Brian Crownover, Connecticut Recruiting, Georgetown Recruiting, Pittsburgh Recruiting, Ron Bailey, Rutgers Recruiting, St. John's Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting, Villanova Recruiting, West Virginia Recruiting

DMV - PHILLY CHALLENGE, PART II

A look at the Junior and Senior games and the players who competed

Junior Game (Class of 2010)
DMV 87
Philly 81

Senior Game (Class of 2009)
DMV 79
Philly 73

October 15, 2008 – In conjunction with NBE Basketball Report’s previous DMV vs. Philly Challenge coverage, following are selected evaluations of junior and senior players involved. For general event coverage, see i95Ballerz.com for their coverage of each game.

DMV (by Ron Bailey)

JUNIORS

Victor Oladipo – 6’3” G, DeMatha (MD) – Victor didn’t display much of his recently honed shooting ability, but did strap up defensively early in the contest. Oladipo is an uber competitor who plays above the rim, and is rounding out his offensive game, making him highly desirable to the likes of Pittsburgh, Xavier, Virginia, Georgetown, Charlotte, JMU, George Mason, and UMass.

Will Barton – 6’5” F, Lake Clifton (MD) – Now back in his native Baltimore, expect Barton to thrill onlookers with his sense of style and skill set; capable of shooting, driving, passing, and in a pinch rebounding, Barton does a little bit of everything well and did it all in The Challenge. Though he needs to get stronger, the likes of Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Connecticut and host of other Big East schools are interested, along with many from other conferences.

Roscoe Smith – 6’8” F, Walbrook (MD) – Almost the entire Big East is focused on Smith, as are ACC, Big 12, and SEC schools. No wonder, given his ability to score from all over the court, increased shot blocking propensity and upward improvement curve. During Challenge action, Smith did all the above, as well as showed leadership – yes leadership in an all-star format. As the saying goes, ‘he’s the goods’.

Josh Selby – 6’3” SG, DeMatha (MD) – Selby, a Tennessee commit never looked at the Big East hard, preferring to focus elsewhere. He definitely could have fit in the league given his offensive explosiveness, swagger and moxie. During Challenge play, he and Dion Waiters not only engaged in a pre-game war of words, but went after it on the court as well. Josh is definitely not afraid to lay it on the line.

(Will Barton, on left, and Josh Selby pose together at the DMV-Philly Challenge last weekend)

Markel Starks – 6’2” G, Georgetown Prep (MD) – A recent Georgetown commit, Starks shot, drove and passed his way to the Junior Game MVP. Always a talent, Starks seems to have matured – a point he agreed with – and in doing could hit the Big East with impact. Going forward expect him to focus on leadership and defense as points of improvement.

Bryon Allen – 6’3” G/F, Oak Hill (VA) – Despite being somewhat underappreciated, Allen is being recruited to varying degrees by the likes of West Virginia, St. Johns, Rutgers, Georgetown, Maryland, Florida, and Florida State. It’s little wonder, given his athleticism and willingness to play ruggedly, as witnessed by the put back and dunks he tallied during The Challenge. To round out his game, Bryon must strengthen his jump shot and ball patting skills (both have improved over time).

SENIORS

Mo Creek – 6’4” SG, Hargrave – Once recruited by Georgetown, Connecticut and others, Creek, headed to Indiana, once again displayed solid all around game – this is from a guy who was once strictly viewed as a jump shooter. He’s ready for Big 10 play.

Chris Braswell – 6’8” F, Hargrave – A former Georgetown commit, Braswell, now head to Charlotte is poised to do major A10 work, given his proclivity at the elbow and around the tin. Braswell, as he gets stronger will become a greater force.

Talib Zanna – 6’8” F, Bishop McNamara – Possessing shooting and rebounding prowess, Zanna, as he develops physically, should be a solid Big East player for Pittsburgh. During The Challenge, Zanna scored mostly around the tin, but will hit the 15-17 footer.

Dante Taylor – 6’8” F, National Christian – Taylor, who also is headed to Pittsburgh, did what he does best – bull his way to the basket for hard dunks. That kind of performance made him a standout at the NBA Players Association’s Top 100 Camp this summer, and with the addition of a drop step to his game plus utilizing the already decent shooting touch he possesses, he will be one in the Big East also.

Daryl Traynham – 5’8” PG – Trayham may be transferring from Patterson (NC), but recruiters will not lose track of him: Syracuse, Xavier, UMass, Miami, and Charlotte have all offered, while Florida is interested. During Challenge play he found open teammates and played with the savvy he’s known for. Trayham’s jumper is still in need of tightening (it’s more of a set jumper now), but the shot has improved.

Philly (by Brian Crownover)

SENIORS

Maalik Wayns
Maalik did what he does best, used his speed and size to put a lot of pressure on the defense. He got into the lane often off the dribble and when he wasn’t finishing he was drawing fouls. The Villanova-commit hit a tough bank runner amongst his conversion. Several of his plays were coast to coast baskets. Maalik showed his true lead guard ability as his dish out several beautiful passes. He really struggled with his pull up though. That shot is the difference between him being very good and outstanding.

Denzel Yard
This lefty continues to really impress us. He’s a player who we saw a lot of, but never really stood out much until this past summer. Denzel played very well in this one. His speed is what really stands out as he gets from point A to point B in a hurry. He doesn’t waste dribble and he explodes to the rim. He scored several times in transition. He also mixed in a couple nice assists on the break. Denzel showed the ability to shoot the rock too as he hit a three and a pull up jumper. He picked up a couple steals on the defensive end as well. He has really elevated his game over the last few months.

Ferg Myrick
This talented wing was solid. Ferg was very aggressive off the dribble and because of that, he drew several fouls. He banked home a shot and was fouled too on the same play. He also stepped outside a buried a three pointer. Ferg did miss another three and was blocked on one play.

Antonio Monroe
Antonio is a solid guard who played well in this one. He possesses a solid handle and a strong build. He used that to draw a couple fouls. Antonio showed his outside ability too by hitting a three pointer and another jumper.

Rhalir Jefferson
This athletic forward played well in transition. Rhalir scored a couple times and also made a nice pass on the break. He had a steal and another assist. As usual, Rhalir played a strong game on the boards. He didn’t make too many plays in the halfcourt set though. Headed to Temple.

Will Adams
Will didn’t play his best in this outing. He did score a few baskets in transition. The quick guard also drew several fouls when attacking the rim. He did struggle from the perimeter though. Will missed quite a few jumpers, including an airball. He also turned the ball over on a bad pass.

JUNIORS

Dion Waiters
It seemed as Dion went so did this Philly team. He really struggled early on with his shot as he missed on several jumpers and the DMV team took the lead. Dion then sparked his own club at the end of the half with a steal viscous dunk over the opposition with a foul. He then struggled again and so did his team. Dion just couldn’t find his shot throughout the contest. He was most effective in transition. It certainly wasn’t the best outing for this future Syracuse player.

Shaq Duncan
The athletic forward put together a good outing. Shaq wowed the crowd with a very high rising one handed follow up. He ran the floor well and also blocked a shot on the defensive end. He does need to take it stronger as Shaq was blocked on several shots inside.

Jamir Hanner
This athletic forward was very effective on the boards. He’s a good offensive rebounder who had several put backs. Jamir scored several times in transition, including a dunk. He attacked off the dribble on one play and drew a foul. Jamir failed to convert on both attempts from the free throw line. He did miss a pull up jumper on his lone outside shot. It was a productive game for this forward though.

Deshon Minnis
Deshon didn’t get a lot of opportunity, but he continued to impress us when he did get to play. This guard is very quick and can really attack the basket. He finished on one drive and also used a spin move before hitting on a runner. Deshon showed his outside game too with a pull up jumper.

Daniel Stewart
This lanky and athletic forward made some plays. Daniel first scored on a dunk. He was effective attacking in short space, including once scoring after a drive inside. He made several fine hustle plays too. Daniel also showed his leaping ability on a pair of blocked shots. He was a little inconsistent from the free throw, but overall it was a nice outing for Daniel.

Tyree Johnson
The quick guards for this Philly class weren’t as effective as they might’ve expected to be. Tyree was at his best dishing off after breaking down the defense. He had several assists in limited minutes. The quick guard was quiet in the scoring column though.

Tyrone Garland
When his jumper is on, Tyrone is one of the most deadly players in Philly. Unfortunately, he is also very streak and wasn’t “on” during this evening. Tyrone knocked down a few pull up jumpers, including a three-pointer. He missed on quite a few more of those type of shots though. His quickness did draw some fouls and he was effective converting from the charity stripe. This scorer certainly wasn’t at his best, but he did still produce some.

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