Brian Crownover, Connecticut Recruiting, DePaul Recruiting, Georgetown Recruiting, Louisville Recruiting, Marquette Recruiting, Pittsburgh Recruiting, Rutgers Recruiting, Seton Hall Recruiting, St. John's Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting, West Virginia Recruiting

SATURDAY RUMBLE IN THE BRONX PLAYER EVALS

Brian Crownover set out from Philadelphia early Saturday morning for New York City and the much anticipated Rumble in the Bronx on the Fordham University campus. Brian took in contests played by the NY Gauchos, Team Final, Raising Champions and LA Dream Team while sneaking a peak at Sherrod Wright for the NJ Playaz. His review of the players in action from Saturday can be found below.

By Brian Crownover

2009 Prospects

Durand Scott
Durand put together a strong game for the Gauchos. His quickness caused problems in the lane. He hit a runner and very difficult one handed runner. He drew several fouls while attacking the basket. He had several fine passes too, including one after a great drive to the left. Durand hit a three pointer, but missed a few other jumpers. He was outstanding nonetheless.

Out of the Big East, schools like St. John’s, Connecticut, Rutgers, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and West Virginia are just a sampling of the college interest that Scott is receiving from across the country.

Dan Jennings
This big bodied post also played well. Danny finished inside with a foul. He scored on an offensive rebound put back. The nimble post player used quick footwork on a spin move and finish in the post. He also threw down several rim rattling jams. Danny played well on the offensive end, but was even better defensively By my count, he blocked four shots. He also pulled down numerous rebounds. The big man was unstoppable on the inside for the Gauchos.

The 6-foot-9 Jennings says he has offers from Marquette, DePaul, Louisville, Minnesota, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Xavier, St. John’s, Rutgers and Seton Hall.

At one point Pittsburgh was one of his favorites, but when assistant coach Orlando Antigua left for Memphis, “I haven’t got a real big call yet (from Pitt),” Jennings told Adam Zagoria in our Dan Jennings Recruiting Update from the Rumble over the weekend.

Tevin Baskin
It was my first time seeing Tevin due to nagging injuries this spring and he sure didn’t disappoint. He’s a versatile forward who was quite active. He opened with a pull up free throw line jumper. From the wing, he can also put the ball on the floor and get into the lane. Tevin had a nice drive and dish play and also hit a runner in the lane. He played strong on the inside as well for the Gauchos. He converted inside several times and grabbed rebound after rebound.

With high-major schools from several conferences in hot pursuit of Baskin, including Marquette, St. John’s, Rutgers and Seton Hall, Baskin will concentrate on getting healthy for the important July evaluation.

Lamar Patterson
Lamar has also played well this spring and that continued on Saturday for Team Final. The smooth scoring guard buried a pull up three-pointer from the outside. He pulled down a rebound, drive to the hoop and finished with contact. Lamar has great body control. He nailed another three-pointer later on. The Pittsburgh commit pulled down numerous rebounds in this game too.

Sherrod Wright
I didn’t get a chance to watch the NJ Playaz on Saturday, but every time I took a peak over to the other court, it seemed like Sherrod was making plays. He was knocking down three pointers, his staple pull up mid range jumpers as well as attacking the hoop. Sherrod has played very well lately and Big East schools including Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Marquette, Rutgers and Seton Hall have shown interest in him to various degrees.

Lance Stephenson
It was a rough weekend for Lance and his star studded team, the Raising Champions. They just could never get going and Lance was a big part of it. He hit on a pull up jumper and made a couple plays going to the basket. Overall though, Lance really couldn’t finish consistently whether around the basket or with his jumper. He did have several beautiful long passes. He has good vision and throw crisp passes. It was a tough weekend though as Raising Champions lost every pool play game.

Karron Johnson
Not surprisingly, it wasn’t one of Karron’s best games either as he suited up with the Raising Champions this weekend. He tried to attack off the dribble but missed runner after runner. Karron did hit a three-pointer from the outside. He was most effective battling inside. He had a put back and drew several fouls. He converted on an old fashioned three point play. Karron also grabbed some boards and blocked a shot. The high flying plays that I’m used to weren’t there during this one.

Karron’s potential is strong and Big East schools like Syracuse, Georgetown and Seton Hall are involved with some of the best teams in the country as well.

Renardo Sidney
Renardo is a massive presence. Not only that, but he’s quite nimble too. He had a few monster jams and a couple other baskets on the inside. He tried to step outside and knock down three pointers, but was unsuccessful. Renardo has the ability to dominate, but it didn’t seem like he had the desire to do so in this one making a much-anticipated east coast showing with the LA Dream Team.

Sidney has said he hopes to check out Big East schools such as Connecticut, Syracuse and Louisville this summer.

2010 Prospects

Doron Lamb
Doron wasn’t at his best, but he still made some plays on this talented team. He was very efficient for the Gauchos. His jumper was on as he hit several pull up shots and one from three point range too. Doron attacked off the bounce and scored on several floaters helping the Gauchos to the championship.

Doron is one of the very best recruits in the class of 2010 and has recruiting interest from nearly the entire Big East and schools from across the country.

Dion Waiters
Dion has been fantastic as of late. He’s playing up with Team Final, but dominating everywhere he goes. In this game, Dion did whatever he wanted to. He was able to get into the lane and score with ease. He used an array of moves including a spin move and runner. He scored on a scoop finish with contact and added in an athletic dunk. He drove left on several occasions and finished in that direction. Perhaps most impressive were all the fine passes that Dion made after breaking down the defense. He was so effective at getting into the lane and making plays that he didn’t even shoot much from the perimeter. Syracuse took a gamble and offered Dion before he even played a high school game. It’s really starting to look like that gamble is paying off.

Brian Crownover is the Lead Recruiting Analyst for CAA Insider and frequent contributor for the NBE Basketball Report. Living in Philadelphia, Brian travels all over the east coast to bring readers coverage from numerous events and games. For more on his coverage of Saturday’s Rumble in the Bronx action, see the story at CAA Insider on the Rumble in the Bronx (Part I).

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