Adidas 3SSB Championship Day 2 Notebook: Takeaways from key IU basketball targets and other Live Period highlights

The Adidas 3SSB Championship is well underway down in Rock Hill, South Carolina with the second round and quarterfinal play happening on Friday on our way to crowning a 3SSB Palmetto Road Champion for 2025, 2026, and 2027. Division one coaches were out in full force once again on Friday due to it being a live period weekend.

IU basketball sent there entire staff down there including head coach Mike Woodson along with assistants Kenya Hunter, Yasir Rosemond, and Brian Walsh.

There were many standouts players throughout the day and HoosierIllustrated.com was able to check out a bunch of the action throughout the loaded day of action.

It is time empty out my notebook and reveal some of my key takeaways from the IU basketball targets and much more from day 2.

Related: Adidas 3SSB Championship Day 1 Notebook: Takeaways from key IU basketball targets and other Live Period highlights

Indiana Elite continues to roll with their Big Three leading the way

Indiana Elite 2025 continues to be one of the most dominant team in all of 3SSB and are honestly well on their way to winning the entire thing on Sunday. In both the second round and quarterfinals round, Indiana Elite was able to take care of business and advance to semifinal play on Saturday.

Of course, like it has been all AAU season, the loaded squad was led by their ‘big three’ which just happens to be arguably IU basketball’s top three 2025 targets, Braylon Mullins, Trent Sisley, and Malachi Moreno. The second round game, the trio combined for 43 points with Moreno finishing with 20 points, 9 rebounds…Sisley having a double-double of 11 points, 10 rebounds….and Mullins finishing with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.

In the quarterfinal round, Braylon Mullins was the star with his 22 points which included going 6-of-11 from three. His play after that game earned him an offer from John Calipari and Arkansas. Sisley added 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

Indiana Elite will compete in the semifinals vs Compton Magic Elite at 1:30 ET.

Indiana basketball staff begins day with 2026 5-star Anthony Thompson

To begin the day, the IU staff went four-deep to see 2026 5-star wing Anthony Thompson of the Indiana Elite 16U program. Thompson is a long and lanky wing who can play both inside and around the perimeter. The 6-foot-7 hybrid forward didn’t have his best shooting game but still found ways to impact the game. Thompson finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds but was just 3-of-8 from the floor.

Thompson has tremendous athleticism and is so fluid around the floor. His shooting stroke is very nice and repeatable and despite going just 2-of-5 from three he has tremendous ability to rise up and use his length to shoot above smaller defenders. Thompson used his slashing ability to open up his three-point shot. There were also numerous possessions where Thompson would post up and use his length for a turnaround jumper or pump fake and then use an up and under move into the middle of the paint.

Thompson clearly has the skill to be a major offensive threat and when his shot is on, he’s very difficult to defend.

2025 5-star Nate Ament shows all-around skillset in front of IU staff

Following a terrific performance on Thursday, Ament struggled to find an offensive rhythm on Friday but showcased his all-around ability and skillset in front of the IU staff. Ament had just five points but added nine rebounds and seven assists. For most of the game, Ament didn’t force the issue and allowed the game to come to him, allowing him to have a major impact with his playmaking ability.

At 6-foot-9, he is a very difficult player to defend because of his ability to take opponents off of the dribble. He is tremendous off of the bounce and loves to utilize his length and size to draw contact. While he has a very good shot from three, he doesn’t settle and is very much a drive-first player. When Ament’s playmaking is on display, it takes his game to an entirely different level. At that point, he is nearly unguardable.

(Kyler Staley and Alec Lasley contributed to this article)

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball offers wing Babatunde Oladotun — expected top-5 prospect in 2027

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