The 2016 NY2LA Sports Lone Star Invitational came to a close on Sunday. With teams finishing up their work in Dallas, the NY2LA Association is now halfway complete with only July remaining to decide the champions of each division. In 16U play, Nickolas Jackson and Grand Rapids Storm closed on Sunday with an impressive win.

Here are the top performs and stock boosters from Sunday’s action…

TOP PERFORMERS
Taye Gatewood – 2019 – G – Team Jah’s Elite
Gatewood had a huge game in the 16U open championship. A strong, physical freshman Gatewood attacked the rim at every opportunity and made some difficult shots over the defense and against contact. A 6-foot-0, 186-pound freshman, Gatewood was much more physically advanced that just about everyone on the floor. Gatewood is a little limited in his overall skillset, but his ability to drive and float shots up at the rim was pretty much unstoppable. 

Nickolas Jackson – 2018 – F – Grand Rapids
There’s a huge, huge upside on this sophomore big man. Upon first glance, it’s very easy to fall in love with Jackson’s frame. A long, athletic, 6-foot-7 forward, Jackson can play and defend three positions. He’s a little raw, but has some impressive, exciting moves down on the block. You don’t see many players at this age and size that move laterally as well as Jackson. He’ll cover wings on the perimeter and do it effectively without allowing and straight-line drives or uncontested shots from beyond the arc. Jackson can play some small forward as well, and again showed flashes of excitement, putting the ball on the deck and taking it strong to the rim. Jackson finished with 16 points in Saturday’s win over MBA Select. 

Austin Parket – 2018 – F – SEMO Bulls
Parket had a big second half to help the SEMO Bulls claims the 16U open championship. A long, athletic forward, Parket runs the floor in transition and his teammates are always looking to hit him up the floor in stride. Parket did a good job of working the glass and collecting second chance buckets. Defensively, Parket made things tough at the rim and kept guards from getting all the way to the bucket. 

C.J. Siegel – 2018 – PG – Wisconsin Playmakers
A small, but quick and athletic lead guard, Siegel has some impressive physical tools despite being undersized. Siegel can explode to the basket and hand a couple of impressive finishes at the rim and chase down blocks. Siegel can go 1-on-1 and get by defenders with ease. He also showed some ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter as defenders are bound to give him an extra step of space or two to avoid getting beaten off the dribble. Siegel had a game-high 20 points in a loss to Omaha Elite Sunday morning. 

Jordan Walton – 2018 – SG – Yanders Law
One of the biggest stock boosters in Minneapolis, Jordan Walton continued his bring spring on Sunday. Pouring in a game-high 24 points in a loss to All-In Young & Reckless, Walton nearly carried Yanders Law to victory. Walton displayed an excellent stroke from three-point range on Sunday. Spotting up in the corner, Walton drained a number of triples. The 6-foot-0 sophomore is also quick enough to blow by defenders who over-commit. From there, Walton does a good job of determining whether to finish at the rim or drop the ball off to a teammate. 

STOCK BOOSTERS
Bailey Dee – 2018 – G – Illinois Irish
Dee came ready to play Sunday morning. A strong, quick guard, Dee has an excellent change of pace to his game that keeps defenders off-balance and guessing. A good ball handler, Dee does a great job of attacking gaps and getting into the teeth of the defense before the help can come. What was perhaps most intriguing about Dee, is that he inverts himself in the offense. Dee will play inside and work for post touches, showcasing a nice jump hook near the rim. Dee finished with 15 points before leaving early in the final period due to a hard fall suffered after an offensive rebound. 

Mike Hemingway – 2018 – PG – MBA Select
Hemingway is a speedy guard that loves to dribble penetrate and make plays. A terrific passer in traffic, Hemingway did an excellent job of driving and dishing, wrapping passes around the defense for easy scores. Hemingway also carried the load offensively, scoring a team-high 19 points in Sunday’s loss to Grand Rapids Storm. A fast floor general that pushes the tempo for 30 minutes, Hemingway kept his team in the game with his transition efforts. 

Dontez Rayner – 2018 – SF – Indy EBC
Rayner is quite impressive physically. A built, 6-foot-4 small forward, Rayner is tough to stop when he gets momentum going towards the rim. Rayner has some bounce and pretty good athleticism to get up over defenders and finish over contact. Rayner also works hard defensively. On the ball he was very tough to beat and made things difficult on the opposition in Sunday’s loss to the Wisconsin Shooters. He also scored 12 points as well. 

Yaakema Rose Jr. – 2017 – PG – Yanders Law
Rose has a high motor and is constantly hustling on the floor. Even at 5-foot-10, Rose isn’t afraid to challenge shots inside and has the athleticism to get up and rebound with the bigs. He’s a tough on-ball defender that moves quickly laterally and doesn’t let people by. Rose had 16 points and eight rebounds in Sunday morning’s’ loss to Grassroots Hoops. He came back in the afternoon with another nice performance, recording 10 points, four assists, and four steals in an overtime win over Grand Rapids Storm. 

Rashad Williams – 2018 – PG – Reach Legends
Williams had a big game Sunday morning against the Minnesota Comets. The 6-foot-1 sophomore is just a flat out playmaker. He can shoot the basketball from deep, attack the basket, and fire in some impressive passes through the cracks of the defense. Williams went for 18 points on Sunday and a number of assists. A terrific ball hander, Williams is very tough to stay in front of. He keeps the defense guess for 30 minutes with the tricks he has up his sleeve.