Rosters and coaches named for 2013 Under Armour Elite 24. Event to be held in Brooklyn, N.Y. August 23-24 and televised live on ESPNU. We also give a quick synopsis of the two teams.
After three years at Venice Beach in Los Angeles, CA, the Under Armour Elite 24 is returning to its roots in New York City and will be televised live on ESPNU at 7:00 ET from Brooklyn, N.Y. on Saturday, August 24th. The Slam Dunk Contest and Skills Competition will air live on ESPNU at the same time and from the same location Friday, August 23rd.
The teams and coaches have been announced for the event (listed alphabetically):
Team Coney Island
Head Coach: Mario “Jedi” Elie
Chris Chiozza, White Station (Memphis, Tenn.) 5-11 PG 2014
Justin Jackson, Homeschool Christian Youth Association (Tomball, Texas) 6-7 SF 2014
Tyus Jones, Apple Valley (Apple Valley, Minn.) 6-1 PG 2014
Thon Maker, Carlisle School (Martinsville, Va.) 7-0 C 2016
Malik Newman, Callaway (Jackson, Miss.) 6-3 SG 2015
Goodluck Okonoboh, Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Wilbraham, Mass.) 6-9 C 5th Year
Ivan Rabb, Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) 6-9 PF 2015
D’Angelo Russell, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 6-4 SG 2014
Myles Turner, Trinity (Euless, Texas) 6-11 C 2014
Isaiah Whitehead, Lincoln (Brooklyn) 6-4 SG 2014
Dion Wiley, Potomac (Oxon Mill, Md.) 6-4 SG 2014
Justise Winslow, St. John’s School (Houston, Texas) 6-5 SF 2014
Team Bed Stuy
Head Coach: Dwayne “Pearl” Washington
Joel Berry, Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.) 6-0 PG 2014
Devin Booker, Moss Point (Moss Point, Miss.) 6-5 SG 2014
Chiek Diallo, Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.) 6-8 PF 2015
Stanley Johnson, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 6-6 SF 2014
Chris McCullough, Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) 6-10 PF 5th Year
Emmanuel Mudiay, Prime Prep Academy (Arlington, Texas) 6-5 PG 2014
Kelly Oubre, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 6-7 SF 2014
Theo Pinson, Wesleyan Christian Academy (Greensboro, N.C.) 6-6 SF 2014
Romelo Trimble, Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) 6-2 SG 2014
Rashad Vaughn, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 6-5 SG 2014
Stephen Zimmerman, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 7-0 C 2015
What To Watch For
This event will feature four of the top five-ranked players in the Hoop Scoop’s Ranking of the Top 100 Players in the Class of 2014: Johnson, Mudiay, Jones and Jackson.
On paper, it seems Team Bed Stuy has the clear advantage with Johnson and Mudiay leading the way, plus the nation’s top shooting guard in Vaughn. Johnson usually is on the winning side of games he plays in and nobody in the class of 2014 has a greater thirst for competition. Mudiay is just a load for anyone to handle and that’s amplified in the Elite 24 atmosphere. Mudiay will be matched up against Jones and in the fast, open-court pace that this game traditionally is played at, Mudiay could have a big outing.
Johnson, Mudiay and Vaughn gained valuable experience in last year’s game at Venice Beach and are good candidates for team MVP honors. On the flip side, Winslow actually was his team’s MVP in 2012 with 21 points, so look for Team Coney Island to get him the ball. The fifth returnee from last year’s game is Jones, who had four points and six assists. If either Winslow or Jones doesn’t have a big game for Team Coney Island, it could be in trouble.
Jones-Mudiay and Johnson-Winslow are key match ups, but another we’re looking forward to is Rabb-Zimmerman underneath. It will be a national coming out party of sorts for Rabb, the returning CalHiSports.com State Sophomore of the Year, but he’ll have his hands full with Zimmerman, arguably the most skilled post player in the country regardless of class. Zimmerman was the difference maker when Belmont Shore defeated Mudiay’s and Newman’s Mo Williams Elite in the Fab 48 Tip-Off in Las Vegas in July.
Under Armour Elite 24 Notes
The event was formerly the Boost Mobile Elite 24 until last year when Under Armour became the title sponsor. This year, after ESPN discontinued its high school division in September of 2012, Under Armour added the event to its portfolio after being the apparel sponsor for six years and the title sponsor this past year. The game was played at historic Rucker Park in Harlem, N.Y. its first four years.
Elie, the Team Coney Island coach, is a former NBA guard and World Champion who attended Power Memorial High School in New York before the school was renamed Xaverian of Brooklyn. Washington, the Team Bed Stuy coach, was a high school and schoolyard sensation at Boys (Brooklyn, N.Y.). He was a two-time Student Sports All-American and the runner-up to Reggie Williams of Baltimore (Dunbar, Md.) for Mr. Basketball USA honors for the 1982-83 season.
Both Reid Travis of De La Salle (Minneapolis, Minn.) 6-8 PF 2014 and Harry Giles of Wesleyan Christian Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 6-9 PF 2016 are injured and will not participate.
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