Championship Sunday was rocking at Homestead H.S. for the conclusion of the 2019 NEXT LEVEL INVITATIONAL and the Association season. AUSA Hoops had an awesomely raucous show of support from their fellow teams as they took home the win and the championship Sunday afternoon, thanks in large part to a monster performance by Kobe Williamson and his teammates. Matthew Willert (MN Comets Elite) was sensational again, Kyle Kostas (South Cook Jaguars) put up an unreal near-40 point performance that opened a lot of eyes and surely put him on some radars, several others like Nigel Hylton (PB Nation – Toronto) and more had great outings on the final day of the event. You can read below to find out more about who performed at high levels, boosted their stock with their solid play, and who played well enough to raise some eyebrows.

TOP PERFORMERS 
TREVOR ARICO – 2020 – PG – THE ACADEMY AABA
Arico played fantastically Sunday afternoon to close out the tournament with his team. The sharp-shooting guard had the hoop target on lock all game long, draining 6 three-pointers to keep the other team honest and to give his team a chance to win it at the end.  Arico added a few other buckets in the game to rack up 24 points. 

MALACHI DAVIS – 2020 – PG – PEOPLES BASKETBALL
Davis was again on point and making big plays for his team from start to finish, just as he finished out Saturday. The crafty guard from Ontario got to the cup with the dribble and slid by defenders, then showed his ability to find different ways to finish be it at the rim or sinking a floater while adjusting his body in mid-air over the defense’s reach, or hitting a couple three’s. He finished with another solid 20 point-effort in a tough defeat in the final seconds.

NIGEL HYLTON – 2022 – SF – PB NATION-TORONTO
Hylton has great size and used it to get open looks at the hoop often with his shooting ability. Their earlier game Saturday, the 6’7” wing hit a three, buried a couple jumpers and finished with 17 points. In their later game, he came back with another stellar shooting performance and hit several shots, including 3 from beyond the arc and dropped 26 points to lead the way for The North Toronto squad.

DEYLON JOHNSON – 2020 – SG – ALL LOVE
Johnson was full of energy and determination in their final game Sunday, closing out the tournament with a strong performance on both offense and defense. He got after the ball defensively and applied good pressure, and offensively he was constantly on the attack and used his athleticism to score past and through defenders around the basket. Johnson also hit a couple jumpers in the game and finished with a game-high 20 points.

KYLE KOSTAS – 2022 – SG – SOUTH COOK JAGUARS
Kostas put on a thriller with his incredible outing Sunday for the Jaguars. The 2022 SG prospect wowed those watching with his three-point shooting, his effort going to the basket and after rebounds, and his overall game. He drained 8 three-pointers with a few from deep and with defenders in his face, including one where he criss-crossed the opponent and then splashed the triple. Kostas finished with a stellar 38 points.

NICHOLAS MARTINELLI – 2022 – SG - ALL-IN FIGUEROA
Martinelli took a bit to get into the flow of the game Sunday morning, but once he got into a rhythm he started scoring at will. He hit some tough jump shots, made nice plays around the basket and finished with excellent efficiency. Though they came up short, Martinelli helped his team fight back into contention behind his 20-point effort. 

ALEC MILLENDER – 2020 – PG - ET21 BUCKEYES
Millender continued his excellent play with another great game to close the tournament. He did an excellent job running the show and making plays for both himself and his teammates. The talented ’21  guard shelled out some assists, buried a couple three's and drove to the hoop without fear, finishing with great balance and aggressiveness. Millender ended the tourney with a 19-point performance. 

PARKER NIELSEN – 2020 – PG – MN SELECT CAVE
Nielsen played really tough all game long in their final contest of the tournament. The gritty guard made plays with the ball in his hands attacking with the dribble, he slashed and finished and he knocked down jumpers, including 2 three's. He also did a nice job opening up teammates with good screens and nice passes. Nielsen scored 18 points to lead Select while the team fell just short in the final seconds. 

MATTHEW WILLERT – 2020 – SG – MN COMETS ELITE
Willert had some big games during the NLI, but perhaps none as electric as his championship game performance where he did his best to will the Comets back from a large deficit. Willert drilled several major three point shots down the stretch to give his team a fighting chance, including an “and-1" three pointer and a put-back two near the end. Ultimately they fell short of the title, but Willert's effort and his 9 three-pointers made were championship-worthy, as he finished with a game-high 35 points.

KOBE WILLIAMSON – 2019 – F – AUSA HOOPS PLATINUM 
Williamson led the charge for the 17U champs with major contributions and effort scoring, rebounding and all-out hustle on both ends of the floor. The talented big man showed His versatility with being able to knock down jumpers, slicing from the perimeter or free throw area to attack the rim off the dribble, and also to finish around the basket with great feel. He was dominant on the glass and was a force with a double-double to close the tournament with a sensational 22 points and 21 rebounds. 

STOCK BOOSTERS 
JACOB ADAMS – 2022 – PG – PB NATION-TORONTO
Adams played really steady in a couple games for the North Toronto team, making a number of shots and finishing a couple plays in transition. In one game, Adams showed off his three-point shooting and hit several jump shots to help his team to victory.

ROBERT “BOBBY” DURKIN – 2022 – SG - ET21 BUCKEYES
Durkin put together a really solid shooting game and showed with that ability that he is a player on the rise as he develops his overall game. He hit 5 three's in the title game to lead his team with 17 points in a quality effort. 

ALEC GOLEMBIEWSKI – 2022 – G – EPIC HOOPZ
Golembiewski had a really nice early game for Epic Hoopz to help advance the team. He frustrated the opponent as he buried a couple three’s, and then added a couple more, hitting 4 treys in the game and finishing with 16 points.

JASON HUNTER – 2022 – PG – MICHIGAN WARRIORS
Hunter closed out the tournament with a really tough outing, where he was busy defensively, pushed the tempo and scored some in transition, but also knocked down shots. He was good from the perimeter with hitting 3 three-pointers and had 17 points in the game.

NOAH KING – 2020 – PG – MN COMETS ELITE
King helped Willert with his activity and effort in the title game, making some plays himself which kept the defense more honest. He drove to the hoop well and played strong going up against big rim protectors. King also hit a three, shared the ball with 5 assists and pulled down 5 rebounds to go with his 17 points.

BRODEN LIEN – 2021 – F – GAIN ELITE
Lien had another strong game on Sunday for Gain, capping out a nice weekend for him. He made shots from each level of the half-court, sinking three's, jumpers and shorter looks around the basket. He played a well-rounded game too as he took care of the ball with the dribble and pass, and rebounded really well for his team. 

FAMON MOORE – 2022 – SG – ALL-IN FIGUEROA
Moore was solid for All-In as he really got after it on both offense and defense. Defensively he did a nice job of being active and jumping some passes for steals. Offensively, he attacked the hoop hard and finished well, and drilled a three. Moore finished the tough loss with 16 points and 3 steals.

MAX PEREZ – 2020 – PG – GRAND RAPIDS STORM
Perez was outstanding for GRS as they finished out the tourney on top, in large part to Perez's big plays throughout the game. He hit timely three-pointers throughout the game to push the lead or fend off the opponent’s surge, he got to the basket for scores and also doled out 5 assists in the game, adding to his 17 points. Perez showed he knows how to run the show for his team on offense and defense with his instincts awareness and effort.

ELISHA WARREN – 2022 – PG – MICHIGAN WARRIORS
Warren had a solid overall game scoring the basketball for the Warriors on the final day. The young wing made some jumpers, hit a three and scored at the basket on the break. He tallied 17 points in the contest. 

ANTHONY WASHINGTON – 2020 – SG – WI PREMIER
Washington had a solid game for Premier and his impact was really felt more with the timeliness of his scores than his total points. It seemed whenever Premier needed a punch to get them in the game or down the stretch to tie or find the lead, Washington, and/or his teammate Keonte Jones, made the big play. Washington attacked off the bounce and finished against contact, he knocked down the big three, he stole the ball 4 times and also put out 3 assists in the game with his 13 points, helping his team to a big win coming from behind.

SLEEPERS
CALE COSME – 2024 – PG – SOUTH COOK JAGUARS
Cosme was playing up a few grades but he fit right in and really impressed with both his skill and effort. It was evident he plays against bigger or older competition often with his fearlessness driving inside and found a way to get a good play-in over a defender. He also sank a pair of three's and shook a couple defenders big-time with his handles, sharing a few assists in the game.

WILLIAM “BILLY” DURKIN – 2020 – SG - ET21 BUCKEYES
Durkin had himself a really good final game and keeps putting himself in position to get more looks with his shooting. He drilled 4 three's and finished the final game with 14 points.

CARTER LANCASTER – 2021 – SF – WI SWING SIEBERT
Lancaster had a solid game for the Swing to close out their tournament run.  He rebounded well and showed good touch with his mid-range and short-area shots. 

KALYEM LIBURD-MULLINGS – 2020 – PG – PEOPLES BASKETBALL 
Liburd-Mullings had himself a really nice final game with great effort and showed off different offensive skills. He had good handle and shared the ball well, knocked down a three, drove to the hoop under control and either finished or got fouled to get to the free throw line where he was good too. He had 15 points.

TYRELL STUTTLEY – 2020 – SF – WI PREMIER
Stuttley played with good energy, athleticism and overall efficiency in their comeback victory Sunday morning. He had a few really good plays attacking the rim and then had the clutch shot at the finish getting the offensive rebound and put-back to help his team pull out a huge win. Stuttley finished with 14 points in that W over MN Select.