With school back in session, many schools are looking to capitalize by bringing in recruits before official visits begin for the seniors and the underclassmen go back to the books. Purdue, Indiana, and Marquette had big turn outs for their elite camps. Purdue and Marquette had 2 day elite camps this weekend and Indiana's was a smaller one day event that had less than 1/3 as many kids as their June Elite camp. Other schools such as Syracuse are also holding elite camps this weekend, they were expecting Tobias Harris and other players of interest to local schools.
Marquette had the most impressive roster this time around headlined by Vander Blue, a 2010 kid from Madison who decommitted from Wisconsin a few months ago. Analysts have Blue in the top 50 in the country, with some recent revisions getting him well into the top 30 with some scouting services. I continue to hear Arizona is strong with Blue but he spent a lot of time with the Badgers since his decommitment. Obviously if he winds up at Marquette it would be a deadly blow to Bo Ryan who needs a headliner type of recruit desperately as Marquette continues to bring in top talent and the younger classes in Wisconsin are looking loaded. Here is a list of kids from Marquette's elite camp. http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/56121437.html Several hot names in the 2010 class were there including Jeremy Lamb, Justin Coleman, Reggie Smith, Cameron Clark, JJ Moore, Tarik Black, Michael Cobbins, and Jevaughn Pinkston. I have seen each of those kids on top 150 lists with Coleman and Clark being the highest ranked usually in the top 50 but varying depending on where you look. 2011 kids included Bruce Barron, Branden Dawson, Dre Henley, Wayne Blackshear, and James Siakhem among others. 2012 kids included Dejuan Marerro and Junior Lomamba.
Many of the top underclassmen from Wisconsin were in Indiana for their elite camp including JP Tokoto and some others you can read about on Peegs.com on the premium website. I'm not aware of any 2010 kids at Indiana's elite camp but this Insidethehall article said Austin Etherington, Matt Carlino, and Jeremiah Davis were among the better players. Jeremiah Davis could make the third in-state commitment in the class for Tom Crean who has been working the younger classes in Indiana tirelessly. 2012 stars at the camp included Tokoto, Jeremy Hollowell, Kellon Thomas, and TJ Bell. 2013 stars included Colin Hartman (a week after attending the Duke camp with Tokoto), Brent Scott, Bryson Scott, and in the Mongrel's opinion the best two prospects at the camp Daryl Hicks and Daryl Baker. After seeing Tokoto, Hollowell, Davis, Thomas, Hicks, and Baker multiple times this summer the good Mongrel feels Hicks and Baker are easily the best of that stellar group of kids. I haven't seen the Scott twins or Hartman yet. http://www.insidethehall.com/2009/08/30/notes-from-saturdays-elite-camp/
Purdue held a very well attended elite camp also. Dejuan Marrero (2012), and Branden Dawson (2011) were the big names and both stayed a day before going to the Marquette camp. I'll edit and paste a link to a free article if I can find some coverage of the event but so far I'm not able to. As always I suggest trying GoldandBlack.com for coverage, I always see them out at tournaments they do a great job. I've heard Mike Ramey and Spencer Turner were two of the 2011 standouts at the camp.
Marquis Teague was a late scratch from the Indiana camp and as the Insidethehall article and the earlier reports from the Good Mongrel suggest, he appears to be all but a done deal to Louisville. Here's a hot Teague rumor. http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/a-hot-marquis-teague-rumor/
Cincinnati got a commitment from 6'8 2010 forward Justin Jackson from Florida. Jackson got the attention of several area schools in July and has the sound of a nice get for Cronin and company. ESPN has him ranked just inside the top 100 and here's a link to their report on his commitment. http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/school?schoolId=2132&page=briefingroom&season=2010&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fschool%3fschoolId%3d2132%26page%3dbriefingroom%26season%3d2010
I've been getting several great emails on the most underrated kids out there and will be doing some features on those soon I promise! Keep it coming. Ge'lawn Guyn, Brian Fabrizius, Allen Payne, Ron Patterson, and others have been mentioned recently and I'm working on some features for all of them.
Showing posts with label Daryl Baker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daryl Baker. Show all posts
8/28/09
7/28/09
Mac Irvin Fire coming up big at Desert Duel and other updates.
Desert Duel
* The Mac Irvin Fire had two squads in the final eight of the Desert Duel in Phoenix. The 17U squad made it to the semi-finals and the 16U squad played up and made the final eight in a brutal field. Several players came up big for the Fire on the road trip out west to Vegas and Phoenix. The 17U squad is led by Ahmad Starks at point guard. Starks is an Oregon State commitment and has been arguably the most consistently good player on the squad this July. Uncommitted super athlete Reggie Smith is being recruited by Marquette, Butler, and Indiana among others. He's a 6'0 point who can jump out of the gym and shoot some. The Sun-Times named him first team all state this year, that is their photo on the right from January of 08. Illinois commitments Myers Leonard and Jerome Richmond are among the Fire's better players and are even better college prospects. Its a pretty loaded team who had a chance to go out to Vegas and answer some critics by playing hard and making their mark on some good tournaments and they did exactly that. No hardware for the Fire on the west coast swing, but coming off fine efforts where they competed very well the Fire are set up well to finish strong at the End of Summer Classic in Merrillville this weekend. They can join the Illinois Warriors, Illinois Titans, Rising Stars, and maybe one or two other squads as the best from Illinois this summer. The Illinois Wolves have a lot of talent and will be at the End of Summer Classic also.
* Here's a nice feature from the Hendrickson Blog in the Sun Times on the Fire, particularly 2011 big wing Wayne Blackshear who is being recruited by Louisville, Illinois, Indiana, and other teams. http://blogs.suntimes.com/hoopsreport/
* Petersberg Elite (Justin Coleman) defeated Nike Team Florida to win the tournament.
USSSA Nationals:
* Team Southern Indiana Red 17U went 1-1 in Pool play, beating Lithuania and losing to Spiece Gym Rats (Tolson). TSI was led by Garret Ross who scored 15. Hoosierhills twittered earlier that the 2012 squad lost to Northwest Ohio basketball Club 64-58 despite 14 from Max Clemons.
* The Mac Irvin Fire had two squads in the final eight of the Desert Duel in Phoenix. The 17U squad made it to the semi-finals and the 16U squad played up and made the final eight in a brutal field. Several players came up big for the Fire on the road trip out west to Vegas and Phoenix. The 17U squad is led by Ahmad Starks at point guard. Starks is an Oregon State commitment and has been arguably the most consistently good player on the squad this July. Uncommitted super athlete Reggie Smith is being recruited by Marquette, Butler, and Indiana among others. He's a 6'0 point who can jump out of the gym and shoot some. The Sun-Times named him first team all state this year, that is their photo on the right from January of 08. Illinois commitments Myers Leonard and Jerome Richmond are among the Fire's better players and are even better college prospects. Its a pretty loaded team who had a chance to go out to Vegas and answer some critics by playing hard and making their mark on some good tournaments and they did exactly that. No hardware for the Fire on the west coast swing, but coming off fine efforts where they competed very well the Fire are set up well to finish strong at the End of Summer Classic in Merrillville this weekend. They can join the Illinois Warriors, Illinois Titans, Rising Stars, and maybe one or two other squads as the best from Illinois this summer. The Illinois Wolves have a lot of talent and will be at the End of Summer Classic also.
* Here's a nice feature from the Hendrickson Blog in the Sun Times on the Fire, particularly 2011 big wing Wayne Blackshear who is being recruited by Louisville, Illinois, Indiana, and other teams. http://blogs.suntimes.com/hoopsreport/
* Petersberg Elite (Justin Coleman) defeated Nike Team Florida to win the tournament.
USSSA Nationals:
* Team Southern Indiana Red 17U went 1-1 in Pool play, beating Lithuania and losing to Spiece Gym Rats (Tolson). TSI was led by Garret Ross who scored 15. Hoosierhills twittered earlier that the 2012 squad lost to Northwest Ohio basketball Club 64-58 despite 14 from Max Clemons.
* The TSI 2011 squad includes 2013 star Daryl Baker. Jody Demling's blog said he had 28 points in a pool game yesterday. Hoosierhillshoops twittered that an Indiana assistant was on hand for one of his games yesterday. http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/blog.html
* I'll be up in Ft Wayne Thursday morning and afternoon and either back there on Friday or in Merrillville for the End of Summer Classic on Friday depending on the brackets. Let me know if there is someone I need to see. I'll be taking photos for the blog and might get some video.
Double Pump Best of Summer (LA)
* Ohio Basketball Club 17U went undefeated in pool play at the Double Pump tournament in LA per Buckeye Prep twitter. The 17U club is being watched by Akron, Bowling Green, Cleveland State, Ohio, Notre Dame, and other schools.
* Indiana Elite (Fox) is 3-0 in pool play without Ge-lawn Guyn who hurt his ankle. No word on the injury yet other than it is getting x-rayed. Best of luck to a Mongrel favorite. Guyn is a long armed competitive athlete who will be a good player at Charlotte in the Mongrel's opinion. Indiana Elite (Fox) will probably focus more on the inside game with 6'8 Bloomington South forward Eric Fromm. Fromm is versatile and has a little range and will be a lot of fun for Butler fans to watch for four years.
* I'll be up in Ft Wayne Thursday morning and afternoon and either back there on Friday or in Merrillville for the End of Summer Classic on Friday depending on the brackets. Let me know if there is someone I need to see. I'll be taking photos for the blog and might get some video.
Double Pump Best of Summer (LA)
* Ohio Basketball Club 17U went undefeated in pool play at the Double Pump tournament in LA per Buckeye Prep twitter. The 17U club is being watched by Akron, Bowling Green, Cleveland State, Ohio, Notre Dame, and other schools.
* Indiana Elite (Fox) is 3-0 in pool play without Ge-lawn Guyn who hurt his ankle. No word on the injury yet other than it is getting x-rayed. Best of luck to a Mongrel favorite. Guyn is a long armed competitive athlete who will be a good player at Charlotte in the Mongrel's opinion. Indiana Elite (Fox) will probably focus more on the inside game with 6'8 Bloomington South forward Eric Fromm. Fromm is versatile and has a little range and will be a lot of fun for Butler fans to watch for four years.
* The Derek Smith All Stars 16U team (Abel, Fant, others) went 3-0 in pool play per Demling blog (link above).
Orlando Nationals:
* Shining Star MacFarland went undefeated in pool play yet again. They did not loose a pool game all summer long, a unique but cool accomplishment. Shiningstarsportsblog has results from several Shining Star games from different squads and age groups. Josh Sewell and Chad Jackson are the two most impressive players on the team in the good Mongrel's opinion. They are both big guards who can score and distribute the ball and both have the athleticism to help a team in a lot of ways. Miami got a steal in Sewell.
* Coach Blevins got a good look at Elisha Justice, he's one of Kentucky's hidden gems at point guard. He is playing for Derek Smith All Stars and the link says he is interested in Morehead State and other schools. Hoopsreport.com has rundown on several players including him. Something is amiss with my cut and paste function so I'll have to remember to come back and edit in the link but chase it down if you have to. Entry is called "Tuesday Morning and Afternoon Notes".
Orlando Nationals:
* Shining Star MacFarland went undefeated in pool play yet again. They did not loose a pool game all summer long, a unique but cool accomplishment. Shiningstarsportsblog has results from several Shining Star games from different squads and age groups. Josh Sewell and Chad Jackson are the two most impressive players on the team in the good Mongrel's opinion. They are both big guards who can score and distribute the ball and both have the athleticism to help a team in a lot of ways. Miami got a steal in Sewell.
* Coach Blevins got a good look at Elisha Justice, he's one of Kentucky's hidden gems at point guard. He is playing for Derek Smith All Stars and the link says he is interested in Morehead State and other schools. Hoopsreport.com has rundown on several players including him. Something is amiss with my cut and paste function so I'll have to remember to come back and edit in the link but chase it down if you have to. Entry is called "Tuesday Morning and Afternoon Notes".
7/13/09
Updates from Summer Jam, Best of Mid-West, Summer Classic
Chicago Summer Classic
Chicagohoops stock risers report with nice notes on Brandon Spearman and other Illinois talent. http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/classicprofiles.html
Peach Jam
Here are some whispers that Sam Thompson and Oregon State might be getting cozy as well as other updates on the recruiting trail from the Bullseye. The top spot is up for debate in Illinois class of 2011 but Thompson certainly has his supporters... http://ilprepbullseye.com/page46.html Bruce Weber and an assistant, and two Depaul assistants watched every game the 16U and 17U Mac Irvin Fire played. The 17U squad went 1-3 and probably won't be playing much longer if that is any indication. They have a lot of guys who can jump, but don't seem to win many games at the 17U level. Fortunately for the Fire, recruiting media types are not known for their leaping ability and they will continue to be talked about as a super team even with several other Chicago area teams playing much better ball this summer. Bill Carmody, Tom Crean, Thad Matta, Craig Robinson, Buzz Peterson, and other coaches were on hand for at least one Mac Irvin Fire game as well. The 17U group features fast rising senior Reggie Smith who had some great reviews at the Lebron Camp last week as well as the current king of Chicago high school basketball Jereome Richmond and seven foot Meyers Leonard. Smith is one of the top unsigned guards in the 2010 class and is a 6'1 kid with great leaping ability but has quietly added some range to his game and has improved his handle and distributing skills. He is being pursued by Marquette, Indiana, and some west coast schools but might see his options increase with a few wins for the Fire.
Chicagohoops stock risers report with nice notes on Brandon Spearman and other Illinois talent. http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/classicprofiles.html
Best of Midwest:
Daryl Baker is the 2013 wonder-kid playing for Sherron Wilkerson's 16U Team Southern Indiana. He had 30 in his early game and 27 in the nightcap which was a loss to the Spiece Indy Stars who are also playing up a level and coming off two straight 15U tournament wins. Jeremy Hollowell and Ron Patterson have been red hot on both sides of the ball, but Austin Burgett continues his hot play as well scoring in double figures in both games and getting almost double figure boards in both games. He is at least 6'7 and has a sweet three point shot and a wonderful handle and his game offensively is often compared to Robbie Hummel. Here is a video taken by the Herald Times with some clips of Baker who is interested in Indiana, UConn, and North Carolina. http://blogs.heraldtimesonline.com/iusp/?p=3917 Here is a monster jam by Ron Patterson who has several high major offers already including Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue, and Illinois. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=cjimmersiveplayer01&videoID=1181379332
Shining Star Sports - Jackson went 1-1 on the first day of pool play losing to Spiece Select 2011 who are also playing up a year. Vance Hall had 21 for Shining Star Sports after posting a 30 point game in an earlier blowout against Fieldhouse Elite.
Spiece Select started the day 2-0 and has been getting good play from Zach Van DeWater and Kendal Griffin as well as burly 6'7 forward Tony Springmann.
Eric Gordon All-Stars had big games from Terone Johnson, Jordan Manuel, Griffen McKenzie, and Trip McFall. I love watching this group play. Johnson is one of the most underrated guys in the country because the national guys sometimes get too caught up in a kids' pro prospects. Johnson is too short to be a shooting guard NBA prospect and not quite quick enough or enough of a point to play the one at the next level but the kid is tough as nails and is a good outside shooter. He can also get to the rack and plays with a lot of strength. I watched him physically handle Dominique Fergeson and guard him effectively in their first matchup at the Adidas May Classic. Johnson is a leader and a warrior and will be one of the most productive freshmen in the country in my guess and will get better and better in college. He plays hard on defense and with purpose. Matt Painter really hit the ball out of the park with his 2010 class. I love Johnson and Carrol. I need to see more of Anthony Johnson he's been hurt when I wanted to see him this summer and last year he didn't stand out to me but he has a wonderful reputation as well. Jordan Manual is a very vocal kid and can shoot the lights out at about 6'8 but he is rail thin so I think he'd play a lot more if he ends up at a mid-major. It can be a treat to listen to him needle opposition in his deep bass voice and he can be really funnywhen picking on the fragile psyche of an opponent.
NY2LA Summer Jam
SYF Players off to a great start including Dominique Fergeson getting physical which coming off reports he was being worked as a power forward at the LeBron camp might be a really good sign. http://www.ny2lasports.com/SummerJamDay1recap.htm Speaking of Fergeson, WeareDepaul.com has a premium story in which Fergeson confirms the fact that he will leave the state of Indiana for a yet to be determined prep school. He visited DePaul with his family and still has a long list but indicated he likes the Big 12 and Big East because he wants to go pro after a year if he has a big year and they produce lottery picks according to Fergeson. http://indiana.scout.com/a.z?s=170&p=2&c=878950
Fergeson's teammate Xavier Jones from Gary has been having a good July as well. The Summer Jam is loaded with talent. This day one report has updates on 6'10 Walter Pitchford from Team Detroit, Milwuakee Spartans star Vander Blue, and Illinois Wolves 15U Jay Simpson among others. http://www.ny2lasports.com/SummerJamDay1recap.htm
Peach Jam
Here are some whispers that Sam Thompson and Oregon State might be getting cozy as well as other updates on the recruiting trail from the Bullseye. The top spot is up for debate in Illinois class of 2011 but Thompson certainly has his supporters... http://ilprepbullseye.com/page46.html Bruce Weber and an assistant, and two Depaul assistants watched every game the 16U and 17U Mac Irvin Fire played. The 17U squad went 1-3 and probably won't be playing much longer if that is any indication. They have a lot of guys who can jump, but don't seem to win many games at the 17U level. Fortunately for the Fire, recruiting media types are not known for their leaping ability and they will continue to be talked about as a super team even with several other Chicago area teams playing much better ball this summer. Bill Carmody, Tom Crean, Thad Matta, Craig Robinson, Buzz Peterson, and other coaches were on hand for at least one Mac Irvin Fire game as well. The 17U group features fast rising senior Reggie Smith who had some great reviews at the Lebron Camp last week as well as the current king of Chicago high school basketball Jereome Richmond and seven foot Meyers Leonard. Smith is one of the top unsigned guards in the 2010 class and is a 6'1 kid with great leaping ability but has quietly added some range to his game and has improved his handle and distributing skills. He is being pursued by Marquette, Indiana, and some west coast schools but might see his options increase with a few wins for the Fire.
7/11/09
Day 2 Standouts at Kentucky Hoopfest
Here are just a few of the standout performers of day 2 at the Ky Hoopfest. I didn't get a chance to see most of the best talent and will do some updates tomorrow on other action from the tournament but here are a few brief observations from today.
2010:
Curtis Washington is well worth his short lived hype for Shooting Stars McFarland. He is every bit of 6'9 and has long arms and good hands. He can handle the ball some and has wonderful balance and a soft touch on his inside buckets. How on Earth did this kid sneak by under the radar so long? USC got a steal.
Josh Sewell and Chad Jackson get to share an entry from the efficient Mongrel. Sewell is a 6'5 shooting guard who recently made a verbal commitment to Miami of Ohio. He plays for Louisville Trinity high school and I love his game. He can handle, shoot, defend, and plays hard. He could easily be a good player for a high major if he chose to wait it out. I was impressed with how good his handle was today. Normally he is off the ball but he took care of the ball most of the game when he was in and did great with it. Conversely Chad Jackson was someone I was looking at as a mid-major point guard even though he has some high major interest. But he showed a really pretty perimeter shot in this game that I wasn't expecting from watching him against Lexington Catholic a few months ago. I really like him off the ball and I really like Sewell on the ball more.
Kadeem Green for Team Takeover was the best player on the floor for the Team Takeover vs Florida Future match and that in itself is quite an accomplishment. He is long and skinny and had some blocks, several great drives down the middle in traffic, he finished with his left hand off balance on one of those. He took the ball coast to coast and knows how to draw contact. He's probably about 6'7 and is a rangy wing with an exceptional handle for his size. According to Hoopstars Canada he has interest from Iowa State and George Washington and has a standing reach of 9'2. http://www.hoopstarscanada.com/news.pl?nid=44
Maurice Walker is a 6'10 powerful center from Toronto who also was impressive. He didn't have a huge offensive game but he is really big and unlike a lot of kids his size he uses every ounce of that 270 pound frame and really beats on guys. He has interest from Texas AM, Depaul, and Iowa State among others.
Allen Payne for Queen City Prophets was really strong. He had over 20 points in an overtime one point victory against Common Bond-Hicks and saved his best for the end of the game. He had a crucial late bucket then got a steal on an inbounds and brought it up strong on the baseline. He is probably 6'6 and very quick.
Brandon Crane is a 6'11 center for Common Bond-Hicks. He has reported in the past that he has Michigan State, Purdue, and Indiana interest but he wasn't starting for his squad today and only had about 3 buckets. He is very skinny but long and moves well and has some potential but that frame is pretty slight for Big Ten ball.
2011:
Jeremiah Davis from Muncie Central is a very impressive player. His stock has fallen a little bit since BillyClyde Gillespie offered him as an 8th grader. He is a 6'4 big time athlete and a wonderful handler and passer who has good range and explosive athleticism. He has had a knock against him for a while for being a bit wild and dominating the ball too much but I didn't see anything like that today and he really guards people well.
Austin Etherington is a 6'5 wing who has a nice stroke and can jump. I jinxed him, this was the third time I've seen him and he didn't do much each time. Considering he is considering offers from Xavier and Indiana and has been told by Steve Alford that he is New Mexico's top priority in the class I'm assuming he usually plays a lot better. You can't be too cautious about assuming a kid who doesn't do much in an AAU game doesn't have it. The games are short and they often have so many good teammates. On the rumor-mongering front I hear from someone in the know that he really likes Indiana and Xavier right now but is a little freaked out by the pressure Crean is puting on him to commit right now and he thinks he will wind up with an offer from his dad's old friend Thad Matta eventually and has been told Purdue will offer him if they don't get a certain prospect at his position they are in good shape with. Hmmm... one to watch at any rate...
Justin Gant 6'8 forward Indiana Elite Orange really played well this evening. He didn't look real comfortable with Indiana Elite this spring but fills a great role for Indiana Elite Orange. He is a tough kid who is a deceptively good athlete and has good length at 6'8 and a nice perimeter shot. Iowa and Michigan have been all over him.
Cody Zeller is up to 6'10 now and puting on some definition from working on the weights. He made a couple of entry passes that were hard to fathom from a big kid his age that ended up being converted into Plumlee dunks in two cases and a Gant layup in another. But Zeller can score and put the ball on the floor too. He is one of the faster big kids I've seen in the age group. He really has gotten a lot better from the school year to May where he more than held his own head to head against Deshawn Thomas to today. I like him more than Plumlee and that is saying a lot because Plumlee is 6'11 and seems to like being a center and is really good too. But he just isn't the kind of athlete as Zeller and isn't as versatile.
Isiah McCullar was very effective against Indiana Elite and their twin towers of Leek and Ajou. He wasn't flashy but is probably 6'9 and very strong and co-ordinated and even though the big African kids had some blocks they probably didn't have more buckets.
Job Jennings and Alex McGlothlin were both impressive for Club-Ohio (Callahan). Jennings is a 6'3 guard who handled the ball a lot and shows the ability to drive, score, and play some defense. He and McGlothlin both had about 15 points.
2012:
Mongrel favorite Ken Kaminski was good but not exactly dominant for Team Pride in the evening session. He has a pretty shot and is quite an athlete but didn't get a lot of offense in the evening session. Tom Izzo and Tom Crean saw him play among other coaches.
A 6'0 guard who I mistakenly identified with a 6'8 forward's name (Tommy McCune) was outstanding for Team Pride as well. He had a couple of 3's and a great dunk and an assist on a wrap around underneath and showed a lot of versatility. He is about a 6'0 guard. I'll have to find my notes and dig around to find out the correct name for the fine player.
Ron Patterson played a great game on both ends of the floor against Wisconsin Blizzard 15U. He has such long arms and really gets in people's faces.
Brandon Tyler for the Wisconsin Blizzard was outstanding. He is about 6'4 and can handle, shoot, defend, and rebound. I caught him after losing a competitive game against the otherwise dominant Spiece Indy Heat sitting in the crowd watching the dunk show put on by JP Tokoto and Popcorn Morris before their game. Their less flashy counterpart might be as good a prospect in game action as those two impressive players and superb athletes. His teammate Jason Miller was a wonderful player as well and hit a lot of big time perimeter shots.
JP Tokoto was a treat to watch. He and teammate Popcorn Morris have great athleticism and Morris seems to hang in the air when he goes up for a jump. One of the highlights of the day was watching the Wisconsin Playground Warriors 2012 team go through warmups. There were 360 degree spins, tomahawk jams, and about everything you could think of and Tom Crean stood at rapt attention to watch the display. On the floor they were excellent players as well. Tokoto is very active and picked several passes off and handles the ball really well and Morris uses his superior athleticism to get up and over people and they both look like future college stars.
Nick Arenz is a 6'8 center from Onalaska, Wisconsin who had about 13 points including stroking a really nice 3 pointer and finishing off a Tokoto assist in traffic. He seems like a Bo Ryan type of player if he grows a little and keeps working hard.
2013:
Daryl Baker is every bit what he is cracked up to be. The kid can get to the basket and never disappoints when he does get there. He is a 2013 playing on 2011 Team Southern Indiana coached by former Jeffersonville star Sherron Wilkerson and there are some similarities to their games. Baker seems to be on track to me more of a dominant scorer but he is extremely quick and plays some swarming defense. In the late game at Hoops TSI was down a couple of baskets in the final minute of the game but Baker and #13 (will edit after some sleep and find his name) put heavy pressure on the ball and forced several turnovers and Baker got to the line with a chance to tie it up with about 4 seconds left. He missed the first and hit the second and forced a turnover on the inbound and collected the ball and turned and missed a tough layup where he changed directions in the air for the win. Baker was devastated after missing the potential game winning layup and his famously emotional coach was right in his face to tell him to keep his chin up and he'll knock it down next time. Baker is without question one of the best players in Indiana high school basketball and he's just going to be a freshman.
There is a mountain playing for a 2013 team out of Team Takeover named Taveer Bhullar. I didn't stick around to see much of the game as it was not in view from the crowd gathered for the Indiana Elite (Carlino, Zeller, Plumlee, Gant) game. But he had to be 7'1 and 300 pounds and I saw him catch the ball on a couple of tough passes. 2013 and he'd cast a shadow on Bryant Reeves!
2010:
Curtis Washington is well worth his short lived hype for Shooting Stars McFarland. He is every bit of 6'9 and has long arms and good hands. He can handle the ball some and has wonderful balance and a soft touch on his inside buckets. How on Earth did this kid sneak by under the radar so long? USC got a steal.
Josh Sewell and Chad Jackson get to share an entry from the efficient Mongrel. Sewell is a 6'5 shooting guard who recently made a verbal commitment to Miami of Ohio. He plays for Louisville Trinity high school and I love his game. He can handle, shoot, defend, and plays hard. He could easily be a good player for a high major if he chose to wait it out. I was impressed with how good his handle was today. Normally he is off the ball but he took care of the ball most of the game when he was in and did great with it. Conversely Chad Jackson was someone I was looking at as a mid-major point guard even though he has some high major interest. But he showed a really pretty perimeter shot in this game that I wasn't expecting from watching him against Lexington Catholic a few months ago. I really like him off the ball and I really like Sewell on the ball more.
Kadeem Green for Team Takeover was the best player on the floor for the Team Takeover vs Florida Future match and that in itself is quite an accomplishment. He is long and skinny and had some blocks, several great drives down the middle in traffic, he finished with his left hand off balance on one of those. He took the ball coast to coast and knows how to draw contact. He's probably about 6'7 and is a rangy wing with an exceptional handle for his size. According to Hoopstars Canada he has interest from Iowa State and George Washington and has a standing reach of 9'2. http://www.hoopstarscanada.com/news.pl?nid=44
Maurice Walker is a 6'10 powerful center from Toronto who also was impressive. He didn't have a huge offensive game but he is really big and unlike a lot of kids his size he uses every ounce of that 270 pound frame and really beats on guys. He has interest from Texas AM, Depaul, and Iowa State among others.
Allen Payne for Queen City Prophets was really strong. He had over 20 points in an overtime one point victory against Common Bond-Hicks and saved his best for the end of the game. He had a crucial late bucket then got a steal on an inbounds and brought it up strong on the baseline. He is probably 6'6 and very quick.
Brandon Crane is a 6'11 center for Common Bond-Hicks. He has reported in the past that he has Michigan State, Purdue, and Indiana interest but he wasn't starting for his squad today and only had about 3 buckets. He is very skinny but long and moves well and has some potential but that frame is pretty slight for Big Ten ball.
2011:
Jeremiah Davis from Muncie Central is a very impressive player. His stock has fallen a little bit since BillyClyde Gillespie offered him as an 8th grader. He is a 6'4 big time athlete and a wonderful handler and passer who has good range and explosive athleticism. He has had a knock against him for a while for being a bit wild and dominating the ball too much but I didn't see anything like that today and he really guards people well.
Austin Etherington is a 6'5 wing who has a nice stroke and can jump. I jinxed him, this was the third time I've seen him and he didn't do much each time. Considering he is considering offers from Xavier and Indiana and has been told by Steve Alford that he is New Mexico's top priority in the class I'm assuming he usually plays a lot better. You can't be too cautious about assuming a kid who doesn't do much in an AAU game doesn't have it. The games are short and they often have so many good teammates. On the rumor-mongering front I hear from someone in the know that he really likes Indiana and Xavier right now but is a little freaked out by the pressure Crean is puting on him to commit right now and he thinks he will wind up with an offer from his dad's old friend Thad Matta eventually and has been told Purdue will offer him if they don't get a certain prospect at his position they are in good shape with. Hmmm... one to watch at any rate...
Justin Gant 6'8 forward Indiana Elite Orange really played well this evening. He didn't look real comfortable with Indiana Elite this spring but fills a great role for Indiana Elite Orange. He is a tough kid who is a deceptively good athlete and has good length at 6'8 and a nice perimeter shot. Iowa and Michigan have been all over him.
Cody Zeller is up to 6'10 now and puting on some definition from working on the weights. He made a couple of entry passes that were hard to fathom from a big kid his age that ended up being converted into Plumlee dunks in two cases and a Gant layup in another. But Zeller can score and put the ball on the floor too. He is one of the faster big kids I've seen in the age group. He really has gotten a lot better from the school year to May where he more than held his own head to head against Deshawn Thomas to today. I like him more than Plumlee and that is saying a lot because Plumlee is 6'11 and seems to like being a center and is really good too. But he just isn't the kind of athlete as Zeller and isn't as versatile.
Isiah McCullar was very effective against Indiana Elite and their twin towers of Leek and Ajou. He wasn't flashy but is probably 6'9 and very strong and co-ordinated and even though the big African kids had some blocks they probably didn't have more buckets.
Job Jennings and Alex McGlothlin were both impressive for Club-Ohio (Callahan). Jennings is a 6'3 guard who handled the ball a lot and shows the ability to drive, score, and play some defense. He and McGlothlin both had about 15 points.
2012:
Mongrel favorite Ken Kaminski was good but not exactly dominant for Team Pride in the evening session. He has a pretty shot and is quite an athlete but didn't get a lot of offense in the evening session. Tom Izzo and Tom Crean saw him play among other coaches.
A 6'0 guard who I mistakenly identified with a 6'8 forward's name (Tommy McCune) was outstanding for Team Pride as well. He had a couple of 3's and a great dunk and an assist on a wrap around underneath and showed a lot of versatility. He is about a 6'0 guard. I'll have to find my notes and dig around to find out the correct name for the fine player.
Ron Patterson played a great game on both ends of the floor against Wisconsin Blizzard 15U. He has such long arms and really gets in people's faces.
Brandon Tyler for the Wisconsin Blizzard was outstanding. He is about 6'4 and can handle, shoot, defend, and rebound. I caught him after losing a competitive game against the otherwise dominant Spiece Indy Heat sitting in the crowd watching the dunk show put on by JP Tokoto and Popcorn Morris before their game. Their less flashy counterpart might be as good a prospect in game action as those two impressive players and superb athletes. His teammate Jason Miller was a wonderful player as well and hit a lot of big time perimeter shots.
JP Tokoto was a treat to watch. He and teammate Popcorn Morris have great athleticism and Morris seems to hang in the air when he goes up for a jump. One of the highlights of the day was watching the Wisconsin Playground Warriors 2012 team go through warmups. There were 360 degree spins, tomahawk jams, and about everything you could think of and Tom Crean stood at rapt attention to watch the display. On the floor they were excellent players as well. Tokoto is very active and picked several passes off and handles the ball really well and Morris uses his superior athleticism to get up and over people and they both look like future college stars.
Nick Arenz is a 6'8 center from Onalaska, Wisconsin who had about 13 points including stroking a really nice 3 pointer and finishing off a Tokoto assist in traffic. He seems like a Bo Ryan type of player if he grows a little and keeps working hard.
2013:
Daryl Baker is every bit what he is cracked up to be. The kid can get to the basket and never disappoints when he does get there. He is a 2013 playing on 2011 Team Southern Indiana coached by former Jeffersonville star Sherron Wilkerson and there are some similarities to their games. Baker seems to be on track to me more of a dominant scorer but he is extremely quick and plays some swarming defense. In the late game at Hoops TSI was down a couple of baskets in the final minute of the game but Baker and #13 (will edit after some sleep and find his name) put heavy pressure on the ball and forced several turnovers and Baker got to the line with a chance to tie it up with about 4 seconds left. He missed the first and hit the second and forced a turnover on the inbound and collected the ball and turned and missed a tough layup where he changed directions in the air for the win. Baker was devastated after missing the potential game winning layup and his famously emotional coach was right in his face to tell him to keep his chin up and he'll knock it down next time. Baker is without question one of the best players in Indiana high school basketball and he's just going to be a freshman.
There is a mountain playing for a 2013 team out of Team Takeover named Taveer Bhullar. I didn't stick around to see much of the game as it was not in view from the crowd gathered for the Indiana Elite (Carlino, Zeller, Plumlee, Gant) game. But he had to be 7'1 and 300 pounds and I saw him catch the ball on a couple of tough passes. 2013 and he'd cast a shadow on Bryant Reeves!
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