Evaluating Marial Shayok, Zach Hankins, and Ahmed Hill in the Portsmouth Invitational

April 18, 2019

Recently, I took the time to watch the Portsmouth Sports Club take on Cherry Bekaert on Day 2 of the 2019 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Marial Shayok dominated in this match, as he scored 37 points to lead the Portsmouth Sports Club to win an overtime thriller on this day, and he impressed with his strong shooting and scoring skills in this game. Here are my thoughts on how he fared, as well as how the other prospects played in this contest. Also, for those that are interested in the box score of this game, you can find the link here.

Iowa State’s 6-6 senior guard, Marial Shayok played very well in his team’s win over Cherry Bekeart. In this game, he scored 37 points, and he made seven threes, as a couple of them were clutch shots to helped get his team the victory. Shayok poured on points early and often, and he did a terrific job of knocking down threes off the catch and dribble to space the floor for his team on offense. He also excelled as a scorer on strong drives to the hoop, and he can also score on runners. Shayok also managed to score on dunks in transition, as he runs the floor well. However, he tended to miss on mid-range jumpers, and he also missed on a turnaround jumper in the post another time.

Though Shayok did not get any assists, he handled ball pressure fairly well, as he will lower his shoulder to handle it, and he also threw an accurate lob pass to set up a scoring chance for a teammate. However, he did commit a couple of turnovers, and he had one ball poked away on a post up opportunity once. He also rebounded the ball fairly well, as he was quite active on the glass, and he was able to get a handful of defensive rebounds when he was on the court.

Shayok also played solid defense in this game. He was able to intercept passes to get steals, and he also contested a shot off of a drive to force a miss on a separate possession. In summary, Marial Shayok did a great job of shooting and scoring the basketball, and it should be noted that he hit a big three towards the end of regulation to send the game into overtime, and he also made another clutch three to win the game for his team. Shayok is an athletic, skilled swingman that can put up points in a hurry, and he could be a good value pick for a team in the second round of the upcoming draft.

Xavier’s 6-11 senior center, Zach Hankins played very well for Cherry Bekaert in his team’s loss to the Portsmouth Sports Club. He really excelled as an inside scorer and interior defender on the floor, and he is a mobile big man that possesses a very good shooting touch in the paint. Hankins did a good job of scoring in the post. He would often back down his man, and he would tend to score on right-handed jump hooks. He also has a quick shoulder fake that enabled him to get a score on the block. He also managed to score on a floater, and he tended to score when he would get low post touches in this game. He also was able to score on a couple of dunks, and he showed a knack for scoring on rolls to the rim. Hankins also was able to make a mid-range jumper as well. However, sometimes he would miss shots off of put backs after getting offensive rebounds.

Plus, Hankins also rebounded the ball well, as he was able to haul in plenty of boards on both ends of the floor. He also played solid defense. Hankins did a good job of playing passes, as he was able to tip a pass when defending in the post to help his team get a steal, and he also broke up an alley-oop lob pass in transition another time due to possessing a good motor. Hankins was able to block a shot off of a drive, and he would actively contest shots around the basket to force misses. He also managed to deflect a pass off of an opponent on the break as he sprinted back due to make a solid hustle play that time.

Overall, Zach Hankins had a solid showing in his team’s loss to the Portsmouth Sports Club, as he scored 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting, and he had 8 rebounds and 2 assists in this game. He is a good low post scorer that possesses solid mobility, and he was quite active as a rebounder and interior defender. If he continues to play well here in this tournament, he could quickly rise up draft boards, as he could be a potential second round pick in the upcoming draft.

Virginia Tech’s 6-5 guard, Ahmed Hill also played well for Cherry Bekaert, as he did a very good job of knocking down jumpers on offense, and he excelled as a shooter and scorer in this game. He was able to knock down quick, spot-up threes off the catch, and he was able to make some of them from well beyond the arc. Hill also showed an adequate ability to score on pull-up mid-range jumpers, and he also managed to catch a loose ball to score on a runner off the glass another time.

He also passed the ball well as he tended to throw sharp interior passes to set up scoring chances for his teammates. Hill played tough defense, as he was able to poke a ball off of an opponent to force a turnover. On a separate play, he also was called for fouling an opposing ball handler due to tripping him accidentally another time. In summary, Hill did a good job of making shots and playing solid defense, as he may have the skills to make an NBA team’s roster next season.

Wyoming’s 6-7 senior swingman, Justin James played fairly well for Cherry Bekaert in this game, as he showed off a good set of all-around skills, and he especially stood out in his ability to facilitate and defend when he was on the court. James showed a knack for making threes, as he was able to make one off the catch after being left open, and he also used a step-back move to make another one from beyond the arc. He also did a good job of scoring in transition, as he was able to throw down a high-flying two-handed jam on the break. James can get scores off the dribble, as he was able to score on a nifty floater, but he tended to miss on mid-range jumpers, and he also can miss on shots off of drives when he takes off-balanced shots.

He also displayed solid playmaking skills. James is a good passer that throws solid interior passes, and he also passes well off the dribble, as he was able to set up a wealth of scores for his teammates. He did commit a couple of turnovers, as he had a ball poked away once due to carelessness. James also rebounded the ball well, as he was quite active at crashing the boards on both ends of the floor. He also was able to rotate to block a shot off of a drive in transition to get a stop for his team.

Overall, Justin James is an athletic, skilled basketball player that can help his team in a variety of ways, and he excelled in many facets of this game. While he struggled with his mid-range shot in this contest, he fared well in all of the other areas against the Portsmouth Sports Club. James may be a potential second round pick for the upcoming draft, and he may have the skills to excel as a role player in the NBA.

Northwestern’s 6-7 senior swingman, Victor Law excelled as a shooter and defender in this game for the Portsmouth Sports Club. Law did a very good job of knocking down threes to space the floor for his team on offense, as he can do so off the catch or dribble, and he also made a long two as well. He also was active at crashing the glass, and he also played solid defense. Law was able to block a pull-up jumper to force a shot clock violation, and he will also hound opposing ball handlers as he provided good ball pressure and poked a ball away to nearly get a steal. Overall, Victor Law had a solid game in his team’s win over Cherry Bekaert, and his ability to shoot and defend could enable him to carve out a role off the bench for a team in the NBA.

Georgia Southern’s 5-11 senior point guard, Tookie Brown quietly played well for the Portsmouth Sports Club in his team’s win over Cherry Bekaert. He is an agile playmaker that excelled at attacking the basket to score on runners and crafty layups off the dribble, and he also showed a knack for making pull-up mid-range jumpers. He also occasionally missed on runners and did not attempt a three, but generally Brown showed a fairly good ability to score when taking the ball to the rim. He also passed the ball well, and he threw accurate passes off the dribble to set up scores for open shooters.

Plus, Brown played very good defense. He and former TCU guard Alex Robinson looked to provide the most ball pressure in this game, as Tookie Brown would absolutely hound opposing ball handlers to make things difficult for them. He was able to poke a ball away out of bounds to almost get a steal, and Brown’s ball pressure also caused an opponent to dribble off his own foot another time.

Overall, Tookie Brown is a quick player that showed good court vision and defensive skills, and his agility and scoring touch allowed him to get plenty of scores in the paint. Brown had a solid game today, and he is a player that may have the skills to make a team’s roster in the NBA.

UNC Wilmington’s 6-7 senior big man Devontae Cacok played very well for Cherry Bekaert, as he made a lot of hustle plays to help his team get points and rebounds in the paint. He would often beat his man down court to score and draw free throws in transition, and he was able to score on a dunk as well as on a drive on the break. Cacok did a good job of scoring in the post, and he also rebounded the ball well. Plus, he also was able to throw a good pass to a player down low to set up a scoring chance for his teammate. Overall, Cacok is an athletic, high motor player that plays very energetically, and allows him to excel as a rim runner and rebounder on the court. Though he is undersized, he was quite effective in making plays for his team, and he could end up being a reliable role player in the mold of an Udonis Haslem type at the next level.

Florida State’s 7-4 senior center, Christ Koumadje also played well for the Portsmouth Sports Club when he was on the floor. He played terrific defense as he would often block shots from his opponents to protect the paint, and he also excelled at scoring on hustle plays. Koumadje was able to score on a couple of impressive, alley-oop dunks off of rolls to the rim, and he also scored on tip-ins, as one was where he scored on a dunk in traffic. Koumadje was able to get a handful of rebounds, but sometimes he would allow opponents to get boards in his area, as he would sacrifice rebounding position to go for blocks. Overall, Christ Koumadje put forth a good performance in his team’s overtime win, and he is a player that could potentially excel as a backup center in the NBA.

Other Notes:

Cal State Fullerton’s 6-4 senior guard, Kyle Allman Jr. is a speedy playmaker that was able to make some solid plays in this game, as he made a couple of shots early, and showed some ability to run the point. While his box score looked fairly pedestrian overall, Allman seemed to play better than the box score suggested, as he was able to make some solid plays for the Portsmouth Sports Club.

Allman did a good job of knocking down pull-up mid-range jumpers, and he can score on quick, aggressive drives to the hoop. However, sometimes he would miss on drives in traffic, and he was streaky with his jumper on occasion, which would lead to misses. He did show some solid playmaking skills, as he can throw solid interior passes to set up scores for his teammates, and he was able to find a cutter once due to having the court sense to do so in order to get the assist. In addition, he did a good job of pushing the ball up the floor to help create scoring chances for his teammates. Right now, though Allman had his ups and downs in this game, he showed the ability to score in a variety of ways, and the potential to successfully run the point. He will need to continue to hone his craft, but he is an intriguing prospect that could be a player to keep an eye on in the future.

Michigan State’s 6-7 senior forward Kenny Goins was able to make some solid plays in this game, as he would tend to make open spot-up threes off the catch, and he also ran the floor to score on a powerful dunk on the break. Plus, he also was able to intercept a lob pass to get a steal for his team. He tended to be quite passive in this game, but Goins is an athletic combo forward that could perhaps project into a 3 and D role at the next level.

TCU’s senior point guard, Alex Robinson had a decent showing for Cherry Bekaert. He did not shoot or score well, but he threw solid passes off the dribble, and he played good defense for Cherry Bekaert. He would hound opposing ball handlers by providing heavy ball pressure, and he would poke balls away to get steals and deflections. Robinson would tend to draw fouls when driving in transition, but he had trouble scoring on long two-point shots in this game. Overall, Robinson is a fairly athletic playmaker that passes and defends well. He will likely need to improve his jump shot and ability to score the basketball, but his ability to contribute as a facilitator and defender could enable him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA, as he may be a similar player to former Detroit Pistons’ guard, Peyton Siva.

Ole Miss’ 6-4 senior guard, Terence Davis was expected to have a very good game, and while he had his moments, ultimately he struggled to consistently knock down shots, and he also was turnover prone on offense. He did show a good ability to make mid-range jumpers, and he also was able to draw free throws on a quick drive to the basket. However, Davis tended to miss on his threes, despite using a crossover move to make a pull-up three once from the corner. He did throw a nice lob pass to set up a score for a roll man, but he also committed a slew of turnovers due to carelessness.

Alabama’s senior big man, Donta Hall had an adequate showing in his team’s loss to the Portsmouth Sports Club. He excelled at scoring on hustle plays, as Hall was able to score on an alley-oop dunk, he scored on a dunk off of a roll to the rim, and he would run the floor to get a bevy of free throws in transition. He also showed an adequate ability to knock down mid-range jumpers. He also rebounded and defended fairly well, and though he did not block a shot, he would actively contest shots and play passing lanes. Overall, while Davis and Hall did not stand out, both have had solid collegiate careers, and both could be potential second round picks for the upcoming draft, especially if they play well in the next couple of games in Portsmouth as well as in workouts.