Observations on Jarrell Brantley, Chris Clemons, and DaQuan Jeffries in the Championship Game of the Portsmouth Invitational

April 20, 2019

I took the time to watch Chris Clemons and the Portsmouth Partnership face off against Sales Systems, Ltd. in the 2019 Portsmouth Invitational’s championship game. The Portsmouth Partnership led early and often, as they ended up getting the victory to win the title at this event, and Chris Clemons was named the MVP of the tournament. The standout performers were Jarrell Brantley, Chris Clemons, DaQuan Jeffries, Quinndary Weatherspoon, and Nick Weiler-Babb in this contest. Here are my thoughts on how they fared, as well as where they may stack up as prospects for the NBA. Also, for those that are interested in the box score of this match, the link can be found here.

College of Charleston’s 6-7 senior forward, Jarrell Brantley played very well in this game, as he showed off versatile scoring skills, as he would outmuscle his opponents around the hoop to get scores off the dribble and in the post, he showed a deft shooting touch from beyond the arc, and he also played solid defense to help get his team the victory. Brantley did a good job of scoring on strong drives to the basket, and he especially showed a knack for scoring on fast breaks. He was able to use a spin move to score on a powerful, two-handed dunk in transition, and he would often barrel in to get scores and free throws to help his team on offense. He also did a great job of knocking down open threes off the catch, as he would take advantage of defenders that would give him ample room to shoot the basketball.

He also did a good job of finding open shooters to set up scoring chances for them. Defensively, he was able to poke a couple of balls away to get steals for his team. In general, Jarrell Brantley played very well in this tournament, and he has really helped himself by consistently having strong showing at this event. Right now is a second round prospect for the upcoming draft, and his ability to score and rebound could allow him to thrive as a role player in the NBA.

Campbell’s 5-9 senior point guard, Chris Clemons had a fairly good game for the Portsmouth Partnership, as he was able to make a variety of shots to help get his team the win in the title game. Clemons was streaky with his jump shot, but he was able to make some tough pull-up jumpers from beyond the arc as well as from the mid-range, and he also is an agile player that can quickly get past his man to score around the basket. He did have a couple of shots blocked, as he was prone to rushing at times. He also hoisted up some questionable shots as he missed plenty of threes, but generally Clemons was able to produce plenty of points for his team on offense.

As a playmaker, he looked to be fairly average. Clemons was able to throw a nice lob pass off the dribble to set up a score for a teammate, but he also was quite turnover prone in this game. He threw some questionable passes, as he had a couple of them picked off, and he attempted a jump pass that sailed out of bounds late in this game. In summary, Chris Clemons is a very athletic scorer that can put up points in a hurry. He will still need to show teams that he can effectively run the point and guard taller players at his position. Regardless, he really helped himself by having a strong tournament as he made plenty of highlight-reel worthy plays, adjusted well to the longer three-point line, and took home the MVP honors at this year’s event. Right now, he is a second round prospect for the upcoming draft, and he may have the skills to thrive as a microwave type of scorer in the NBA.

Tulsa’s 6-5 senior swingman, DaQuan Jeffries had a solid showing as he was able to make a variety of shots for Sales Systems, and he also played very good defense in his team’s loss to the Portsmouth Partnership. He excelled as a shooter in this game, as he was able to make two corner threes, and a pull-up three-point shot early on. Jeffries also showed a decent ability to score on aggressive drives to the hoop. He has good body control to finish plays at the rim, and he also managed to score on a thunderous dunk on a quick drive in transition. Jeffries also was able to throw down a powerful jam when left open around the basket another time. But sometimes, he would miss shots off the dribble, as he would go in too out of control on occasion. He also had a tendency to be careless with the basketball, which would lead him to commit some turnovers.

Jeffries also played very good defense. He would often swat shots off of drives and in the post to help his team protect the paint, and he did a great job of actively contesting shots to force misses. Overall, DaQuan Jeffries is a very athletic player that helped himself by having a solid tournament in Portsmouth, and he is a second round prospect that may have the skills to thrive as a 3 and D type of role player in the NBA.

Mississippi State’s 6-4 senior guard, Quinndary Weatherspoon played fairly well for Sales Systems, as he excelled as a shooter, scorer, and defender in this game. He showed a very good ability to make three-point shots, as he can do so off the catch and dribble, and he also excelled as a scorer on quick drives to the hoop. Sometimes, he would miss shots wildly at the rim, but generally Weatherspoon did a good job of scoring the basketball. He also defended well, as he was able to poke a ball away from an opponent to get a steal, and he also blocked a three-point shot another time. Overall, Weatherspoon had a solid tournament, and he is a skilled basketball player that could excel as a shooter off the bench for an NBA team at the next level.

Iowa State’s senior guard, Nick Weiler-Babb quietly had a good game for the Portsmouth Partnership to help get his team the victory over the Portsmouth Sports Club. He almost had a triple-double on this day, as he did a good job of knocking down threes, and he also would often draw free throws on quick drives to the basket. He also excelled as a facilitator and rebounder in this contest, as he would tend to throw good passes to set up scores for his team, and he also was quite active at crashing the glass to help his team get boards. Overall, Weiler-Babb is a crafty, versatile player that can play multiple positions, and he is a high IQ basketball player that could potentially end up making an NBA team’s roster in the association.

Indiana’s 6-8 senior forward, Juwan Morgan had a fairly good game for Sales Systems. He excelled at scoring on hustle plays and in the post, and he showed good footwork to garner scores in the paint. He also was able to score on a dunk after running the floor to get the ball. However, he struggled to consistently score on threes or on half-court drives, and he also was turnover prone. He tended to commit passing turnovers, and he also was called for a charging foul when taking the ball to the basket another time.

He also played decent defense. He showed a good ability to block shots off of drives to help his team protect the paint, but he also tended to commit fouls in transition as he would sometimes struggle to stay in front of his man at times. Overall, Morgan had his ups and downs in this tournament, but he generally played with good energy at this event. Right now, he may be a borderline second round candidate, but if he can improve his jump shot and position defense, he could end up making a team’s roster in the NBA.

Memphis’ senior point guard, Jeremiah Martin also played fairly well for Sales Systems in the championship game against the Portsmouth Partnership. Though he struggled to consistently knock down outside shots from beyond the arc, Martin did a good job of scoring on strong drives to the hoop, and he would consistently barrel his way to the hoop to draw fouls on defenders. He also threw a couple of good dump off passes off the dribble to set up scores, but he did have a ball that was poked away that led to a turnover. Overall, Martin has had a good tournament, and his ability to get to the rim and score the basketball could enable him to make an NBA team’s roster as a backup point guard in the league.

Other Notes:

South Carolina’s senior big man, Chris Silva did not play nearly as well as he did in his first two games at this tournament, but he did have a few good moments at times for the Portsmouth Partnership. He was able to score on an alley-oop layup off of a backdoor cut. Another time, he appeared to block a shot off the glass ferociously, only to be called for a goaltend. However, he had a couple of his shots blocked when trying to post up, and he did not seem to be an active interior presence on either end of the floor. Still, his team defended well as a whole, as they went on to win the championship game. Overall, Silva had a good tournament at Portsmouth, and he could project to be a rim protector in the NBA in a similar mold to Calvin Booth in the league.

Wichita State’s senior forward, Markis McDuffie had his ups and downs, but he also had some good moments in this game for the Portsmouth Partnership. He struggled with his jump shot, but he excelled as a scorer on strong drives to the basket, and he would frequently get to the free throw line by going hard to the hoop in transition. He was inaccurate on a couple of his passes that led to turnovers, as he would be too fancy with his passes at times, though he did make good reads on those occasions. Overall, McDuffie has had a fairly good tournament, and he is an athletic swingman that could project to be a 3 and D type of role player in the NBA.

Buffalo’s senior point guard, C.J. Massinburg did not have a great game for the Portsmouth Partnership, but he played fairly well at times in this contest. He showed an adequate ability to make pull-up, mid-range jumpers, and he also made a bank three to space the floor for his team. He also used a behind the back dribble move to score one high off the glass. However, he also would tend to miss on shots off of drives, and he did not seem to make any noteworthy passes. Overall, he had some good moments, but he did not play nearly as well as expected. Still, he’s had a solid senior season, and he is a playmaker that could compete for a roster spot in the NBA.