Just a Minute with Justin Young: HoopSeen Tip-Off edition
The 2021 HoopSeen Tip-Off is in the books and we have so many things to sort through after a terrific weekend of action at Suwanee Sports Academy. What were the big storylines from the event?
5-star status of the Thompson twins
One of the best parts of the HoopSeen Tip-Off is having a front row seat of an ascension of a player. This year’s climbers are the Thompson twins - Amen and Ausar - had a magical junior campaign at the esteemed Pine Crest school in south Florida. They were outstanding in the title game, capping off a season that was all kinds of special.
Now that the travel season is here, they are suiting up with Florida PRO on the HoopSeen Association circuit and started their travel season off with a major bang. Lots of bangs, actually. They destroyed the rims with their high-flying act throughout the weekend. The duo anchored Florida PRO’s 4-0 run and racked up wins against Game Elite 3SSB 65-61, Team Speights AL 70-34, TSF National 71-58 and Team Curry 80-44.
That’s a win against a fellow HSA team, a win over an adidas team, a win over an Under Armour team and a win over a major prep school team. The duo has an uncanny ability to blow by anyone who stands in front of them. There are still parts of their game that need continued development, particularly their jump shot. But there is a uniqueness to their explosion and athleticism that separates them from the rest of the class.
The early positioning for All-American considerations starts now. Yes, this early. With plans for the big invite-only types of camps still up in the air, we will see another patchwork approach forming those types of teams. So spring resumes paired with scholastic success has to be considered.
In every big pairing, the twins seemed to rise even higher than the expectation.They played like All-Americans.
Who are you hearing from? Umm.
With two decades of covering recruiting under my belt, I have heard every answer there is when I’ve asked a player about his recruitment. For the first time in those 20 years, the answers are as thin and empty as they’ve ever been.
Players that should be actively recruited aren’t receiving anything more than casual, drive-by recruitments. A call here and a text there but few offers and even fewer regularity. High school prospects are now sitting at the entry-level of the recruiting ladder for colleges.
That’s the byproduct of the pandemic. The transfer portal is stocking up like CostCo during the holiday season. The inventory is overflowing. Why wouldn’t college coaches want a transfer? The experience is valuable. So is physical maturation. They are college-ready.
Furthermore, with no on-campus camps over the summer and college coaches handcuffed by the NCAA’s year-long dead period, the portal has become recruiting stop number one. How can it not be?
For players in the class of 2022 and 2023, be patient. Keep competing at a high-level. Stay the course. Build a great resume. Play where you can have film - full game film. The recruiting will come, perhaps in just a bit of a slowed-down pace and process than what those that have gone before you went through.
Fort. Lauderdale, FL
The strength of the independent teams
For the second straight weekend, the best team I saw wasn’t a shoe sponsored club. Florida PRO was outstanding, as I wrote above in the Thompson Twins featurette. The week before in Dallas, I saw 3D Empire take care of business.
Talent is stretched out across all platforms and so far the independents are making just as much noise.
With our schedule moving forward, we look forward to more HSA teams and Grassroots Association teams playing shoe sponsored teams. The talent gap isn’t that wide. The NCAA tournament has taught us that and teaches us that each and every March. Sleepers only sleep if you’re not watching. We’re paying close attention. Trust me.
Up next: Bama Jam
Our next stop will be in Hoover, Alabama for the annual Bama Jam. The field is loaded with talent from all over the country. We will have over 100 teams and roughly 20 HoopSeen Association teams in the field. We’ll have you covered once again for this spring tradition.
