View my UAA Finals Recap No. 1 | Link

View my UAA Finals Recap No. 2 | Link

View my UAA Finals Recap No. 4 | Link 

Motivation can come in many different forms and for 7-foot Thon Maker it was two-fold on Saturday. The international high school and grassroots basketball star was motivated to help Canada Elite advance to the Under Armour Association Finals 17U championship game. He was also to eager to silence recent social media mentions that he may have been outplayed by fellow 2016 elite Josh Jackson of 1 Nation and by an upstart -- Earl Watson Elite's Jayce Johnson -- during earlier UAA games.

Maker's Canada Elite team lost to EWE 67-57 in a showcase game on Thursday in which Maker went for 11 points and nine rebounds. He didn't play bad against Johnson, but did step it up with 25 points and 11 rebounds in a 69-57 win over Jackson's 1 Nation team. Based on tweets and reports, however, you would think Maker didn't come to play.

Not true.

Nothing silences critics and doubters more than winning and playing hard and that's exactly what Maker did on Friday in leading his team to Saturday's 6pm ET 17U title game. Maker was relentless on the glass against MWA Elite's big and powerful frontline and willed his team to a 59-52 semifinal victory. The most talked-about big man in the national 2016 class finished with 16 points and was credited with 10 rebounds. Battling the likes of MWA Elite's Jordy Tshimanga (6-10), Billy Preston (6-9) and powerful Mark Vital (6-6), it seemed as if Maker had double that amount of rebounds. It's probably because he came with with so many second-effort caroms that resulted in getting fouled or with a field goal attempt for a teammate.

A player who stepped up big-time for Canada Elite in Friday semifinals contest was 6-foot-2 guard Marcus Ottey of St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.). Ottey is an uncommitted 2016 prospect, but expect his offer count to grow after this NCAA viewing period as he is quick with the ball and explosive in the open court. With the game tied at 42-42 with just under seven minutes remaining, Ottey sparked a 12-0 run with two monster breakaway dunks (SEE VIDEO BELOW) to help put the Dallas, Texas based MWA team away.

Ottey finished with 19 points (on 7-of-12 shooting), three rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Canada Elite also received 10 points from 5-foot-11 point guard Godwin Boahen of St. Louis Christian Academy.

_{Terrance Ferguson | Photo Credit: Kelly Kline/UA}

Terrence Ferguson, a 6-foot-6 wing out of Prime Prep (Dallas, Texas), led MWA Elite with 21 points. His point total was created exclusively off 3-pointers, as he hit 7-of-13 from long range. Preston, also out of Prime Prep, is fighting to claim one of the top five spots in credible national ranking lists for 2017, but he'll have to bounce back from a 3-point, 1-field goal performance in front of a packed house of national media and college coaches.

Maker, who announced his intentions to remain in high school for the entire 2015-16 school year at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in June, had team-highs of 14 points and 11 rebounds in the 57-45 quarterfinal win over Team Breakdown.

Team Charlotte prides itself on team ball and overcoming its perceived lack of star power and will enter Saturday night's championship game riding a wave of emotion after two thrilling victories on Friday. Still, the upstart finalist will have to try to find a way of slowing down Maker with only one player taller than 6-foot-6 on its roster.

Team Charlotte knocked off D.C. Premier 60-57, in overtime, late Friday night. Guard Ty-Shon Alexander has been impressive at the UAA Finals and was at it again versus D.C. Premier's quick backcourt. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard, a rising junior at Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), finished with 19 points and three assists. Alexander, who is a good elbow shooter and a relentless attacker of the basket, had 14 points and six rebounds in a 55-46 quarterfinal victory over Atlanta Express.

_{Alani Moore| Photo Credit: Kelly Kline/UA}

D.C. Premier got 19 points and six rebounds from 5-foot-9 2016 guard Alani Moore of Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) versus Team Charlotte and 10 points from 5-foot-11 2016 guard Cameron Robinson. The Evangel Christian (Dale City, Va.) product hit one of the biggest shots on the UAA circuit this year when he nailed a 17-foot jumper just inside the arch with 18 seconds remaining to propel D.C. Premier to a 50-49 quarterfinal win over WE R1.

WE R1, led by the sensational 2017 backcourt of Trevon Duval and Quade Green, was the defending 17U UAA champion. Robinson also finished that game with 10 points.

"That play was ran for me (coming off that screen) and it's something we run everyday in practice," Robinson said. "I've hit that shot a million times in my life."

Hoosier Hysteria in 16U

The Indy Hoosiers won the inaugural 15U UA Association title in 2014 and are one win away from another crown. They have been just as impressive on the UAA 16U circuit, advancing to Saturday's championship game with a 73-64 overtime win over Earl Watson Elite out of Southern California.

It's hard to imagine there is a more impressive 1-2 punch on any 16U circuit than 6-foot-3 power point guard Paul Scruggs and 6-foot-8 small forward Kris Wilkes. EWE didn't have an answer for the duo, as Wilkes went for 27 points with Scruggs netting 17.

Wilkes, a 2017 out of North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.), has a lot of offensive ability on the wing, around the basket and in transition. He's also a capable defender. Scruggs, a 2017 out of Southport (Indianapolis, Ind.), has a nice combination of athleticism and toughness from the point guard position. His IQ also allows him to take advantage inside against smaller defenders.

The Indy Hoosiers will take on the Florida Vipers, a first year outfit that advanced to the championship game courtesy of a 65-63 win over Team Thad (Tenn.). Zackary Scott, a 6-foot-3 2017 guard out of Westminster Christian (Miami, Fla.), led three double digit Vipers' scorers with 17 points.

15U Title Game Set

There is an abundance of talent in the UAA 15U division, so there will be interested college coaches in Saturday afternoon's title contest between Sports U out of Fairfield, N.J. versus We R1 out of Delaware.

Sports U is led by Naz Reid, one of the top 2018 prospect in the country out of Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.). The 6-foot-9 power forward went for 22 points in a 50-41 semifinal win over a tall and talented KC Run GMC group.

We R1 does have some size, but its scoring strength is in the backcourt. It advanced to the final with a 57-46 win over Atlanta Express. Darius Kinnel, a 5-foot-9 2018 prospect out of Highland Regional (Blackwood, N.J.) had 20 points in the semifinals. He made five 3-pointers in the first half and finished the game with six. Kiyon Johnson, a 6-foot-4 2018 small forward out of Paul VI (Haddonfield, N.J.), is another talent to track on We R1.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post Thon Maker & Marcus Ottey Lead Canada Elite To UAA Championship Game appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

View my UAA Finals Recap No. 1 | Link

View my UAA Finals Recap No. 3 | Link

View my UAA Finals Recap No. 4 | Link 

Make no mistake, the teams in Suwanee, Ga. for the Under Armour Association Finals want to go home with one of the three shoe company-oriented team championships that are earned on the summer grassroots circuit. There is a lot more to the games than winning, however, as college coaches are evaluating players on the 17U, 16U and 15U level to see if they are the right fit for their program -- or if they can project to play at their level down the line.

Two Thursday standouts at the UAA Finals on different levels of play and in different stages of their recruitment offered their opinion on the state of the game.

Matt Mitchell, a 6-foot-6 power forward who has used the circuit to improve his face-up skills as he develops into a powerful wing prospect, plays for the Earl Watson Elite (Calif.) 16U team. He feels the most important aspect of 16U ball is developing for 17U play and preparing for the college level, not necessarily the team's won-loss record. Mitchell is killing two birds with one stone as programs in the West Coast and Mountain West Conferences are making serious inquiries while he helped EWE win two games on the court on Thursday.

Mitchell, a 2017 prospect who played his sophomore season at Roosevelt (Corona, Calif.), scored 11 points in a 51-45 victory over Young Legends in a Showcase game. Mitchell has improved his face-up game and steps into his jump shots with confidence, something he didn't do with regularity during the 2014-15 high school season. Mitchell also is a good passer off the dribble in the open court and makes simple plays that college coaches are taking notice of.

He was even better later in the day, icing a 78-72 victory over the Atlanta Express in pool play by canning two free throws with 33.3 seconds remaining to give EWE a 74-70 lead. Mitchell finished with a team-high 23 points.

Troy Baxter, a 6-foot-8 small forward who played his junior season at The Rock School (Gainesville, Fla.), is in a different boat than Mitchell. He plays 17U ball for Team Breakdown and is already committed to college. The slender athlete announced in May he would attend South Florida in the fall of 2016.

Baxter, who will attend Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.) as a senior, feels he could have earned a scholarship without travel ball, but similar to Mitchell feels the UAA has been important in his development. Neither have a personal trainer, and neither feel it leaves than at a disadvantage over their peers who do.

Baxter is a fantastic rebounder and a good spot up shooter on the wing, but needs to develop into a more physical presence on the block and on the defensive end. He has quick leaping ability and good timing and can finish with either hand around the basket.

On Wednesday, he sealed a big win over Supreme Court with a resounding dunk and on Thursday helped Team Breakdown defeat Philly Pride, 52-51, in pool play by scoring 13 points and eight rebounds. Earlier in the day in a Showcase game versus We R1, he had the full arsenal working, finishing with 25 points and seven rebounds.

"Troy is a big-time, NBA-type athlete," said Team Breakdown coach Jordan Fair, who also happens to be the head coach at Oldsmar Christian. "He needs to work on his handle as he develops into a 3-man. Not many out there have more talent. He has a high talent level and recently he's been playing the best I've ever seen him play."

In addition to Mitchell and Baxter, here are five players that also caught our eye with their play on Thursday in various age groups at the UAA Finals (listed alphabetically):

Bryan Antoine, Ranney School (Tinton Falls, N.J.)/Team Rio 15U, 6-5 SF 2019
The UAA is filled with an abundance of talent in the 15U division and Antoine is definitely a standout. One of the nation's better talents in the rising freshman class has a plethora of scoring ability and lead guard skills. He went for 21 points in Team Rio's 70-54 Showcase win over KC Run GMC.

Josh Jackson, Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)/1 Nation, 6-8 SF 2016
The well-traveled and well-known big guard prospect has had an up-and-down start to the UAA Finals from a team perspective, but his individual play has been up to par. On Thursday evening, 1 Nation fell 69-57 to Thon Maker and Canada Elite, as Jackson tried to keep his team in it with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocked shots. 1 Nation is undersized and Jackson spent plenty of time battling Maker on the block after battling DeAndre Ayton and his Supreme Court team earlier in the day. Jackson has good defensive instincts and makes the correct open court decision with the ball a vast majority of the time. In the 61-56 win over Supreme Court, he finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds. On Wednesday night, he had 23 and 12 in the buzzer-beating loss to We R1.

Jayce Johnson, Santa Monica (Calif.)/Earl Watson Elite, 6-11 C 2016
This burly big man had an excellent showing at the West Coast Elite/Elite 100 Camp in California during the first NCAA July viewing period and his Thursday performance against Thon Maker had the Suwanee Sports Academy buzzing. Johnson went toe-to-toe with Maker and finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds in EWE's 67-57 win over Team Canada. Johnson's physicality and improved conditioning makes him a tough check and a legitimate top 100 national prospect. Maker finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds and bounced back with a big 25-point, 11-rebound performance vs. Josh Jackson and 1 Nation later in the day.

M.J. Walker, Jonesboro (Ga.)/Atlanta Express 16U, 6-5 SF 2017
This explosive wing prospect was the unofficial runner-up to DeAndre Ayton for Grassroots Hoops National Sophomore of the Year honors last season and was downright spectacular in his team's 78-72 loss to Earl Watson Elite on Thursday afternoon. A good athlete with big-time shooting ability, Walker was on fire in the second half and finished the game with 37 points. He converted 7-of-8 2-point field goals and 4-of-6 3-point field goals.

Bryson Williams, Roosevelt (Fresno, Calif.)/Team Superstar, 6-7 PF 2016
This long-time Fresno State commit is the ultimate glue-type that can help a team win in a variety of ways. Williams has a strong frame and even though he's not an elite finisher against UAA circuit-type length, he finds a way to punish defenses. In a 47-45 Showcase win over the Texas Boys Franchize, Williams went for 15 points, including the game-winning lay-up as time ran out off an offensive rebound.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post UAA Finals: Day Two Standouts Include Matt Mitchell, Troy Baxter & Josh Jackson! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.