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LOS ANGELES -- Summer, as far as the open evaluation of high school players by college coaches, is ending. The Best of Summer Tournament, held near the beach at Loyola Marymount University, is not a bad place for things to wind down. With the coaches having their mouths taped, the "chatter" is a little different this summer.
A lot of the chatter centers on the NCAA. Making the rounds in L.A. is the story that a prominent head coach at the Best of Summer was walking outside the gym, saw one of his main recruits, walked over, put an arm around the kid and began talking to him. This was done in full view of an NCAA employee. Of course, according to the rules, this NCAA "person" had to do something. So the NCAA employee went over and said, "Hi coach __________, how are you, blah, blah, blah ..." The blatant violation was ignored. Of course, if that was the head coach of Nicholls State, there would have been some sanctions thrown down.
The NCAA is everywhere. Even in the weight room. A player from another college was in Loyola Marymount's weight room getting a lift in when he was approached by an NCAA "person," who asked him a few questions and gave the player a card. Of course, the possibilities run rampant. Perhaps this NCAA "person" wants to switch careers and wants to know all about weight training. Or, perhaps this NCAA person wants to become an agent and is secretly starting to recruit future clients. Or, he could merely be trying to find the next Schwarzenegger. You think?
As for the ballers? They are tired. Everybody who went to Las Vegas before Los Angeles is tired. That is why there is a possibility of a fairly average team coming through one of the brackets and stealing this tournament -- and it is the same all over the country right now.
Looking very good was 6'2 junior (class of 2004) Emmanuel Quezada from St. Albans in Washington D.C. Quezada is playing for the CAS Warriors, a team from N.Y. They run their entire offense though him. Quezada's body won't get him on "Survivor," but his game makes him a Top 100 junior. He can shoot it and has a great knack for penetrating through traffic for makeable shots. He is what we call a "threader," not a slasher. He has an outstanding feel for pressure and a knack for getting his shot off against taller people.
David Benezra and Mark Mayemura cover the national college basketball recruiting scene. E-mail at: hoopsusa@mindspring.com or call (818) 783-2244 or (818) 783-2212 for subscription information.
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