Brian Crownover, Georgetown Recruiting, Marquette Recruiting, Matt Whitfield, Notre Dame Recruiting, Pittsburgh Recruiting, Providence Recruiting, Rutgers Recruiting, Seton Hall Recruiting, St. John's Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting, USF Recruiting, West Virginia Recruiting

PLAYAZ SPRING FLING (PHASE II) REVIEW

The AAU travel season kicked off last weekend with the annual Playaz Spring Fling, put on by The Playaz Basketball Club. Pool play action took place on Friday night and all day Saturday at the RAC on the Rutgers campus. Championship rounds on Sunday were held at the Lady Stirling School in New Brunswick (NJ). This weekend, Phase II highlighted the efforts of some of the top U-17 and U-15 travel teams from the East Coast. Phase I, with the U-16, U-14 and U-12 teams, was held the previous weekend in Teaneck on the FDU campus. For our look at some of the play of the top U-16 players, see our story from the previous weekend: Saturday at the Playaz Spring Fling (Phase I).

Matt Whitfield took on the action Friday night for NBE while Brian Crownover stopped on for the day on Saturday to check out the action. The action concluded Sunday with the NE Playaz claiming the championship in the finales over DC Assault. Below are their reviews of some of the top players they saw as well as some of the latest recruiting information NBE has learned on the players…

Isaiah Epps (NJ Playaz/Class of 2010)
This 2010 Pittsburgh verbal commit displayed blazing break away speed. Looks slimmer, but going to a prep school next year will only get him more ready physically on the court and for the rugged Big East. Uses elite speed to dance around defenders. Sweetest looking shot on the floor. With his speed full court pressure couldn’t even slow him down.

Keith Lumpkin (NJ Playaz/Class of 2010)
Look trimmer since the last time NBE saw him. Told by a source that he slimmed down because he will be playing Tight End on the gridiron in the fall. With increased conditioning, Lumpkin showed better presence under the rim and looked better at moving up and down the court Friday night.

Russ Smith (NY Gauchos/Class of 2010)
Few people can light it up like this smooth-stroking guard. Smith was on fire as he buried five three-pointers. The speedy guard got into the lane too and finished around the basket. He changes directions so well and cana djust in traffic. Smith had a couple nice passes. The only knock on him would be his slight frame and need to add strength and weight, but it’s hard to overlook his outstanding scoring ability though. Russ will be headed to prep school next year and should pick up even more offers.

Shane Southwell (NY Gauchos/Class of 2010) - pictured to right
Southwell is a wing with good size. He was able to use that size in the lane to score over a defender with contact. He’s a good ball handler who can attack off the dribble. Shane was quiet from the perimeter. The long armed guard/forward grabbed a couple rebounds too. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his game on this day was his passing. He has good vision and made several fine long passes from the top of the key into the low post. Shane had a good outlet pass on one occasion too. He didn’t have a great scoring day, but he was solid all around.

Southwell informed NBE that he has scolarship offers from St. John’s, Xavier, South Carolina, Marquette and a new offer from Providence. He is also receiving interest from schools such as Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Arkansas, Miami, Seton Hall, West Virginia and Georgia Tech and has “no favorites at this time.”

Jason Morris (NY Gauchos/Class of 2010)
Jason had most of his impact on the glass. The talented wing pulled down several boards. He was rather quiet offensively and didn’t take many shots. Jason did have an athletic transition dunk. He missed a couple jumpers though.

Back in February at the 2009 Primetime Shootout, Morris told NBE that he has offers from Georgia Tech, Georgia, Xavier, Clemson, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Virginia and Stanford. Duke is also showing a lot of interest, too.

Derrick Wilson (NY Gauchos/Class of 2011)
This stocky point guard made a few plays. He had a couple nice drives and finishes with contact. Derrick has very good body control and can adjust around defenders. He ran the floor and scored in transition too. He didn’t do much damage from the perimeter though.

Kadeem Jack (NY Gauchos/Class of 2010)
This big man was rather quiet. He drew a foul in the post and grabbed a few boards. He didn’t have many touches, but Kadeem missed most of his attempts on the inside. He was even blocked on one of those shots.

In our recent Class of 2010 Intro on Kadeem Jack, Gaucho director and Rice HS basketball coach Maurice Hicks informed NBE that Big East schools such as Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and Rutgers are showing interest.

“This summer is going to tell it all,” Hicks told NBE’s Zach Smart. “They’ll be able to see him play. The Big East is going to be all over him. So will other people. But I think that’s something he wants to do, play in the Big East. It works for most of our kids as it’s close to home and extremely competitive.”

Sterling Gibbs (NY Panthers/Class of 2011)
Gibbs had a solid outing. He attacked off the dribble quite often. He ran the floor and finished in transition. Sterling knocked down a three-point shot, too. Although he’s still not big, it does appear that he’s grown since the last time I saw him.

Devon Collier (New Heights/Class of 2010)
This skilled forward had a productive game. He scored mostly on putbacks in this one, including an impressive one handed follow up. Devon finished with a dunk in transition. The lefty had several rebounds. Defensively, he blocked a shot and grabbed a steal. He didn’t shoot much from the outside or attack off the dribble, but Devon is capable of doing that too. He still had a solid outing.

Jayvaughn Pinkston (New Heights/Class fo 2010) - pictured right
Pinkston had a solid, but not spectacular game Saturday. The big-bodied post player can be overpowering. He made some fine plays inside as he converted around the rim (although he didn’t do so consistently). He usedthe glass on several occasions. He also showed a nice spin move. Jay is athletic and he showed that leaping ability on a dunk. He has quick footwork on the inside and a good feel in the paint. He can attack off the dribble some too. Jay hasn’t grown since he was a freshman phenom andit still doesn’t appear that he’s developed a consistent jumper. At 6-6, an improved jump shot could elevate his game dramatically. He is a very talented and productive player though.

On Friday night, Pinkston got into a near altercation right before halftime. Good size, but will need to cut up a little and increase his conditioning level to get significant minutes in a highly competitive conference such as the Big East or ACC as a freshman. Had a nice looking drive blowing by several defenders that led to an easy layup right before the end of the game. Is faster than he looks. Told NBE after that issue that sat him out for much of Bishop Loughlin’s season was not an ‘academic’ issue. Also stated he will make a decision on where he will attend high school next year some time this summer.

Derrick Williams (New Heights/Class of 2010)
Another big-bodied forward who had a nice game. He’s most effective using that size around the rim. Derrick had a nice spin move and bank finish. He converted on a putback and a dunk too. He has good hands and is pretty mobile despite his size. Because of those attributes, he’s a good rebounder on both ends of the court.

Williams rattled off an impressive array of schools last week to the NBE that included Virginia, Providence, Miami, Seton Hall, Fordham, Temple, West Virginia and Marquette for our Class of 2010 Intro on Derrick Williams.

“So far I’ve been to Seton Hall and Fordham,” Williams said of college visits. “In the future I hope to visit Miami, UVA and also West Virginia.”

Daryl Traynham (DC Assault/Class of 2010)
This speedy guard had a solid game. He was good in transition, both scoring and dishing the ball off. One of his passes was an outstanding long assist. Daryl hit a runner in the lane and was fouled to convert an old-fashioned three-point play. He did force an alley oop pass. Overall, his play was good though.

Traynham informed NBE that Miami, Kansas State, UNC-Charlotte, Xavier, St. Joseph’s, Maryland and South Florida where the schools involved in his recruiting.

Evan Smotrycz (Mass Rivals/Class of 2010)
This skilled forward had a solid game. Evan has good size to go along with fine inside and outside skills. On the perimeter, he buried a three-pointer and showed good ball handling ability. He was inconsistent with his jumper though on Saturday. Evan also had a nice post turnaround drive and left-handed finish. He grabbed a few rebounds and blocked a shot as well. He struggled to finish early on and also turned the ball over several times. Evan still had a good outing though overall.

On the recruiting front, Smotrycz informed NBE that Michigan, Oregon State and Virginia were his three favorites. He recently received an offer from Michigan head coach Joeh Beilein and would be visiting Ann Arbor later in April. Smotrycz also visited Providence, Syracuse, Notre Dame and Georgia last fall. Other schools in contact are UCF, Stanford, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Penn State, Washington State, Vanderbilt and Pitt.

Carson Derosiers (Mass Rivals/Class of 2010)
Carson is a skilled big man. He’s at his best facing up. He hit several jumpers in this contest, including a couple of the pull up variety. On the defensive end, he blocked a pair of shots. Carson made a nice pass,too. It would be nice to see him do more on the inside than he did on this day. He didn’t score much around the rim or grab too many rebounds despite a distinct height advantage. He does need to get stronger too. Carson is quite the talent though.

Tyrone Johnson (NJ Elite/Class of 2011)
Tyrone ran the floor often. He scored off the break. He threw several nice passes, but also struggled with some turnovers. Tyrone is quick off the dribble and can get to the rim. He didn’t take many jumpers and he struggled to convert on the ones he did take.

Austin Carroll (NE Playaz/Class of 2010)
Austin hit a couple shots from the outside, including out to three-point range. He grabbed a few rebounds too, but overall was fairly quiet.

Josh Turner (CT Select/Class of 2010)
Josh opened by hitting a jumper. He scored on a short floater in the lane,too. He was rather quiet throughout most of the contest. It wasn’t one of the better games for this talented guard.

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For more Spring Fling coverage, be sure to check out Brian Crownover’s report at RecruitRecon.com. He also has some coverage of the 2009 Donofrio Classic that has several Big East targets and commits playing.
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