The Under Armour Association Finals begins Wednesday in Atlanta and continue through Saturday to take advantage of a key NCAA summer live evaluation period for basketball.
Here are five things worth watching:
The champs
New Jersey-based Sports U is back and seeking a third consecutive championship at a different age level after winning the 15U title in 2015 and the 16U title in 2016.
The team is led by Naz Reid and Jahvon Quinerly, who has had among the best spring/summer of any player in the Class of 2018. Reid is averaging 15.5 points per game and is the leading rebounder in the association at 10.1 per game. Quinerly is averaging 20.8 points, which is No. 3 overall on the circuit, and leads in assists at 5.5 per game.
Reid, from Roselle Catholic, is No. 7 in the ESPN 100 for 2018; and Quinerly from Hudson Catholic, is No. 15.
The big guy
Silvio de Sousa is the leading scoring on the circuit at 20.5 points per game and also averages 8.4 rebounds for the Florida Vipers. He also is leading in field goal pecentage (.667).
The 6-8 De Sousa, a native of Angola, played last season for IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) after leaving Montverde Academy. He ranked No. 28 overall and as the No. 11 power forward. He has fewer offers than might be expected with seven reported.
The Vipers will be a tough out this week as they rank No. 4 in scoring offense and scoring defense.
The undefeateds?
Well, there aren’t any. Team Breakdown has the top seed at 11-1 and won its last five games.
Team Breakdown is led by Anfernee Simons, a 6-3 shooting guard from Edgewater (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) who is committed to Louisville. He is ranked No. 21 by ESPN. Breakdown also features Elijah Weaver, a 6-5 point guard from Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.). He is ranked No. 46 and has an extensive offer list that includes Arizona, UCLA, USC, UConn and Louisville among others.
Earl Watson Elite, DC Premier, Team That and the Florida Vipers all went 10-2 on the season.
The dunker
Cassius Stanley, now at Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), continues to show more of an all-around game, but his highlights speak for themselves. He is one of the top dunkers in the high school game.
Stanley, ranked No. 16 in the Class of 2019, plays for Team Rio, which enters the finale with a 7-5 record. He is averaging 13.8 points per game on the circuit.
Miller Time
Miller Kopp plays for the Houston Defenders, but he has no problem scoring. Kopp was second in scoring during the regular season at 20.1 points per game.
The 6-7 small forward from Houston Christian does not occupy a top spot in the rankings, but he has seen his recruiting pick up with his play in the UAA and coaches are attracted to his toughness and smarts. He has 16 reported offers and is considered a borderline three- to four-star prospect depending on the service.
Northwestern and Vanderbilt are among the schools most interested. He has a connection to Vandy as his brother, Braden, is an offensive tackle for the Commodores.
