Brian Crownover, Connecticut Recruiting, Marquette Recruiting, Notre Dame Recruiting, Rutgers Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting, Villanova Recruiting, West Virginia Recruiting

SOUTHERN JAM FEST PLAYER REPORT

by Brian Crownover

This past weekend at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton (VA), The Hoop Group hosted the Southern Jam Fest. As with any Hoop Group event, the action was top-notch and the event run well. On Sunday, it was CP3 out of North Carolina taking the championship over the Boo Williams Summer League entry. DC Assault and Cecil Kirk were the other members of the 17-U division’s final four teams.

Here is Brian Crownover’s look back at some of the top players that have Big East schools very interested in their talents…

Markus Kennedy (Team Final/2010)
Markus is just productive every time out. The recent class of 2010 Villanova verbal commitment has good hands, footwork and touch to go with a big body. From that standpoint he’s reminiscent of Dejuan Blair. He’s not as athletic as Dejuan though and lacks the furious play that makes Blair an elite prospect. Markus did a good job throughout the tournament finishing around the rim. He’s seals off well and has a great feel in the post. Because of his size, he can finish with contact.

Because he’s efficient, Markus can be productive in the Big East. He likely won’t be a primary scoring option and really won’t have to be with Jay Wright’s guard oriented program. He should fit in well as a rebounder and score well necessary.
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Trevor Cooney (Team Final/2011)
Trevor had a rough two games. The guard is a very good shooter from the outside. Unfortunately, he really struggled to hit from deep consistently throughout the weekend, with many of them being wide-open. Trevor attacked a little, but really has to start doing more if his shot is off to gain more interest.

Back in March, Cooney told NBE that Villanova, West Virginia, Rutgers, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Maryland, St. Joe’s, Delaware and Virginia were the schools involved in recruiting the Sanford School standout.
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Shaq Duncan (Team NJABC/2010)
Shaq had a few nice games. He was at his best on the break. He also finished well around the rim well facing up. He took advantage of a several nice feeds from his teammates on the those plays. Shaq had a nice reverse and a one handed tip-in. He hit a turnaround jumper in the post, but would really benefit by showing more of a back to the basket game. Shaq is long and athletic. He needs to get stronger too. The Prep Charter (PA) product had a productive weekend.

Patrick Holloway (Hoop Booth/2012)
This freshman guard out of Colonial Forge (VA) showed a very nice game. Patrick played steady and under control when running the offense. He showed poise beyond his years. He has outstanding shooting ability and buried several three pointers. Patrick made a couple nice passes too. He’s still small and how much he grows could determine what level he plays at.
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Quddus ‘Deuce’ Bello (D-1 Sports/2011)
Deuce really impressed for D-One. He’s superb in transition and plays above the rim. He impressed the crowd with several high flying jams. Deuce is a long strider who can get to the rim in a hurry. The lanky wing didn’t show much from the outside, but he was so dominant around the rim that he didn’t have to be.
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Josh Henderson (East Coast Fusion/2010)

Josh is a very skilled post player. He caught my attention early with a few stellar plays on the interior. He hit a turnaround jumper in the post. He followed that up with a pair of left handed finishes around the hoop. Josh also used a spin move to the left and banked in a shot with a foul. The big man has a good feel for the game and possesses fine passing skills too. He rebounds the ball well and also blocked a shot. Josh had an impressive showing.
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Rakeem Christmas (Team Final/2011)

Rakeem put together two outstanding games on the 16-U bracket. When I saw him over the winter, he was disappointing as he didn’t get many touches on his high school team. With Team Final, they often run their offense through him. Rakeem did a little bit of everything. He has terrific footwork, good hands and sweet touch on his shot. He plays a methodically style that is similar to Tim Duncan. Rakeem will typically score over defenders with hook shots and short jumpers rather than trying to go around them.

He even showed some impressive face up skills too. He can put the ball on the floor and drive a little too. Rakeem usually won’t go all the way to the rim, opting instead to shoot face up jumper. He has range out to about 15 feet. He rebounds the ball well and is very athletic too. Rakeem will typically use that to block shots. He’ll throw down an
occasional dunk too though. It was an outstanding weekend for Rakeem.
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Deon Jones (Team Final/2011)
Deon is one of a pair of good slashing wing players on the Team Final 16-U squad. The Paul VI Catholic wing has good size and can get to the rim off the dribble. He is capable of changing directions when attacking, but also uses long strides to get to the hoop. Deon ran the floor well. He was quiet from the perimeter in the first game, but picked it up in the final. He went through a stretch in which he nailed several pull up jumpers in a row. All of those came inside the arc, but Deon knocked down a three-pointer too in his standout championship performance.
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Savon Goodman (Team Final/2012)
This strong young slasher had a pair of nice games. He loves to attack off the bounce and use his well developed body to finish around the rim. Savon buried a game winning three– pointer at the buzzer to win the 16 and under championship. Ironically, that was one of the few jumpers he actually hit on the day. He really struggled with his jumper. Savon also took to many shots from the outside. He’s a terrific talent though and if his shot develops, he’ll be very highly coveted.
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Eric Atkins (DC Assault/2010)
Eric was part of the speedy backcourt that caused a lot of problems for the Boo Williams defense. The recent Notre Dame verbal commit is a blur in the open court and gets to the rim in a hurry. He was able to finish on quite a few plays, but was also blocked several times by Boo’s big men. Eric hit a few jumpers, but actually struggled from the perimeter and settled too much for those
shots. His ability to attack really stood out though.
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James McAdoo (Boo Williams/2011)
It was a tough call of who was the best big man on the weekend. Rakeem Christmas impressed us the most, but he played in the 16 and under bracket while James played with the 17 and under Boo Williams team. James is an amazing talent and it’s easy to see why he’s regarded by many as one of the top ten players in the country. He has a well developed body and although not overpowering, he’s very good at finish with contact. James is very efficient around the rim and he can really get up and down the floor too. He threw down a jaw dropping slam dunk over a defender in the semifinals. He can handle the ball too. He is very athletic and an excellent rebounder too. James played up a level, but still dominated everyone he faced on the interior.

Last month ot the Providence Jam Fest, McAdoo told NBE that “every school in the ACC besides Miami [as well as] Old Dominion, Florida, UCLA, Syracuse, UConn, Marquette and Texas” was recruiting him. His uncle was former North Carolina star and NBA Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, so the Tar Heel attraction is very strong.
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Justin Anderson

This freshman played on Boo Williams 17 and under team and made an impact off the bench. He already has the body of a college player. The lefty hit a three pointer from the perimeter. He flashed his athletic ability too with a blocked shot.

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Quinn Cook (DC Assault/2011)
Quinn is a talented young guard. He can attack off the dribble and change directions. He finishes well in traffic or can dish off. Quinn also possesses a good jumper, including a pull up game out to three-point range. He put together an excellent outing in the 16-U championship game loss for his DC Assault squad.
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Jordan Goodman (DC Assault/2011)
Jordan is a very unique player. He has terrific size and strength for a young big man. Even with that, he actually plays more on the wing. He’s very comfortable doing so too. Jordan has a good handle and can attack off the dribble. He possesses a pretty smooth shot too and hit a couple three-pointers as well. He actually played too much on the wing and forced some outside shots in the 16-U title game. Most of his interior baskets came off the boards. Jordan is an outstanding young talent with a bright future.
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Chris Martin (DC Assault/2011)
Chris made a few nice plays. He can attack off the dribble. On one occasion, he finished with a foul and converted an old fashioned three point play. Chris nailed a three pointer and ran the floor too.
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Cleveland Melvin (Cecil Kirk/2010)
Cleveland was very productive on Saturday. He’s an outstanding athletic who plays above the rim. He is very efficient inside, whether it is on putbacks or viscous dunks. Cleveland hit a post hook, banked home another shot and also scored on a reverse. He’s a little undersized, but he gets it done on the inside.
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