PHILADELPHIA – Friday was the last day of the Reebok All-American Camp. Each team played one last regular game and a playoff game based on their record before the all-star game closed the event out.
The morning session had the lowlight of the entire event – an apparently serious injury to Michael Cobbins. The 6’9″ rising senior from Amarillo, Texas had been playing well before badly dislocating his kneecap on a bad landing. As soon as it happened, he yelled out several times in obvious pain and grabbed at his knee. He laid on the court for a while, with medical personnel being very careful in getting him onto a stretcher to be taken to an ambulance. According to a report, the prognosis is not as bad as feared as doctors were able to pop his kneecap back into place.
Here is a look at some of those who stood out on Friday. Stay tuned for an additional story about the event.
Kori Babineaux (6’4″ Jr. SF, Folsom (CA) High) He had a relatively quiet showing until Friday, especially in the championship game. There wasn’t any one thing he did that stood out, as he simply showed a nose for the ball and almost every time a key play was made, it seemed like he had a hand in it. His body isn’t there yet, so there’s certainly some upside here, and during the earlier games he showed some range on his jumper.
Aaron Bowen (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Jacksonville (FL) Wolfson HS) There wasn’t much buzz about him, but he was one of the finest performers here as he got better every day and had a solid showing. He capped it off with another good game on Friday, continuing to knock down a variety of jumpers and use his left hand to finish.
Fuquan Edwin (6’6″ Sr. SF, Paterson (NJ) Catholic HS) You would think a scoring wing like this Seton Hall commit would thrive in a camp setting, but until today he didn’t. In his team’s last game, he played very well to finish strong, scoring several times using his left (off) hand. Included were several drives to his left, one of which was a drive from the right corner to just past the basket that he turned into a layup.
Hector Harold (6’7″ Sr. SF, Pasadena (CA) Northfield Mount Hermon) He struggled a bit on Thursday but continued competing, and that set the stage for a better game on Friday. His shots started falling and he made more plays, closing out on a better note.
Jelani Hewitt (6’2″ Sr. PG, Oakland Park (FL) North East HS) One of the better floor leaders here, he has a good frame and rebounded well for his size. On one such play, he grabbed a rebound and then made a nice long lead pass for an easy basket.
LeBryan Nash (6’7″ Jr. SF, Dallas (TX) Lincoln HS) Although he looked a little tough to figure out, he was solid in his final game as he showed a wealth of potential. His jumper shows no consistency, but he has above-average ball skills and was active on the glass, including stickbacks.
Stacy Poole, Jr. (6’5″ Sr. SF, Jacksonville (FL) Andrew Jackson HS) A quietly good performer on a stacked team, this athletic wing showed throughout the camp that he can shoot, including on Friday when he got a few more opportunities. He also posted up a smaller defender and had a nice turnaround jump hook.
Derrick Randall (6’9″ Jr. PF, Paterson (NJ) Catholic HS) The lefty post player has been solid and unspectacular all along, and that included today. He remained active and scored inside to help his team.
LaQuinton Ross (6’8″ Jr. SF, Jackson (MS) Murrah HS) There’s plenty of potential in this young man, who has been on the scene since before he was in high school. At first, he didn’t look like it, but he had a nice day on Friday and was better in his last game. He won’t wow you with amazing athleticism, but he has a lot of tools and just has to make good decisions with what he does.
