NEW LONDON, Conn. -- The second-annual Memorial Day Super 16 Showcase assembled some of the top talent the Northeast had to offer by bringing together top teams and prospects from New England, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Maryland and beyond.
Standout performances
Christopher Obekpa (Centereach, N.Y./Our Savior New American)
2012, C, 6-foot-8, 225 pounds
College: Undecided
There were few hints as to what the unsigned big man will choose to do next year but at this point nobody seems willing to rule anything out. What there was, however, was a dominant defensive performance throughout the weekend highlighted by some signs of expanding offense. Obekpa has added muscle, while maintaining his mobility and explosiveness. His shot-blocking prowess was absolutely incredible this weekend, and in a variety of different situations. Offensively, he showed some progression of a low-post game, while also throwing the high-low pass that gave New Heights a buzzer-beating layup and the junior division championship.
Noah Vonleh (Haverhill, Mass./New Hampton)
2014, PF, 6-8, 220 pounds
Vonleh’s dominance continued on Sunday as his versatility and overall talent shined above the rest of the field. He seems to highlight a new weapon in his arsenal every weekend and this weekend it was his ability to rise to the occasion in big moments. In the semifinal, it was a buzzer-beating tip-dunk that saw him rise above a pack of traffic to throw down a vicious dunk just as time expired in what was an incredible display of his explosiveness. In the final, he took the ball with 20 seconds left on the clock and his team trailing by 3 points, identified where his shooter was, drove hard to that side forcing the help to come, and kicked it out for a wide open 3 to tie the game with 5 seconds to play.
Kahlil Dukes (Hartford, Conn./Capital Prep)
2013, SG/PG, 5-11, 160 pounds
His game and recruitment have been on a steady rise all spring. His DNA is that of an undersized scoring guard and while he may never be a pure point guard, he’s more of a new-age lead guard who uses his individual playmaking abilities to create offensive opportunities for his team. This weekend, he continued to get better as the tournament went on and his efficiency improved with his decision making. He utilized the threat of his deep jumper to keep defenders off balance and then got into the lane where he scored off quick pull-ups, floaters, or extended lay-ins while also making a variety of finds off the dribble.