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Mintz at summer hoops festival

Cassidy's Takeaways: Day 1 of the Summer Hoops Festival​

Pitt fans should be encouraged by the fact that he’s turning into a combo guard that can impact games in a number of ways.
 
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Sounds like exactly the type of dude we need. Hope it translates to the college level. Miss guys like this.



It will. There are certain things Mintz does really well that is going to help him transition into college much easier than other players.

Tenacious defender that makes opponents uncomfortable on offense. He moves his feet well, help defense recovery is good, attacks the passing lanes, and does a good job keeping his man in front. He forces turnovers, is active, and keeps his motor running on high on defense with active hands while keeping tight space on his man. He has some Aaron Craft in his defense that bothers people, just a nuisance on that end.

He has a bevy of offensive moves which is going to really help him transition his first year. Jab steps, crossovers, step backs, spins, pump fakes, he is becoming quite good at reading the defender and getting them to bite in multiple ways. And more importantly, he takes contact well and can finish it with contact which is really going to help him in the paint and midrange. His skill set at creating space to get shots off is very good entering college.

He has been a rock this summer for Team Durant. His National Ranking is improving and will jump higher next update. If he works on his 3 point shooting more, he will find himself in the National Top 50-60. His midrange game is college ready now. His athletic ability and strength are both underrated. He has some Wanamaker in him too. A toughness element that isn't taught, you either have it or you don't. Plays with edge.
 
It will. There are certain things Mintz does really well that is going to help him transition into college much easier than other players.

Tenacious defender that makes opponents uncomfortable on offense. He moves his feet well, help defense recovery is good, attacks the passing lanes, and does a good job keeping his man in front. He forces turnovers, is active, and keeps his motor running on high on defense with active hands while keeping tight space on his man. He has some Aaron Craft in his defense that bothers people, just a nuisance on that end.

He has a bevy of offensive moves which is going to really help him transition his first year. Jab steps, crossovers, step backs, spins, pump fakes, he is becoming quite good at reading the defender and getting them to bite in multiple ways. And more importantly, he takes contact well and can finish it with contact which is really going to help him in the paint and midrange. His skill set at creating space to get shots off is very good entering college.

He has been a rock this summer for Team Durant. His National Ranking is improving and will jump higher next update. If he works on his 3 point shooting more, he will find himself in the National Top 50-60. His midrange game is college ready now. His athletic ability and strength are both underrated. He has some Wanamaker in him too. A toughness element that isn't taught, you either have it or you don't. Plays with edge.


Following up on this, Mintz was bumped up to 81st Nationally on 247 and 86th Nationally on ESPN. I just checked their rankings.
 
I loved watching these highlights. Just seems like the sort of long, skilled, scorer we haven’t seen in a while. Kind of a taller Vonteego if I’m drawing PItt comps.
Not exactly, but to me the most similar comparison I can think of. Though, I can see a little Wanamaker, too.
 
It will. There are certain things Mintz does really well that is going to help him transition into college much easier than other players.

Tenacious defender that makes opponents uncomfortable on offense. He moves his feet well, help defense recovery is good, attacks the passing lanes, and does a good job keeping his man in front. He forces turnovers, is active, and keeps his motor running on high on defense with active hands while keeping tight space on his man. He has some Aaron Craft in his defense that bothers people, just a nuisance on that end.

He has a bevy of offensive moves which is going to really help him transition his first year. Jab steps, crossovers, step backs, spins, pump fakes, he is becoming quite good at reading the defender and getting them to bite in multiple ways. And more importantly, he takes contact well and can finish it with contact which is really going to help him in the paint and midrange. His skill set at creating space to get shots off is very good entering college.

He has been a rock this summer for Team Durant. His National Ranking is improving and will jump higher next update. If he works on his 3 point shooting more, he will find himself in the National Top 50-60. His midrange game is college ready now. His athletic ability and strength are both underrated. He has some Wanamaker in him too. A toughness element that isn't taught, you either have it or you don't. Plays with edge.
Yeah, really like how he initiates contact looking to score.
 
as it sits now, he's the 12th highest rated player via 247 sports to wear the Blue and Gold. Capel's best recruit to date.
 
It will. There are certain things Mintz does really well that is going to help him transition into college much easier than other players.

Tenacious defender that makes opponents uncomfortable on offense. He moves his feet well, help defense recovery is good, attacks the passing lanes, and does a good job keeping his man in front. He forces turnovers, is active, and keeps his motor running on high on defense with active hands while keeping tight space on his man. He has some Aaron Craft in his defense that bothers people, just a nuisance on that end.

He has a bevy of offensive moves which is going to really help him transition his first year. Jab steps, crossovers, step backs, spins, pump fakes, he is becoming quite good at reading the defender and getting them to bite in multiple ways. And more importantly, he takes contact well and can finish it with contact which is really going to help him in the paint and midrange. His skill set at creating space to get shots off is very good entering college.

He has been a rock this summer for Team Durant. His National Ranking is improving and will jump higher next update. If he works on his 3 point shooting more, he will find himself in the National Top 50-60. His midrange game is college ready now. His athletic ability and strength are both underrated. He has some Wanamaker in him too. A toughness element that isn't taught, you either have it or you don't. Plays with edge.
Hope you are right with the Aaron Craft comparison. Loved watching Craft. Had great instincts and footwork.
 
Vontego Cummings was listed at 6' 4 so I doubt that Judah is taller than him.

One of the Pitt basketball/football bloggers compared him to Cameron Wright except that Mintz has a better shooting stroke.
 
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Mintz in the EYBL matched up against team Thad and Hood Schifino tonight.


Mintz team won the game 71-61.

Mintz finished with 17 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, 1 turnover. 1 steal, and 1 charge drawn. He was the best player on the floor for either team tonight and the game featured a bevy of 4 and 5 star players for both teams. Mintz was very good getting into the paint finishing scores and dishing assists with full control of the basketball and not wild reckless drives like with Xavier Johnson. He played both pg and sg.

Big Time performance on both ends of the floor with the lights turned on. Impressive, on offense AND on defense
 
Mintz in the EYBL matched up against team Thad and Hood Schifino tonight.


Mintz team won the game 71-61.

Mintz finished with 17 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, 1 turnover. 1 steal, and 1 charge drawn. He was the best player on the floor for either team tonight and the game featured a bevy of 4 and 5 star players for both teams. Mintz was very good getting into the paint finishing scores and dishing assists with full control of the basketball and not wild reckless drives like with Xavier Johnson. He played both pg and sg.

Big Time performance on both ends of the floor with the lights turned on. Impressive, on offense AND on defense
How did JHS look?
 
How did JHS look?
He was solid and he is big for a pg. He missed a lot of shots when Mintz guarded him. Terrific vision and passing ability that didn't always result with points but he reads the floor very well. Had some turnovers and struggled to get into the paint on dribble penetration against Mintz when Mintz was matched up against him. JHS made shots but he took a ton of shots to get his points and missed a lot. He wasn't nearly as efficient as Mintz in this game although neither was anyone else on either team. Both players have a ton of potential at the college level and possibly beyond.
 
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I always thought Cam was playing the wrong sport and would have been a prototypical NFL safety. The kid was tough as can be and a pretty freakish athlete.
Being a tough hard nosed bb player isn’t quite the same as being willing to sacrifice your body to knock down a 225 lb freight train running a 4.4 right at you or a 260 TE running free in the secondary !

I’d think just about anyone playing D1 basketball has the athletic skills to find a spot somewhere on a Fb team if they were so inclined .

I find it interesting that the Pirates drafted the Clemson qb and PSU wr recruits and both intend on choosing bb as career . Wise choice if you ask me , Fb players pay a heavy price to play their game .
 
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By the time most kids are about 12 years old they have a better shooting stroke than Cam Wright had.
Ouch!

To be fair, Cam’s his shot from midrange sometimes looked ... well ... almost ok.

But out beyond the three point line ...
 
Mintz in the EYBL matched up against team Thad and Hood Schifino tonight.


Mintz team won the game 71-61.

Mintz finished with 17 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, 1 turnover. 1 steal, and 1 charge drawn. He was the best player on the floor for either team tonight and the game featured a bevy of 4 and 5 star players for both teams. Mintz was very good getting into the paint finishing scores and dishing assists with full control of the basketball and not wild reckless drives like with Xavier Johnson. He played both pg and sg.

Big Time performance on both ends of the floor with the lights turned on. Impressive, on offense AND on defense
Thank you
 
Jeff Capel and Tim Otoole front and center for Power Forward Dominick Barlow and Chisom Okpara. Barlow, who already visited Pitt on an official, is one of our top targets in all of 2022. He has been strong throughout the EYBL on a team loaded with Top 100 players. He has 10 points alone in the 3rd qt against Vegas Elite and is taking this game over. Capel was very wise scouting and getting on him early, but his offer sheet is going to grow quickly. Barlow is shooting 79% for the tournament. He also looks good as an undersized center. NY Rens remain strong and a contender. Adding him with Mintz would be a major addition to form a strong class. Mintz plays in a few hours.
 
Team Durant takes down Nightrydas

Mintz finishes with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 steals. Another solid performance by Mintz overall as he was matched up against 5 star Jazian Gortman a lot of this game. Dariq Whitehead is going to get the hype for his offensive performance, but Mintz put on a clinic on defense today. Not only did he register 3 steals, he forced 2 more turnovers off of defensive pressure on his own doing resulting in 5 total turnovers he forced against the other team.

Mintz was again the best defender in the game, for both teams, and was the constant keeping his man in front of him and not allowing him to get into the paint. While Mintz struggled with his jumper most of the game, he hit multiple midrange shots in the 4th quarter when the game was starting to tighten up and he helped put the game away.

Mintz again showed strong dribble penetration beating Gortman off the bounce, but his midrange game was not falling today. The game was physical and Mintz did have 3 turnovers against the physical play. He is still a combo guard, and if he reads the floor better and passed instead of shooting pull ups, he would have had multiple assists at games end instead of 0. He played both pg and sg. All in all, this was a big time win again and Mintz was rock solid in this win for the most part against a 5 star player
 
Team Durant takes down Nightrydas

Mintz finishes with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 steals. Another solid performance by Mintz overall as he was matched up against 5 star Jazian Gortman a lot of this game. Dariq Whitehead is going to get the hype for his offensive performance, but Mintz put on a clinic on defense today. Not only did he register 3 steals, he forced 2 more turnovers off of defensive pressure on his own doing resulting in 5 total turnovers he forced against the other team.

Mintz was again the best defender in the game, for both teams, and was the constant keeping his man in front of him and not allowing him to get into the paint. While Mintz struggled with his jumper most of the game, he hit multiple midrange shots in the 4th quarter when the game was starting to tighten up and he helped put the game away.

Mintz again showed strong dribble penetration beating Gortman off the bounce, but his midrange game was not falling today. The game was physical and Mintz did have 3 turnovers against the physical play. He is still a combo guard, and if he reads the floor better and passed instead of shooting pull ups, he would have had multiple assists at games end instead of 0. He played both pg and sg. All in all, this was a big time win again and Mintz was rock solid in this win for the most part against a 5 star player

Following up on this Gortman finished 3-11 shooting with 5 turnovers. Other Pitt target Khalif Crawley finished with a quiet 7 points and 9 rebounds in only 16 minutes of action. Im going to watch Crawley more closely next game since he is a Pitt target. He had a bigger impact than first glance.

Mintz is averaging 85% from the free throw line for the tournament.

Dominick Barlow finished with 21 points. He is the 2nd leading scorer for powerhouse NY Rens who is undefeated. Kyle Filipowski is now the 4th leading scorer for the Rens. Barlow is shooting 80% for the tournament through 4 games. Offers are now pouring in for Barlow.

NY Lightning win again with Jaquan Sanders (PG) from New York leading the way who has not been offered by Pitt yet but is a probable visit in the fall. We are in Sanders Top 4. Sanders is averaging 15 /3 / 3 /2 for the tournament. Sanders is an OSL kid, former teammate of Posh Alexander and Max Amadasun. NYL is now 4-0 for the tournament.

As a side note, I fully expect the heat to be turned on Ryan Dunn from Freeport NY. Dunn has picked up over 10 Power 6 offers in the last week alone, including Pitt.

Mintz plays again tomorrow.
 
NY Rens lose in the early session 88-87 in an upset loss. Dominick Barlow led the Rens with 17 points and was 9-10 from the free throw line in only 18 minutes of action. Pitt was 3 deep with Jeff Capel watching. He's clearly our top target or one of our very few top targets. His national ranking is going to go way up along with more offers. I would like to see him box out better and rebound better, but his low post scoring has been nothing short of impressive at this stage. Im going to repeat what I said yesterday, Barlow would be a major get for our frontcourt.

Mintz will play in a few hours.
 
Capel and Otoole moved into the gym to watch Jaquan Sanders and the NY Lightning take on Bryce Lindsay and Team Melo. Sanders team won in a rout, 77-53. Sanders finished with 8 points on 7 shots, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and had the midrange and floaters working in this game. Silas Sunday had a double double with 12 and 10, and Ayo Sadiku finished with 10 pts, 4 boards, 4 steals and 2 assists, all 3 Pitt targets. NY Lightning improve to 5-0 in the tournament. Bryce Lindsay was 0-6 shooting with 0 points and was ultimately benched. NYL put them away early and Team Melo quit besides Cam Whitmore. Effort from Team Melo was really poor on defense and rebounding. OSL NY kids continue to be underrated and simply win games. We are down to 6 undefeated teams in this EYBL session and the NY teams continue to flex muscle.

Mintz coming up...
 
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Team Durant takes down Nightrydas

Mintz finishes with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 steals. Another solid performance by Mintz overall as he was matched up against 5 star Jazian Gortman a lot of this game. Dariq Whitehead is going to get the hype for his offensive performance, but Mintz put on a clinic on defense today. Not only did he register 3 steals, he forced 2 more turnovers off of defensive pressure on his own doing resulting in 5 total turnovers he forced against the other team.

Mintz was again the best defender in the game, for both teams, and was the constant keeping his man in front of him and not allowing him to get into the paint. While Mintz struggled with his jumper most of the game, he hit multiple midrange shots in the 4th quarter when the game was starting to tighten up and he helped put the game away.

Mintz again showed strong dribble penetration beating Gortman off the bounce, but his midrange game was not falling today. The game was physical and Mintz did have 3 turnovers against the physical play. He is still a combo guard, and if he reads the floor better and passed instead of shooting pull ups, he would have had multiple assists at games end instead of 0. He played both pg and sg. All in all, this was a big time win again and Mintz was rock solid in this win for the most part against a 5 star player
Yea as I was reading this I was troubled by the zero assists after reading he was good with dribble penetration. Hopefully he’ll learn from it. But assuming your correct and I have no reason not to believe it, zero assists is atrocious. If not addressed on his current team I can’t imagine it won’t be by Capel and crew if that continues.
 
Team Durant leads at halftime 44-36. Judah Mintz has 19 points, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 charges drawn, and 1 forced turnover where his defensive pressure forced his man to dribble out of bounds. 6 forced turnovers by Mintz in the 1st half. He was flat out sensational in every facet of the game besides rebounding. He was also 7-8 from the free throw line and his energy that he brings to the team cannot be understated. Pitt coaches are all there watching. This was without question one of the best halves of basketball, by anybody, in this entire tournament. Midrange game, 3 pointers, dribble penetration to the rack, free throws, he scored everywhere.
 
Team Durant wins 78-63

Mintz finished with 30 points on 9-16 shooting, 2-4 from 3, and 10-12 from the line. Mintz had 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 rebound, 3 steals, and he single handily forced 7 total turnovers in this game, the last one being a lose ball turnover he forced that resulted in a team steal and dunk. His defense was lights out dominant.

I love how he fights through screens, hands up and active, in your face pressure, pushes players out of the way to protect the interior, and does an outstanding job keeping his man in front of him. He simply bothers the opposing team with total harassment and is the spark plug for his teams engine on defense. He was sensational today, and sensational is an understatement. Big Time Performance. As noted above, he scored from everywhere. Dribble penetration, fast break, midrange, foul line, 3 point line, everywhere.

Mintz needs to have a conversation with Dominick Barlow. The defensive tandem of those 2 would bring us back to the golden years of the early 2000s on how to shut people down on the defensive end.
 
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He was solid and he is big for a pg. He missed a lot of shots when Mintz guarded him. Terrific vision and passing ability that didn't always result with points but he reads the floor very well. Had some turnovers and struggled to get into the paint on dribble penetration against Mintz when Mintz was matched up against him. JHS made shots but he took a ton of shots to get his points and missed a lot. He wasn't nearly as efficient as Mintz in this game although neither was anyone else on either team. Both players have a ton of potential at the college level and possibly beyond.
I think Jalen Hood-Schifino is another James Robinson, 4 Star, Top 150 recruit, 6' 3" PG, and very good floor general! Wasn't the best shooter on the court, shot 37.7 FG % and 31.9% from 3 for his career!
 
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