So I know I'm a little late to the party here (the real world will do that to you) but I wanted to throw in my two cents regarding the Defenders (Harrison's) vs. Nike Baltimore Elite last night at Baltimore County Community College. For those that don't yet know, the Defenders triumphed 79 - 66.
- First, the Terp fan turnout was pretty good. There were probably 25-30 Maryland fans clad in red, many of whom swarmed the Twins after the game for autographs, pictures, and to give their personal opinion on where the Twins should go to school. Aaron and Andrew were pretty gracious -- taking pictures with every person who asked and even engaging fans in conversation.
- Oh, they're also pretty good basketball players. Aaron (the shooting guard) was probably the best player on the court and finished with 35 points. His range is ridiculous for a high school basketball player and watching him stroke three's was easily worth the $10 price of admission. He's also really good at getting to the line and seemed to connect on most his free throws.
Andrew (the point guard) had a quieter night finishing with 14 points and 7 assists, but was still impressive running the offense. (At one point in the game, Andrew threw two straight alley oops that Derrick Griffin caught mid air and dunked backwards. The largely pro-Baltimore crowd went nuts.) I was, however, surprised that Andrew didn't attack the rim much as it's supposedly one of his greatest strengths. Overall though, it's obvious why these guys are consensus Top 10 prospects...very impressive.
- Another guy that made a great impression was Kam Williams, the shooting guard and quasi-Terp target from Nike Baltimore Elite. (I say quasi because I don't think there's a ton of interest on Terps' side now, although things could obviously change). He went toe-to-toe with the Harrison's all night and his stroke is almost as pretty as Aaron Harrison's. On a couple occasions him and Aaron got in each other's faces a bit. Despite being a good 3-4 inches shorter than Aaron, he didn't back down. The kid's tough. It's too bad that he likely won't end up a Terp because more than one local Baltimore basketball junkie I talked to said Kam's game reminded them of Juan Dixon's.
Sidenote: I got to speak to Kam's Dad a bit, who said he thinks Turgeon is taking Maryland in the right direction and that he completely understands no offer from Maryland until the Twins make their decision.
- Another player of note was Derrick Griffin of the Defenders. In addition to the two reverse alley-oops he had, Griffin also displayed a decent jumper and an unbelievable motor. He actually committed to play football for Texas A&M in January but there are now rumors he's reopening his commitment and looking to play both football and basketball. Paging Locksley and Bino...
For the stats junkies, here are the numbers per The Baltimore Sun:
Andrew Harrison - 14 points, 7 assists
Aaron Harrison - 35 points, 2 steals
Kam Williams - 16 points
Daxter Miles - 10 points