Welcome to a new era of summer hoops in Pittsburgh.
After making its home at the Greentree SportsPlex, the Pittsburgh Basketball Club summer Pro-Am officially moved into its new digs on Monday night. Montour High School is the new permanent host for the league, which also unveiled its new format. Thanks to new NCAA rules limiting the number of teammates on each summer league roster, the league has expanded to eight teams, with two games running simultaneously.
That led to some split viewing on Monday night, as will be the case on most nights. Nevertheless, ColonialsCorner caught a little bit of everyone who played and will include our thoughts in with the game recaps. All 14 Robert Morris players are on a roster, and a few alumni might show up as well.
All stats mentioned in our recaps are courtesy of David Tobiczyk and his crew, who do a fine job helping out the Pro-Am staff.
PGT 110, Shale Attorney's 87
If they get performances like this throughout the summer, PGT might be pretty tough to handle. Derrick Randall, Josh Newkirk and Lucky Jones were dominant. Randall, who is going into his final season at Pitt, had 22 points and 15 rebounds. Newkirk, who impressed at times as a true freshman last year, had 34 points (the night's high) and eight assists. And Jones had 28 points (11-of-17 FG, 4-of-8 3pt, 2-of-3 FT) and nine rebounds.
Jones was one of the best players in this league last year, so his production is no surprise. He did flash a little something new, though. With the game out of hand, he threw an alley-oop off the backboard to himself for a dunk. We'll see if it's a precursor to him playing above the rim a little bit more as a senior.
On the other side, Charles Oliver had a very nice performance. He was inconsistent in the summer league last year, as he missed a handful of games. But he led the way with 26 points on 10-of-23 shooting, including 5-of-14 from 3-point range. Stephan Hawkins had his customary summer league performance as well, contributing 14 points and seven rebounds.
System One 85, GNC 80
You never know who might show up in the summer league, and on Monday night that meant the return of Karvel Anderson. The now-former Robert Morris guard is preparing for his pro career, but he's in the area and decided to suit up alongside Jafar Kinsey and Lionel Gomis for GNC. He was a big boost, too, as Anderson scored a team-high 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting (a cold first half hurt his percentage) and helped run the point.
Kinsey was the primary point guard though, helping give an early look at how he might run a team. He drove the hole frequently and wasn't shy about taking a shot. Kinsey went 5-of-10 and end up with 11 points and four assists. Gomis was a bit of a surprise. He looks bigger than expected, but he showed some athleticism by diving to the floor a few times (in a summer league game!). He also turned it on late offensively and ended up with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with 8 rebounds. Kinsey also jumped a few passing lanes to force turnovers, and that might be an element of his game to watch.
The RMU players were 3 of the 4 players in double figures for GNC, but it wasn't enough. Five players were in double figures for System One, led by....Marcquise Reed. The incoming freshman might have had one of the more impressive summer league debuts by a Robert Morris player, thanks to his 23 points, four assists and three rebounds. Reed pulled up for a couple of long jumpers and 3-pointers, but also drove to the basket and finished strong at the rim. It's one game, and he also had a few too many turnovers in the run-and-gun pace of the game, but it was impressive.
Old reliable Aaron Tate also had a strong performance, scoring 14 points in the win.
South Hills Audi 101, Bakery Square 84
No Robert Morris players participated in this one. Jairus Lyles and Rodney Pryor are expected to eventually suit up for Bakery Square but neither was in uniform tonight. South Hills has traditionally been the "old guy" team, full of Pitt and local alumni. They've had a bit of a youth infusion, though. Newcomers Cam Johnson (Pitt freshman) and Sheldon Jeter (Pitt transfer) combined for 41 points, while Vanderbilt transfer Nolan Cressler had 20.
West Virginia forward Brandon Watkins had 29 points for Bakery Square.
UPMC 95, CRONS 76
The final game of the night featured another trio of Robert Morris players. High school teammates Elijah Minnie and Ryan Skovranko went up against forward Andre Frederick, but Frederick's side had the last laugh. The 6-foot-8 forward wore a knee brace and came off the bench, so his action was a bit limited. He had four points to go with two rebounds in a game dominated by Pitt's Jamel Artis (21 points) and Chris Jones (14 points), as well as an impressive night from Duquesne's Domo McKoy (18 points).
Skovranko also had a quiet night for CRONS, as he went 1-of-9 for 2 points. He also picked up three rebounds and two assists. Minnie, though, had a very strong debut. He had 15 points on 7-of-19 shooting - just 1-of-7 from 3-point range - and had a team-high 14 rebounds. Closer to the hoop, Minnie showed a very deft touch. He plays above the rim, allowing him to get his hands on the ball and have something happen. The excellent stats crew doesn't keep track of blocks, but Minnie had at least one, getting back in transition to reject a shot on the break.
Minnie doesn't have a lot of muscle, but his length is a major asset. He'll be intriguing to watch, for sure.
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A few players did not participate: Jairus Lyles and Rodney Pryor did not suit up for Bakery Square, as mentioned. Pryor is still working on his rehab following an ACL tear suffered during his junior college season. David Appolon (foot) is also still rehabbing and did not suit up for Shale Attorney's. Finally, Kavon Stewart was in attendance but didn't play for UPMC.
The action continues on Wednesday at 7 at Montour High School.
After making its home at the Greentree SportsPlex, the Pittsburgh Basketball Club summer Pro-Am officially moved into its new digs on Monday night. Montour High School is the new permanent host for the league, which also unveiled its new format. Thanks to new NCAA rules limiting the number of teammates on each summer league roster, the league has expanded to eight teams, with two games running simultaneously.
That led to some split viewing on Monday night, as will be the case on most nights. Nevertheless, ColonialsCorner caught a little bit of everyone who played and will include our thoughts in with the game recaps. All 14 Robert Morris players are on a roster, and a few alumni might show up as well.
All stats mentioned in our recaps are courtesy of David Tobiczyk and his crew, who do a fine job helping out the Pro-Am staff.
PGT 110, Shale Attorney's 87
If they get performances like this throughout the summer, PGT might be pretty tough to handle. Derrick Randall, Josh Newkirk and Lucky Jones were dominant. Randall, who is going into his final season at Pitt, had 22 points and 15 rebounds. Newkirk, who impressed at times as a true freshman last year, had 34 points (the night's high) and eight assists. And Jones had 28 points (11-of-17 FG, 4-of-8 3pt, 2-of-3 FT) and nine rebounds.
Jones was one of the best players in this league last year, so his production is no surprise. He did flash a little something new, though. With the game out of hand, he threw an alley-oop off the backboard to himself for a dunk. We'll see if it's a precursor to him playing above the rim a little bit more as a senior.
On the other side, Charles Oliver had a very nice performance. He was inconsistent in the summer league last year, as he missed a handful of games. But he led the way with 26 points on 10-of-23 shooting, including 5-of-14 from 3-point range. Stephan Hawkins had his customary summer league performance as well, contributing 14 points and seven rebounds.
System One 85, GNC 80
You never know who might show up in the summer league, and on Monday night that meant the return of Karvel Anderson. The now-former Robert Morris guard is preparing for his pro career, but he's in the area and decided to suit up alongside Jafar Kinsey and Lionel Gomis for GNC. He was a big boost, too, as Anderson scored a team-high 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting (a cold first half hurt his percentage) and helped run the point.
Kinsey was the primary point guard though, helping give an early look at how he might run a team. He drove the hole frequently and wasn't shy about taking a shot. Kinsey went 5-of-10 and end up with 11 points and four assists. Gomis was a bit of a surprise. He looks bigger than expected, but he showed some athleticism by diving to the floor a few times (in a summer league game!). He also turned it on late offensively and ended up with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with 8 rebounds. Kinsey also jumped a few passing lanes to force turnovers, and that might be an element of his game to watch.
The RMU players were 3 of the 4 players in double figures for GNC, but it wasn't enough. Five players were in double figures for System One, led by....Marcquise Reed. The incoming freshman might have had one of the more impressive summer league debuts by a Robert Morris player, thanks to his 23 points, four assists and three rebounds. Reed pulled up for a couple of long jumpers and 3-pointers, but also drove to the basket and finished strong at the rim. It's one game, and he also had a few too many turnovers in the run-and-gun pace of the game, but it was impressive.
Old reliable Aaron Tate also had a strong performance, scoring 14 points in the win.
South Hills Audi 101, Bakery Square 84
No Robert Morris players participated in this one. Jairus Lyles and Rodney Pryor are expected to eventually suit up for Bakery Square but neither was in uniform tonight. South Hills has traditionally been the "old guy" team, full of Pitt and local alumni. They've had a bit of a youth infusion, though. Newcomers Cam Johnson (Pitt freshman) and Sheldon Jeter (Pitt transfer) combined for 41 points, while Vanderbilt transfer Nolan Cressler had 20.
West Virginia forward Brandon Watkins had 29 points for Bakery Square.
UPMC 95, CRONS 76
The final game of the night featured another trio of Robert Morris players. High school teammates Elijah Minnie and Ryan Skovranko went up against forward Andre Frederick, but Frederick's side had the last laugh. The 6-foot-8 forward wore a knee brace and came off the bench, so his action was a bit limited. He had four points to go with two rebounds in a game dominated by Pitt's Jamel Artis (21 points) and Chris Jones (14 points), as well as an impressive night from Duquesne's Domo McKoy (18 points).
Skovranko also had a quiet night for CRONS, as he went 1-of-9 for 2 points. He also picked up three rebounds and two assists. Minnie, though, had a very strong debut. He had 15 points on 7-of-19 shooting - just 1-of-7 from 3-point range - and had a team-high 14 rebounds. Closer to the hoop, Minnie showed a very deft touch. He plays above the rim, allowing him to get his hands on the ball and have something happen. The excellent stats crew doesn't keep track of blocks, but Minnie had at least one, getting back in transition to reject a shot on the break.
Minnie doesn't have a lot of muscle, but his length is a major asset. He'll be intriguing to watch, for sure.
---------------
A few players did not participate: Jairus Lyles and Rodney Pryor did not suit up for Bakery Square, as mentioned. Pryor is still working on his rehab following an ACL tear suffered during his junior college season. David Appolon (foot) is also still rehabbing and did not suit up for Shale Attorney's. Finally, Kavon Stewart was in attendance but didn't play for UPMC.
The action continues on Wednesday at 7 at Montour High School.
