Under Armour Elite 24 Preview

Romelo Trimble and Dion Wiley will represent the Terps in the annual Elite 24 game which will be played in a spot that Maryland has gotten to know well over the past year. Mandatory Credit: Kelly Kline/Under Armour

The Under Armour Elite 24 event has been an annual high school all-star game of sorts since 2006. Last year’s event took place at an outdoor court in Venice Beach, Calif. This coming Saturday’s event will be taking place at the Tobacco Warehouse right under the Brooklyn Bridge. Having this type of backdrop should prove to be a phenomenal environment, being right on the East River. There will be a slam dunk contest and three-point shootout on Friday evening at 7 p.m. and the Elite 24 game itself will take place on Saturday night at 7 p.m. Both events will be broadcasted on ESPNU.

Just as was the case last summer with two players that shall remain nameless, there is a significant amount of interest from a Maryland standpoint. Future Terp guards Romelo Trimble and Dion Wiley will be playing in the Elite 24 on separate teams. Trimble will be suiting up for Team Bed Stuy and playing with highly-touted recruits such as Emmanuel Mudiay, Rashad Vaughn, Kelly Oubre, and Syracuse commit Chris McCullough. On the other hand, Wiley will be playing with Team Coney Island, which consists of players such as Tyus Jones, Goodluck Okonoboh, Ohio State commit D’Angelo Russell, and 2016 big man Thon Maker. Team Bed Stuy will be coached by former NBA players Pearl Washington and Lloyd “Sweet Pea” Daniels.

Eight of the participants in the contest have already committed to colleges. North Carolina has three commits in Joel Berry, Justin Jackson, and Theo Pinson while Chris Chiozza has committed to play his college ball at Florida.

It’ll be interesting to see how playing time is doled out with both teams being absolutely stacked at the guard position. With Trimble’s monster summer in tow, the Bishop O’Connell senior-to-be is poised to have an impact on the game. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to see Trimble get a considerable amount of minutes at the point guard spot. According to 247Sports, Mudiay and Berry are the only two floor generals that rank ahead of the D.C. Assault star. Mudiay will likely get the largest bulk of the minutes at that spot, but Berry and Trimble will likely get their fair share as well. After all, no one has elevated their stock more than Trimble has this summer.

Wiley also has some stiff competition on his squad. In terms of ranking, only Isaiah Whitehead and Russell rank ahead of Wiley in terms of top shooting guards. Russell and Wiley are very similar players and have many of the same attributes. Wiley is a very talented shooter and doesn’t need much breathing room to get his shot off. The Potomac guard isn’t afraid to drive to the hoop and is pretty effective at doing so. Wiley will make the tough shot whenever it’s from beyond the arc or in the lane.

Russell is very much the same caliber player. The Monteverde Academy star is a lefty that can bury any shot. Russell has an incredibly quick release and pull up and drain a shot on a moment’s notice. One area of his game that gives him a slight edge over Wiley is his phenomenal passing skills. Russell can hit guys in transition and even toss a beautiful behind-the-back pass to a teammate under the basket. One of the biggest attributes that Russell has is that he is a strong finisher. He can convert the tough layup in traffic and make it look absolutely sensational.

I’d expect Wiley and Russell to garner around the same amount of minutes. Everyone is destined to play a decent amount. After all, this is a showcase for many of these kids who haven’t committed yet. It promises to be a great affair and it is a good chance for many to see a few future Terps up close and personal.