By James Blackburn

Andrew Wiggins
Photo: Basketball Elite

White wins 70-63

The following players were some of the top performers in the JBC International game, in my opinion. Remember these names and keep an eye on their development, for they are the international stars of tomorrow. Some of these players could very well be playing college ball and may be in the NBA in a few years, as they are still very young, most being only 16.

Black (Away Team)

Landry Christ Nnoko (PF, 6’11”, Montverde Academy, Cameroon)

2-5 FG, 12 rebounds, 1 blk, 4 TP, 34 min

Runs the floor, good shot blocker. Rebounds the ball and throws good outlet passes to initiate the break. Very raw offensively in the post and must continue to work on his offensive game in general.

Mario Hezonja (SG, 6’6”, KK Zagreb, Croatia)

6-19 FG, 2-7 3pt, 5 rebounds, 4 assist, 15 TP, 37 min

Solid player who does many things well. Versatile- showed the ability to play the PG and run the offense. Good size- is listed as a SF/PF- but will be a 2G as he gets to higher levels. Very good shooter with NBA 3 pt range. Many of shots never hit the rim. Good rebounder and passer. Played practically the entire game and his team relied on him to do it all. Guarded the home team’s best player in PG David Taylor and did a solid job on him. Showed some surprising athleticism with a big 2 handed baseline dunk with the foul overtop of a defender with 3 minutes left in the last period. Needs to continue to work on aggressiveness and ball handling.

White (Home Team)

Andrew Wiggins (SF, 6’7”, Vaughan Secondary, Canada)

9-16 FG, 10 rebounds, 2 assist, 2 blk, 21 TP, 29 min

Most explosive player on floor tonight. Very good in transition. Can get to the rim and his length allows him to finish. Has a lot of potential. Must continue to work on perimeter shooting.

David Taylor (PG, 6’2”, Cybex Bayreuth, Germany)

5-12 FG, 1 rebound, 3 assist, 1 steal, 13 TP, 33 min

Solid and smart passer who keeps his head up and sees the floor. David does a great job as a PG of turning the corner off the pick and is able to get to the middle, where he can shoot the pull up or kick to the open player on the perimeter. Good floor general. Handles the ball well- equally effective with either hand. Good defensive player who moves well laterally and has quick hands- stays low. Did not shoot any shots outside of about 18 feet in 33 minutes- needs to continue to improve his shooting range.

****
Hey, if you like this kind of basketball coverage, do yourself a favor and sign up for the BasketballElite.com newsletter, which is free for basketball lovers.