2024 Jordan Brand Classic: Team Air

Team Air came up on the losing end but put up a good fight with a 119-113 final score of the 23rd Jordan Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  Here is a look at the prospects from the team Air squad.

Liam McNeeley 6’8 200 SG – Undecided

Team Air had a few good shooters on the team, Kon Knueppel, Jalil Bethea, and Tre Johnson, but McNeeley was the one lit it up in the game scoring 25 points, going 5-10 from 3PT. He excelled in catch and shoot situations, with good size and a quick release, he gets his shot off well. He also demonstrated the ability to shoot off curls and while moving. He kept his dribbling minimal and found other ways to score throughout the game, a putback and-one and left-handed transition layup. McNeeley did a nice job not forcing his scoring and made the extra pass when appropriate. The currently undecided prospect earned Co-MVP for Team Air.

Cooper Flagg 6’9 220 PF – Duke

Flagg put up an impressive 19 points on 8-13 shooting. There were times he struggled with physicality, but he played with good aggression and hit some tough shots at the rim. While he missed both of his 3PT attempts, with his high release, the defense struggles to contest his shot without fouling him. His athleticism was on display, showing good burst with the ball, open floor jams, and stood out on both ends of the boards to pull down 10 rebounds with 4 coming on the offensive end. As usual, he covered ground defensively and blocked 3 shots in the loss.

Asa Newell 6’9 210 PF – Georgia

Another Montverde product, Newell stood out with his size and athleticism. He had a few high-flying jams and showed quick elevation when blocking a shot. He scored 12 points without forcing his impact on an efficient 5-7 shooting. He also pulled down 8 rebounds (3 offensive) but aside from his physical/natural ability, we have to talk about his developing 3PT shot, hitting back-to-back 3PTers without hesitation to go 2-3 from distance.

Tre Johnson 6’6 190 SG – Texas

Johnson’s scoring arsenal wasn’t on display as it was in the previous postseason games, but he finished with 10 points. He played off the ball a lot, hitting layups off a curl and a one-foot runner. His other points include a deep catch and shoot 3PTer, and 3 free throws after getting fouled on a 3PT attempt. Johnson also recorded 4 rebounds.

Robert Wright 6’0 165 PG – Baylor

Wright scored 10 points on 3-12 shooting. As a scorer he showed outside shooting (2-5 3PT) and ability to use either hand at the rim. He’s a very good ball-handler with solid quickness, doing a good job getting where he wanted with his dribble. Where he stood out the most was leading the game in assists, recording 7 to 3 turnovers, knowing where his shooters are and finding the open man.

Kon Knueppel 6’5 205 SF – Duke

Knueppel missed his only 3PT attempt but found ways to score without forcing his impact. He showed a runner and had a few dunks in transition/broken plays. There were times he picked up his dribble early and there are some concerns about him staying in front of his man on the perimeter at the next level, getting beat by Dylan Harper somewhat easily at times. Knueppel’s performance was good overall, scoring 8 points and grabbing 5 rebounds in right under 12 minutes of play.

Jayden Quaintance 6’9 230 PF/C – Undecided

Quaintance provided 6 points and 4 rebounds. 4 of his points from catching and dunking, another 2 from free throws. He’s very well coordinated and gets off the ground quick. I think he blended in a bit much and can show more intensity, he got blocked on two plays he could’ve been stronger with the ball. Despite his superior size and athleticism, it’s well worth noting Quaintance is the youngest player to ever play in the Jordan Brand Classic as he doesn’t turn 17 until July.

Jalil Bethea 6’4 170 SG – Miami

Bethea scored 6 points. He didn’t stand out too much, going 3-7 from the floor and missing all 3 of his 3PT attempts. He hit some tough layups and displayed an open floor dunk. He showed some vision on a few passes, including a nice dime underneath to Kon Knueppel on one play, ultimately recording 3 assists.

Derrion Reid 6’7 180 PF – Alabama

Reid didn’t score too much with 6 points, both field goals coming in transition. He’s a good athlete and does a good job getting where he wants with his dribble. He’s a good passer as well, he had two nice plays where he passed out of his drive to find Jayden Quaintance for dunk opportunities on both plays. He left some points at the free throw line going 2-5 from the stripe.

Labaron Philon 6’4 175 PG – Undecided

Philon put 4 points on the board with a stop and pop from midrange and another layup he took from one end to the other without anyone stopping him. He shot 2-7 from the floor and 0-3 from 3PT but contributed 4 assists. The recent Kanss decommit also played good on-ball defense and came away with a team high 3 steals.

Billy Richmond 6’5 200 SF – Undecided

Richmond also posted 4 points. He’s got a good body and athleticism, along with a good motor. He threw down a dunk in the open floor and showed a quick step with the ball to hit a tough/contested layup when the help defender slid over. Richmond didn’t contribute much in other areas with 1 rebound and 1 assist in right under 9 minutes of play.

Darren Harris 6’5 195 SF – Duke

Harris’ only 3 points came on a catch and shoot 3PT attempt. He ended up going 1-3 from the floor, with all being 3PT attempts. He spaced the floor and played off the ball quite a bit. While not standing out too much, Harris also grabbed 3 rebounds, and his 4 assists with no turnovers was a plus for his team.

Aiden Sherrell 6’10 215 C – Alabama

Sherrell went scoreless and didn’t do too much in his 12 minutes. He shot 0-2 on FGs and his only stat was grabbing 2 rebounds. Sherrell has good size and mobility, eating up space defensively, and did a good job as a help defender walling up and contesting shots without fouling.