INDIANAPOLIS -- There are a couple of ways to view the annual summer spectacle that has many of the nation's best basketball prospects playing at one of two camps this week. One is to just enjoy the chance to see some of the top prep players together in one of two places. But, the more intriguing reason to go to the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis, or the ABCD Camp run by adidas in New Jersey, is to witness the rare matchups between these great young talents.

For whatever reason, such clashes can often be few and far between. But, for those fleeting moments when two top prospects go head-to-head, it grabs the attention of everyone in the gym.

The first such clash at the Nike All-American Camp materialized Sunday night when 6-foot-7 Luol Deng (Blair Academy/Blairstown, N.J.) took the floor against 6-7 Ndudi Ebi (Westbury Christian H.S./Houston).This encounter of rising seniors was anticipated for various reasons. First, both players are highly ranked. And, while there is certainly no consensus among analysts, both players are usually found within the top five of the Class of 2003.

Even more intriguing, however, is both players can number Duke among their possible choice of colleges. Deng is reportedly leaning strongly toward Duke, while Ebi does not appear to be as much a "lock" to become a Blue Devil, with several other schools strongly competing for him.

Getting these matchups to materialize, again, can be difficult at both Nike and ABCD becuase each have two different units of players on each team that alternate quarters. Nike also offers a "coaches choice" quarter where the coaches can play whom they want, as much as they want, and substitute freely. Sunday night, Deng's and Ebi's groups were both on the floor at the same time, but the two did not go head-to-head the first time out. They did, however, take each other on the second time around.

Despite their lofty rankings, neither is a polished product at this time, reflecting on the strength, or lack of it, by this class. Ebi's greatest strength is that he does show the ability to handle the ball well for a forward and will eventually be a wing forward as he looks very comfortable trying to beat his man off the dribble and in the open floor. While he can make a perimeter shot, he tries to do most of his damage inside.

Deng also showed that he could handle the ball although he did not look as skilled as Ebi. However, Deng's perimeter-shooting ability is a little more advanced and it showed as he was not hesitant to take the open outside shot.

The match up? Oh, yeah.

With no college coaches in the gym (Sunday was the day before the open evaluation period begans) the atmosphere was a little muted, but the analysts got what they wanted. There is no doubt that players of this stature (or at least as well-hyped) are very aware of who the other players are on the court, and who's recruiting who, etc., etc. Both Ebi and Deng almost looked like they were trying to not challenge the other for a while. But, eventually, they found each other and locked up for some interesting plays.

Ebi attacked first, trying numerous drives out of the post, with little to show for it. While Ebi can usually get himself a decent look around the basket, he does not finish well. In addition, Ebi has a little more of that "prima ballerina" temperament, and was begging for calls from the officials.

Deng seemed more unflappable. And, right now, Deng plays a more efficient game than Ebi. Deng takes shots that are in the flow of the game, letting the game come to him. Deng missed his first outside shot then hit the next two. He rebounded and ran the court well.

Neither, truth be told, could do much to the other when closely guarded, although Ebi had a nice jab step move to freeze Deng, and then took and made a jumper with Deng right there.

Decision? Ebi has more upside. What you see is what you get with Deng, who after Sunday night may be ahead on points in the early rounds. But, tune in four or five years from now to get the final decision. Bottom line: both are nice prospects, but neither is a Darius Miles, whose name has been whispered by some as a yardstick of their talent -- but then, not many are.

	Deng won his Nike marquee matchup in Indy with Ebi.

Mayemura's Scorecard
After watching him play at the Kingwood Classic in April, I couldn't help hearing a subliminal soundtrack of Flavor Flav extorting "Don't believe the hype" when I saw Ebi take the floor against Deng's squad on Sunday. Unlike my fellow analysts, I'm not that enthralled by Ebi's game.

First off, he's not a power forward, he's a finesse forward. And though he was named the MVP of the recent USA Basketball Youth Festival in Colorado Springs, that just tells me that the Class of 2003 isn't very talented when compared to previous years. Par for the course, USA Basketball obviously didn't have the very best players in the class in attendance at the Youth Festival.

The good: Ebi is very good in a wide-open, up-and-down game. He is very athletic, fills the lanes quickly and gets lots of points simply by running the floor. He's gets airborne and finishes well on the break. He also hit a couple of 15-footers (he can make those shots, but I wouldn't consider him a "shooter"). Regarding Deng, I liked him at last year's Nike Camp, when he showed the ability to handle the ball and slash from the wing, something rather foreign to most African players. Deng displayed more basketball saavy, working within the context of his team's staple offense and working hard off the ball (always on the move, making cuts and setting screens). He did look good shooting the ball, though he didn't make the greatest decisions with the ball on the deck.

The bad: Ebi is a finesse forward (he doesn't like contact), but his finesse skills are good, not great. His finesse skills pale in comparison to Shavlik Randolph, who was the subject of another overhype campaign last spring and summer. He has trouble when he faces a defender in proper position (He makes a living off of Tack Minor's dribble penetration when they play together on Houston Hoops. Minor penetrates, Ebi's man slides over to help, and an unguarded Ebi finishes the play); Ebi doesn't create his own shot. He can handle the ball and will often push the tempo on the break, but don't confuse Ebi for a tall point guard (a la Shaun Livingston, the outstanding junior from Peoria, Illinois). And while some might think that the left-handed shot that he's displayed at Nike might be a nice maneuver to add to his repertoire, it's simply a bail-out play, which is something that he does too often. Ebi is a poor man's version of Jonathan Bender (which is not a diss), but unfortunately for the NBA scouts in attendance, the NBA is looking toward Europe for forwards with a Euro-game, not America.

Decision: A split-decision in favor of Deng.

Neither player dominated in any way nor did either player make any great plays. Ebi's running of the floor (and scoring) was good, but to be expected. His ability to shoot with the off-hand is a plus, but just validated his tendency to shy away from contact and avoid power plays (though he's only 192 pounds, Ebi does jump well). He made two 15-footers, which is obviously a good sign. Deng played well, without standing out. He shot the ball better than Ebi and he made better shot decisions. He handles the ball as well, if not a little better than Ebi. He's the same height as Ebi, but weighs about 30-pounds more (221) and he carries it well. He did make some strong takes to the bucket, showing more inside-outside game. Not afraid to hit the floor to make a hustle play, Deng is simply a better all-around player. It wasn't a pretty match-up (and maybe the rumor circulating camp was true, maybe Ebi was pacing himself, saving himself for today when the college coaches are allowed to be present and evaluate), but my nod goes to Deng. A rematch would be nice.

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.