Connecticut Recruiting, DePaul Recruiting, Georgetown Recruiting, Jeff Borzello, Louisville Recruiting, Marquette Recruiting, Notre Dame Recruiting, Pittsburgh Recruiting, Providence Recruiting, Rutgers Recruiting, Seton Hall Recruiting, St. John's Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting, USF Recruiting, Villanova Recruiting, West Virginia Recruiting

REEBOK ALL-AMERICAN CAMP REVIEW: PART I

Now that we can catch our breath a little bit, we are plowing through our player evaluations and notes from the first 10-day open evaluation period of July that ran from July 6th through July 15th. here is the first part of Jeff Borzello’s two-part Reebok All-American Camp review…

PHILADELPHIA – The July live evaluation period made another stop this year in the city of Brotherly Love, as coaches and scouts from around the country headed to Philadelphia for the Reebok U All-American Camp at Philadelphia University. The first two days were closed to the media, but NBE was on hand – along with dozens of coaches – to check out the action on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The talent level was down considerably from last year, with many of the nation’s top players in the Midwest at the King City Classic and the Adidas It Takes 5ive Classic. Still, there were plenty of high-major stars in attendance – both on the court and in the stands…

John Johnson, 6-1, Girard College (Pa.), 2011: The guard with the knuckleball three reminds me a lot of Scottie Reynolds – from the way he looks to the way he plays. He can drive to the basket and finish, but is a streaky jump shooter. Johnson is a quick guard who can beat his defender.

According to Johnson, the schools recruiting him are Virginia Tech (offer), St. Joseph’s (offer), St. John’s, Marquette, La Salle (offer), UCLA, Clemson and Notre Dame (offer).
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Ashton Pankey, 6-9, St. Anthony (N.J.), 2010: Pankey played very well early on, affecting shots with his long arms and athleticism. He is a solid player inside and can finish around the rim. Pankey was very aggressive going to the basket and scored several baskets. He also had a nice face-up jumper from around the perimeter.

Pankey told NBE he is getting new recruiting interest from Miami, USC and Syracuse. He has offers from Providence, Rhode Island, Manhattan, Drexel and Rice with Temple, St. John’s, Connecticut and Pittsburgh showing strong interest.
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Kyle Anderson, 6-7, Paterson Catholic (N.J.), 2012: He played fairly well, but did not have much prediction. He stole the ball from Dave Coley on an attempted crossover and a nice pass to a cutting teammate. The most impressive thing he did was defend the post.

Kyle Anderson Sr. gave NBE a list off the top of his head of the schools in touch most often in the early stages of his son’s recruitment. The schools were Georgetown, Kansas, Pittsburgh, LaSalle, Texas, Miami, Rutgers, St. John’s, Kentucky and Indiana.
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Jaylen Bond, 6-7, Plymouth-Whitemarsh (Pa.), 2011: Bond is something of a mystery to evaluators that have seen him multiple times. He has great size for his position and a very versatile, all-around skill set. He can score inside and knock down jump shots from the perimeter. He is athletic and can rebound and defend. However, he struggles to produce – the numbers simply aren’t there.
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Isaiah Sykes, 6-5, Finney High School (Mich.), 2010: Sykes did not show much at all. He ran the floor well and grabbed a few rebounds, but the lefty was mostly invisible. He did not look for his shot at all, and mostly took a few dribbles and immediately passed the ball. Sykes needs to develop more of a perimeter game for someone his size.

Syracuse, Oklahoma, Michigan, South Florida, Tennessee and Michigan State were the list of schools provided by Sykes at the camp to NBE.
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Shabazz Napier, 5-11, Lawrence Academy (Mass.), 2010: The New England point guard is skinny and needs to add muscle, but he has good handle and changes directions very well. He is very shifty with the ball and is tough to keep out of the lane. Napier is a good passer and had a few kick-outs off penetration.
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Aaron Brown, 6-3, St. Benedict’s (N.J.), 2010: Brown was arguably the most impressive player of the morning session. He was nearly impossible to stop going to the basket, driving past any defender who stood in his way for easy lay-ups. He was at his best in transition, pushing the ball and beating lazy defenders to the rim. He had a couple of drives spanning the length of the court. Brown does need to work on his shot, though.

Schools mentioned by Brown to NBE included Virginia Tech, Virginia, Harvard, Penn, Temple, Auburn, Providence, St. John’s and Seton Hall.
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Sidiki Johnson, 6-8, St. Raymond’s (N.Y.), 2011: Johnson, a “warrior” as described by more than one on-looker, rebounded the ball well and defended, but struggled mightily offensively. He was called for a travel three straight possessions and forced his drives to the basket. He needs to work on his footwork.

Johnson provided NBE with a list of Connecticut, Arizona, Kentucky, Wake Forest, St. John’s, Providence, Pittsburgh and West Virginia as schools recruiting him.
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Cameron Ayers, 6-4, Germantown Academy (Pa.), 2010: Ayers does all the little things. He does not stand out with explosive drives to the basket or no-look passes to cutting teammates, but he can do everything. He has a nice mid-range jumper and can handle the ball well. Ayers defends very well and can guard multiple positions.

The schools looking at Ayers include: Clemson (offer), Georgetown, Virginia, Michigan, Temple (offer), La Salle (offer), Saint Joseph’s (offer)
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Chris Coleman, 6-11, Mt. Zion Academy (N.C.), 2011: The new Florida International-commit looked much better at the All-American Camp a year ago than he did today. He added weight and did not pick up much athleticism. He did not get too many touches and when he did, was ineffective.
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Stacey Poole, 6-5, Andrew Jackson High School (Fla.), 2010: The five-star prospect had a slow start but really picked things up as the game went on. He is a versatile scorer who can get points going to the basket or hitting mid-range jumpers. Poole runs the floor very well and can finish at the rim in transition or in the half-court. He is athletic and can rebound the ball very well. Poole had several acrobatic finishes and can use both hands.

Clemson (offer), South Carolina (offer), Indiana (offer), Connecticut, Louisville, Kentucky and Miami (offer) are currently on Poole’s list. He told NBE that he would like to visit UConn, UL and UK all in August.
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Davontay Grace, 6-1, Thomas Jefferson (N.Y.), 2011: Grace is a bulldog of a point guard who is tough to keep out of the lane when he wants to get to the basket. He has a stocky build but is physical and strong. Grace is quick to the rim and protects the ball well when driving. He can pull-up off the dribble for jumpers and can also finish very well when in the lane.

Providence, Villanova, St. John’s, West Virginia, Marquette and Virginia Tech was the school list Grace gave NBE in Philly last week.
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Tyrone Johnson, 6-3, Plainfield (N.J.), 2011: The dual-sport star is arguably the most underrated point guard on the East coast, according to an on-looker. He can create for himself and for his teammates with his crafty and quick drives to the lane. No matter what, Johnson finds ways to get to the basket and is good with the ball. His jump shot is inconsistent, though.

Johnson told NBE that he has visited Georgetown, Villanova andRutgers, his top three, and also has UNLV, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Kentucky, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Florida in the mix.
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Waverly Austin, 6-11, God’s Academy (Fla.), 2010: Austin is extremely long and athletic and had a few eye-opening finishes in transition. He can run the floor very well and has good hands when catching the ball. On the other hand, though, Austin is completely undisciplined, picking up numerous unnecessary fouls and trying to jump over opponents for rebounds.
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J.J. Moore, 6-5, Brentwood High School (N.Y.), 2010: Moore did not show much of his excellent outside jumper today, but his athleticism was certainly on display. He had a couple of great drives and finishes at the basket, and also grabbed rebounds because of his tremendous leaping ability. However, Moore needs to improve his dribbling ability.
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Sterling Gibbs, 6-1, Seton Hall Prep (N.J.), 2011: Gibbs looks better and better every time I watch him. He looks so much more confident and aggressive than a summer ago, showing no fear when driving to the basket and creating his own shot. He is quick with the dribble and can beat defenders. Expect him to keep improving.

Indiana (offer), Pittsburgh (offer), St. John’s (offer), DePaul (offer), Seton Hall (offer), Rutgers (offer), Villanova, Oklahoma, Virginia and Virginia Tech were the colleges Gibbs told NBE he is considering at the Reebok AA camp. He has visited Pittsburgh and Villanova, wants to visit DePaul, Indiana, Oklahoma and possibly ‘Nova again. Contrary to previous reports, Gibbs said that he does not have a favorite and that he is wide open.
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Jason Carter, 6-7, Thurgood Marshall High (Tex.), 2010: Carter went against DeMarco Cox in the match-up I watched him in, and struggled at both ends. Cox is much bigger than him, and Carter was forced to defend him down low. He actually played him fairly well, knocking away entry passes and keeping him off the glass. However, on the other end, Carter was ineffective. He attempted pull-up jumpers and outside shots, despite the fact that he is much better suited to play inside.

A source close to the Marquette program, which has deep Texas roots, said that the Golden Eagles are looking at both Carter and Michael Cobbins, two Texas prospects.
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Tyler Olander, 6-8, Worcester Academy (Conn.), 2010: The surprisingly athletic big man was clearly frustrated with his lack of touches, even commenting on the unusual “ball distribution” after the game. When he did get the ball, though, he was effective. Olander can score down low and run the floor in transition. He is also a decent passer and is active on the glass.

Olander’s recruitment continues to grow rapidly as he claimed offers from Vanderbilt, LaSalle and Connecticut in talking with NBE and interest from Providence, Stanford, Penn State and Oregon State.
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