Editor's note: Recruiting USA will be filing daily updates from the Nike and adidas/ABCD camps. Here is the second installment.
The magic of rosters made the second day of "practice games" come alive at the Nike All-American Camp, although you didn't need a roster to know you were seeing 6-foot-1 Dajuan Wagner (Camden H.S./Camden, N.J.) matchup against 6-foot Carlos Hurt (Elsik H.S./Alief, Texas) in a big-time showdown.
It could the be first of many matchups, as the two guards have already committed to Memphis and Louisville, respectively.
Hurt's facial expressions and body language did not display confidence, and despite being known for his penetrating ability, Hurt did not attempt to take Wagner off the dribble.
Wagner seemed very content to involve his teammates, although he did score a couple of baskets. He also seemed to be playing possum, not showing all of his game and essentially playing on cruise control.
In the Nike camp, there are 10 players to a team, split into groups of five which alternate quarters. After the other quarter group played, Wagner and Hurt's units faced each other again.
Wagner looked to score and create more the second time around. Hurt looked more relaxed but was clearly no match for Wagner's strength. Solidly built, Wagner, penetrated whenever he wanted to, including an impressive power drive going to his left in which he just went through a retreating Hurt. That caused an NBA scout to mutter that Wagner was "just way too big" for Hurt.
Hurt did try to drive on Wagner twice but Wagner just locked him down and denied any penetration. That showed that while Hurt is a promising and talented guard prospect, Wagner is on another level.
Which he is, being the top rated player in the class.
It was also mismatch that should make Hurt think about the weight room and developing his right hand.
Besides the enjoyment of seeing the nation's elite square off against each other, the camps also provide the thrill of discovery. Seeing relatively unknown players emerge during camp is equivalent to a record industry A&R staffer hanging out in an underground club hoping to discover some new talent.
Over the first two nights of camp, 6-3 senior Winsome Frazier (Northwestern H.S./Miami) has been very impressive. Frazier is a scoring slasher who can also shoot the ball and showed some range. "Sleeper" might not be the right term for Frazier because he's very active player who should become a popular high-major recruit as an off guard. Frazier, who has heard from dozens of schools in the past two weeks, would like to stay in-state with his current favorites being Miami (Fla.), South Florida, Auburn and Florida State.
Six-foot-two senior combo guard Cecil Hood (Detroit Central H.S./Detroit) didn't pass the initial "look" test, but he really grew on us with more viewing. He is a deceptive player who lets the game come to him. A strong penetrator who can also shoot the ball, Hood is a true combo guard.
Best performance, Thursday night: A lot of times, the fact that a player doesn't have a true position is viewed as a negative. That's not the case with Terrell Gantt (Bronx Regional H.S./Bronx, NY). The 6-5 Gantt really hustled at both ends. He was strong in the post and showed great interior passing skills. He has a good handle and took his man off the dribble from the wing repeatedly.
Overheard comment from NBA scout: "He is very talented, but he doesn't play very hard."
The subject? Seven-foot Tyson Chandler (Dominguez H.S./Compton, Calif.). A few things became apparent watching Chandler play again Thursday night. For an athletic 7-footer, you don't notice him around the ball very much or involved in many plays. He is also a one-play player. He may try to shoot the ball or block a shot on a possession, but that's it. He doesn't keep trying to get to the ball after his one attempt. Maybe that will come with maturity or experience...experience, that is, in the form of a lot of pine time as a young, talented rookie on a NBA bench.
Consistency a plus: There is always something to be said for consistency, especially at the point guard position. Travis Diener (Fond du Lac H.S./Fond Du Lac, Wis.) played well when we saw him earlier in the spring at a big tournament and the 6-0 guard played even better at Nike.
Diener can push it and find people in the open floor, doesn't turn it over in the half court and can really shoot the basketball. Best of all, he plays a practically flawless floor game, reminiscent of John Stockton; he really knows how to play. He was not an unknown prior to Nike but was not ranked as one of the top point guards in this class. That should change after Nike.
Coming on strong: Senior Keith Langford (North Crowley H.S./Fort Worth, Texas) is one of our favorites and the 6-3 off guard looked very impressive here. Better than advertised, the lefty can slice through traffic to the basket and shows a very nice shooting touch. He is a scorer and will be a very effective on the next level. Langford also has a nice mid-range game.
Pressure off the underclassmen: The summer period is always a lot of fun -- if you are an underclassman. You get a chance to play against the hyped seniors and are allowed to make some mistakes. If an underclassman gets it going, he establishes his name to the recruiters.
Junior Marshall Strickland (The Winchendon School, Winchendon, Mass.) should also move up on people's lists. The 6-1 guard certainly is no secret, but he combines good height and strength with athleticism and skills, making him one of the premier point guards in the class.
Coming out of nowhere -- well actually, out of the sky -- was 6-2 junior Jimmy McKinney (Vashon H.S./St. Louis), who exploded onto our radar screen when he came from 15 feet away and rejected a soft over-the-rim attempt by highly regarded 6-10 senior David Harrison (Brentwood Academy/Brentwood, Tenn). Harrison was shocked, and then received a double jolt of electricity when McKinney drove the baseline at the other end and attempted to throw down on him. He missed, but like a Pete Sampras double fault at 120 mph, he made an impression -- that he's a big-time athlete.
Another shining junior was 6-2 off guard Bracey Wright (The Colony H.S./The Colony, Texas), a very fluid player with a smooth stroke. He needs to develop his handle a little more before he can become an elite combo player.
Wright will have some competition in the off-guard rankings from 6-2 junior Eric Wilkins (Oak Hill Academy/Mouth of Wilson, Va.), a native of New Jersey who can really kill the open look from outside.
Junior Lester Abram (Northern H.S./Pontiac, Mich.)) is considered one of the top juniors nationally and he reinforced that with his performance. The 6-5 Abram has plenty of athleticism and can shoot (naturally, can't all lefties?). He is another big-time prospect.
Sophomore Grant Billmeier (St. Patrick's H.S./Elizabeth, N.J.) may have been the camp's hardest-working big man on display. The 6-9 Billmeier really got after it on both ends, even if he ate a lot of leather on the low block (translation: his shot got blocked on numerous occasions). At the offensive end, he kept going after it. He is not going to be a great athlete, but his effort makes him a sophomore to watch.
First Camp Award: One thing that is readily apparent is that these kids don't eat enough to fill out their shorts. A majority of the players, particularly the taller ones, seem to be constantly hitching up their shorts. The hitching king is 6-8 sophomore Jermaine Bell (Ben Franklin H.S./Rochester, N.Y.). It was so noticeable that we started focusing on Bell and his shorts. On each change of possession Bell hitched up his shorts; sometimes he employed multiple hitches.
Oh yeah, he does have a good upside, and not as a professional hitcher, we might add.
Mystery of the day: Since a college coach asked us, we will solve the mystery from Thursday's report about who No. 40 was. Analyst Mark Berokoff's favorite player turned out to be 6-2 senior Jermaine Watson (Tabor Academy/Marion, Mass.), a well-known talent who can really score.
Mark Mayemura and David Benezra are the editors of the Recruiting USA website (www.recruitingusa.com).
|
|
ALSO SEE
Recruiting: Chandler an early star at Nike
Recruiting: Adidas shows its depth
Recruiting: A look into the future
|
