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NBA TOP 100 CAMP PLAYER EVALS, PART III

You knew it was coming…so here it is, the NBE Basketball Report’s third NBAPA Top 100 Camp installment. As before, high school student athletes who have either committed or are interested in Big East schools are covered.

Class of 2009 Big East Commitments & Targets:

Peyton Siva – 6’0”, 180 pounds (Louisville commit) – It must be something with Louisville and spunky, offensive minded guards, as Siva fits the bill, and is headed to that storied program. Normally the Cardinal’s coach, Rick Pitino snaps up a New York-area guard to fill the bill (see Edgar Sosa and long ago, Billy Donavan), but this time, he returned to Seattle to nab Peyton Siva (following current L’Ville swingman Terrance Williams).

Siva, a junior, can score and pass, and does so with an irrepressible flair; going into championship play Saturday, he was 17th in the camp in assists. Peyton must get stronger for Big East play, but should fit in well at Louisville, where the guards are required to score, particularly from the perimeter.

Rakeem Buckles – 6’8”, 210 pounds (Louisville commit) – A frontcourt man who excels at using his athleticism and activity to attack the rim and clean glass, Buckles is your prototypical Florida-bred forward in that he keeps moving and overwhelms opponents resultantly. The kid really works around the tin.

Going forward, Buckles, a junior, must gain weight and get stronger, as his game is more in the paint than out of it. Increased mid-range shooting is in line also, as Louisville probably will transition him to power/small forward mix, thereby mandating he hit such shots.

Jordan Hamilton – 6’7”, 210 pounds (Connecticut, Syracuse, Pac 10, Big 12, SEC) – Okay, one word suffices for Hamilton…WOW, as the junior can do it all offensively, including drive, bring the ball up the floor, and shoot. You see him play, and you know UConn is probably touting him as the next Ray Allen/Rip Hamilton, while Syracuse is evoking the likes of Carmelo Anthony. The kid flat gets it done.

A junior from the Los Angeles area, Hamilton will have to commit to defense more wherever he lands. Expect college to be pit stop for him in route to the pros – Hamilton has big time talent.

Class of 2010 Big East Targets:

Tony Chenault – 6’1”, 175 pounds (Villanova, Louisville, Pittsburgh, ACC, SEC, Big 12, Pac Ten, A10) – A junior point guard, Chenault has long been on the who’s-who list of young East Coast basketball players. Given his NBAPA Top 100 play, Tony deserves to stay there.

Tough and skilled, Chenault can play two guard, but is working on becoming more of a point man, a point he stressed. In the Philly tradition, this product of that gritty city’s northern section never backs down, while always exhibiting confidence and poise. Expect Tony to, as he stated, further develop his “leadership skills” along with his shooting range”, in addition to “getting bigger and more athletic”.

Last year for Philly’s Neumann-Goretti, Chenault logged 16 points, six assists, and five rebounds a contest, during a season in which he suggested was marked by transition. In 2008-2009, Tony is welcoming the mantle of leadership.

Doron Lamb – 6’3”, 180 pounds (Syracuse, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Georgetown, Marquette, Big 12, ACC) – Lamb, a junior currently residing in Queens, NY could be labeled a prototypical, ‘Noo Yawk’ bigger guard – he excels in the open floor, loves to attack the rim, and will drop nice dimes when the opportunity presents itself.

Lamb also has the shortcomings of many NYC guards, in that his outside shot needs to be improved, and only really likes to go to his strong hand (right). He also noted “my defense and rebounding” as points of needed improvement.

Nevertheless, Lamb is a ‘player’, one that makes it happen for himself and others. Comparisons to former New Yorker and NC State guard Julius Hodge, a performer that also played both guard positions have been made. Lamb, like Hodge was, wants to be a McDonald All American.

Josh Selby – 6’2”, 175 pounds (Louisville, Big 12, ACC, Pac Ten) – One word defines Selby, a junior combo guard, and it’s IRREPRESSIBLE: Capable of playing both guard positions, Selby, a native of Baltimore’s Eastside, never stops competing. He always goes hard.

Previously more of a scorer, Selby has embarked upon becoming a better point guard, something necessary for college ball. The process began last year at DeMatha Catholic High School, coached by Mike Jones, and has continued through the summer.

Selby is still a work in lead guard progress so to speak, at times taking scoring in his own hands, like shooting guards do. Josh can also get frustrated periodically, given the pressure he puts on himself. But make no mistake about it, Josh Selby is a talent that’s evolving. The final product could be scary.

**Photo credits: Peyton Siva, Tony Chenault and Jordan Hamilton courtesy of i95ballerz.com. Josh Selby photo courtesy of Michael Starghill.**

Here are Ron’s earlier installments from the NBA Top 100 Camp for the NBE Basketball Report:
NBA Top 100 Camp Thursday Player Reviews
NBA Top 100 Camp Player Evals, Part II

Ron Bailey is the Publisher of i95ballerz.com and frequent contributor to the NBE Basketball Report.

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