NEWS & NOTES FROM ‘CAMP’ WEEK
News and notes from ‘camp’ week courtesy of Brian Crownover’s travels
by Brian Crownover
July is the biggest month when it comes to basketball recruiting. Once the “live” period gets going, it hits with a flurry of action. I attended various events during that first week, including the Reebok All American Camp, the Reebok Summer Classic East, Hoop Group Elite Camp, Hoop Group Team Camp and even the Stellar “Catch a Rising Star” Tournament. Here is a look at some of the standout players along with other notes.
Blowing Up
Every year it happens. Someone is unknown around the circuit in April and by the end of July is a household name with offers from all over the country. Last year, Allan Chaney went from little known to an elite player and will now be playing for the Florida Gators next season.
Thomas Robinson has become this year’s big name. His game keeps rising and rising. The active and aggressive forward played his way into the Reebok All American Camp and dominated on his way to making the All-Star Team. He already had a big spring so look for him to rise up national rankings even more.
Maybe the only thing that kept Mouphtaou Yarou from being the hottest name on the circuit is the fact that he attended the Hoop Group Elite Camp this past week, rather than any of the major events. He certainly didn’t do anything to hurt his stock though as he dominated that camp on his way to being named a co-MVP.
Mouphtaou has played well every time I’ve seen him, but on Saturday at the Reebok Summer Classic was even more spectacular. He was injured in the first game, and was also dunked over by high flying Curtis Loving. After that, it looked like he was on a mission in the 2nd game. Yarou used his power, skill and quickness to completely dominate a quality big man. He drove and threw down athletic jams. He hit on several turn-around post jumpers. He rebounded and also blocked a bunch of shots. It seemed like every time Cecil had a big play, it was Mouphtaou doing the damage. I also love how much he chased down loose balls. Jay Wright, the Villanova head coach, was in the house and undoubtedly came away impressed.
Another big man and another riser that Wright and Villanova is after is Aaric Murray, who has been a dominant player for some time now. The problem has just been that no one has seen him on a national level until the this last month. The big, powerful and athletic center still has some work to do, but he is closer and closer to becoming completely dominant game in and game out.
Jay Wright and Villanova got involved early, as did West Virginia.
In speaking with Murray over the weekend, he said “I’m open to more schools getting involved. I just want to find a place where I feel comfortable.”
After his strong play at the Reebok All American Camp, expect plenty of the nation’s best to get involved. Murray said his next appearance will be at the end of July at the Hoop Group Elite Camp. Could we see a Murray vs. Yarou match-up?
They got next
Although I didn’t get to see him at the Hoop Group Elite Camp, by all accounts Rakeem Christmas had an outstanding week. The 2011 prospect made it into the Top 20 All-Star Game and dominated in that. While I missed him at that event, I did witness him dominate at the Team Camp. Rakeem is starting to develop an array of moves. He’s very long, quick and displays great touch. At times, he made plays that are typically only seen by upperclassmen. He still does miss easy ones from time to time. Perhaps most impressive is where Rakeem’s game was at during the winter. He wasn’t even the best freshman post player on his North Catholic team. He rarely played and didn’t do much when he did. Rakeem has gone from little used to “the guy.”
I didn’t get to see him at all, but by several account Chris Coleman is another young big on the rise. When I saw him in May, he looked like he had a lot of upside, but was raw. Chris was apparently among the best big men at the Reebok All American Camp (regardless of class). That was certainly surprising to me. It should be fun to watch him and Rakeem battle near the top of the Class of 2011.
Taking it to Renardo
Speaking of Bigs Love him or hate him, there’s no denying Renardo Sidney. Massive, quick and skilled, he can dominate when he wants to. This week he was overpowering and nearly unstoppable inside. If the effort was there every game, there wouldn’t even be a debate as he’d be the best player in that class.
While the big man (Sidney) can move well, he wasn’t quick enough to handle the multi-talented Tobias Harris. Tobias took him off the dribble time and time again.
Tobias is a solidly built player in his own right. When I first saw him dominate as a freshman, I wondered how much better the youngster could get. He already had good size and great skill. He did alot of the same things at the Reebok Camp, but this time against a very high level of competition and with many players being a year older than him. The east coast has already been all over this talented forward, but look for the rest of the country to get involved in Tobias now.
Don’t forget the guards
Louisville and Marquette might be looking for 2009 big men, but they certainly won’t be hurting at the guard position.
Marquette commit Junior Cadougan played well at the Reebok Camp. The stocky guard guard is terrific at getting into the lane and he has a fantastic feel for the game. When he wasn’t scoring after driving to the rim, this Canadian guard was dishing out jaw dropping assists.
Although he wasn’t dominant when I saw him, Louisville guard Mike Marra can sure shoot the ball. He has great size and unlimited range. He’s also a smart player who made some other nice plays. Although he’s not suited for the up and down play of the camp scene, Mike did make the Reebok All-Star Game.
Brian Crownover is the Lead Recruiting Analyst for CAA Insider, where you can find more stories from his travels during the ‘live’ recruiting period.
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July 16th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
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