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Exploring the talent, footage and information available at the 2020 CLF Hoops Showcase
Please note:
The information in this article is in reference to a service NCAA Division I coaches are permitted to subscribe to for Men's Basketball
To confirm approval, NCAA compliance officers and coaches may find this service on the list of approvals linked below.
This link requires an NCAA login and is not available to the public.
PICTURED: Coach Liam Flynn pictured with campers in 2019. Liam has recently had a stint Hapoel Jeruselum in the Israeli Premier League and FIBA Champions League. He is also a renowned coach educator globally, so coaches watching these sessions will get value from the content in them too.
Last year Coach Liam Flynn developed the idea to offer an event to South Australians, and any others around Australia, which provided the opportunity to attend a basketball camp/clinic focused on their development and learning, whilst competing with and against other top tier athletes in various age groups, and the opportunity to gain exposure to US College and Professional Coaches all over the world.
We asked Liam why he setup the showcase initially and here is what he had to say, "I wanted to give young players from South Australia an affordable way of being seen and recruited by overseas programs. We’re very fortunate in South Australia to have a wealth of young prospects and we want to help them continue their careers after they finish junior basketball. I also wanted to give the players an awesome player development experience. We run the practice like a professional team – 3 hours of hard work, working on sophisticated content delivered by coaches with high-level experience. "
The first event was a success. It was very well run, had full attendance, with some great talent, kids gained exposure and secured life-changing athletic scholarships to US Colleges as a result. This year's event is looking like it will be even bigger and better than the last. In a year that has seen talent ID events significantly impacted by the COVID pandemic, we need to ensure we get things on track for the athletes. This includes getting their college recruiting back on track and for athletes considering other options for their pathways, providing more development opportunities for them to improve and test themselves.
This article is to review last year's event, the kind of information and footage coaches can expect this year and look at some of the athletes from last year and where they are now.
These kinds of events have been run previously at Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence and the Australian Institute of Sport. We covered them previously here; Basketball Australia CoE prospects combine ( Basketball Australia's College Prospects Combine) and Basketball Australia Prospects Camp ( Basketball Australia Prospects Camp. About this camp and the first one; Where are they now?) .
Last year's event
Last year Coach Liam Flynn did an incredible job. Whilst it did fit a unique niche it was probably the best run, organised and structured event of its type in South Australia.
The talent attracted to the event was high level, including around 8 interstate prospects. We will focus on the specific athletes involved further down in the article.
Liam had spared no time or expense in delivering a quality event. It was in the recently built, state of the art, basketball facility at Prince Alfred College. Multiple physios were on hand to help keep athletes warmed up, stretched, and for any injury treatment. Coaches included an array of NBL experienced coaches, former college players, and high-level coaches from state programs and NBL1.
One of the key components was the gathering of data on each athlete. Athletes completed information in the leadup on their goals and aspirations. One the day, in the morning athletes were taken through various testing and drills to provide. Athlete anthropometry specific basketball was considered. Here is some of the tests from last year:
The following anthropometry were tested:
Height
Wingspan
Shoe size
Handsize
Athletic capabilities were tested too:
Vertical leap (standing)
1/2 court sprint
Lane agility test
Finally, it was some shooting tests:
NBA 100 - Timed for for mins. 5 spots, start outside 3 pt line. 3s are worth 3, mid range pullup worth 2, layup worth 1. Keep shooting 3 till you miss at a spot, then keep shooting mid range till you miss, then shoot 1 layup and move to next spot.
5 mins of 3s - 1 ball, 1 rebounder
Layups in 2 mins (1 pt for layup, 2 pts for a dunk)
The above information was used to present various lists and rankings to college coaches to help provide insights and benchmarks for each athlete. The details compiled and presented were detailed and vast:
PICTURED: Rankings of athletes using various tests and anthropometry were provided in an in-depth information package for subscribing coaches.
We also compiled an athlete profile for each athlete which looked like this (note these athletes are also taking part in year's event again by the way):
PICTURED: Magok Manyang's profile in the CLF Hoops Showcase Info package to subscribers.
PICTURED: Lachlan Olbrich's profile in the CLF Hoops Showcase Info package to subscribers.
PICTURED: Lewis Rowe's profile in the CLF Hoops Showcase Info package to subscribers.
PICTURED: Ayual Garang's profile in the CLF Hoops Showcase Info package to subscribers.
PICTURED: PICTURED: Benjamin Griscti's profile in the CLF Hoops Showcase Info package to subscribers.
In addition to the above Liam also wanted to challenge the athletes with their x’s and o’s side too. He developed a playbook in the leadup to the event which included a bunch of plays for coaches to use for their teams. Players were provided the plays in the weeks leading up to the event which they were able to study up on and be ready for. It was great to see on the day that those guys that had read up on the plays with a combination of leadership too were leading others when they were working on them. Isaac Atuer, was one of the leaders in this regard.
About last year's athletes- where are they now?
We are really proud of the athletes involved last year and how we had varying involvement with their progress. From working out the guys post event, to advising and assisting them to be college ready, checking in with coaches recruiting them, to sending footage to coaches, to advocating for athletes via our networks of college coaches it was a pleasure to assist the guys.
We want to shout out the following athletes from last year and also to recognise their achievements so far:
Sebastian Griffin – after leading the U18 SA Metro men to a silver at the U18 National Championships Sebastian was recruited by Nova South Eastern University. This is a fabled Division 2 program in the United States building to one of the most successful D2 programs in the US. Sebastian is a proven winner and leader and his character displayed at the showcase and for his other teams and events he has taken part in really helped with his recruitment.
Magok Manyang – Magok is a definite high-level Division 1 College prospect. He elected to go the Juco route with LSU-Eunice initially, as many young men choose to do, for various reasons. Magok has not gone to college just yet due to the COVID pandemic so will be in the event this year again. We can’t wait to see his ongoing development and growth which is always impressive since starting the game a little later.
Joel Dyer – Joel Dyer is a shooting phenom but he has other great aspects to this game. He has moved over the basketball hotbed of Indiana to play for Kory Alford at the Huntington Foresters. Huntington are in the NAIA in one of the toughest NAIA conferences in the United States. We can’t wait to see how Joel’s game converts at that level and expect him to become one of the best shooters in the United States.
Cameron Huefner – Cam has joined the Pitt State basketball program, recruited by Justin Bailey and colleagues. Cam is an athletic 4 man that has a combination of strength, athleticism and skill set that makes him a tough matchup. Cameron as someone that bloomed in the game relatively late is always seeking new input and ideas for his pathway
Isaac Atuer – Isaac is currently staying in Australia and will also take part in this year’s event. He had committed to Pratt College but the Pandemic has put that on hold for this season. Isaac is a definite 4 yr NCAA player.
Hayden Meakes – Hayden has committed to Adams State. A D2 NCAA in the tough RMAC conference. A big, athletic player with a great ability to consistently knock down catch and shoot 3s Hayden will thrive in the college system we feel. He will be heading over to Colorado in the coming weeks in time for the RMAC season to start in late November, a delayed start due to COVID.
All of these young men made the All Star Game in 2019 for the CLF Hoops Showcase.
So what can we expect this year?
PICTURED: Benjamin Griscti has a bevy of division 1 schools recruiting him currently will be one of the athletes that generates lots interest for himself in the CLF Hoops Showcase.
This year there are around 45 athletes currently enrolled in the event representing most of the top prospects from across the state, not based at the Centre of Excellence currently. Coach Flynn comments;
“I’m really excited about the prospects that we have registered for the CLF Hoops Showcase. A big thank you firstly has to go to the Selection Committee who was comprised of a representative from each of the District clubs. They were a huge help in identifying players and ensuring they had the information on how to register. In regards to the players, we feel like we have captured over 90% of the top prospects in the South Australian market. We will have players for all levels of college basketball – high major, mid-major down to NAIA.”
This year the CLF Hoops Showcase is not just a stand-alone event. It is now part of a comprehensive scouting service that NCAA coaches are permitted by the NCAA to subscribe to. With this service, coaches will have access to all the footage from the Showcases 2020, info, and insights from the day, but also access to 4 newsletter updates throughout the following 12 months. Athletes will be surveyed during this time and updates sought from their coaches, as well as Coach Flynn, and his scouts, own observations on their progress. The goal of all this process is to make College coaches’ recruiting accurate and efficient and ensure players land in a place where they will thrive in their new environment.
Some of the 2021 or 2020 athletes at this year’s event currently on division 1 and 2 radars include:
Magok Manyang – 6’7’’ Athletic Wing
Benjamin Griscti – 6’11’’ Skilled stretch 4
Toby Woolcock – 6’6’’ Combo guard
Lewis Rowe – 6’11’’ Centre
Akok Machar – 6’6’’ Wing-
Moses Nuangki – 6’3’’ Guard
Taine Mitchell – 6’5’’ Defensive Wing
Tyson Dyer – 6’1’’ Guard
There is also a considerable amount of talent emerging in the younger age groups such as 6’9’’ Lachlan Olbrich, 6’3’’ Guard Riley Real, 6’1’’ Guard Curtis Scott to name a few.
At HPHN we are keen to support Coach Flynn in this event to become a mainstay in South Australian (and Australian for that matter) basketball. It leads to athlete growth, pathways, and empowerment and that is what we love to be a part of here at the High-Performance Hoops Network.
For College and Pro Coaches
Coaches at all levels are encouraged to subscribe for the newsletter, footage, info, and insights for this event. This will give you vast, in-depth coverage and insights over the coming 12 months and we truly believe it will represent some of the best value for money information of any service you subscribe to.
You can find more info on this service from Coach Liam Flynn and subscribe here:
