Western Michigan Recruiting

2012 6’8″ Deep Threat Kellen McCormick Pops for Western Michigan

Kellen McCormick is a 6’8″ bomber out of Pontiac Notre Dame (Pontiac, MI).

McCormick has a high basketball IQ and has a rare ability for a kid with his length to really stretch a defense as he’s ready to catch and shoot from just about anywhere on the court 25-feet and in.

McCormick played his AAU ball with ACB/Bank Hoops, which was coached by his father, ex-UM star, NBA journeyman and current basketball broadcaster Tim McCormick.

He’s the fourth commit for Steve Hawkins and the Broncos in the 2012 class and brings big-time range as well as the potential to develop into a rare inside-out threat at the mid-major level. He has a nice frame on him and it should for a decent enough amount of muscle to be added once he gets working with Tim Hermann (the strength coach at WMU). He will be a handful on the pick and pop right out of the gate and also possesses a nice touch from the short corner and in the mid-range. He passes well and moves well while he needs to develop defensively and on the glass.

Look for the Broncos to add at least one more piece for 2012 (possibly two).

The other members of the 2012 class are Jared Klein (Otsego, MI), who was an AAU teamate of McCormick’s, Taylor Perry (Rochester, MI) and Connor Tava (6-6 Warren De La Salle, MI).

Graham Couch had the scoop on MLIVE.COM and here’s a video of McCormick Demonstrating his offensive skill.

UNC VISIST MAKES BIG IMPRESSION ON ’13 R.J. CURINGTON

Despite only entering his junior season next fall, R.J. Curington has been a player many have kept an eye on for a couple years around the country. After terrorizing local players around Dyer (IN) in junior high school Curington made the move to Oak Hill Academy as an 8th grader, spending two years on the ‘Red’ squad at the elite basketball powerhouse. This past season Curington moved up to the ‘Gold’ squad as a sophomore and he has had a huge spring on the AAU circuit with CIA Bounce and is beginning to fulfill the potential many saw in him early on.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 195 pounds Curington combines excellent size for a young wing with tremendous athletic ability. He has become a lethal scorer this spring and early summer as his skill development has been right on schedule and his confidence in his improved perimeter scoring skills is evident. Those traits have quickly raised his recruiting profile into one of the top targets for many schools in the Class of 2013.
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JAVONTAE HAWKINS ON THE RISE AND ON THE MOVE

Motivated by the shooting deaths of two older siblings, JaVontae Hawkins keeps his eyes on the prize in life

One of the more impressive players on the spring AAU circuit that has cemented his name among the top players in the Class of 2012 has been JaVontae Hawkins. The 6-foot-5, 202-lb shooting guard has turned in some very impressive performances with the Michigan Mustangs, officially breaking out in a big way back in April at the King James Shooting Stars event in Akron.

“This spring I just showed everyone that I can play against top talent and broke [out of] my shell by making athletic plays on both ends of the court and playing the shooting guard position at my best,” Hawkins told NBE earlier this week.

College coaches on the road in July will get a chance to see Hawkins at events such as the ScoutsFocus International Elite 80 Showcase July 10th and 11th in Greensboro (NC) and during AAU basketball’s Vegas week to close the live evaluation period. In the meantime Hawkins will continue to hone his skills for his moment to shine.
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NY2LASPORTS.COM SUMMER JAM: DAY ONE

by RAY MERNAGH

The NY2LA Sports Summer Jam‘s first day was very solid, that is until the finale took it to an elite category.

Antonio Curro might be the best matchmaker since Don King and he filled the day with some mouth-watering contests. But it was one of the final games of the day, Dream Vision (CA) vs Franchize All-Stars (TX) on Court 5 at Homestead High, that brought back memories of the heydays of Sonny V’s ABCD Camp in New Jersey.

The game included several elite talents but in the end it was a kid named Muhammad (Shabazz or just “Bazz” to his teammates) who was crowned the champ — at least for Monday night. The game started out with Franchize jumping to a quick lead behind the scoring of the exquisite 2011 guard D’Angelo Harrison. Harrison had his mojo working and mates like Anthony Norris (a three) and Derail Green (ditto) and Micheal Carey tapped into Harrison’s vibe and rode it all the way until the halftime buzzer. Harrison finished strong through contact on one drive for the and one and then flipped the script and hit a trailing teammate with a sick over the shoulder pass. Carey ended the half for Franchize by finishing a strong drive for a 39-29 Franchize lead.

Franchize kept the lead for the first several minutes of the second half and then Evan Rocqamore, an “old school” guard in the words of Curro, gave Dream Vision a lift with his play from the point guard spot. Rocqamore seemed to realize that for his squad to get back in it they would have to get Shabazz Muhammad some looks…and that’s exactly what they started doing. Shabazz hit a 3 from the corner and while that sounds simple I’m not sure anyone can imagine how gorgeous Muhammad’s J is when he’s got it going. I was sitting right in line with the side of the basket and either saw the ball coming at me or could follow it as Shabazz released it with his back to me (depending on what corner he was releasing from)…and it’s really simply a work of art. Usually I use words like pull or jack to describe three-point shots, but Shabazz Muhammad simply releases his. Right around this same time Winston Shepard, who’d been good the whole game, started imposing his will on D and on the glass and the result was three or four and one’s for the 2012 forward from Vegas. After Anthony Norris and Evan Rocqamore hit back to back jacks (see) Shepard failed to convert one of those and 1′s and the score was 61-60 Franchize.

That’s when all hell broke loose in the forms of Shabazz and Harrison.

Minutes later Muhammad’s release from the corner was true and the game was knotted at 65.

But Harrison, while on a dead sprint and dribbling, pulled up on a dime and nailed an 18-footer and then stole the inbounds pass and scored to make it 69-65 Franchize.

Shabazz…yep you guessed it…corner 3 to cut the lead to one.

Harrison…yep…71-68 Franchize.

‘Bazz, I kid you not, 3 from the corner, 71-71.

Harrison, panting, puts his head down and careens across halfcourt on the bounce but Rocqamore’s D forces a turnover and the result is a Muhammad bucket plus a foul. Muhammad misses the free throw and Dream Vision is up 73-71. After Franchize fails to convert Rocqamore finishes through contact (the slap on his skin was audible at the top of the gym) and Dream Vision goes up 75-71.

Harrison is such a great player that the refs sometimes give him calls that he seels them, and he does just that from behind thae arc sending Rocqamore running and grabbing his head. Harrison makes 2-3 to cut it to 75-73. Franchize is forced to foul Rocqamore, who hits 1-2 but Shepard again is Winston-on-the-spot with a steal. Dream Vision pulls it out again, Rocqamore is fouled and makes both and the game ends 78-73 for Dream Vision.

Incredible game filled with enormous talent, which also captured the attention of head coaches such as Rick Pitino, Lorenzo Romar, Frank Martin and Mark Fox sitting courtside. Shabazz Muhammad finished with 35 while D’Angelo Harrison had 33 for the losers.

Classic game closes out a really good day of basketball. You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to more of our coverage on the top performers from Day One of the NY2LASports.com Summer Jam and recruiting updates from the likes of Perry Ellis, Angelo Chol, Nick Jacobs, Deonte Burton, Shonn Miller, Hayden Hoerdemann and more. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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KING JAMES SUMMER SHOWCASE STANDOUT PLAYERS

RAY MERNAGH

In between the Adidas Invitational in Indianapolis (IN) and the NY2LASports.com Summer Jam just outside of Milwaukee (WI), NBE made a stop at the King James Summer Showcase which was being held in and around Chicago (IL) this past weekend. Most of the top 17-U teams competed at the Fieldhouse is Waukegan (IL) and that is where NBE found a spot to watch the action Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. Below we detail the performances (and update the recruitment) of some of the event’s top players, including Zach Price, JaKarr Sampson, Percy Gibson, Ryan Boatright, Michael Chandler, Nyles Evans, TJ Buchanan, Paxton Strub, Shelby Moats, Jonah Travis and Kendall Griffin.

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read the coverage from Waukegan and the 2010 King James Summer Showcase below. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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KING CITY CLASSIC EVALS & UPDATES (PART C)

by JEFF BORZELLO

CLEVELAND – After a fairly lackluster experience at the LeBron James Skills Academy – aside from the hype of having James there, of course – the 75 or so players from that camp traveled about 40 minutes north to Cleveland State University for two days of tournament-style games. The players, broken into eight teams, competed in two games each before entering the playoffs. It was far easier to evaluate the prospects in the game-setting than it was in the drills and the controlled scrimmages.

In our King City Classic Update (Part A) we took a look at Big East commits such as Wayne Blackshear, Tyrone Johnson, Michael Carter-Williams and James Price and their performances when we were watching. In King Citty Classic Update (Part B) NBE updated notes on mega-prospect Anthony Davis as he discussed his three finalists, talked with LaQuinton Ross about offers and visits and spent time with Myles Davis as he discusses the new offer from ‘Nova and the impact of friend Tyrone Johnson committing to the Wildcats recently. Desmond Hubert, Myles Mack and Ben McLemore also chat about their recruiting. Now we move into part C below and touch base with players such as Rodney Hood, Kedren Johnson, Bernard Silluvan, Cedric McAfee, Jahii Carson, LJ Rose, J-Mychal Reese, Trey McDonald and more…

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of our coverage from Cleveland and the King City Classic. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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