KING JAMES SHOOTING STARS REPORT
The live period was in full effect this past weekend with many of the top AAU programs in the country flocking to Akron (OH) for the King James Shooting Stars Tournament. Brian Crownover, lead recruiting analysts for CAA Insider, was on hand along with coaches from all over the country checking out the action all over the Akron area. Here is a look at some of the top players throughout the weekend that Brian checked out for the NBE Basketball Report…
CLASS OF 2009
Jamaal Coombs (2009 Connecticut Commit)
Jamaal wasn’t at his best this weekend playing for BABC. He has been very aggressive and
finishing well throughout the last two weeks, but this weekend was a different
story. Jamaal struggled to convert, both on the inside and outside. He
made most of his plays in transition, including a couple athletic jams.
Alex Oriakhi (2009 Connecticut Commit)
Alex is an athletic big man. He was most impressive defensively
throughout the weekend with his shot blocking ability for BABC. Offensively, he
finished with some dunks, particularly off feeds from his teammates. He
also grabbed some rebounds. Alex could be more productive and aggressive
though.
Lorenzo Brown
I only caught a half, but Lorenzo played fantastic for Lou Will Elite. He handles the ball
very well and really looks to run. He made a beautiful adjustment in
traffic on one play and dunk on another play. He used a behind the back
dribbling move and dished off for an assist. Lorenzo scored on a runner
in the lane and drew a bunch of fouls too. He converted pretty
consistently from the line. He didn’t show much from the outside.
Lorenzo also proved to be more of a scoring point guard than and true
point guard. He can really put the ball in the basket though and showed why he is an elite recruit from the south.
Zeke Marshall
We only caught half of his game, but Zeke certainly stood out for the Pittsburgh Storm He is very big and long. He is far from a finished product, but did show some
offensive skills. Zeke banked in a seven-footer, converted a hook shot
and hit a deep jumper. He has nice hands and pretty good touch. He has
to get stronger and play more physical as well. The finesse game does
work much more for a seven foot post player than it would for a smaller post-player. Zeke moves pretty well and is fairly athletic. He grabbed some rebounds and blocked a few shots too. He has the size that coaches love, but some talent to go with it too and schools like Pittsburgh and West Virginia are likely to keep following him.
Durand Scott
Durand looked like he was in for a big game for the NY Gauchos. He opened with two three-pointers, including one of the pull up variety. He was injured during the
contest though. He did get back in the contest, but never got going again. Connecticut has been consistently involved with his recruitment and Bob Huggins checked in on him in Akron.
Russell Smith
Russ had a rough game in this one for the Gauchos. The bouncy guard is quick off the
dribble and can get into the lane. He struggled to convert on both drives
and jumpers though. He did have a quick crossover move into a pull up
three pointer. He had an offensive rebound put back. Russ had a nice
behind the back assist in transition. He does need to get stronger.
Dan Jennings
The big post player made most of his plays around the hoop. Danny had
pair of dunks. He was very aggressive throughout the game on the glass.
He’s a very good rebounder. Danny blocked a couple shots on the defensive
end too. It was some of the Gauchos less heralded players that really
stepped on Saturday evening. Jennings still did produce in this one
though.
Mouphtaou Tarou
Mouphtaou is a very talented big man. He’s strong and athletic and a tough match up. He really works a ton on the glass for the DC Blue Devils. The rebounding machine can score facing up or with his back to the basket. He had a lay-in and a couple follow up baskets. Mouphtaou also used his strength to convert an old fashioned three point play. He draws a lot of fouls and is already an impressive foul shooter. With George Mason coach Jim Larranaga looking on, as well as assistants from Pitt and DePaul, this big man put together a good game. He’ll have a bright future no matter whether he winds up at the mid major or high major level.
Brian Okam
Brian had most of his impact defensively and on the boards for the DC Blue Devils. He’s very long (7-foot tall) and athletic, but still developing on the offensive end. Brian did score on a fantastic dunk above the rim, but overall his offensive touches were limited.
Manny Atkins
This wing made a couple plays for the Atlanta Celtics. He showed he can hit from three point
range. He’s a decent ball handler. Manny also scored on an offensive
rebound put back and looks like the next high-major out of Tucker (GA) HS.
Noel Johnson
Noel is a big forward with some skill. He did the most damage from the
perimeter in our brief viewing, playing for the Atlanta Celtics. He hit from three as well as another deep jumper. He also converted an offensive rebound put back. Noel has a
decent build, but could get stronger.
Andre Marhold
Andre is a long armed forward. He can put the ball on the floor and drive
to the hoop. He drew quite a few fouls on the inside. He is athletic and
made an impact on the defensive end with several blocks playing for the Carolina Celtics.
K.J. Manigault
K.J. is a big point guard who looked often to setup his teammates on the Carolina Celtics. He was very unselfish throughout the game. He had a nice drive and finish with
contact. K.J. handles the ball pretty well. He was quiet from the
perimeter. He played well defensively too; with a block from behind and a
couple of steals.
Javorn Farrell
Javorn was very impressive on this day with DC Assault. He scored in several ways. He
had a nice drive and bank finish as part of a three point play. The
forward had an athletic follow-up. He also stepped outside and hit a
three pointer. Javorn made several nice passes too, including a behind
the back one on the break. He has nice hands which help him around the
hoop. He showed his athletic ability with several blocked shots. Javorn
certainly helped himself in their overtime victory.
CLASS OF 2010
Gerald Coleman
This bouncy wing can flat out score. He’s runs the court well, but is very smooth in half court sets too. He can knock down jumpers from anywhere on the floor or go to the hoop off the dribble. He can catch and shoot, or pull up. Gerald uses his long arms to adjust very well in traffic (despite being thin). He used several moves, including a nice duck under around the rim, as well as a spin move in the lane. Gerald will often use his length to score on runners too. He’ll crash the boards as well. He’s had a strong April for BABC and was a key in capturing the King James Classic title.
Phil Pressey
This small point guard played very well all weekend as the quarterback for BABC. He plays quick, but also under control. He has a really good feel for the game and picks his
spots very well. He has an uncanny ability of when to push the ball and
attack or when to settle things down. He scored a lot in transition when
he caught the defense napping. Phil drives and finishes very well. He’ll
often get the shot off before the defense gets to him. He is very good at
scoring off of runners. Phil also has a nice pull up game. He buried
several three pointers throughout the weekend too. Not only can he score,
but Phil is a good distributor as well. He doesn’t make many athletic
plays, but he showed the ability to elevate on a late dunk in the
championship game. His quickness got him a number of steals too. Phil
has a great all around game and the only thing that might slow him at the
next level is his size. It sure doesn’t hurt him now though.
Daryl Traynham
Daryl is a speedy guard who can really make plays. He’s on the small
side, but he can use his quickness to make plays in the lane for DC Assault. He had a
beautiful scoop finish, a runner and a transition basket where he slid
around a couple defenders. Daryl also waits until after contact to
release his shot in the bank. He did so one time to the tune of a three
point play. Not only can he drive in either direction, but Daryl is a
very good distributor too after breaking down the defense. He missed a
pair of key free throws that would’ve one the game, but came up big in
overtime. He hit two free throws and an amazing fall away three-pointer
at the buzzer to win it. Daryl is a talented guard that is a treat to
watch.
Doron Lamb
Doron didn’t have his best game in this match up with Reggie Bullock. The
scoring guard did hit a pair of three-pointers and a transition lay-up.
He missed a couple runners and quite a few jump shots. He hasn’t been
scoring this April for a strong Gauchos club quite like he did during the high school season.
CLASS OF 2011
Austin Rivers
Although they didn’t go head to head, Saturday was the battle of 2011
super prospects. This young lead guard was fantastic playing for Team Stat out of Florida. Doc River’s son already has good size and can attack off the dribble. Austin loves to use
the crossover move. What makes him tough is that he an do just about
everything. When he chose score while going at the rim, Austin showed the
ability to adjust well in traffic. He has a great court sense and had
numerous assists. As if that wasn’t enough, Austin displayed a fine jump
shot too. He buried a couple threes, including one of the pull up
variety. He did miss several floaters, but that is really just nit
picking his game. He might only be a freshman, but Austin was already one
of the better players of the weekend.
Mike Shaw
Mike was the other super freshman prospect. That’s not exactly a bad
thing though. This super talent already has great size (6’7) and is very
athletic. He handles the ball pretty well. Mike also buried a couple
jumpers from the outside for Mac Irvin Fire with many high-major staffers watching. He grabbed several rebounds. He passes pretty
well too. Mike is quite the prospect.
COACHES SPOTTED IN THE CROWD
Coaches from Georgetown, UConn, Louisville, West Virginia, South Florida, Florida, Cal, Michigan, and Miami were among the many in the stands following the Austin Rivers – Mike Shaw match-up as Mac Irvin Fire and Team Stat faced off.
Bob Huggins of West Virginia and an assistant from Louisville were seen taking in the NY Gauchos action. Durand Scott and Doron Lamb were watched very closely. Pittsburgh and DePaul had staff members checking out several high-major prospects on the floor in the Carolina Celtics and DC Blue Devils match-up. An assistant from Pitt also checked out the local Pittsburgh AAU squad Team Adidas when they were up against CBIZ.
For more of Brian’s coverage from Akron, please visit his reports at CAA Insider from the event. Here is his Part I coverage and his Part II coverage.