It was hard not to come away impressed with Justin Fields after The Opening Final in Oregon.

Fields, from Harrison (Kennesaw, Ga.), entered the event ranked as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback and No. 3 player overall in the 247Sports Composite.

Many analysts considered him the best player on the field, led his team to the 7v7 championship and was named the Elite 11 MVP.

Could Fields supplant Clemson commit Trevor Lawrence, the pro-style passer from Cartersville (Ga.) who has been ranked No. 1 almost since the initial 2018 rankings?

And beyond just recruiting rankings, here is what Elite 11 coach Yogi Roth told USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg about Fields, who recently decommitted from Penn State:

“I think we’re looking a guy who’s a potential No. 1 draft pick. He does everything right. He makes some of the difficult things look real easy. You go down the checklist of things that make an elite player at the quarterback position and he checks all of them.”

Roth went in-depth on all the Elite 11 quarterbacks here

The Nike Girls EYBL is back in action with events in Indianapolis and Louisville beginning Thursday and continuing through Saturday.

This marks the circuit’s first action since the initial stop in Hampton, Va., at the end of April. These sessions lead into the championship next week in the Chicago area.

Here are five things to watch during this week’s events:

The undefeateds

Four teams enter the weekend at 5-0 after the first session: Cal Stars, Cy-Fair Shock, Team Elite and Team Takeover. Cal Stars and Team Elite will play in Indianapolis this week; Cy-Fair Shock and Team Takeover will play in Louisville.

Gold medalists

Aquira DeCosta and Christyn Williams – fresh off gold medals at the FIBA U18 3X3 World Cup in China last weekend – were scheduled to return to the court with their EYBL teams.

However, Williams, a 5-11 guard from Central Arkansas Christian (Little Rock) who is ranked as the No. 1 player in the Class of 2018 by ESPNw HoopGurlz will not be making the trip. She will be playing with the USA Basketball U19 World Cup team in Italy.

Aquira DeCosta (left) and Christyn Williams (second from right) are part of the EYBL (Photo: USA Basketball)

DeCosta, a 6-2 wing from St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.), is ranked as the No. 5 player in the Class of 2018. She led the Cal Stars during the first session at 13.8 points per game and 7.8 rebounds.

More Shock

Not only do the Shock boast the No. 1 player in the Class of 2018 in Williams, the roster also has the No. 2 player in Charli Collier.

Collier, a 6-5 forward who is committed to Connecticut, averaged 16.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in the first session. She is scheduled to be with the team for the EYBL events.

In three seasons at Barbers Hill High in Texas, she has started 102 games and posted 2,274 points, 933 rebounds, 134 assists, 165 steals and 247 blocked shots. As a junior, she averaged 23.8 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for a team that went 34-5.

Charli Collier (Photo: USA Basketball)

The youngster

Ashley Owusu is among a star group of 2019 prospects who are playing in the EYBL.

Owusu, a 5-9 guard from Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), is among the few 2019 players who are in their second season on the top circuit. Owusu played for Boo Williams after her freshman year in high school and enters this weekend as the team’s leading scorer at 14.6 points per game (among tops on the circuit). She also is averaging 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Owusu has shown herself to be strong on the ball but also with a nice mid-range game. She is ranked No. 10 in the Class of 2019.

Among others to watch from the Class of 2019 is Samantha Brunelle, who is ranked No. 1, and Haley Jones, who is ranked No. 6.

Flame on fire

Alexandria Scruggs enters as one of the leading scorers from the first session at 15.8 points per game. She is ranked as the No. 7 guard in the Class of 2019.

Scruggs, a 5-9 guard from Trinity Christian in Fayetteville (N.C.), is playing for the Carolina Flames, who enter at 2-3. One of those losses was by a point to the Spiece Lady Gym Rats.

Reggie Perry, a five-star forward ranked No. 18 in the Class of 2018 by ESPN, has decommitted from Arkansas, according to multiple reports.

“Unfortunately, I had to decomit tonight with Coach [Mike Anderson] because of personal health issues with my father,” Perry told Scout.com, which first reported the news. “I have to do what is best for me and my family.”

Perry, from Thomasville (Ga.), played this spring on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit for the Arkansas Hawks. He averaged 17 points and 8.4 rebounds.

Perry had committed to Arkansas last August and likely will be a popular target when the live period begins next Wednesday, especially for programs in the Southeast.

Additional invitations for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl went out Wednesday with players tweeting about their invitations.

The game is scheduled for Jan. 6 in San Antonio (noon ET).

Four players announced their invitation and committed in the same tweet (rankings are from 247Sports; 247Sports is the selection partner for the Army Bowl):

Cam McGrone, No. 9 outside linebacker, Lawrence Central (Indianapolis)

Azeez Ojulari, No. 10 weak side defensive end, Marietta (Ga.)

Kyler McMichael, No. 10 cornerback, Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.), Clemson commit

Brandon Kaho, No. 5 inside linebacker, Reno (Nev.), BYU commit

Three other players tweeted that they had received invitations, although did not indicate whether they intend to play in the game.

Al Blades Jr., No. 12 cornerback, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale), Miami commit

Emil Ekiyor Jr., No. 7 guard, Cathedral (Indianapolis), Michigan commit

Luke Ford, No. 4 tight end, Carterville (Ill.)

The 6-year-old son of University of Washington assistant basketball coach Will Conroy showed his hops during the holiday weekend.

Watch him dunk over a neighbor kid with authority, as captured in the tweet below from BallIsLife.com.

Gotta love starting them young.

A year ago, Owen Pappoe was the first rising sophomore to get an invitation to Nike’s The Opening Final. Pappoe had not even made a varsity tackle, but he already had the nickname “The Freak” and collected a dozen scholarship offers.

While it might have been a surprise last year that he was at The Opening – simply because he was just 15 and that had never happened before – it was no surprise that he was invited back.

Pappoe, from Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) was one of six underclassmen among the 166 players invited.

“I already knew everything that was about to happen so I was more prepared (this year),” said Pappoe, who is ranked as the No. 1 outside linebacker, No. 1 player in Georgia and No. 6 overall in the Class of 2019, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Much like a year ago, Pappoe tried to learn all he could.

“You’re learning from the best up there so you just have to take their advice and apply it to your game,” he said.

For Pappoe, the key takeaways involved taking on blocks, playing more man defense in coverage, and learning different leverage points. Pappoe has great instincts and has strong coverage skills and those were on display among all the talent on the field.

As he heads into his junior season, Pappoe announced a top 10 of Florida, Tennessee, LSU, Georgia, Alabama and Auburn, Ohio State, Clemson, Florida State and Nebraska from among his 40 reported offers.

Adam Anderson, ranked as the No. 1 outside linebacker in the Class of 2018 by the 247Sports Composite, has decommitted from LSU. Anderson announced his decision on Twitter.

This is Anderson’s second decommitment. He previously decommitted from in-state Georgia in April, the same day that he committed to LSU during a campus visit.

Anderson, from Rome (Ga.), committed to LSU on the same day as high school teammates Jamarcus Chapman and Jaquon Griffin. Chatman has since flipped to Tennessee and Griffin could follow him to the Vols.

Anderson’s move follows the flip of running back Aaron Carter from LSU back to UCLA, which had originally had his commitment.

LSU had the No. 3 recruiting class in the USA TODAY Sports Team Composite rankings before the decommitments.

(Photo: Getty Images)

A new study that examined men who were high school football players in Wisconsin in the late 1950s has determined that “cognitive and depression outcomes later in life were found to be similar for high school football players and their nonplaying counterparts.”

Playing football was not a “major risk factor” for cognitive impairment or depression at ages 65, the study concluded.

The study published in the Journal of American Medical Association Neurology this week examined nearly 4,000 men who graduated from high schools in Wisconsin in 1957 and tested their verbal skills, memory and cognition.

You can read the full study by clicking here.

The research showed no statistically significant difference among the football players from non-players in cognition score or outcomes such as heavy alcohol use. The football players were shown to have fewer symptoms of depression.

Of note, football today and football in the 1950s are not the same from the playing rules to the equipment to speed of the game. The study’s authors note: “The risks of playing football today might be different than in the 1950s, but for current athletes, this study provides information on the risk of playing sports today that have a similar risk of head trauma as high school football played in the 1950s.”

The authors write that further research is needed on the subject, especially related to potential differences based on position.

They also suggest additional studies on additional former players as they reach 65:  “Repeating our analysis with a younger cohort as they reach 65 years of age may improve our understanding of how the risks of playing football have evolved over time.”

Southern California has a lot of elite high school quarterbacks. On Saturday, many of them will be in the same place.

The annual Battle at the Beach 7v7 passing tournament is scheduled for Huntington Beach with 20 teams that are divided in four pools of five. Champions will be crowned in gold and silver divisions.

Defending gold division champion Mater Dei (Santa Ana) features record-setting JT Daniels; St. John Bosco (Bellflower) has Re-al Mitchell; Centennial (Corona) has Tanner McKee, fresh off The Opening Final; Paraclete (Lancaster) features Devin White.

As much competition as there might be among quarterbacks, Mitchell said his focus is not the other team’s offense.

“As a quarterback, I care about defenses and prepare for them,” said Mitchell, an Iowa State commit. “Other teams quarterbacks’ are my defense’s priority. I just do my job to the best of my ability and try to win games.”

Although this is summer 7v7, a potential matchup between Trinity League rivals Mater Dei and Bosco is always intriguing. Mater Dei beat Bosco during the regular season, but Bosco answered back in the Southern Section Division 1 final and went on to win the state Open Division title.

The teams are scheduled to play Oct. 13.

“Our Mater Dei rivalry burns 24/7,” Mitchell said. “It doesn’t matter what time of the year and in what type of competition.”

Bosco has a deep roster of talent, with more than dozen sophomores already with offers and a number of players adding offers in recent days.

Mitchell sees value in any opportunity to play with his teammates.

“Playing 7 on 7 helps with timing and chemistry with wide receivers and running backs,” he said. “This takes linemen out of the equation, which obviously is a factor in 11-man football, but it’s easier to see and practice reading coverages. But all of that translates into real football.

“This is a tournament where I can continue to work on accuracy and perfect my craft and it gives us a chance to compete against great teams.”

Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) is the champ in the silver division. The team had Matt Corral, one of the top quarterbacks in the nation in the Class of 2018, last year. Corral has since transferred to Long Beach Poly.

When you are among the top 10 football recruits in the nation and play for the three-time defending Super 25 champions, it’s hard to fly a bit under the radar.

But Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) linebacker Palaie Gaoteote IV says he doesn’t feel left out. He expected less attention after announcing his commitment in February to USC.

“No, not at all,” he told USA TODAY High School Sports on the subject of being overlooked. “When I committed, I knew the attention was going to slow down and the interviews were going to stop. Everything was basically going to shut down on itself, and truthfully that’s what I wanted. I wanted to find the best fit school for me and shut down my recruiting process.”

Gaoteote, an Army All-American, is ranked as the No. 1 inside linenbacker, No. 1 player in Nevada and No. 7 overall by the 247Sports Composite.

He says he remains 100 percent committed to USC and was actively recruiting for the Trojans at The Opening Final in Oregon. He says he plans to take a few visits in part to help jumpstart the recruiting process and build some bridges for his younger brother.

Amid social media chatter about his status, Gaoteote tweeted this Wednesday night.

Gaoteote termed The Opening as “the best experience that I’ve had football related.”

“For me, it was just a great overall whether it was kicking it in the lounge with my teammates and newfound brothers or playing football,” he said. “Everything that we did at The opening was awesome and is an experience that I feel like everyone should have at all levels —  high school, college and the proI. It would be dope to have an Opening-type event at every level of football.”

Five-star linebacker Palaie Gaoteote of Bishop Gorman is expected to take over as one of the leaders of the Gaels during his senior season. (Photo: W.G. Ramirez)

Gaoteote said he used his time at The Opening as “a measuring stick for me personally to see where I line up amongs the top ballplayers.

“I feel like I did well, but I also got to tweak and fine-tune a lot of things for the upcoming season.”

Gorman enters the season on a 54-game winning streak and having won eight consecutive state championships. The Gaels again face a tough schedule, beginning with a nationally televised game against DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and a Week 2 showdown against Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).

Gorman is attempting to become only the second school to win four consecutive Super 25 title.  De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) won four in a row in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

Gaoteote is considered the leader of the defense with UCLA quarterback commit Dorian Thompson-Robinson taking over as the leader on offense following Tate Martell’s departure for Ohio State.

“The main focus is just playing Bishop Gorman football, and that’s being a tough, physical, smart football team that lives on its individual techniques,” Gaoteote said. “If we can do that and find our mold as a team this season, it won’t matter who steps out in front of us.”

The group of 40 players scheduled to play in the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game was finalized Friday with the final 19 names.

The game, marking its 10th year, will be played July 29 at Wrigley Field in Chicago and features the top players from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The game will air on the MLB Network.

The teams — American vs. National — will be divided as the game gets closer. Players were selected by Baseball Factory scouts.

The game is part of four-day event that includes a workout in front of scouts and a home run derby.

Two juniors who were selected to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Baseball Teams have been chosen for the game: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) catcher Austin Wells, a second-team ALL-USA selection; and Brandon (Miss.) righthander JT Ginn, a third-team ALL-USA choice.

RELATED: ALL-USA Baseball Teams

Here is the full list of players with name, position and high school:

Jordyn Adams – OF,  Green Hope, Cary, (N.C.)

Blaze Alexander – IF, Bishop Verot (Cape Coral, Fla.)

Braxton Ashcraft – RHP, Robinson (Texas)

Will Banfield – C, Brookwood (Lawrenceville, Ga.)

Luke Bartnicki – LHP, Walton (Marietta, Ga.)

Elijah Cabell – OF, TNXL Academy (Winter Park, Fla.)

Triston Casas— IF, American Heritage School (Plantation, Fla.)

Denzel Clarke – OF, Everest Academy (Pickering, Ontario)

Slade Cecconi – RHP, Trinity Preparatory School (Winter Park, Fla.)

Chandler Champlain – RHP, Santa Margarita Catholic (Coto de Caza, Calif.)

Raynel Delgado – IF, Calvary Christian Academy (Miami Lakes, Fla.)

Mason Denaburg— RHP, Merritt Island (Fla.)

Nander De Sedas – IF, 6’2, 195 – Montverde High (Montverde, Fla.)

JT Ginn – RHP, Brandon (Miss.)

Nolan Gorman— IF, Sandra Day O’Connor (Glendale, Ariz.)

Joe Gray— OF, Hattiesburg (Miss.)

Jordan Groshans—IF, Magnolia (Texas)

Ethan Hankins – RHP, Forsyth Central (Cumming, Ga.)

Ben Harris – LHP/OF, Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.)

Jaden Hill – RHP, Ashdown (Ark.)

Rece Hinds – IF, Niceville (Fla.)

Jeremiah Jackson – IF, St. Luke’s Episcopal School (Mobile, Ala.)

Jarred Kelenic— OF, Waukesha West (Waukesha, Wis.)

Matthew Liberatore— LHP,  Mountain Ridge (Peoria, Ariz.)

David Luethje – RHP, Vero Beach (Fla.)

Kody Milton – IF, Severna Park (Md.)

Noah Naylor— C, St. Joan of Arc (Mississauga, Ontario)

Brandon Neeck – LHP, Horace Greeley (Chappaqua, N.Y.)

Kameron Ojeda – C, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)

Kumar Rocker – RHP, North Oconee (Watkinsville, Ga.)

Matt Rudis – RHP, Madisonville (Texas)

Mike Siani – OF, William Penn Charter School (Glenside, Pa.)

Connor Scott – OF, Plant (Tampa)

Alek Thomas – OF, Mount Carmel (Chicago)

Kevin Vargas – IF, International Baseball Academy (La Mareas de Salinas, Puerto Rico)

Ryan Weathers – LHP, Loretto (Tenn.)

Austin Wells – C, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)

Cole Wilcox— RHP, Heritage (Chickamauga, Ga.)

Cole Winn – RHP, Silver Creek (Longmont, Colo.)

Bobby Witt, Jr. – SS/RHP,  Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas)

Keldon Johnson, a five-star shooting guard ranked No. 13 in the ESPN 100, is transferring to Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), according to a report from ESPN’s Paul Biancardi.

The 6-6 Johnson had been playing for Huntington Prep in West Virginia.

At Oak Hill, Johnson joins 6-10 center David McCormack, ranked No. 34 in the Class of 2018, and guard Josh Nickelberry, ranked No. 41 in the Class of 2019.

Johnson has 25 reported offers and took an unofficial visit to Maryland last month.

He has played for Boo Williams on the Nike EYBL circuit and was the team’s leading scorer at 20.7 points per game and rebounder at 8.5 per game.

John Calipari will not be bringing home a gold medal in his first experience as a coach for USA Basketball.

Calipari’s United States U19 team was upset by Canada, 99-87, in the semifinals of the FIBA U19 World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, and R.J. Barrett was a key reason.

Barrett, ranked as the No. 1 sophomore recruit and a star at Montverde Academy (Fla.), totaled a tournament-high 38 points to go with 13 rebounds and five assists before fouling out late in the win. He hit 12 of 24 of field-goal attempts and 2 of 6 on three-pointers.

Barrett entered the game ranked second in the tournament in scoring (19 points per game). There is a chance Barrett will reclassify to the 2018 class, but regardless of when he plays in college, he is believed to be one of Calipari’s top recruiting targets.

“R.J. had it going,” Calipari said. “I told the team after the game, I needed to try some different things – go zone, trap pick and roll, trap him. I kind of rode it because I thought we would figure out something, and that is my mistake.

“But, the reality was, one kid really went crazy, and then the rest of their kids did what they did, so hats off to them. Congratulate Canada, they deserved to win the game.”

The 17-year-old Barrett exceeded his tournament average in the first half with 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting as Canada carried a 45-42 lead into intermission. He also grabbed eight rebounds in the first half and hit three free throws with four seconds left in the second quarter to give Canada a lead. Barrett tied his previous tournament high with a thundering dunk on the first possession of the third quarter.

“What an incredible moment for Canadian basketball, for these kids, for this team,” Canadian head coach Roy Rana told the Canadian Press. “Great win, now we’ve got to move on and get ready to play for — as unbelievable as it sounds — a world championship.”

Kentucky-bound P.J. Washington had 17 points for Team USA. Auburn’s Austin Wiley had 13 points and 17 rebounds to equal an American record in U19 play.

Canada will play Italy for gold Sunday and the U.S. team will face Spain.

No Romeo: For the second time in the tournament, New Albany (Ind.) star guard Romeo Langford was held out of action for the entire game. Langford has been dealing with lower back discomfort while in Egypt but played at least three minutes in each of the last three games. Langford has played no more than eight minutes in a game during the tournament.

Contributing: Jon Hale, Courier-Journal

A Georgia football player who recently graduated from Harrison High School (Kennesaw) died Saturday at a park in Alabama, according to WAFF.

The body of Mason Tompkins, 18, was found in High Falls Park, authorities said.

Officials told WAFF that witnesses say Tompkins, from Ackworth, Ga.,  jumped from the top of a waterfall and hit his head on the way down. His body was found two hours later, the station reported.

According to Fox 5 in Atlanta, Harrison players gathered on the field Saturday night in tribute to Tompkins. They placed roses across the field in his honor.

“He was just one of those guys that just brightens up your day,” former teammate Trey Iorillo told Fox 5. “He is nice to everyone. You could talk all day long about anything. He’s one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met.”

Among those offering condolences was Justin Fields, Harrison’s quarterback who is considered among the top recruits in the nation in the Class of 2018.

Tompkins, a lineman was listed in a May press release among the new recruits for Division III Berry College in Georgia.

Russell Westbrook nailed a halfcourt shot and threw down a dunk to the joy of children who attended his basketball camp in Oklahoma City on Friday.

As noted by For The Win, the kids also chanted “M-V-P.” Westbrook responded with a bow and a Hulk Hogan-style hand to his ear to encourage the chants to continue.

Fox 25‘s Sam Gannon shared the videos.

Westbrook had two camp sessions in Oklahoma City and then has two more scheduled this week in Tulsa. We’ll see what he can do for an encore.

(H/T SB Nation)

The Zion Williamson highlight reel seemingly adds new videos every time he steps on the court.

Williamson, the Spartanburg (S.C.) Country Day phenom, is among the top players in the Class of 2018.

ZION’S BLOG: Italy trip, SLAM cover, Jay Z and more

Courtesy of ItsOvertime.com, here is what Williamson was up to Saturday — both in game and in warmups.

Jacobi Bellazin is a talented wide receiver in the Class of 2020. He was believed to be among the first from that class to commit to a college.

Now, three-plus months later, the Livonia (La.) star has decommitted from TCU. He announced his decision on Twitter.

His announcement references “some changes in my life” but does not specify.

Considered one of the top receivers in Louisiana regardless of class, Bellazin has 23 reported offers, including Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Duke and Virginia Tech, with more expected. At 5-10 and 170 pounds, he also will continue to grow physically.

In a classy and touching gesture, Cal Supreme AAU has retired the jersey of Ryse Williams, a Loyola Marymount basketball signee who died a day before he was to graduate from Redondo Union (Calif.) in June.

The ceremony attended by Williams’ father and family was captured by Ronnie Flores from CalHiSports.com.

Williams, 18, died from a rare form of kidney cancer known as renal medullary carcinoma that had reached stage 4 and spread to other organs by the time doctors discovered it. There is currently no screening to provide early detection, according to Dr. Manju Aron, a pathologist at Keck Medicine at the University of Southern California.

The No. 11 that Williams wore when he was with the Supreme had been worn by Shareef O’Neal, an Arizona commit is the son of Shaquille O’Neal.

It’s somewhat rare to see a 7-6 score when it comes to 7on7 football, but the rivalry between Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) never takes a break.

Mater Dei, playing without its top offensive players in quarterback JT Daniels (pictured above) and wide receiver Amon-ra St. Brown, won the annual Battle at the Beach 7v7 passing tournament at Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.)

According to The Los Angeles Times, Daniels was resting a sore arm and St. Brown had a sprained finger.

The title game was clinched by an interception by Elias Ricks.

Mater Dei turned the offense in the semifinals and final to  Carter Freedland, who went 10-0 as the quarterback for the school’s freshman team last fall. Mater Dei needed overtime to beat Paraclete, led by quarterback Brevin White, in the semifinals.

“Our coaches do a great job of getting us prepared to go in the game at any time,” Freedland said. “I didn’t know JT wasn’t going play until (the day of the tournament), and I was fortunate enough to get the nod to go in.”

While St. John Bosco advanced behind its defense that featured seven defensive backs with FBS offers, Mater Dei struggled early in the event, going 2-2 in pool play.

“I think as the day progressed we became more and more confident, which led us to the championship, and then on to win the championship,” Freedland said. “It was a great all-around team effort.”

While 7-on-7 events don’t mean much, Mater Dei will take the victory, especially three weeks before practice. And beating St. John Bosco, the defending state Open Division champions and fellow Trinity League rival, isn’t bad, either.

“I think that a tournament win like this gives us a lot of confidence before we get back to practice,” Freedman said. “I think that it has brought us closer as a team.”

Charter Oak (Covina) won the consolation final with a 22-20 victory against Bishop Amat (La Puente). Isaiah Hamilton locked up the victory with an interception on what could have been a game-winning drive for Amat.

Athleticism is among the reasons that Kyree Walker is ranked No. 4 in the ESPN 25 for the Class is 2020.

The 6-5 Walker, an Arizona State commit who has transferred to Hillcrest Prep In Phoenix, showed off that athleticism with this move that he posted on his Twitter.

Walker takes the ball off the side of the backboard,then does a 360 for the dunk. Impressive.