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SUMMER FLASHBACK: BACKCOURT BATTLE

By Rob Harrington
robharrington@prepstars.com
September 9, 2008

Throughout the spring, the conversation among scouts around the campfire, in front of the water cooler, at the local pub and everywhere else nearly always involved a question: Which travel team has the best backcourt? There essentially were just two choices, and both Team Breakdown and the Northwest Panthers could make a strong case.

Florida-based Breakdown walloped opponents with the one-two punch of top-five senior Kenny Boynton and top-five junior Brandon Knight. Located in the Pacific Northwest, the Panthers countered with top-15 seniors Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley.

For perspective, Boynton is our choice as the top scorer in the Class of 2009, and Bradley is our pick as the best perimeter defender. Who wouldn't want to see those guys match up? Meanwhile, Gaddy and Knight also were similarly sized and talented, and the entire hypothetical tantalized everyone in the grassroots community.

In July, the quartet actually first met at the Reebok All-American Camp. Playing for camp teams -- and conveniently kept together in tandems for the purpose of competing against each other -- the first encounter occurred on a seemingly ordinary Wednesday evening in Philadelphia.

And the Florida duo won the war but lost the battle. Though their team won -- it's important to note here that, at Reebok, the first and third quarters are reserved for the 'B' teams, and each team's best players take the court only in the second, fourth and fifth (not a typo, there's a three-minute fifth "quarter"), the Washington natives actually outplayed their East Coast counterparts. Bradley's defense caused Boynton a great deal of trouble, and Gaddy generally offered up more output than did Knight.

But given the somewhat funky game format at Reebok, everyone wanted to see the guys tangle with the regular travel teams. Fortunately, they both played in the Reebok Summer Championships in Las Vegas a couple weeks later, and in a high-profile contested scheduled on the first day of the five-day tournament, the rematch was made real.

This time, Boynton and Knight outdueled Gaddy and Bradley in a ferociously competitive game. The Panthers stormed out to a double-digit lead but watched that margin evaporate quickly in the second half, as the Breakdown backcourt scored nearly all of their team's points when it mattered.

Truly, though, it was Boynton's show. His complete dominance in the second half made a statement to both Bradley and everyone else in the gym that he's still the guy. Bradley had defended Boynton very well for stretches of the Reebok Camp, and his defense bothered Boynton a great deal in the first half in Vegas as well. The Floridian forced a lot of bad shots and appeared frustrated.

In the second frame, however, on the first play Boynton made a strong drive left and finished with a four-footer. He then scored in transition, and that led to a vintage three-point shooting display -- contested by Bradley and others -- that ranks among the best performances we've ever seen in Las Vegas. Boynton drilled one 25-footer while being smothered by Bradley that was nothing short of astounding. He also played tough defense en route to 33 points (12-19 FG, 5-10 on threes), five rebounds and four steals.

It would be unfair to Knight to claim that he played a supporting role. It's true that he was Breakdown's No. 2 option, but at times it was he, the elite junior, who was the best player on the court. Knight's shot remains too flat for our tastes, but he what he brings to the table consistently are high-level athleticism and tenacity. He chopped it up verbally with the Panthers and their fans, as he and Gaddy stayed in each other's ears for much of the game. There are occasions when he forces drives and then flips up low-percentage shots at the rim, but most of the time good things happen when the ball is in his hands. He finished with 26 points (8-20 FG, 1-7 on threes).

On the other side, Gaddy shone as well, especially in the second half. With a high-arching jump shot that he fires at a moment's notice, Gaddy also mixed in quick and shifty drives and numerous slick passes to open teammates. His statline included 24 points (10-23 FG, 2-6 on threes), five rebounds, eight assists and five turnovers.

The final piece of the big backcourt game was Bradley, whose stock has skyrocketed over the past few months. The 6-2 guard is a supreme athlete and leaper off two feet who has dribble moves that free him for spectacular jams, as evidenced against his Floridian rivals. And though Boynton can get hot against anyone, Bradley's defense remained very good. It was a tip-of-the-hat sort of game, and no one could fault Bradley for that. Offensively he was very good in this battle as well, contributing 20 points (8-17 FG, 3-5 on threes) and four rebounds.