Analyzing Quinndary Weatherspoon, James Palmer Jr., and Josh Reaves in the Portsmouth Invitational

April 19, 2019

I was able to watch Sales Systems, Ltd. square off against the Norfolk Sports Club, as it was a back and forth contest that went all the way into overtime. It was a thriller in which both teams traded leads, but Sales Systems were able to get the win in the end, due to the strong play of Quinndary Weatherspoon, along with several other players. Here are my thoughts on how he fared, as well as how the other prospects played in this game. Also, for those that are interested in the box score of this contest, you can find the link here.

Mississippi State’s 6-4 senior guard, Quinndary Weatherspoon played very well for Sales Systems, as he played a solid all-around game to help lead his team to an overtime victory. Weatherspon excelled at scoring on strong drives to the hoop, as well as in transition, and he can finish plays using either hand. He was able to go coast to coast to score on a drive in transition, and he also can absorb the contact the draw extra free throws after getting the score around the basket. He also did a good job of making pull-up jumpers, and he also excelled at scoring on hustle plays.

He also passed the ball well, as he did a good job of throwing passes off the dribble to find open teammates to set up scores for them, and he also was able to find a cutter on the move. Weatherspoon also would run in to get tough boards, as he generally rebounded the ball well and can get them in traffic. He also played very good defense, and he would often jump passes to get steals, and he also was able to find a loose ball when an opponent dropped a pass late in this game to get another one. In general, Quinndary Weatherspoon had a strong showing in his team’s win over the Norfolk Sports Club, as he scored 23 points, and had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in this game. He is an athletic, skilled playmaker that can shoot and score the basketball, and he could be a solid find for an NBA team in the second round range of the upcoming draft.

Nebraska’s 6-6 senior swingman, James Palmer Jr. also put forth a very good performance, as he scored 28 points for the Norfolk Sports Club in this game. He showed a knack for scoring on left-handed drives as well as in transition, and he would often drive hard to the hoop to draw a hoard of free throws for his team. He also was able to score on a two-handed dunk on the break, and Palmer also was able to make a tough, fadeaway jumper over a smaller defender when posting up once. He struggled to make jumpers consistently from further away, but he did show a decent ability to make spot-up threes and pull-up, mid-range jumpers on offense.

Palmer displayed fairly average playmaking skills. He would occasionally kick balls out to shooters to set up scoring chances for them, but sometimes he would miss his passing targets, and he also threw a pass and had a ball ripped away that would lead him to commit some turnovers. He also played good defense, as he would poke balls away to get steals and deflections for his team. In summary, James Palmer Jr. is an athletic, skilled scorer that showed a strong knack for driving hard to the hoop to get scores and free throws for his team. He did a good job of scoring in the paint, and he is a player that could be a potential second round pick in the upcoming draft.

Penn State’s 6-4 senior guard, Josh Reaves played very well for the Norfolk Sports Club, as he shot the ball well, and he also played terrific defense in this game. Reaves did a very good job of knocking down threes to space the floor for his team on offense. He can make them off the catch or dribble, and he also used a jab step to make one from well beyond the arc. He also was able to score on a left-handed hook shot off the dribble, and he also scored on a thunderous dunk off of a drive in transition another time. He also passed the ball well, and he was able to get his fair share of boards in this contest.

Plus, Reaves played outstanding defense. He is a very quick, rangy defender that would frequently jump passes to get steals, and he also did a great job of getting deflections to make it difficult for his opponents to get their passes through. He also was able to contest a shot in the post to force a miss another time. Overall, Josh Reaves played very well, as he excelled as a shooter, and he also played suffocating defense that wreaked havoc on his opponents. He is a terrific defender that had a knack for making sound basketball plays, and Reaves could be a solid pick for a team in the second round range of the upcoming draft.

Tulsa’s 6-5 senior swingman, DaQuan Jeffries had an adequate showing, as he was able to help Sales Systems get the overtime win over the Norfolk Sports Club. He had a slow start to this game, but he played better as it wore on, as he started to making more shots as the match progressed. Jeffries did a great job of scoring on backdoor cuts to the basket, as he would often score on powerful, high-flying dunks to help his team. He also used a drop step to score in the post in traffic while getting an extra free throw, and he has very good strength to get deep position on the block. He also did a good job of making spot-up threes from beyond the arc after initially struggling to knock down shots. As a playmaker, he looked to be fairly average. He would swing balls to shooters to set up scores for them, but he also fumbled a couple of balls, as he ended up losing them on two occasions that led to turnovers. Jeffries was also quite active on the glass, as he did a good job of hauling in boards on both ends of the floor.

Overall, DaQuan Jeffries had another solid performance, and though it was not as impressive or eye-popping as his play in the previous game, Jeffries still played well, and he especially performed well down the stretch. He is a very athletic, hustle player that could project to be a 3 and D type of player at the next level, and he could be a very good find for an NBA team in the second round of the upcoming draft.

Indiana’s senior forward, Juwan Morgan also had a good game for Sales Systems, as he showed off versatile scoring skills, and he also played solid defense to help them get the win. He was able to make a couple of spot-up threes as he shot the ball well, and he also did a good job of scoring on hustle plays to keep his team energized. He also managed to draw free throws after using a drop step move in the post, and he also showed an adequate ability to score on drives to the basket.

He did commit a couple of turnovers, as he was called for setting a moving screen, and he also traveled on a high post drive another time. While Morgan didn’t grab many rebounds, he was active on the offensive glass to help his team get boards on that end of the court. Morgan also played fairly good defense. He was able to rotate to block a shot off of a drive, and he also managed to deflect a pass out of bounds. However, he also committed a foul on a drive after rotating to try to make a play around the basket. All in all, Juwan Morgan played well, as he was able to score the basketball in a variety of ways, and he also defended well. He is a skilled combo forward that could potentially help an NBA team off the bench, and he could perhaps end up being a second round pick on draft day.

Memphis’ 6-3 senior point guard, Jeremiah Martin played a solid all-around game to help Sales Systems get a narrow win over the Norfolk Sports Club. Martin showed a penchant for scoring on strong drives to the hoop, and while he tended to favor going to his left, he also can score using his right hand as well. Martin also showed a decent ability to make spot-up threes. Plus, he showed off adequate playmaking skills, as he passes well off the dribble, and he throws solid interior passes to set up scores for his teammates on the move. However, he also committed his fair share of turnovers, as he had some trouble trying to protect the basketball, and he was also called for a traveling violation on a separate offensive possession.

Overall, Martin played well in his team’s victory on this day, and he is a skilled playmaker that can score and pass the basketball. Though he did not seem to make any spectacular plays, he was very efficient and effective in making solid basketball plays consistently for his team, and he may have the skills to make a team’s roster in the NBA.

Georgetown’s 6-9 senior big man, Trey Mourning played surprisingly well for the Norfolk Sports Club, as he was able to score on energetic, hustle plays and in the post, but he also showed off a solid ability to knock down jumpers, as he may be an even better shooter than he appeared to be in college. Son of former Charlotte Hornets’ great Alonzo Mourning, Trey Mourning showed off a variety of scoring skills. He was able to score a runner off of a roll, he ran the floor to score a layup in transition, and he also excelled at scoring on put backs off of offensive rebounds. Plus, he also managed to score on a floater in the post.

Trey Mourning also was able to make a spot-up three on a pick and pop play, and he also did an adequate job of knocking down mid-range jumpers. He did miss on a couple of turnaround jumpers in the post, but generally Mourning excelled at scoring the basketball when he would elect to take shots. He did commit one turnover, though. Trey Mourning had a ball knocked off his leg on a drive once. Trey Mourning did a great job of grabbing offensive rebounds, as he would frequently haul them in to help his team on the glass. Overall, Trey Mourning had a strong showing in this game, and he is an athletic, skilled big man that could project to be a stretch big in the NBA, and in a favorable scenario, he could perhaps end up being a similar player to Philadelphia 76ers’ rookie big man, Jonah Bolden in the association.

Cornell’s senior guard, Matt Morgan played fairly well for the Norfolk Sports Club. He excelled as a shooter in this game, as he was able to make a slew of spot-up threes to help his team on offense. He also threw solid interior passes to help set up scores for his teammates, and he also passes well off the dribble. He did have a costly turnover, as he dropped a catchable inbounds pass that went right to his opponent late in overtime. Morgan also rebounded and defended well. He was able to haul in plenty of defensive boards, and he also did a good job of blocking shots off of drives to help his team get stops. Overall, Matt Morgan is an athletic combo guard that can shoot and pass the basketball, and he could be a potential second round pick in the upcoming draft.

Wisconsin-Green Bay’s 6-6 senior, Sandy Cohen III had his ups and downs in the Norfolk Sports Club’s loss in this game. He did not play well offensively, as he was held scoreless, and he also committed a couple of turnovers, as he struggled to make shots or make plays off the dribble. But Cohen did defend very well, as he did a great job of blocking shots. He is an athletic swingman that would swat shots to protect the paint for his team, and he also ran back to make a nice chase down block in transition to a teammate. Overall, Cohen will still need to improve his ability to knock down shots, but he could perhaps project to be like a Quinton Ross-like defensive specialist if he makes his way into the NBA.