The MV - Berkeley game was downright ugly but I was impressed with Fadal and Spikes who combined for at least 9 threes and a total of 42 points. Spikes had good open looks and made good shots while defensively holding outstanding Chico commit Lashells to 10 points. Fadal was downright impressive. This kid can play the game and clearly one of the Top 5, 2017 Bay Area college prospects. He shot from all angles and all cylinders. He probably had 6 3s, making deep, Curry-like shots. I look forward to watching both kids play another year as they are both 2017 prospects. I recognized at least a couple of college coaches at the game. Does any know where these kids are playing over the summer?
Fadal and Spikes...
- Thread starter HoopAnalyst
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Last year Fadal played with Team Superstars. I think they are out of Fresno. I heard he made the drive nearly every weekend in the spring and summer. Say what you want about AAU, he has made huge strides with his ball handling and perimeter by being on a national circuit. He defense always has been good. If he stays hungry he will be terrific. If he adds an inch or two (not sure if he is a young 2017) he will be a 6'4" guard with exceptional ability to shoot and penetrate. It's nice to see him come into his own.
Fadal played with Team Superstar last summer. Not sure if Team Superstar merged w/Splash City but my guess is he'll play with one or the other. Fadal can flat out play, I don't think he gets enough credit. But what position does he play at the next level he's a 2 guard in a pg body. Not sure if he can run a team as a lead guard but he does have another year to develop.
I believe Team Superstar does not exist anymore and Splash City has taken it's place as the Norcal UA-sponsored program... Lerohn Dodson, who ran TS, now runs Splash City, so I'm guessing its the same program/new name.. More Bay Area-centric than Fresno now though with Jules Milstead involved too... I'm sure they'll have a strong roster when it comes out eventually.
Interesting. I always thought Jules was co-founder of the Oakland Soldiers. What do I know. Good for Fadal. He is fun to watch. Hopefully we can catch a few local AAU games.
Obviously Damari Milstead who may be the top 2017 PG in NorCal will be the face of Splash City. Im sure they will end up with some high caliber players. Fadal is a solid player, not sure he is the kind of player that makes a "Splash" on a AAU circuit. He is more of a system type glue guy. In the AAU setting you need fast high flying athletes to be successful. Mark Olivia has understood that for the last 25 years which is why the Soldiers have been a National Power year in and year out.
It appears you have it in for Fadal and obviously the mouthpiece for Milstead. Having seen the kids play, I don't buy into the hype. Fadal, Smith and Falls are amazingly talented and perhaps more skilled but as always, the network around Jules and Soldiers will make it appear that these kids are not as good. This is not a forum to market your interest. I won't even get into the debate.
HoopAnalyst: You make very little sense. Look at the college interest Milstead is receiving, then look at the others. Look where NorCal prep ranks him. Look where Cal Hi Sports rank him. I also watched Milstead destroy the Nationally touted Sierra Canyon back in November at the tip-off. Milstead led Moreau, a team with 3 other Division 1 players in Scoring, Assists and Steals and was MVP of his league. My comments are based on statistics. Were any of the kids you mentioned MVP's of their leagues? With that being said, it sounds like you have it in for Milstead...
I checked online and nothing listed. A solid collection of players I would bet. Isn't it Curry's team?
I watched Terrell Brown as the difference maker in the Moreau win against Sierra Canyon. There is no question that Milstead is a great basketball player and deserving of recognition. It's nice, though, to see others get the recognition they deserve when they deserve it.
It seems to me that despite all the complaints I hear about AAU, it also provides a different level of competition for these higher level kids, with some travel exposure. Example, I don't think Fadal would be as good as he has become just playing high school and maybe training locally otherwise. Even if AAU is more run and gun and less system, the kids learn to battle and they inevitably compare themselves to, and model, some very gifted players. If they are hungry they figure out what they are missing and work on that. I don't know much about Team Arsenal, where Falls and some others play, but that program seems to have helped its athletes get better. I thought Falls made a nice leap from his sophomore to jr year, especially in the passing department.
Two other players for Splash City is Jade Smith (St. Joseph) and Frankie Calcaterra (Marin Catholic)
Damari Milstead, Jade Smith, Austin Fadal & Joey Calcaterra is a helluva backcourt group for Splash City... very interested to see their full roster in a couple weeks
Spash City will be playing on Under Armour circuit which is big time filled with high level Div 1 players. No way all 4 guys will be able to play at the same time. There will be separation. 2 guys will be the starters, the other 2 back-ups.
Lerohn Dodson, who ran Team Superstar now runs Splash City with Jules Milstead... I would imagine Damari Milstead and Jade Smith will be the starting backcourt... Depending how much size the team has, Fadal could easily play the 3 as well... interested to see how their full roster looks
Some of the name I've seen for the Soldiers are Abu Kigab, Amadou Sow and Ira Lee from Prolific Prep. Also have Alfred Hollins from SHC and Remy Martin from Sierra Canyon
Saw this one on twitter this morning... James Akinjo from Salesian will be with the Soldiers this summer.
Fadal is a nice player but when you look closer and further into his game, which I have seen 1st hand in league play as well as AAU, there is still room for improvement. Offensively with the ball, he's dangerous and can score with the best of them, no doubt about that. Where do you play him at the next level? He can not handle the ball as a point guard, his vision and passing needs a lot of work and I am not sure if I have ever seen him set a real screen. Defensively, this is where his games needs the most improvement, he does not buy into the game defensively, his stance is way to high, side to side and keeping his man in front of him, seeing both ball & man and taking it personal when his guy scores, just isn't something he has done in his first three years. I have never seen him guard any teams best player and that's something I think he should want to do. Both Hansen at DV and Jones at MV pride themselves on Defense first and if you can't learn how to play defense from these two, then I am not sure you ever will. Defense is effort related and I just don't see it with him night in and night out. Rebounding at both ends is something I would like to see more of, when he rebounds, he is very effective, can out jump most on the court and I think he should be able to get 5-8 boards a game. His outside shot has improved this year but from beyond the 3 point line, he might be lucky to be 30% but inside and when he penetrates, his much more effective getting to the rim. His free throw shooting is pretty good and I have seen his body language improve over the years as well as in AAU. This kid needs to continue to work hard, take it personally when he gets scored on buy in defensively and I think the sky is the limit for this young man but if things stay the same, because he can score with the best of them and that's important at the next level, I see him as D2 or a lower D1.
I to have seen fadal play his last three years his first step and ablity to get to the basket is very
Good.He is an above average passer and with good vision of the court.His on ball defense
looks good to me he does need some work off the ball and getting into passing lanes.His game
Reminds me alot of davion berry who played at hayward high and went on to have a nice college
Career at weber state.Bottom line this kid will have his college paid for by some division 1 college
his skill set is much better then division 2 would not be surprised if he ends up in the mountain
West,wcac,or big sky conference.
Good.He is an above average passer and with good vision of the court.His on ball defense
looks good to me he does need some work off the ball and getting into passing lanes.His game
Reminds me alot of davion berry who played at hayward high and went on to have a nice college
Career at weber state.Bottom line this kid will have his college paid for by some division 1 college
his skill set is much better then division 2 would not be surprised if he ends up in the mountain
West,wcac,or big sky conference.
It looks to me that fadal is hungry. He has made big leaps each of these past three years. He hit 6 3s in a recent playoff game. That says his outside shooting is becoming deadly. Off the ball work and knowledge take time to improve. He is playing for an excellent system coach at MV and I expect his senior year to be the time he begins to show some leadership, a necessary trait to take into the next level. I understand he also is a good student so he might have great options.
I am somewhere between Realistic Parent & Infofreak.
Very talented on the offensive side, doesn't move very well with out the ball, can't run the point and doesn't set up his on ball screens very well. He is more of a mid-range jumper but his outside shot has improved but when knocking down 3's, it's more of a set shot 3 then coming off a screen and creating his own shot. Driving to the basket, there are very few kids better but needs to be tougher cause he rarely finishes when contacted.
Defensively, doesn't play very hard & I feel his high school team really tries to avoid him from having a tough or difficult match up on the defensive side. Who on MV guards the other teams best offensive player? Not Fadal, even though he is by far the most athletic and most talented player, that tells me something. I see him on kids that are offensively talented. I haven't seen him guard Ratinho, Cobb, Henderson, Newby, Steigerwald and in the playoffs, did he guards Berkeley's best scorers? Malone & Baker were both defended by others, that tells me something and gives him something to improve on in the off-season. I don't see him as a D2 player, more so D1 or mid-major and that's a huge accomplishment. Keep proving us all wrong and I do enjoy watching him play and keep in mind, he's only a junior so next year should be entertaining.
Very talented on the offensive side, doesn't move very well with out the ball, can't run the point and doesn't set up his on ball screens very well. He is more of a mid-range jumper but his outside shot has improved but when knocking down 3's, it's more of a set shot 3 then coming off a screen and creating his own shot. Driving to the basket, there are very few kids better but needs to be tougher cause he rarely finishes when contacted.
Defensively, doesn't play very hard & I feel his high school team really tries to avoid him from having a tough or difficult match up on the defensive side. Who on MV guards the other teams best offensive player? Not Fadal, even though he is by far the most athletic and most talented player, that tells me something. I see him on kids that are offensively talented. I haven't seen him guard Ratinho, Cobb, Henderson, Newby, Steigerwald and in the playoffs, did he guards Berkeley's best scorers? Malone & Baker were both defended by others, that tells me something and gives him something to improve on in the off-season. I don't see him as a D2 player, more so D1 or mid-major and that's a huge accomplishment. Keep proving us all wrong and I do enjoy watching him play and keep in mind, he's only a junior so next year should be entertaining.
Infofreak,
I like your objective analysis and input to most topics. In view of your research-based approach I decided to try one myself.
You are correct as to Fadal being a D1 player/prospect. It is obvious. He is very hungry. The question is, with his leap in development where is he projected to play. I understand he is a very young 16 turning 17 at the end of 2016. This means he may end up being 6’4 or taller. Most players his age are sophomores or in some cases in the Mid-West or South, freshmen. Parents tend to hold players back in the East and South a few years. This is a whole different topic.
As it relates to his defensive skills, perhaps we are expecting perfection in this game. He can’t be both an outstanding offensive player and the best defensive player on the court. When he played at Dougherty, I understand he was the offensive weapon and was used in the role. I believe that was a smart move by Hansen. At MV, he was the offensive weapon and also played the role quite well under Jones and that’s why we are here discussing him with some passion.
Seeing him play against DLS I liked his defense on Ratinho. Some could argue that Ratinho's defense was Fadal was great as well. They both defended each other well. I believe Fadal had 14 points and Ratinho 12 in the game (Maxprep and Cal-hi sports). I try not to be overly critical of players knowing the pressure and stress of being the so-called best player on a team. Looking at clips on Hudl, he did guard the best player on the Berkeley team. Are comments regarding his defensive skills based on his days as a 13 year old starting player on the DV varsity team some years ago? Overall, it is nice to see him come around as one of the top players in the bay. There are always areas for improvement and good coaches will identify and address them.
Google search finding:
DV varsity MVP 2015 - @ age 15 – lead varsity team in scoring as a sophomore
MV Top scorer 2015/16 season
DFAL First team all-league 2015
EBAL First team all-league 2016
East Bay Athlete of the week 2016
Almost 46% 3-point conversion (average of 3 made per game)
DFAL Honorable mention as a freshman on varsity
Several articles by Norcalpreps – trainers: Teohn Conner (triple threat) and KP. Not sure how recent this is.
3 year starter on varsity teams (DV and MV) Age 13-16.
3.3 GPA avg. (Norcal articles)
Overall, Fadal has an impressive resume and I am happy for him and the bay.
Oh, I also conducted search on Falls and Ratinho (I love their games) and will share my findings accordingly when discussions are centered on these players.
I like your objective analysis and input to most topics. In view of your research-based approach I decided to try one myself.
You are correct as to Fadal being a D1 player/prospect. It is obvious. He is very hungry. The question is, with his leap in development where is he projected to play. I understand he is a very young 16 turning 17 at the end of 2016. This means he may end up being 6’4 or taller. Most players his age are sophomores or in some cases in the Mid-West or South, freshmen. Parents tend to hold players back in the East and South a few years. This is a whole different topic.
As it relates to his defensive skills, perhaps we are expecting perfection in this game. He can’t be both an outstanding offensive player and the best defensive player on the court. When he played at Dougherty, I understand he was the offensive weapon and was used in the role. I believe that was a smart move by Hansen. At MV, he was the offensive weapon and also played the role quite well under Jones and that’s why we are here discussing him with some passion.
Seeing him play against DLS I liked his defense on Ratinho. Some could argue that Ratinho's defense was Fadal was great as well. They both defended each other well. I believe Fadal had 14 points and Ratinho 12 in the game (Maxprep and Cal-hi sports). I try not to be overly critical of players knowing the pressure and stress of being the so-called best player on a team. Looking at clips on Hudl, he did guard the best player on the Berkeley team. Are comments regarding his defensive skills based on his days as a 13 year old starting player on the DV varsity team some years ago? Overall, it is nice to see him come around as one of the top players in the bay. There are always areas for improvement and good coaches will identify and address them.
Google search finding:
DV varsity MVP 2015 - @ age 15 – lead varsity team in scoring as a sophomore
MV Top scorer 2015/16 season
DFAL First team all-league 2015
EBAL First team all-league 2016
East Bay Athlete of the week 2016
Almost 46% 3-point conversion (average of 3 made per game)
DFAL Honorable mention as a freshman on varsity
Several articles by Norcalpreps – trainers: Teohn Conner (triple threat) and KP. Not sure how recent this is.
3 year starter on varsity teams (DV and MV) Age 13-16.
3.3 GPA avg. (Norcal articles)
Overall, Fadal has an impressive resume and I am happy for him and the bay.
Oh, I also conducted search on Falls and Ratinho (I love their games) and will share my findings accordingly when discussions are centered on these players.
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You know more about him now than I do hoops! I respect what Norcalscout has to say. I think Fadal has god given athletic advantages. His quickness and spring. He is intuitive around the rim. If he cares about touching a high potential and puts in the work I think he takes another leap in his senior year. When I see him play I don't see a Prima Donna. I saw him shift to monte vista and he fit in with their pass first concept. But he still needs to work to get better. He has to defend at a higher level to go along with his natural offense. We shall see. It's up to him.
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