlete, he’s a damn good prospect.
Team SCAN
Terry Larrier, SF
Larrier has been on the Terps radar for awhile now, but with his play at EYBL it’s probably going to heat up even more if Maryland is looking for a “sleeper” small forward. Larrier, the 6’8, 205 lb Pennsylvanian, only started one of Team Scan’s first nine games, yet managed to average nine points and six rebounds throughout EYBL. This weekend might have featured his best performance.
Against BABC, who has been giving everyone fits so far, Larrier scored 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and also pulled in seven rebounds over 25 minutes to lead his team to a victory. He led all scorers in made field goals and points even though he didn’t even hit a three pointer and only shot (and made) one free throw.
Against the Albany City Rocks, Larrier also had ten points, three rebounds, and three steals. Unfortunately, Larrier’s first and fourth games didn’t see him do much scoring. He only had four points and four rebounds in his game against Expressions Elite, and played only three minutes against Mokan Elite