Brian Crownover, Connecticut Recruiting, Georgetown Recruiting, Notre Dame Recruiting, Pittsburgh Recruiting, Providence Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting, USF Recruiting

VEGAS REPORT: REEBOK SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS

by Brian Crownover

Brian Crownover, lead recruiting analyst of the CAA Insider, and the NBE Basketball Report’s main man in Philly, hit the road this past week and hit the scene in Vegas where AAU teams galore came together to showcase their talents in front of college coaches.

In Brian’s first installment from his time in Vegas, he takes a look at some of the top players from the Reebok Summer Championships.

CLASS OF 2009

Keith Clanton
Keith was a monster on the boards for Team Breakdown. With talented guards all around, there was little chance for him to get involved offensively. He opted to go to work in the rebounding department. He grabbed 15 rebounds in the win against the Northwest Panthers. Keith can handle the ball and he showed that on a coast to coast drive and finish. He does dribble a little high though. He also has good hands which helped him on the boards.

Stan Heath and South Florida have been looking at Clanton during the open evaluation periods this AAU season.

Adul Gaddy
While Brandon Knight is more of a scoring point guard, Adul is a set-up man first. He’s a very gifted passer who racks up assists teaming with Avery Bradley in the talented Northwest Panthers back court. The lanky guard is a very gifted dribbler who can get into the lane with ease. He had a couple floaters in the lane. Adul also showed the ability to shoot from the perimeter. He buried several shots out to three point land, some of the pull up variety. His jumper was streaky though. After getting a chance to watch most of the nation’s best point guards over the last few days, Adul stood out as the best of the bunch.

Ryan Kelly
Ryan had a nice outing for the D-One All-Stars. The skilled forward did a little of everything. He banked a shot on the inside, hit a tough fall away jumper after a spin move and he banked in a three-pointer. Ryan handles the ball well and is very capable at adjusting his game depending on how he’s defended. He got out and ran the floor too and finished or even dished the ball off. He used a combination of timing and athletic ability to block a pair of shots. Ryan pulled down a number of rebounds too in this contest.

Kelly has seen Georgetown and Notre Dame following him VERY closely this month.

Richard Howell
Richard opened with a flurry for the Worldwide Renegades Orange. The big forward is very versatile. He opened with a bank inside and another banked shot with a foul. He stepped
outside and knocked down a pair of three pointers. After that, he used another spin move and bank finish followed by another three pointer. Richard later had another beautiful spin move in the post. He can attack off the dribble too and did so a couple times in this one. He also ran the floor well. While he can shoot from the outside, Richard doesn’t have
a quick release. With his size, he usually gets that shot off though. He also got into trouble and times when he was trying to do too much and forced things. Overall it was a strong game and it’s been a strong July for Richard.

Ari Stewart
Ari is a long and athletic wing player. He struggled early, missing put back, air-balling a pull up jumper and also being blocked on another attempt. Ari then got it going. He made several athletic plays above the rim, including a dunk and an alley-oop finish. He is able to attack off the dribble and because of his size, he’s effective using floaters and pull up jumpers. Ari pulled down quite a few rebounds too in this strong showing.

Recently, Stewart mentioned South Florida as one of his five finalists for college.

Brandon Triche
Brandon has a very good build and the ability to get into the lane. He was on the attack throughout the game. He scored several times going at the rim for the Upstate Basketball Club and also mixed in several nice drive and dish plays. Brandon was inconsistent finishing though and really struggled with his jumper from the outside.

Gerardo Suero
Gerardo is an aggressive guard who can really get into the lane off the dribble. He finishes well around the rim. The smooth guard had a bank as well as a scoop finish. He showed he can knock down the perimeter jumper and hit out to three-point range. Gerardo made a couple nice passes too. He could do more of that though. Several times he couldn’t convert because there was simply too much traffic in the lane. Gerardo still
played very well for the Upstate Basketball Club.

At this point, Suero is still hoping to be in college this fall as a 2008 recruit and hopes to qualify. Schools such as Pittsburgh, Providence and others have been monitoring his progress throughout the spring and into this summer.

Chris Braswell
Chris was solid, but didn’t have on of his more dominant games for Triple Threat. He was effective inside, including a short drive and bank, lay-up and a scoop finish around the rim. Chris made several strong passes too in this contest, including one after using a spin move in the post. He grabbed a couple rebounds too in this decent outing.

Braswell has been a popular player among college coaches since the announcement he is no longer committed to Georgetown and will bead back to prep school for the 2008-2009 school year. Coaches representing Pittsburgh, Providence, Oklahoma and Indiana were seen watching the action as Triple Threat faced Belmont Shore.

Talib Zanna
Talib put together a good game as he is now playing with Triple Threat. He is strong and athletic with the ability to finish inside. Talib scored after contact on one occasion. He likes to drive from the perimeter and threw home a dunk after one of those plays. He grabbed several boards and blocked a shot too.

Shaun Noriega
Shaun showed a pretty nice stroke from the perimeter. He hit a couple shots from the outside, but was relatively quiet otherwise for his Florida Elite AAU team. The South Florida-commit does have pretty good size for off guard spot.

CLASS OF 2010

Brandon Knight
Brandon did a fine job running the floor. He’s very good at going to the rim and he handles contact well. He scored on an old fashioned three-point play. He had a nice coast to coast drive and left handed finish. Brandon did hit a couple times from the outside, but overall struggled with his jumper. He was solid, but it was Team Breakdown teammate Kenny Boynton who really brought Team Breakdown back in this comeback victory.

Brandon includes Syracuse on his list of schools and Connecticut was on hand to see him play in Vegas.

Theodore Boymo
Theodore proved to be a solid forward in this one for the Upstate Basketball Club. He is long and pretty athletic. His most impressive play was a short drive and fake, followed by a lay-up. Theodore showed can handle some in the open court and on the wing. He scored on a transition reverse too. He grabbed several rebounds to help his team out in this contest.

Cody Larson
Cody showed himself to be quite the skilled player for the Dakota Schoolers. In the post, he used a couple spin moves and finished with hook shots. His moves are pretty quick. He can put the ball on the floor a little too. Cody did miss on the perimeter as well as a runner after a drive.

CLASS OF 2011

Michael Gbinije
This young player has some upside. Michael is already a good sized wing player. Add into the that that he already has the ability to put the ball on the floor and attack from the perimeter. He had a scoop reverse finish on one play. Michael also pulled down several rebounds in this one.

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