TEANECK, N.J -- At first glance, Mustafa Shakur and Shaun Livingston may appear to have little in common. Shakur, at 6-foot-3 is three inches shorter than Livingston. Shakur is a senior, Livingston just a junior. Shakur is a city kid from Philly, while Livingston's playground in Peoria isn't exactly Chicago.

But watch them play a few minutes and it's clear they share a very important common trait for point guards. Both have a tremendous vision of the floor and an ability to get teammates easy shots.

	Shakur is ESPN.com's top-rated PG this summer.

Shakur (Friends Central H.S./Philadelphia) is the stronger penetrator and interior passer off of penetration. Livingston is tremendous at creating a break-out opportunity for his team, and even better at finishing the break by getting the ball to the right man at the right time.

And, while you may beg to differ, the great thing about these guys is that running the team is first and foremost. Egos are checked at the door.

But, while Livingston has been able to shake everybody in this camp, he found out quickly that would not be the case Wednesday against Shakur.

But, did the 6-6 Livingston keep trying to dribble endlessly in a futile attempt to do his thing like a lot of guards here have? No, that's not an option in Livingston's world. Instead, Livingston took his open shots, pushed the ball at the right time, and most importantly fed his center, who happens to be Kendrick Perkins -- the most effective low post presence among all the big men at the adidas ABCD Camp.

No to be outshined by his younger counterpart, Shakur also ran his team nicely. But, he had to work a lot harder against the rangy and taller Livingston. Shakur had to use a little more change of direction, combined with a couple spins to get what he wanted around the basket. Shakur found himself having to make some bailout passes a couple of times, as well.

Benezra and Mayemura Scorecard
Shakur gets a slight edge because he was still able to play his total game, while Livingston had to give up a part of his. But to their credit, neither player made it a personal duel, as we saw last year with some of the top point guards in camp.

Shakur is not a great shooter, but can make enough outside shots to keep defenders honest. His real strengths, however, begin with his quickness. There is not too much his defender can do once he gets an angle and into the paint. Shakur not only sees the floor, but he knows the floor so well. He knows where all the key defenders are when he makes his move and does everything by design.

For all these reasons and more, at this point, we are touting Shakuras the top point guard in the class of 2003.

With Livingston, the question is will a college team let him run the show? A lot of tall kids who could really handle the ball in high school had to move over to other positions as their college coaches didn't feel they could stay in front of smaller point guards on defense.

But, Livingston is a good defensive player who has already frustrated some small penetrating point guards in this camp who couldn't get by him. Unbelievable isn't it? He can defend, and he shows that he takes pride in his ability to defend every time out.

Offensively, Livingston's shot is a little flat. But he's still a better shooter than Shakur, certainly more accurate in this camp at greater range. Livingston is very thin and visually reminds us of Tayshaun Prince, although he is roughly 20 pounds heavier than Prince was at the same stage of his career. Make no mistake, Livingston is a great player and a great prospect who is only scratching the surface of what he can be.

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.