GNBA Day 3 – The Session 2 set in Milwaukee came to a close Sunday with teams gearing up for the finale by putting together some of their top performances of the spring thus far. Ray Allen Select closed their day off with a big comeback victory in overtime, Martin Brothers played a really strong game showing they are a team on the rise and Kessel Heat looks primed to want some payback heading into the championships. Several other teams played really well during the weekend and certainly on Day 3 as well, and the players on the teams are what really make the engine run with their efforts and talents. Amar Augillard (Kessel) continued his hot play with some big games Sunday, Brylan Phillips (IL Irish) and Elijah Bull (All In) really impressed with their controlled play, and several others put together nice outings that were top flight for the event or really showed their potential going forward.

TOP PERFORMERS
DELONE AUSTIN – 2021 – G/F – PLAYGROUND ELITE FLETCHER
Austin was really on top of his game Sunday, being a major factor in why PGE had a chance to pull back within striking distance down the stretch of the game. The young wing prospect was hitting shots from all over the floor throughout the game and really excelled from the perimeter, drilling 5 three-pointers, being consistent throughout the game. He also played well getting to the hoop and finishing inside through some traffic and coming up with a couple impressive and-1 finishes that showed his control and strength with the ball. He led the game with 22 points and looks primed to have a big summer this year.

AMAR AUGILLARD – 2021 – SF – KESSEL HEAT
He plays in the style of Larry Johnson, with a solid frame to be physical on the interior and some of the skills to play on the outside with his handles, vision passing the ball and to create for himself from the wings. In their second game against RAS, Augillard showed off his mid-range pull up game as well, attacking the elbow and pulling up with nice form and balance for a score, and he has a little range too with his shot. He really impressed with hitting 3 three’s in the second game and going for a game-high 19 points in a tough OT defeat.

KRUAHTAYE BELLEH – 2022 – G/F – NET GAIN SPORTS
Belleh really gave his team some life with his play, keeping them in striking distance down the stretch with his scoring ability. The young wing prospect was able to attack gaps in the defense and score the ball from the mid-range areas and at the hoop on a few occasions. He also kept the defense honest by showing he could hit a shot from the outside, which allowed him to attack off the dribble a couple times as well. Belleh finished with 18 points in the game.

ELIJAH BULL – 2021 – PG – ALL IN ATHLETICS
Bull had a big day Saturday, and really proved that he should be considered one of the better guards coming through the Association and a really good playmaker at the lead guard spot. He’s not the biggest guard right now, but he is quick, has great burst out of his change of direction – especially with his crossover or behind the back crossover – and can score on you in a variety of ways. Against UAG3 Grind, Bull cause major headaches for the defenders as he knocked down shots from the three-point line, if they extended on him he broke them down with the dribble or blew by them and got to the middle, and once in the middle his quickness and craftiness made it difficult for help side to stop him. He hit a floater, he laid in a few lay-ups and otherwise used his body well enough to get him to the free throw line where he converted several opportunities to points. His passing game was again solid too and he worked defensively, but his 20 points were what really led the team to the hard-fought victory.

CHASE COURBAT – 2021 – F – MARTIN BROTHERS
It’s the constant action on both ends of the court that really help Courbat excel right now, as he is typically in the right place at the right time because he doesn’t stop assessing the play and moving to where he needs to get to make a play. He is around the basket constantly on offense where he uses his length and timing to grab offensive rebounds and put-backs, and looks to move to block areas to make himself available to his teammates when they drive, as Dylan Johnson found him one time and his guards found him a couple other times. He gets his shot up at the hoop quick but with good touch and finished regularly against Team Ramey on Sunday.

AHMAD HENDERSON – 2022 – G – MAC IRVIN FIRE
Henderson was lightning quick and showed a really good feel for the game offensively in his game Sunday morning, ultimately leading the way for his team to win a blowout. He saw the floor excellently with some really nice passes in transition and a couple nice dishes off the drive. Scoring wise, Henderson was excellent as well, making plays off the bounce despite his 5’1” frame, and also shooting the ball really well from the perimeter when he had open looks.

ZACH HOWELL – 2022 – G/F – YANDERS LAW
Howell has continued to play well in GNBA play, and there was no change to that Sunday morning. When most players are still trying to stretch out early morning sleepiness, Howell was already busy knocking down a trio of three’s in the first half and put his running floater game in gear when driving to the paint. Howell buried 4 shots from downtown, and set that tone early by scoring three buckets in three possessions early on and continuing to let it fly throughout the game. He had 21 points.

DREW MEYERS – 2022 – SG – IL ATTACK
The game didn’t go as the Attack team hoped altogether, but Meyers really put in a shooting performance that rivaled others on Day 3. The 5’5” guard tried to give his team some lift in the second half by zoning in on his target and knocking it down, hitting 4 big three’s in the half and 5 total in the game. He added another bucket early in the game, and finished with a solid 17 points for the game.

TYNAN NUMKENA – 2022 – G – QUAD CITY ELITE
Numkena was really good on Saturday, and then he followed it with a solid effort Sunday morning, getting back to attacking the basket and making plays at the hoop with his speed and ability to play through the contact. He drew fouls a couple times when he drove, which he finished off a couple plays at the free throw line, and also knocked down a couple mid-range jumpers. Numkena finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists as he also did a nice job of passing the ball.

BRYLAN PHILLIPS – 2022 – G – IL IRISH ELITE
Phillips had an exceptional performance Sunday morning, making plays on the offensive and defensive sides of the court. Defensively he was just very controlled with his ball pressure and forced the opponent into a number of mistakes by just being disciplined. Offensively, Phillips showed off his arsenal with a number of different moves to the basket, some shooting ability and a few nice passes as well. Phillips had a very nice hesitation crossover move to get to the basket, and then showed some strength and body control against contact from a bigger defender, still managing to get a good shot attempt up for the bucket and the foul, converting the 3-point play at the line. He hit a three as well in the game and had a fun behind the back pass on the break to a teammate for a score also. He finished the game with 21 points.

BRENNAN WHITE – 2022 – G – MADE MEN
White picked up where he left off on Saturday, making it another strong scoring effort for the young guard, particularly in the second half as he got some rhythm flowing with his shot. White connected on 3 treys in the second period and made a few other nice plays when attacking from the wings. All in all he finished with 18 points in leading his team to a well-deserved victory Sunday morning.

KIMARHI WILSON – 2021 – PG – KESSEL HEAT
Wilson was mostly under control, but constantly on the attack offensively for Kessel in a smooth win Sunday late morning. The slick and quick guard was excellent with the ball in his hands, making plays to the basket and finishing, but also showing the ability to pull up and knock down a jumper as well. Defensively, Wilson showed both his quick hands when he was defending the ball and his ability to read plays early and jump passes, coming up with a few steals and converting them on the other hand either himself or getting it to a breaking teammate. He continued a lot of that same action into the second game of the day for Kessel in a tough loss to RAS, but Wilson made some really great plays.

JAMAURI WINFREY – 2022 – F – IL IRISH ELITE
Winfrey seemed to pick up where he left off Saturday by having another strong game to start Day 3. While he didn’t do anything overly flashy, he just played a solid game at the rim, finishing a number of strong takes from the mid-block/mid-range area for scores, and catching some nice passes in the offense and going up quick but strong inside for scores. He ended with 21 points, teaming up with Phillips for a heck of a 1-2 punch.

STOCK BOOSTERS
CAMDEN BROWN – 2021 – C – UA G3 GRIND
Brown goes a bit underrated currently as there’s some good talent around him that’s a little flashier in their games, but Brown is solid and on Sunday really did a nice job controlling some of the action inside with his length and presence. The 6’5” center rebounded the ball hard and had a few blocks. Offensively, he was under control, made a couple nice moves in the post for buckets, as well as had a nice drive from the elbow area around a defender and attacked the rim with confidence, finishing for another score, going for 15 in the game and being 7-of-9 from the free throw line.

MICHAEL DUAX – 2021 – G – MARTIN BROTHERS
Martin Brothers have a really good group of guys that play well together and get contributions from various players, and in their game Sunday, Duax had the hot hand early, really helping set up his team for their run and helped build a lead they never surrendered. Duax hit 3 first half treys and was constantly in the action on defense, making plays on hustle balls and had a couple rebounds as well.

NATE HENRY – 2022 – F – QUAD CITY ELITE
Henry played a really steady and balanced game for Quad City, making plays on both ends of the floor with his hustle and effort. Offensively, Henry was able to make some plays around the basket, doing a nice job of finishing shots and being active around the rebounds or loose ball plays. He finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds.

KENRICK “NICK” HARRELL – 2022 – F – MAC IRIN FIRE
Harrell did a really nice job of running the court both ways for his team which offensively allowed him to get some easy buckets in transition off nice passes up the floor from his guards. Defensively, he hustled, he used his length at 6’2” to be disruptive for opponents trying to get in the paint and score over him, and he then rebounded the ball assertively, high-pointing the ball often and being strong with it coming down.

OSIRIS MAHR – 2021 – PG – TEAM RAMEY
Mahr got the game off to a blazing start, hitting a couple three’s right off the bat along with a nice quick move to the hoop another possession which got the defense off balance and forced them to foul him. He knocked down those couple free throws and would do the same a bit later in the half, hitting another two free throws. He then sank another three-point basket in the game and finished with a solid 13 points, and made some nice plays sharing the ball with teammates like Tommie Williams on cuts to the hoop for scores. 

MARKEL MARKS – 2022 – G – WI SCHOLARS
The Scholars had a tough match in their final game of the event Sunday, but they got some good performances out of their team, and Marks was front and center of that, coming up with a really solid second half performance, scoring 12 of his 16 points in the period. Marks was on the mark with his shot, making a duo of three’s in the second half, and was really good attacking the basket throughout the game.

MURRELL QUINTIN – 2021 – G – MKE REBELS-SPARTANS ELITE
Quintin played a really nice game to finish off the tournament for the Rebels-Spartans group bringing home another win. Quintin made a lot of really nice plays by being quick and aggressive to the hoop, getting himself several free opportunities early and connecting on 4 free throws to help himself find the bottom of the net, which helps shooters to get going. After that, he started finishing off shots on the attack and then had a lot of the same action in the second half, getting to the line for a couple points and then buried a pair of three’s to close out the victory, finishing with 17 points.

TONY WEBB – 2022 – G – MADE MEN
Webb’s aggressive play really paid dividends for the young prospect and his team, as he got to the free throw line in the early stages of the game and connected on 4 throws. In the second half as the defense laid off some, he still attacked the basket and made some nice short jumpers as well, making 5 shots and finishing the game with a solid 14 points.