ORLANDO, Fla. — After two impressive performances in the U-17 AAU Super Showcase semifinals by the two best shooting guards in the country, the final is set. Each 1 Teach 1 — led by the No. 2-ranked player in the 2011 class, Austin Rivers (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park) — and the St. Louis Eagles — led by the No. 6-ranked player in the 2011 class, Bradley Beal (St. Louis/Chaminade) — are ready to play for the U-17 Super Showcase championship Tuesday night on ESPNU at 7 ET. Video Preview
Rivers is the go-to guy on Each 1 Teach 1. He can create his own shot and showed in the semifinals versus the Georgia Blazers, he can put up points in a hurry. The 6-foot-4, 189-pounder has a very impressive offensive arsenal that includes unlimited range from 3, solid pull-up, floater in the lane and has a knack for drawing contact to get to the charity stripe, which is the sign of a great scorer.
Like Rivers, Beal is the Eagles’ No. 1 option, however their games are very different. While Rivers creates his own shots, Beal needs to work to get open and relies on his players to get him the ball. But when he gets the ball with just a little bit of time and space, you can pretty much count it. He has good size (6-4, 177 pounds), great elevation and NBA range on his 3s. It is important to point out that Beal has worked on his dribble-drive game this season and has made some impressive passes in this tournament. He has also shown the ability to grab a rebound and go coast to coast.
