ORLANDO, Fla. -- The U-17 AAU Super Showcase championship went to Each 1 Teach 1 after beating the St. Louis Eagles 78-60. Shooting guards Austin Rivers (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park) and Trevor Lacey (Huntsville, Ala./S.R. Butler) combined for 46 points on the way to victory. Ben McLemore (St. Louis/Eskridge) led the Eagles with 18 points and Bradley Beal (St. Louis/Chaminade), who didn't have one of his better games, supported McLemore with 12 points.
Standout players
Austin Rivers
2011, SG, 6-foot-4, 189 pounds
AAU Team: Each 1 Teach 1
Rivers set the tone with one-on-one moves and a highlight reel dunk on the break. His floaters with terrific body control, combined with a deadly right-to-left crossover, were tough for defenders to handle all night long. Rivers finished with 24 points, leading his team to the title.
Trevor Lacey
2011, SG, 6-3, 200 pounds
AAU Team: Each 1 Teach 1
Lacey was aggressive from the start. He set up his deep 3-ball with powerful drives and slashes through contact. He finished on the break and repeatedly attacked defenders off the bounce. Lacey scored 22 points by being productive inside and out.
Ben McLemore
2011, SG, 6-5, 185 pounds
AAU Team: St. Louis Eagles
McLemore excelled on the break and got the crowd to its feet with big-time baseline dunks in traffic. He also hit a few nice mid-range pull-up jumpers and was active on the glass. McLemore scored 18 points with his combination of high-level athletic ability and improving skill.
Surprise player
Adam Jones (Winter Park, Fla./St. Thomas More)
2011, PF, 6-8, 215 pounds | AAU Team: Each 1 Teach 1
Fairfield coach Ed Cooley hit a home run with this athletic and active power forward. Jones scored 11 points and really made his presence felt inside. He showed great patience before making his back-to-the-basket moves and also rebounded well in his area. Jones ran the floor well and is a good passer out of the post or when he draws multiple defenders. Jones plays with great energy and works to contest and block shots in and out of his area on the defensive end. Jones has all-conference written all over him with continued improvement.
Player to watch
Aaron Adeoye (Marion, Ill./Marion)
2011, PF, 6-6, 230 pounds | AAU Team: St. Louis Eagles
He is a strong, physical power forward who hits the glass on both ends. Adeoye knocked down a 16-foot jumper without hesitation and worked to defend the low post. Although undersized, Adeoye is tough and competes on both ends as well.
Adeoye is hearing from Illinois State, Missouri State, Florida State, Illinois, Oregon State and Tulane.
X factor
Brett Comer (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park)
2011, PG/SG, 6-3, 185 pounds | AAU Team: Each 1 Teach 1
Comer is a tough-minded guard who competed on both ends of the floor. He handled the ball under intense pressure, attacked the basket relentlessly and defended Beal with great energy and urgency. The Florida Atlantic commit got his share of garbage buckets and seemed to do whatever he needed to help his team and was very productive at doing it. FAU coach Mike Jarvis is going to have some fun coaching this ultimate "glue guy" who can play both guard positions.
Notes
• Andre Drummond (Middletown, Conn./St. Thomas More) had a solid opening day at the U-17 nationals. The athletic big man played with good energy and most importantly concentrated on dominating the paint, instead of drifting to the perimeter too often. Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon and Georgetown coach John Thompson III were front and center for both games, while North Carolina's Roy Williams was on the baseline for his afternoon game.
• The New York Gauchos scored a dramatic overtime win over Team Breakdown in the opening round of the gold bracket. Melvin Johnson (New York/Rice) was the hero for the Gauchos as he drilled a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to force overtime, scored the opening bucket of the extra period and came away with a crucial steal in the last minute of the game. The rising junior already claims an offer from Iona and is also hearing from Fordham and Georgia Tech, according to Gauchos coach Casey Williams.
• Team Charlotte fell to the New Jersey Roadrunners in the final of the U-17 Super Showcase bracket, but the run to the championship game allowed Bernard Sullivan (Huntersville, N.C./North Mecklenburg High School) a chance to shine. The 6-8 forward impacts the game in a variety of ways and scores the ball both inside and out. He has a very efficient post game with his back to the basket and a soft shooting touch with range to the 3-point line.
• Pat Connaughton (Arlington, Mass./St. John's Prep) has seen his recruiting stock rise as much as anyone over the last five days in Orlando. He put up ridiculous numbers in the Super Showcase, averaging over 30 points per game, and received some well-deserved rest as his Middlesex Magic team earned a big win in the opening round of the nationals. Connaughton has landed scholarship offers from LaSalle, St. Bonaventure and Northeastern in recent days, while drawing additional interest from Notre Dame, Boston College, Clemson, Wake Forest and Cincinnati.
Reggie Rankin was an assistant coach at seven schools for 13 seasons, most recently at Dayton. He played at Ohio University from 1986-90 and was an All-MAC first-teamer in his senior season. Paul Biancardi and Adam Finkelstein contributed to this report.