The 2007 Spring and Summer, Part One: Players and Teams
The spring and summer travel team period has come and gone. While there are still a handful of travel team tournaments in the next couple of months, none are live for college coaches and history tells us that some of them tend to be underclassmen-dominated instead of having top seniors. That’s not a bad thing, but it means that a lot of the evaluation is done for the time being. Our next real viewing will come during the high school and prep season, save for the New England Top 75 Elite Invitational next week.
In this first of two stories looking back at the crucial recruiting period, we look at many highlights of the period. The second one will include a look at some non-basketball aspects of the travel team scene.
General Observations
- A year ago, we were optimistic about the class of 2008, but now it looks to be just so-so all the way around. There is no player who has clearly grabbed the top spot in the class, although there are several contenders. If I had to pick just one, Brandon Jennings (6’2″ PG, Temecula (CA) Oak Hill Academy) gets the nod, but he could certainly be overtaken. The class is also not that deep.
- The class of 2009 looks to be better. There is no clear top player, although many put Renardo Sidney (6’9″ PF, Lakewood (CA) Artesia HS) atop the list, but there appears to be more elite talents and better depth overall.
- It is very early, but the class of 2010 could be very good. The early returns are very positive, especially on the perimeter as this class could have the next great wave of point guards, several of whom we saw impress during the course of the spring.
Who Warmed Up With the Weather?
Delvon Roe (6’8″ Sr. SF-PF, Cleveland (OH) St. Edward’s HS)
Mike Rosario (6’2″ Sr. SG, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony’s)
Kemba Walker (6’0″ Sr. PG-SG, New York (NY) Rice HS)
Elliot Williams (6’4″ Sr. SG, Memphis (TN) St. George’s HS)
Tyler Zeller (7’2″ Sr. C, Washington (IL) High)
Roe continued to show why he’s one of the elite players in the class of 2008, as he came through time and time again for his team in the clutch and kept them in a couple of big games they couldn’t quite pull out. Rosario shot the lights out on several occasions and really came alive around the month of June. Walker consistently played well, especially in big games, emerging as more of a scorer after impressing last year with his ability to run a team. Williams can flat-out score and lets his game do the talking. Zeller was a big part of Indiana Elite’s two big championships in the spring.
Bad Impressions
Chris Braswell (6’9″ Sr. PF, Hyattsville (MD) Dematha Catholic HS)
Junior Cadougan (6’0″ Jr. PG, Toronto (Ont.) Christian Life Academy)
Anthony Crater (6’1″ Sr. PG, Flint (MI) Southwestern Academy)
Matt Simpkins (6’9″ Sr. PF, Sacramento (CA) Capital Christian School)
Braswell is one of the latest post players to look less impressive while trying to play like a small forward, as he didn’t impress while playing away from the basket all too often. Cadougan has put on a good deal of weight and looks much less effective now than he did a year ago. Crater ran the show for a loaded King of the Court team, but didn’t shoot well and was just so-so as a floor leader. As for Simpkins’ place on this list, see: Braswell, Chris.
Players Who Emerged
Demar DeRozan (6’6″ Sr. SF, Compton (CA) High)
Travis Leslie (6’5″ Sr. SF, Decatur (GA) Columbia HS)
Zach Rosen (6’1″ Sr. PG, Newark (NJ) St. Benedict’s Prep)
Eloy Vargas (6’10” Sr. SF-PF, Plantation (FL) American Heritage HS)
Robert Wilson (6’3″ Sr. SG, Garfield Heights (OH) High)
DeRozan can flat-out score the ball, and his consistency has brought him from being a good high-major prospect to a big-time prospect. Leslie wasn’t the first name one might think of on the stacked Georgia Stars team, but the active rebounding forward played very well in the spring and certainly boosted his stock. Rosen will give Penn, where he committed, a tough and heady floor leader who scores in flow and makes teammates better. Vargas was a non-factor a year ago, but now looks like a legitimate combo forward, although he wasn’t a big factor inside save for a few blocked shots. Wilson is yet another under-the-radar player that Bo Ryan has picked up at Wisconsin, where he committed in the midst of a solid spring.
Players Who Just Kept Playing Well
William Buford (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Toledo (OH) Libby HS)
Ed Davis (6’8″ Sr. PF, Richmond (VA) Benedictine HS)
Devin Ebanks (6’8″ Sr. SF, Brooklyn (NY) St. Thomas More)
Terrence Jennings (6’10” Sr. PF, Sacramento (CA) Mt. Zion Christian Academy)
While it’s nice to highlight those who stood out, blew up or simply got better, there are also plenty of players who deserve notice for continuing to play well after first establishing themselves as elite prospects.
Buford has been solid all along, and deceptively so in that there were times he didn’t stand out, yet a check of the score sheet showed that he still had 20-25 points. Davis continues to simply find a way to score and lead his team, remaining among the elite players in the class of 2008. Ebanks remains a talented and skilled scorer, at times playing like a man who wouldn’t be denied. Jennings is a basketball nomad, but while his location has changed often his excellent scoring ability inside has not.
Youth Movement, Part 1: Best We Saw From the Class of 2009
Dominic Cheek (6’6″ SG, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony’s)
Jordan Hamilton (6’7″ SF, Compton (CA) Dominguez HS)
Terrell Vinson (6’7″ SF, Rockville (MD) Montrose Christian School)
Jamil Wilson (6’7″ SF-PF, Racine (WI) Horlick HS)
Cheek was terrific all spring and looks to be the next stud out of powerhouse St. Anthony’s. Hamilton can really score the ball and was excellent in a couple of events we saw. Vinson is fun to watch play the game, as he’s not a great athlete but has a terrific feel for the game and is highly skilled. Wilson, a versatile combo forward, is similar to Vinson in that he doesn’t beat you primarily with physical tools.
Youth Movement, Part 2: Best We Saw From the Class of 2010
Taran Buie (6’2″ SG, Albany (NY) Bishop Maginn HS)
Fuquan Edwin (6’5″ SF, Paterson (NJ) Catholic HS)
Brandon Knight (6’3″ SG, Ft. Lauderdale (FL) Pine Crest HS)
Dion Waiters (6’2″ SG, Philadelphia (PA) St. John Neumann-Goretti)
Buie started strong with a terrific showing as he led his Albany City Rocks team to an impressive 15-under title at the Boo Williams Invitational, then kept that play up all spring. Edwin looks to be the next big star at Paterson Catholic, an athletic scoring wing who came up big in a couple of championship games for his team. Knight could be the top player in the class right now, as he can flat-out score and doesn’t try to do too much. Waiters can score the ball and has a good body and impressed in a couple of viewings this spring and summer.
Best Team
Unlike last year, when there was a clear choice, this was a tough call, as several teams made a good case. Indiana Elite was the best team in the spring, winning the Kingwood Classic and the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, and winning the title games in each in blowout fashion to boot. But with a strong July that saw them win the Nike Peach Jam and the Main Event, the Gauchos overtake them for the nod here. The Gauchos were strong during the spring, winning the Cactus Classic in May and reaching the semifinals in at least one other tournament we covered, so their big run in July puts them over the top.
Our Favorite Team
This is a rather subjective category, but one worth mentioning. The nod here goes to the Marquis Daniels Showtime Ballers, a 16-under team based in Orlando, Florida. This team is loaded with guards, as they seemingly keep throwing them at you, and they all can play. Most are well-built, can score and handle the ball, and any one of them can have a big game on you while the others play complementary roles. They don’t have much size, but they had plenty of success with their guards and with forwards who play bigger. It’s a good thing we have another year to see them, as they will be a 17-under team next year.
Best Tournament
This one is a tough call between the Houston Kingwood Classic and Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. We’ll give the nod to the Kingwood Classic in a close call, as it had one great game after another both in pool play and in the playoff rounds.
Best Game
The call here is for a semifinal at the King James Shooting Stars Classic between the Georgia Stars and King of the Court. This was every bit the dandy everyone expected it to be, and it came right down to the wire as two of the top players in the class in Delvon Roe and Al-Farouq Aminu led two stacked teams. Adding to the atmosphere was the crowd, which featured numerous college coaches as well as spectators. It was a back-and-forth game, and King of the Court looked to have it when Anthony Crater hit a clutch three-pointer in the final seconds. But the Stars came right back up the floor, got off a shot that didn’t go, but Travis Leslie was right there to dunk it home as time expired, giving the Stars that victory and a berth in the title game, which they won.
Stay tuned for part 2 of our spring and summer recap in about another week.
