Capitol Invitational Does Well
WASHINGTON – The first weekend of events certified for Division I coaches to attend featured three events. One of them was the Charlie Weber Capitol Invitational, featuring primarily teams from the eastern half of the country. The talent was good in the Open Division and there was some good talent in limited observation of the 16-under as well, and plenty of college coaches turned out to see it.
Among the head coaches we saw in attendance were Jim Baron (Rhode Island), John Beilein (West Virginia), Mike Brey (Notre Dame), Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), Fran Dunphy (Pennsylvania), Ron Everhart (Northeastern), Bruiser Flint (Drexel), Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech), Karl Hobbs (George Washington), Joe Jones (Columbia), Jim Larranaga (George Mason), Mike Lonergan (Vermont), Fran McCaffery (Siena), Glen Miller (Brown), Randy Monroe (UMBC), Norm Roberts (St. John’s), Herb Sendek (North Carolina State), Frank Sullivan (Harvard), and John Thompson III (Georgetown).
The Open Division divided up into four categories – American, National, Patriot and Diplomat. The DC Blue Devils took the American final by a score of 52-47 over the Cincinnati Royals, getting 16 points from Kevin Durant (6’8″ Jr. SF, Ft. Washington (MD) Oak Hill Academy) and 14 from Tywon Lawson (5’11” Jr. PG, Forestville (MD) Oak Hill Academy). New York-based Team Odom took the National with a 61-52 win over Fairfield County (CT), getting 17 points from Brian McKenzie. Cecil Kirk beat Juice by a 67-56 margin to take the Patriot title, and the Squires Richmond scored a 68-59 win over New York Elite in the Diplomat final.
Here is a look at some of the players we saw.
Class of 2006
Jamaal Barney (6’3″ SG, Baltimore (MD) Southwestern HS) Athletic guard had a good weekend as part of his team’s inside-outside attack. He shot the ball well from long range and reached double figures in three games we saw. Mid-major plus prospect.
Jared Brownlee (6’6″ SF, Portland (ME) High) He’s an active forward who was around the ball and made plays at both ends. He’s not a great athlete, but has the size and enough athleticism at that position to be a good mid-major prospect.
Casiem Drummond (6’10” PF-C, Bloomfield (NJ) Tech) Big post player is just solid inside, scoring in close and occasionally getting out on the break. He went for 22 points in his first game. High-major prospect.
Derreck Echols (6’4″ SF, Brooklyn (NY) Grady HS) Athletic forward plays bigger and isn’t afraid to battle inside. He’s active and got his share of rebounds this weekend, and though he didn’t score a lot, he had teammates who did and he helped his team in plenty of other ways. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect.
Chris Gosley (6’7″ SF, Trenton (NJ) High) Athletic forward has a good frame and looks like he can be a nice defender. He’s definitely a small forward and he’ll get out in transition.
Ricky Harris (6’2″ SG, Towson (MD) Calvert Hall HS) Good size guard had a good weekend, shooting well and scoring on drives. He went strong to the basket and generally showed good shot selection, going for 19 points against the Chicago Jaguars. Mid-major prospect.
Kenny Hasbrouck (6’3″ PG, Pittsfield (ME) Maine Central Institute) Good penetrating point guard played well, finding ways to get inside defenses to the basket. He’s not overly quick but has good size for the position and knows how to score, going for 16 points in the first game we saw him in. Mid-major prospect might play for someone in 2005-06.
Jamel Jackson (6’5″ SG-SF, Brookyln (NY) Lincoln HS) He really had his long range stroke going in the Patriot final, where he scored 19 points. He has a good stroke, though like anyone else can be hurt if he doesn’t take a good shot, and he’s a good athlete at both wing positions. High-major minus/high-major prospect.
Darryl Johnson (6’8″ PF, Atlantic City (NJ) High) Good size forward can play inside, but also stepped out to show some three-point range and he’s pretty athletic for a power forward. He went for 12 points against the Gauchos in a key support role.
Phil Jones (6’10” PF-C, Philadelphia (PA) Lutheran Christian) Good size post player was a consistent low-post scoring threat. He showed good post moves and used his strength score, ran the floor well and got some rebounds. High-major prospect.
Keonta Keith (6’6″ SF, Jefferson (GA) County HS) Very athletic wing is a solid prospect. He has a good frame, was very active at both ends when we saw him, and shot it well in addition to scoring off the dribble, going for 17 points against Fairfield County. High-major minus/high-major prospect.
Louis Lambert (6’5″ SF-PF, Baltimore (MD) Woodlawn HS) Very strong undersized post player really held his own against bigger post players, including Jonathan Mitchell of the Metro Hawks. He shined at the defensive end, using his strong frame and athleticism to block shots and contain opposing post players, playing much bigger than his size. He didn’t score a lot on the offensive end, but that can come along. Could be a steal for a mid-major program.
Brian McKenzie (6’3″ SG, Brooklyn (NY) Xaverian HS) He shot the ball well most of the weekend, leading his team to the National title. He went for 13 against Hunting Park and 17 in the title game.
Eric Meister (6’8″ PF, State College (PA) High) Lefty post player got limited touches while staying inside. The reviews were a bit mixed, but he looks like a mid-major prospect.
Colin McIntosh (6’7″ SF, Boston (MA) Northfield Mt. Hermon) He’s still relentless on the glass, as that’s been his forte for a while now, and his offensive game is still coming along. He went for 20 points in the National final and looks to have lost some weight after he was starting to fill out. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect.
DeAngelo McIntosh (6’4″ SG-SF, Chicago (IL) Julian HS) Very athletic wing scored mainly in transition and on drives. He took very few jump shots, preferring to drive and get out on the fast break. Mid-major plus prospect.
Rockwell Moody (6’10” PF-C, Fairfax (VA) Bishop O’Connell HS) Good size athlete was very active both inside and out. He got his share of rebounds and knocked in some mid-range jumpers, running the floor well. High-major prospect.
Thijin Moses (6’8″ SF, Chicago (IL) Julian HS) Very long wing really struggled shooting the ball from long range with his relatively unorthodox stroke. He seems to have the quicks to slash to the basket, but not the handle or strength as he lost the ball several times when driving. He reached double figures a couple of times, though his 15 points in one game included ten free throws. High-major prospect.
Jonathan Ogolo (6’3″ SG, Vienna (VA) Madison HS) Active guard isn’t overly quick, but he has enough for the shooting guard spot and more important, can score the ball. He shot it well from long range and got out in transition a few times. Mid-major plus prospect.
Ryan Shields (6’9″ PF, New Canaan (CT) St. Luke’s HS) He had himself a nice weekend as an inside role player. He has good size and rebounded well, also going for 14 points in one game. He’ll need to do some work at the next level, but he’s a mid-major prospect with some potential.
DaJuan Summers (6’9″ SF-PF, Baltimore (MD) McDonough HS) He was one of the best players this weekend, consistently playing well inside for his team. His play wasn’t limited to there, as he did hit some shots from the outside as well and he’s pretty athletic for the power forward spot. We saw him put up 18, 22 and 16 points in three different games. High-major prospect.
Josh Taylor (6’7″ SF, Brentwood (PA) High) Likes to drive to the basket and can finish, though he may be a step slow for the small forward spot. Mid-major/mid-major plus prospect.
Marcus Taylor (6’3″ SG, Baltimore (MD) Dunbar HS) He shot it well in the one game we saw and parts of a couple of others, going for 15 points with a lot of long two-point shots and a trey. Mid-major/mid-major plus prospect.
Mike Trimboli (6’1″ PG, New Canaan (CT) St. Luke’s HS) Steady floor leader isn’t very quick, but he’s rugged and intelligent and finds ways to score as well as run the team. He went for 21 points twice on the weekend, and had 19 in another game, shooting it well from mid-range and long range. Mid-major prospect could play for someone in 2005-06.
Frank Turner (5’8″ PG, Atlantic City (NJ) High) Quick, solid floor leader really impressed in leading his team to a win over the loaded Gauchos. Despite his lack of size, he’s not afraid to drive inside against the big guys, and he did that to the tune of 21 points. He didn’t shoot much from outside, but made a solid showing. Mid-major prospect.
Todd Ward (6’5″ SF, New Milford (CT) High) Very active wing had a solid weekend, as he really gets after it at both ends. He was around the ball often and grabbed a lot of rebounds at both ends of the floor, scored some garbage points inside from offensive rebounds and loose balls, and simply made plays. He’s deceptively athletic and not a great shooter, but his intangibles make him valuable. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect.
Elijah Whitehead (6’5″ SF, New York (NY) Rice HS) Athletic wing was one of the few bright spots for the Gauchos in a loss we saw. He can finish drives but didn’t look good shooting it, scoring 13 points in the game. Looks to be more of a small forward than shooting guard based on this and prior observation. Mid-major plus prospect.
Jahmar Young (6’4″ SG, Baltimore (MD) W.E.B. DuBois HS) Thin wing really shot the ball well over the weekend from long range, as that was his role. He’s athletic, but the biggest threat is with his shooting, as he went for 25 points in one game and had 16 in the Patriot final. High-major minus prospect.
Classes of 2007, 2008
Miles Beatty (6’2″ So. SG, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony’s HS) He’s always been a bit of a gunner, but he’s continually getting better and that included what we saw this weekend. He looks quicker and made some plays driving as well as shooting, the latter of which he’s always been able to do.
Roscoe Davis (6’8″ Fr. SF-PF, Washington (DC) St. John’s Rykien HS) Long forward didn’t score a lot, but it’s clear that he has some good potential. He’s not too thin but certainly needs to keep filling out and improving his overall game.
Kim English (6’5″ So. SG-SF, Towson (MD) Catholic HS) He’s athletic and a bit thin, but has good size and looks like he could be a nice player as he matures.
John Galvin (6’9″ So. PF, New Canaan (CT) Weston HS) Post player has a good frame and showed some potential while being overshadowed by teammates. He was a role player on his team, staying inside and occasionally getting a basket or rebound.
Sean Hawkins (6’6″ So. PF, Washington (DC) St. John’s HS) Thick post player has good mobility and showed some good post moves, notably a turnaround jump hook inside. He’s not very quick but ran the floor well, and he didn’t try to play outside much. On the down side, he also looked a little foul-prone, likely attributable in part to his lack of quickness.
Johnny Higgins (6’1″ So. PG, Randallstown (MD) High) Solid pass-first floor leader had a good weekend running his team successfully. He penetrated well despite not being very quick and passed it well, and generally played well on the defensive end.
Mac Koshwal (6’9″ So. PF, Chicago (IL) Julian HS) Athletic post player was one of the better post prospects at the tournament. He has good size and strength, ran the floor well and stayed home on the low post, but perhaps the best thing he did this weekend was rebound, including at the offensive end where he got his share of stickbacks. He’ll be one to keep an eye on.
Rakim Sanders (6’4″ So. SG, Barrington (RI) St. Andrew’s HS) Athletic wing has a good frame and shot the ball well from long range when we saw him. He had 20 points in one game and has a good deal of potential.
Chris Smith (6’2″ So. SG, Lakewood (NJ) High) He’s not his brother athletically, but he’s not bad and looked good this weekend. More of a scorer than a shooter, he slashed his way to 24 points in one game, and generally didn’t look to shoot it much from outside.
Others in the class of 2007 that caught our interest in limited observation:
Michael Erick (6’8″ PF, Camden (DE) Caesar Rodney HS)
Corey Morris (6’9″ PF-C, Bridgehampton (NY) High)
Patrick Patterson (6’7″ So. SF-PF, Huntington (WV) High)
Brandon Walter (6’8″ PF, Brooklyn (NY) Lincoln HS)
Desmond Wynn (6’7″ SF-PF, Wilmington (DE) St. Mark’s HS)
