adidas Invitational Day 1

Chris Thomas stood out on day one.

By Bryan Kriss - bryankriss@hardwoodelite.com

Day one of the adidas Invitational is in the books and as expected, the gyms were crowded with coaches and fans. The day got off to a bit of a slow start, but it picked up as the day went on. Here are some of the notable performances from day 1.

Chris Thomas - Our first look at Chris Thomas for this tournament didn't last long. After a couple of questionable technical fouls early in the game, he found himself on the bench cheering on his teammates for the rest of the contest. In their next game against Compton Magic however, Thomas put his team on his back and won in a close one. He seems to be even more explosive than last summer and put down a couple of impressive dunks. What is more impressive though, is his vision and unselfishness with the ball. Thomas set up his teammates left and right and got a number of assists while also putting up big scoring numbers himself.

Kaleb Tarczewski - Tarczewski didn't play much in their first game against the Compton Magic due to a comfortable lead throughout most of the game, but he made the most out of his time in the second half. He displayed his athleticism on a few monster dunks and even had a nice right-handed hook shot and left handed finish underneath the basket. If Tarczewksi can keep being assertive when he gets the ball his game will continue to take off.

Kris Dunn - Dunn is a great looking point guard prospect and was the main reason Connecticut Basketball Club stayed with the Atlanta Celtics until the very end of the game. He used his quickness and excellent ball handling to manage the game and did a good job of scoring when his team needed it as well. He finished above the rim in transition and got into the lane with ease, but his outside jumper was also falling. Dunn has the look of a top 5 point guard in his class and coaches in attendance will be sure to take notice.

Cameron Ridley - Players have a difficult time matching up with Ridley's size and strength and it showed in their win against Gateway Basketball Club. Ridley has very good hands and soft touch around the rim, and although he may not be a freak athlete, he still flushed down a couple of powerful dunks on a crowd of defenders.

Keith Frazier - Frazier may not get a ton of looks, but he made the most of what he got. A skilled, young guard, Frazier was on fire from deep and connected on at least 5 three pointers in Dream Visions game against the Atlanta Celtics.

Shaquille Goodwin - Goodwin had a pretty quiet first game, but he dunks everything around the rim and got to the free throw line a lot in their second game. Whether it was converting an alley oop, throwing down a tip slam, or knocking down his free throws, Goodwin found ways to score.

Shabazz Muhammad - Muhammad's athleticism was on full display, but his shot was a little off and he didn't put up the type of numbers that he normally does. Nonetheless, he's an elite talent and will look to put up big scoring numbers for the rest of the event.

Andre Drummond - All you have to do is look at Drummond to know he's an elite prospect, but unfortunately his production doesn't always reflect that. He will need to take more pride in banging in the post if he wants to dominate the way we know he can.