Some Players That Stood Out In The HBCU Showcase At Vegas Summer League
Dakota Schmidt writes about Jermaine Marrow, MJ Randolph, and Jalen Seegars, who stood out at the HBCU Showcase at Vegas Summer League
Last month, yours truly was braving the elements of the dry July heat of Las Vegas, Nevada to attend Summer League. While the attention was dedicated to the on-court action of intriguing NBA prospects, there were some intriguing events that coincided with the main events of those days. One example of that occurred in the early afternoon of July 11th when twenty eight of the finest HBCU alums participated in scrimmages at Thomas and Mark at the inaugural NBA’s HBCU Showcase. Our coverage of that event started a few weeks prior with an interview with former NBA player and current Jackson State head coach Mo Williams, who was serving as one of the coaches for the event.
Now pulling our attention to the players that performed in the scrimmages that were closed to the public, there were a handful of folks that really stood out. While the future of these players are unsure, it was clear with my two eyes that they were able to take advantage of the unique opportunity that was presented to them.
Jermaine Marrow - 6’0 guard from Hampton
Averaged 18.9 points, 4 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game on 36% from the field and 22% from 3. 49% TS% and 41% eFG% for CB Menorca in the Spanish LEB Silver league
In a series of scrimmages where a group of strangers were paired up with each other, it was really impressive to see how Hampton alum Jermaine Marrow was able to control the pace of the game and know how to get his teammates involved, whether he was pushing it in transition or setting the action up in the half-court.
For folks that follow HBCU hoops, that praise wouldn’t be surprising as the 6-foot guard had a marvelous career at Hampton. During his four-year run with the team, he made three consecutive appearances to the conference’s First Team, which exemplified his consistent excellence. His great play with the team was capped off during the 2019-20 season as the senior averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game on 41% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc.
The most impressive stat is shown by how Jermaine shot 76% from the free-throw line on 8.6 attempts per 36 minutes. Those number of attempts placed him tenth in the entire scope of NCAA Division I basketball. That knack of going to the charity stripe on a frequent basis is impressive as he outmatched some of the highest volume scoring bigs in college basketball, who are more likely to get drawn fouls than guards due to playing more around the restricted area.
The knack that Marrow showed as a downhill driver and facilitator that is able to frequently get to the free throw line allow him to be an intriguing offensive weapon despite his inconsistencies as a perimeter shooter. Despite his smaller 6-foot frame, he showed a real knack of being able to move horizontally, which included moving around screens during the HBCU Showcase. While those scrimmages are a small sample size, the glimpse that some NBA executives got from him should be enough to at least warrant him getting a G League tryout.
MJ Randolph - 6’4 guard from Florida A&M - 18.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2 steals on 47% from the field as a senior in 2021-22 for Florida A&M
When it comes to the six prospects that will be written about within this piece, Randolph might be the most known to folks that work within the NBA and G League. The reason behind that rests with how the Florida A&M alum actually participated in the G League Elite Camp scrimmages that took place prior to this year’s NBA Draft. While he wasn’t the most efficient scorer during those scrimmages through shooting 3-14 from the field, he still made an impact through how he was able to utilize his downhill driving ability to create opportunities for both himself and others.
Whether you watch the tape from those Elite Camp or HBCU Showcase scrimmages or go back to watch him play with Florida A&M, the 6’4 guard really has an impressive ability to utilize on-ball probes to create opportunities for others. When on the move, the guard shows real creativity through how he can deliver feeds by being able to deliver jump passes or catching the defense’s attention with a drive before dishing it out to his teammates. That knack in addition to how his work as an on-ball driver allowed him to average 6.3 free throw attempts per 36 minutes, which placed him 6th in the SWAC during the 2021-22 season.
In a similar vein to Jermaine Marrow, MJ was able to stand out through how he was able to defend the perimeter. In the case of the Florida A&M alum, he is always in a good defensive stance, shows a real ability to move both horizontally and vertically, and is able to stay close and tight on his assignment while avoiding getting into any sort of foul trouble. That was shown last year by how he averaged only 2.1 fouls despite playing an outlandish 39 minutes per game.
While he does have some struggles as a shooter, as his 22% three-point and 66% free throw percentages are both atrocious, Randolph being a guard with size that can go downhill, facilitate, and be comfortable defending 1-3 makes him a prospect that a team should add to as a G League tryout or even on an exhibit 10.
Jalen Seegars - 6’5 wing from Fayetteville State - averaged 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.2 blocks on 42% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc on 5.8 attempts per game in 2021-22 for Fayetteville State
When I walked down the Thomas & Mack bleachers and got myself situated courtside to watch the HBCU Showcase games, there was one player that caught my eye. That was the former Division II prospect that started the festivities as an unknown in my eye but left as someone that I wanted to know more about. This change of attitude was due to how active he was on the court through working his tail off defending the perimeter and moving over screens to being willing to fight for offensive rebounds. While that activity was great in its own right, it was made more impressive by how he was doing this as a young Division II alum playing against veterans that have played G League or international basketball.
Despite now being a month removed from the initial introduction, Seegars remains in my mind. However, the intrigue has turned as we move into the dog days of summer. This comes after looking through his film and seeing how skilled of a shooter he was. As an off-the-dribble threat, the Fayetteville State alum showed a knack for being able to create separation from his man and hitting a step-back 3. When he’s working in catch-and-shoots, he honestly looks more advanced than some G League wings that I’ve watched. This is through how using a hop step ball allows him to load up the power in his legs before getting the ball. This prevents him from taking time to dip the ball, which makes the whole process as a shooter quick and smooth.
The confidence that Jalen showed against that upgraded level of competition would make me feel more secure in giving him a tryout if I was in charge of a G League team. While G League alums and HBCU Showcase participants like Phil Carr or Amir Hinton weren’t premier prospects within the league, they were good enough to both get and stay on a roster for an extended period of time. Jalen’s performance over those players is a testament to how good he currently is and how he can continue to grow as a young player.