Reebok ABCD Camp: Final Day
TEANECK, N.J. – The 2006 Reebok ABCD Camp is in the books. Plenty of players showed what they can do, some made statements and the beginning of the craziest month of basketball each year was marked by this event and the other two major camps held on the same days.
The morning session finished off part of the camp as teams all played their final game. A few hours later, the two all-star games (underclassmen and senior) ended the camp with their usual showmanship and lack of defense, although we saw some fine shooting in each game as well by a couple of players. One note is that Bill Walker was among the co-MVPs of the Senior All-Star Game, making him the first player to win three all-star MVPs.
When it was all over, one big question remained: was O.J. Mayo committing to USC after all, as had been widely speculated and reported? Mayo told reporters after the game that he’s still making up his mind as of now, so there’s no commitment just yet.
“I’m still waiting. I have to talk things over with my mother, my brother and sister and my family,” said Mayo, whose mother lives in West Virginia, about three hours from him. His next tournament will be right at home at the Triple S Harley Davidson Jam Fest in Morgantown, WV.
Some notes on the camp:
- Kevin Love finished the camp as the top-rated player by a wide margin, leading in scoring by over three points over rising sophomore Kenny Boynton and rebounding by over two rebounds over classmate Elijah Holman. He continues to make a case for being the top prospect in the class.
- New College of Charleston head coach Bobby Cremins was in attendance the final two days, and looked like he was having a blast. Clearly, he’s happy to be back in coaching and re-connecting with colleagues.
- When it was all said and done, Sonny Vaccaro spoke very highly of the class of 2007 present at the camp. While we agree that this class looks very good and especially at the top, this camp gives us reason to be excited early on about the class of 2009. A number of rising sophomores had good camps and impressed us enough to think that it’s one to keep a close eye on over the next couple of years.
- The camp went smaller with just over 150 players, and that worked well. Reportedly, the Nike and Adidas camps held over the same period also trimmed down their sizes. Although it means less kids can be seen in one setting, it’s good for the individual events. That’s a trade-off for the month of July, as coaching staffs have harder decisions to make as to where they will go during the month.
Now, a look at some players we saw on Sunday:
Kenny Boynton (6’2″ So. SG, Pompano Beach (FL) Blanche Ely HS) Sure, we highlighted him on Saturday, and didn’t really want to highlight someone twice; Kevin Love didn’t even get that, as well as he played. But we can’t ignore Boynton’s effort in the morning, where he went for 28 points on 12-20 shooting (3-4 from long range) and added five rebounds, three assists and three steals. He was the top rising sophomore at the camp among a very good group.
Junior Cadougan (6’0″ So. PG, Toronto (Ont.) Community Christian School) Boynton didn’t do it alone; Cadougan’s fine passing throughout the camp really helped. He tied for fourth in the camp in assists and had seven helpers on Sunday with just one turnover.
Devin Ebanks (6’7″ Jr. SF, Long Island City (NY) Patterson School) After going for 16 points in his team’s last game, Ebanks went for 19 and seven rebounds in the Underclassman All-Star Game. That re-opened a few eyes, as he played well here last year.
Greg Echenique (6’9″ So. PF-C, Ridgewood (NJ) St. Benedict’s) He was pretty steady the entire camp, flying below the radar because he’s a big man and from playing with upperclassmen. He was fifth in the camp in rebounding and also blocked 1.4 shots per game. In the Underclassman All-Star Game, he went for 12 points and seven boards. Keep an eye on him over the next couple of years.
Corey Stokes (6’6″ Sr. SG, Bayonne (NJ) St. Benedict’s) Although he had just an above-average camp overall, the Villanova commit had a nice day on Sunday. In his team’s last game, he went for 13 points on 5-8 shooting, hitting 3-of-5 from behind the arc. He finished the day by scoring 13 more in the Senior All-Star Game.
In a couple of days, a camp wrap-up will be coming your way.
