Another highly successful Coast2Coast International Showcase event in Las Vegas on July 14-15! Great coaching, sound organization, presentation of ideas about being a pro, highly competitive games, structured practice and most importantly outstanding talent were all on full display for the hundreds of coaches, agents, general managers and scouts who either attended the showcase in person or caught the action on the InStat live stream. The coaching staff featured active pro coaches who in turn were evaluating potential players for their own squads as part of their efforts during the showcase.
There is little doubt that Coast2Coast offers the premier professional basketball exposure events in the industry. Many, many players who attended will directly and tangibly benefit from their participation which Coast2Coast will share in coming weeks. The Coast2Coast staff will be active within their networks as well identifying prospects for teams searching for quality players and people.
Cheyenne High School provided a great, clean facility as the two-day showcase began early on Thursday, July 14. First up were the camp introduction and team practices for the 90 aspiring ballers. Each player was placed on a team prior to the camp with an eye towards competitive balance, which ramps up the intensity of the tournament format games.
The opening round saw teams compete to advance in the bracket although everyone was guaranteed three games the competition was fierce as the teams sought to move on in the winners bracket.
Team Germany battled Denmark in the first winner’s bracket game and it went right down to the final play with Denmark grabbing the victory in an intense back and forth game. Germany was lead by the dynamic play of point guard Quincy Smith as he set the tone defensively and pushed the tempo. Bouncy athletes 6’7 RJ Kelly, 6’6 Juwhan Harris-Dyson provided some offensive fireworks and big time finishes above the rim. But Denmark had an answer after falling behind by 14 in the first half. Powerful 6’7 Roland Griffin and 6’10 Jalen King started to go to work in the paint as Denmark methodically climbed back in the game and secured their place in the finals.
In the second winner’s bracket game Team Finland prevailed over Team Hong Kong largely due to the dominate play of the hyper-athletic guard 6’3 Kameron Hankerson and the solid play of 6’6 Adrian Byrd-Jelinek, 6’5 Graddy Kanku and 6’9 Chandler Rowe. Hong Kong showed spirit in the game and high level production from the mobile, jumping jack, 6’8 Jay Hedgeman and stellar play of 6’2 Justin Jones and 6’5 Raheem Williams.
The Championship game was yet another game that went to the final play as Kameron Hankerson hit a pull up jumper for the 1 point win as time expired. Team Finland earned their showcase championship in an intense and entertaining final!
Kameron Hankerson was named Showcase MVP. Greg Gibson who is a head coach in Finland was the championship coach while Andy Hipsher a head coach in Denmark lead the runner-up.
Quick Scouting Reports
Here are some players from each team who performed particularly well during the Showcase, but it should be noted that all 90 gave great effort and in another weekend different players may have emerged.
TEAM PLAYER HT COMMENT
Hong Kong Logan Hokanson 5’11 Clever, shifty PG
Justin Jones 6’2 Smooth scoring combo
Donald Jorden 6’6 Strong wing/PF hybrid
Jay Hedgeman 6’8 Long, bouncy impact four
Raheem Williams 6’5 Athletic wing
Finland Allante Harper 5’9 Big-time shooter from distance
Taichi Nakamura 6’4 Smooth, complete player
Graddy Kanku 6’5 Wing with skills who can knock down shots
Adrian Byrd-Jelinek 6’6 Powerful four with a quality stroke
Kameron Hankerson 6’3 Scorer who plays way above the rim
Chandler Rowe 6’9 Post with face up/wing abilities
Venezuela Andre Jackson 6’8 Big who can score from three levels
Sheldon Wright 6’2 Smooth lead guard
Jah-Kobe Womack 6’4 All-purpose wing
UK Ricky Shuford 6’4 Bouncy athlete with freakish power
Bradlee Lewis 6’4 Human highlight reel
Josh Livingston 6’8 Solid four with a stroke
Germany Quincy Smith 6’2 Experienced pro ready to lead a team as a PG
Yasouka Ryuto 6’2 All-purpose guard who can shoot
Blake Seits 6’5 Such a solid stroke surprised when he misses one
Juwhan Harris-Dyson 6’6 Athletic, mobile wing impacts all phases
RJ Kelly 6’7 Electric athleticism with some solid skills
Denmark Roland Griffin 6’7 Dominates with skill, power, finishes everything
Jalen King 6’10 Long, active big
Brandon McGhee 6’4 PG who attacks downhill
Devonte Thomas 6’5 Experience pro that knows how to play
Jacob Salinero 6’0 Clever PG with handles and a shot
Romania LJ Booth 6’10 Powerful, mobile big
Maeta Saturo 6’4 Skilled, active wing
Tim Murphy 6’6 Strong inside presence
Albania Anthony Ussery 6’10 Experienced pro, knows the game
Jerome Seagears 6’1 PG with a handle and ability to lead a team
Sadohara Ryo 6’3 Nice skills, produces
New Zealand Chris Bunton 6’5 Strong wing scorer
Nick Wagner 6’3 Can shoot it from distance and finish inside
Joshua Miller 6’7 Long wing who can score
Coast2Coast will announce the TOP 20 from Camp in coming days…And dont forget about our in September located in NC!