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TEANECK, N.J. -- Well, the adidas ABCD Camp all-star games were the finale of a great week of camps. Thursday night's games, love 'em or hate 'em, are in the book and over 200 campers are on their way to their next destinations, which are all over America -- not to mention the world.
Among the various promotional items displayed at the ABCD camp, which are par for the course at these type of invitational corporate camps, was a large banner which
read, "ABCD Camp, The Number One Camp In America." Well, nothing could be more true. The ABCD Camp has been the top camp for going on six consecutive years, but this year, the difference between the shoe camps was obvious and wider than ever.
A roundup of news and notes out of the final day of the adidas ABCD Camp:
Who Looked Good
Bryce Taylor, the 6-2 rising junior from Southern California (Harvard-Westlake H.S./North Hollywood, Calif.) looked impressive on Thursday,
both in the playoff games and in the underclass all-star game. Taylor, the son of former Princeton and ABA star Brian Taylor, showed off some excellent
athleticism when attacking the basket, but he also showed off a fundamentally sound jumper, often kissing mid-range shots off the glass. He's a strong
player both in transition and in the half-court offense.
Shaun Livingston, in the wide-open atmosphere of the underclass all-star game, didn't disappoint the crowd, who wanted some "And 1" mix tape theatrics.
The long, wiry 6-6 point guard with the vision of a sniper, was shakin' and bakin' the ball like he had his own series on the Food Channel. And when
you're all skinny arms, thin legs and sharp elbows like the 167-pound 15-year old Livingston, fans erupt with hoots and hollers when they saw Livingston
break out his bag of dribble tricks. He wasn't as solid or effective as he was during the week, but even though a lot of his stuff didn't work, he was
entertaining.
In the senior game, a shortage of point guards made for an, "Every Man for Himself" feeling to the game. But 6-3 Artie Bowers (St. Benedict's H.S./Newark N.J.)
showed his ability to score, hitting jumpers and converting easy shots off of easy penetration.
6-9 rising senior Chris Taft (Xaverian H.S/Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished some difficult shots in traffic and ran the floor well. He's athletic, has good
hands and still has significant upside.
6-7 Sean Banks (Bergen Catholic H.S/Bergen, NJ), who should've been named the MVP for his team in the rising senior all-star game, was making it look easy, as he did what he wanted, punctuating his excellent week with another outstanding game.
Banks, who is deadly catching and shooting from behind the 3-point arc, is one
of those graceful swingmen, who can kill you in transition or make you pay by
knocking down mid-range pull-up jumpers. He rebounds well and is also a
threat to slash and finish in the paint.
6-10, 305-pound rising senior James Lang (Central Park Christian H.S./Birmingham, Ala.) is moving his big caboose up and down the floor better
and working much harder than last year. He had several effort plays and was just about unstoppable around the basket. In the opinion of quite a few
observers, he gave 6-10, 265-pound rising senior Kendrick Perkins (Ozen
H.S./Beaumont, Texas) a run for his money as the camp's toughest center
matchup (and this year's edition of adidas ABCD was loaded with quality big
men).
6-3 rising senior point guard Mustafa Shakur (Friends Central H.S./Philadelphia, Penn.) gets the nod as the nation's top senior point guard
after a strong week at adidas ABCD. He just makes it look so easy and his presence is a plus-20 points for any team he plays on because he makes his
teammates better. Shakur has very good size for the position, even better skills, and an excellent mind and disposition to be an all-American collegiate point guard.
Shakur has developed into a great high school point guard, who will someday
grace an NBA roster. He's an exceptional passer, a true leader and he can
score when needed.
Another ballplayer who raised his stock considerably this past week was 6-6, 210-pound rising senior Regis Koundjia (Laurinburg Institute/Laurinburg,
N.C.), who may or may not have committed to LSU. His high school coach has been on record as saying that Koundjia is headed to Baton Rouge, but according
to several campers, the word out of Koundjia's mouth this week is that he's still open. If he is still open to other schools, his performance this week
at adidas ABCD will open the floodgates of big-time recruiting. He was one of the most athletic players (if not the most athletic) in a camp chock full of
great athletes. Koundjia is a dynamic player, one who can run the floor all day, change speeds in a heartbeat and someone who jumps like he can defy
gravity. He plays hard and he's also got some skills. He really opened some eyes this week.
Among the underclassmen who didn't make the all-star game, but should have, was 6-8 rising junior James Mays (Garner H.S./Garner, N.C.). He was an active
presence all week long, a very athletic power forward who worked the boards and made lots of hustle plays. He's got good hands, quick verticality and
he's just scratching the surface of his potential.
A rising senior who didn't make the all-star game was 5-9, 185-pound fullback-type Daon Merritt (St. Raymond H.S./Bronx, N.Y.) and he was one of the better
senior points in the camp. Merritt can really run the show, using his speed and power to push the tempo and get his teammates involved with his
passing. He's very good in leading the break in transition (saw him toss a sensation halfcourt lob for a two-handed dunk) and he's also very good in the
halfcourt, using his dribble penetration to create for his teammates.
Another player who impressed in camp was his St. Raymond's teammate, 6-3 rising senior Louie McCroskey. McCroskey is an excellent athlete who is a very good slasher
to the bucket.
6-4 rising senior swingman Dameon Mason (West Aurora H.S./Aurora, Ill.) was impressive in the past two days of camp as his jump shot got red hot. He was
sinking jumpers from all over the floor. This is one Mason who wasn't putting up any bricks; he's very skilled and very athletic.
Who Didn't Look Good
The buzz was from coaches, analysts, other players and fans. "Why did Duke accept a verbal from him?" ... "He's getting exposed. Badly." ... "He's got no game, just shoots jumpers and tries to force up stuff inside." ... "He's intimidated."
The talk was about about 6-2 guard DeMarcus Nelson (Vallejo, Calif.), a rising junior who has already made a verbal commitment to Duke.This was while Nelson was standing about three feet or more inside the 3-point line, hoping 5-11 rising junior Sebastian Telfair (Lincoln H.S./Brooklyn, N.Y.) would just take a jumper instead of shaking him and
driving past him or making him look foolish.
We would have to agree that Nelson looked scared, and therefore, did not attempt to compete defensively against Telfair the entire time he was playing
against him. Nelson has looked much better playing for his high school and club teams. Although it was hard to figure out what his camp strategy was all week, as he
was unofficially named the camp's top gunner, report after report came back
that Nelson was just putting it up almost everytime he touched it.
Perhaps it was the pressure of being on display as a future Duke player. But Nelson did not look impressive during the week and did not show the
competitiveness that one expects to see from a Duke player during the all star game.
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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