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INDIANAPOLIS -- By the end of Monday -- the first day college coaches could evaluate
prospects -- more than 300 Division I coaches and NBA scouts had made an
appearance at the Nike All-America Camp.
But yes, it was Lebron James who caused the biggest stir by making a cameo appearance during the evening session of Nike Camp Monday night. He arrived with his left wrist still in a cast, his mother next to him, and a small entourage of friends -- all decked out in Nike gear. Word was James spent the day in Chicago getting his injured wrist checked on by his physician.
Though his mere presence was enough to turn heads, the funniest moment of James' visit came after the final game on Court 1. After the court cleared, and with games on other courts winding down, James and a buddy found themselves a ball and were shooting around. A Nike staffer (who either didn't recognize James or didn't care) called out to the nation's top high school player, asking for the ball, letting James know in no uncertain terms that no shooting was allowed
while games were still being played on other courts. James obliged by tossing
him the ball and walking off the court.
When questioned by one in his entourage why he quit shooting around, James replied, "I don't know that
dude."
Maverick Carter, James' cousin and best buddy (who is working for Nike this summer as an intern), stepped forward, demanded a ball and gave it back to James, who resumed shooting jumpers as the game finished up.
James was appearently scheduled to spend another day at Nike Camp, as part of Nike's recruitment of their future spokesperson.
But Nike isn't a lock to ink LeBron. Word is James is headed to New Jersey to check in on the final two days of the adidas ABCD Camp.
Who Looked Good
The rising senior class of 2003 is thin at Nike, but there are some very good
underclassmen in attendance. One of those is 6-foot-5 sophomore Marcus Johnson
(Westchester/Los Angeles, Calif.).
Extremely active, Johnson seemed to be continuously airborne; blocking shots, trying for lobs and wiping glass at both
ends. He will be asked to step up for his high school team this year and
should be ready to break out next summer.
6-4 rising junior Cornelius Ingram (Hawthorne H.S./Hawthorne, Fla.) is a big-time athlete. Ingram is an explosive swingman who seems to make an incredible athletic play
in every game.
Listed at 6-7, but getting bigger by the day, D.J. White (Hillcrest H.S./Tuscaloosa, Ala.) was feeling the effects of
some tendonitis but still showed why he is one of the nation's best juniors. White can step out and shoot the ball and is also good with his back to the
basket.
The virtual stud is 6-8 Juan Diego Tello Palacios (Got all that?) Palacios attends Our Savior New American School (Got all that?) in Centereach, N.Y. Listed at over 250 (He's all that), Palacios can really get to the basket and knows how to finish. While he may not have the desired "upside," all he needs to do is continue to
get better at what he does now. Hard to believe he is just a junior.
Rising, figuratively and literally, is relatively unheralded Isaiah Swann, 6-2, from Magruder H.S. in Gaithersburg, Md. Swann showed finesse and power, using a
hesitation-and-go move to knife through traffic for a game-winning layup, and exploding out of the pack to throw a few down. This lefty is a strong rising
junior.
While there were only a few players from the much-maligned senior class who stood out, we have to admit that 7-3 Shagari Alleyne (Rice H.S./New York, N.Y.) is
growing (pun intended) on us. The day before, a 6-5 player had body gloved his layup into the next millennium, when the planets must have been misaligned. But Alleyne shows good basketball instincts, an improving touch, and an ability to pass the ball ... and most importantly, that elusive intangible -- upside!
While everybody seems to agree that lack of good point guard play is effecting their performances here, 6-2 Shannon Brown (Proviso East H.S./Maywood, Ill.) and 6-5 Gary Forbes (Banneker H.S./Brooklyn, N.Y.) have still shown their talent. Brown is a well-known name in this class. Brown can shoot it and get to the basket when he wants. Forbes is creating a buzz here as people didn't know he could shoot the ball like he has shown and he has great size for the off-guard/swing position at the collegiate level.
Undersized power forward Corey Gibbs, 6-6 (Redan H.S./Stone Mountain, Ga.) has played like a monster for three days straight. Gibbs just keeps taking it inside and finishing no matter the odds, and, is showing the ability to hit the mid-range jumper. A great rebounder, Gibbs is a rising senior.
5-11 Gary Ervin (Notre Dame Prep/Fitchburg, Mass.) put on a performance, zipping passes through the defense during the zone segment, hitting jumpers,
penetrating and making flawless decisions. The Brooklyn native is one of the better points guards in the senior class.
6-5 rising senior Brandon Foust (Brookhaven H.S./Columbus, Ohio) looked impressive Monday night with his athleticism and his slashing ability. Foust
handles the ball well and has a good first step to the bucket. Most importantly, he was playing hard with a take-no-prisoners approach.
Who Didn't Look Good
Six-foot senior Michael Nardi (St. Patrick H.S./Elizabeth, N.J.) seemed to catch the "Chris Paul Syndrome." Like Paul, Nardi is an outstanding point guard,
but he just seemed to be terribly out of sync with regards to when and where to pass it to teammates. Don't worry about Nardi though. While contagious,
it only seems to last about 16 hours or so.
6-8 junior Brian Johnson (Bishop O'Connell/Falls Church, Va.) seemed very indecisive and almost paralyzed offensively. He did come back and look much
better in his other game on Monday. When he's playing well, Johnson is among the top rising juniors in the country.
6-1 J.R. Reynolds (Oak Hill Academy/Mouth of Wilson, Va.), who has made an early verbal to Virginia, showed a better than expected outside shot and a
willingness to go to the basket. But he did not show much floor vision as he was a hazard to himself and others, running head long into help-side defenders on
poorly advised forays to the rim that left him and the defenders looking like road kill on more than one occasion.
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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