You Don't Know 'Em, But You Better Start To: Part 2

I was thinking while posting for this blog how cheesy it would be to add a member of the 2012 class to my sleepers to become stars. After all, I did just do the top 9 players for the class of 2012 a couple posts ago. Trust me; it was tough coming up with 9 players because that class boasts as much talent as a handicap stair climbing contest. So going back and adding to the list would be as creative as James Cameron re-editing Titanic in 3D to make another billion dollars. But I figured overlooking this one guy in the class of 2012 was more on the lack of information I have on this kid. There are not a lot of highlights of him it seems like he is really close to his ceiling as a player; and let me tell you, it’s not a very high ceiling. But as an admirer of high school basketball talent, a few things win me over: size, strength, and speed. For a teenager to have some of these quality makes you a hot prospect because let’s face it, how many non-juicing high school athletes are quicker, stronger or bigger than some college athletes. Quick answer- look at any top 100 basketball prospect list, long answer, probably some mutant test-tube offspring from a remote lab in China somewhere. So when I looked at this next fella in part 2 of my mini-blog series, I figured, there might just be an outside shot he becomes a legit three star prospect. Considering what most people know about him now, that is definitely not a bad thing.

PG Ka’Darryl Bell (6-1, 170 lbs, offers from Ohio and Iowa)- For 6-1, Bell has decent size for a point guard. Although he’s not the prototypical big point guard NBA teams love, 6-1 is about the average size you would want in a point guard. If he’s lucky, he might even squeak out an extra inch when it’s all said in done. From what I’ve seen though, 6-1 might be generous. What strikes me about Bell is that he never seems to rush anything. He’s quick but not out of control. The little that I have seen of him is more in half court sets more so than transition, but he seems like a decent floor general. At some points, he can dribble too much, but he is a good, not great, facilitator. His game seems to feed off of others around him which is why he’ll never be a high major prospect, at the same time, this is the type of team player you would want. For Bell, it doesn't seem like getting into the lane or creating for himself is the most important thing. Driving and kicking or just staying at the top of the circle and setting up other players is something he seems to do with ease.

Because Bell played alongside incoming Illinois freshman SF Mychael Henry at Orr Academy in the city, Bell is used to playing second fiddle and setting up those who are better around them. The problem with some incoming freshman in college is that they are used to being the guy on their high school basketball team, so when they wind up being a middle of the road college player, their game does not translate. Because of this, Bell could be too passive at times. He does not have the most lethal shot and has a long way to go where that is a legit threat, but Bell has good range and will knock down threes. When Bell gets into the lane, he can finish with a floater or a nice jump stop, but Bell is not a big dunker and I am not even sure he can dunk. If anything, I’d say Bell doesn’t penetrate the lane as much as you would like to see in a point guard.

Overall, Bell is not an overwhelming player that has crazy potential. He is quick and has good point guard size and is a good, at best, passer. One handed passes or behind the back passes would be rarities from Bell, he’s just an old fashioned two handed passer that gets the ball to the open player. I would like to see him get a better shot and make up for his lack of inside game. His shooting stroke doesn’t look that bad so he should be able to improve his shot if he works hard enough. Other schools have taken notice of Bell like Drake, Nebraska, and Butler. However, a good AAU season might pull in more attention from bigger schools. I don’t see him committing anytime soon because I think he wants his AAU season to end and for him to show something in his senior year. But if he gets that offer he’s been waiting for, who knows.

NEXT WEEK- YOU DON’T KNOW ‘EM, BUT YOU BETTER START TO: PART 3

You Don't Know 'Em, But You Better Start To: Part 1

Over the next 5 weeks, I am going to preview some players around the city that are not grabbing national headlines now like a Jabari Parker or Thomas Hamilton, Jr, but after another season of competitive Chicago High School Basketball, you will know their name. For the sake of time, I will avoid including freshman and sophomores in this feature because they are so raw, that the player I see will be almost completely different two years from now. The greatest leap a high school player can have is from his sophomore to junior year. It is in this period that a dweebish high school kid could become a star in his junior year and climb up the recruiting charts. Without putting these players in order from most likely to shine to least, let’s start the list:

Jr. PF Russel Woods (6-8, 210 lbs, being looked at by Illinois, Purdue, DePaul, Marquette, and Wisconsin)-  Woods states that his early leaders are Purdue and Illinois despite not being offered by each program. That would be like saying Harvard and Yale are my early leaders for going to college when I have a 3.0 GPA. 

Maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration because Woods is talented enough to not only land those offers but to get even bigger offers from schools outside of the Midwest. The reason why he can be special is this kid’s size. Woods has a nice build for an incoming freshman in college, not an incoming junior in high school. The fact that he can add more muscle and speed to his game makes him a legit four star recruit threat. Right now, Woods is extremely physical down low and does not shy away from contact. He has a nice touch around the rim and can definitely finish with authority. The biggest impact Woods will have on a game is rebounding. Although he does not jump out at you as a freak athlete, he just has the hustle and desire you love to see in a kid as he continues to rise as a prospect. When looking at him, I get the impression that Woods is not someone that will let another player outwork him, especially on the glass. For an interior player, I love this part of a player’s game. There will be games that a frontcourt player cannot get his shot to fall or can’t finish around the rim and you will see it affect his game. The good frontcourt players will work that much harder on the glass to make up for a lackluster offensive performance. Case in point: Game 3 of the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks series in the playoffs where Joakim Noah scored 2 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Noah did not let a poor, and at some points, disgusting offensive game interfere with his job defending and grabbing rebounds. Woods does not have the tenacity that Noah as in his career, but his commitment to make a difference on the glass is a big part of his game.

Woods possess great strength and rebounding skills at his age, but a lack of outside game is what make him unnoticed, for now, to scouts. Once Woods is outside of the paint, his game becomes very ineffective. He has not developed a consistent jump shot; even from 10 feet away from the hoop. With that, Woods is not quick enough to take opponents off the dribble and drive to the lane enough where he is a legit threat. Woods does his best work in the paint, backing down defenders and jump hooking or dunking around them. I haven’t seen a Woods back down this much since Elin came after Tiger with divorce papers (sorry Eldrick). If a defense can push him away from the basket, Woods becomes limited in what he can do. Russell is not shy or hesitant to take a jump shot; he is just not consistent enough to make defenses respect it.

Another factor working against Woods is his height. At 6-8, Woods has the ideal height for a power forward. However, Woods’ game right now is that of a center despite being labeled a power forward. If he will have any success in his collegiate years, it will be because he developed a jump shot to go along with his tenacity on the boards. Because he has faced little competition with defenders taller and stronger than him, it is tough to criticize Woods. However, if things do not change over the next two years, his collegiate career will be little and ineffective. Because of this, Woods will have to continue to get stronger, despite being a beast already, and bully his way through defenders and not around them. But unless Woods hits a major growth spurt putting him over 7 feet, he will need a jump shot like Rob Reiner needs a treadmill.

Right now, Woods plays AAU for Chicago powerhouse Mac Irvin Fire. Because of the notoriety of this AAU team, Woods will get plenty of attention. The up and down style of AAU basketball should showcase 

how much athleticism Woods has. Before his junior year starts, Woods will need to show progress in another facet of his game other than rebounding. Looking at him, Woods is definitely one of the stronger forwards at his age. The difference, in the end for Woods, between being a mid to high four star prospect and just some guy that wears a college uniform and sits on the bench his whole career as a low three star prospect is his midrange game. I am excited to see him develop into a multidimensional force down low. If he can accomplish this, Illinois and Purdue will be begging for his services.

NEXT WEEK: You Don't Know 'Em, But You Better Start To: Part 2

Previewing the Class of 2012, part 3

Before I begin, I would like to give big ups to Sr. SG Andre “Dre” Henley (6-4, 185 lbs, signed with Northern Illinois) for committing to play ball out in DeKalb this upcoming year for top Michigan State assistant turned head coach Mark Montgomery. When I last chronicled the recruitment of Henley, I thought, and I’m sure he did too, that he would go to a bigger school, but you got to start somewhere. It would not surprise me to Henley on the 1^st team all-freshman in the MAC. And with that, the final installment of my preview on the Class of 2012 in Illinois begins……

PF James Farr (6-8, 200 lbs, committed to Xavier)- The first thing that came to my mind when watching the highlights of Farr was how he was a skinny version of former Illini PF Mike Davis (6-9, 225 lbs). Weight and strength will be the biggest factor between Farr becoming a top 75 recruit or just another 3 star athlete. It is rare for an incoming senior to be college ready as far as strength goes. So it comes as no surprise that Farr’s biggest criticism comes as a power forward that needs to bulk up. Farr is a gifted outside shooter to a range of about 18 feet. He can knock down a jump shot better than a lot of shooting guards. This will come into play in the pick and roll game; something that Xavier uses quite a bit. He can fade away or just shoot straight up. Farr is around the boards most of the time but is not an elite shot blocker or someone who is consistently going to lead everybody in rebounds. He can dunk the ball but is not quick or flashy enough to really impress you. Farr cannot create off the dribble but can jab step the defender enough to give him space to shoot the ball. His face up game is very good and if he could have quicker feet, he’d be lethal. Right now, his pick and pop game is what makes him a division 1 player. If he is going to play power forward in college, he’ll have to add strength and develop more of an inside game. Or, he could develop more of a small forward game, something he’s doing now, and improve his jump shot to become a long jump shooter, almost like Bulls small forward Loul Deng. When put in the right system, and it looks like that will be the case at Xavier, if he stays committed their, Farr could be an integral part of the offense. I could get really corny and say “James could go Farr” but that would make my blog even less desirable to potential readers, so I’ll spare the semantics and say that if Farr can add the necessary strength a player at his position needs, he can creep into the top 5 recruits in Illinois for ’12.

SG Cameron Harvey (6-2, 190 lbs, originally committed to Wyoming, UIC, Baylor, and Dayton among a handful of other schools looking)-  This is a strange one- a couple recruiting websites maintain the fact that Harvey’s verbal commitment to Wyoming in 2009 is still intact. Maybe Harvey’s stock has risen so much that he can guarantee himself a scholarship offer from a better program, or maybe Harvey woke up one day and thought to himself, “there’s no way in hell I’m going to live in Wyoming- the whole state is one big table top that can have temperatures below zero a couple months of year and the big entertainment their watching geysers erupt. Either way, the rumblings are, despite what some of the most recognizable recruiting sites say, Harvey’s recruitment is still open. In fact, he picked up a scholarship offer from UIC in September of 2010. So why are all these schools looking at him? The reason is that Harvey is a very good spot up shooter. Rather it be from beyond the arc or about 15 feet from the hoop, Harvey is a very good catch an shoot player. However, at his size, it will be tough for him to succeed as a shooting guard since the days of the Ben Gordon-sized shooting guards seem to be long gone. Because of this, Harvey has improved his ball handling skills, but is nowhere near where a true point guard would be. Harvey does not attack the lane a lot so his threat is definitely from the outside. Looking at him, Harvey has one of the better looking shooting motions. Whenever you have a player that can hit the outside shot, some team out there will take a long look at you. Harvey is built well for his position, so it does seem a bit odd that he is not more aggressive make players towards the rim. Now, I’ve only seen a couple highlights of him and he did not display this part of his game, so I can’t say that he’s not aggressive to the hoop, but it looks like he is more comfortable shooting over defenders rather than going over them. Harvey kind of floats towards the corner to hit the three which helps space the floor for other players, but that takes away an ability to create a shot closer to the rim. Harvey committed very early on in his high school career and now it looks like he has second thoughts on playing out west. However, his recruitment has not picked up too much and it doesn’t look like Harvey will be coming to a top 30 program anytime soon.

SF Abdel Nader (6-6, 190 lbs, offers from New Mexico, Marquette, Ole Miss, and DePaul)- Nader is a rare gem playing in a conference that does not produce much division 1 talent. The last well-known player to come from the conference that Nader plays in is Jon Scheyer from Glenbrook North High School about 5 years ago, and that turned out pretty well. Nader originally gave a verbal to New Mexico but after reclassifying from the Class of 2011 to the Class of 2012, he reopened his recruiting. The Egyptian decedent earned third team all Illinois this last year according to the Chicago Tribune. At his height, Nader is extremely athletic and mobile getting to the rim. The one thing that Nader seems to be lacking is explosion towards the rim and playing above the cylinder. Other than that, Nader is a good shooter and can create plays for himself. I have seen Nader make some acrobatic plays under the rim to score like going up and under to score, or twisting his body around defenders to score. Nader is also a very good passer and can draw defenders around him to kick it out to open shooter. He is a very good ball handler and at some points of a couple games, he brought the ball up the floor. A knock against Nader that will hurt his recruitment is the fact that he plays in a conference that does not challenge him. It is almost like Derrick Rose showing up to your local rec center and taking over a pickup game. In a couple highlights, Nader was the same height or taller than any other player on the other team. And because the talent level in this conference is subpar, it has to take a lot for Nader to shine- much like Anthony Davis had to do on his team this last year for Chicago Perspectives High School. Because he does not have the explosion that you would see from a top 50 recruit, big time programs most likely will never fight after him. However, because of the many facets of his game, Nader could become and most likely will become a top 100 recruit. The ability to be a distributer and an aggressive scorer makes Nader a very tough player to guard and a very valuable part of whatever program he ends up on next year.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have focused on 9 players that high school and college basketball fans should pay attention to. As it stands now, this will be one of Illinois’ weakest recruiting classes in quite some time. This does not mean, however, that there are not quality and valuable players in this class. Hopefully some of these guys can put together good AAU and senior seasons to bolster them up the recruiting ranks.

NEXT POST- I DON’T KNOW, I’LL THINK OF SOMETHING

Previewing the Class of 2012, part 2

Sorry blog followers, and judging by the lack of activity, no one cares, but the guru took the day off to watch game 6 of the ‘Hawks vs Canucks game. Needless to say, I think the day off was well worth it. But let’s continue the fun. Despite featuring some of the top talent in Illinois for the class or 2012 in part 1 of the preview does not mean those are the top three guys in this class; there is plenty of depth in this class, all be it mediocre talent as it has been document that a maximum of 3 players from Illinois would crack the top 150 of the class of 2012 list as it stands today, but hopefully more will follow. And away we go….

SG Aaric Armstead (6-3, 175 lbs, offers from Fairfield and Valparaiso)- Don’t let the lack of flashy offers deture you from thinking this is a good shooting guard. Having watched Armstead, I can say that he has a high motor and is a great leaper- not like dunk contest leaper, but the guy has some ups. On a couple of occasions, Armstead got to the rim and finished with some dunks against De La Salle in a game earlier this season. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me because I kept hearing the name Armstead and different players for Hales Franciscan making plays. It took me until the 2^nd half for me to realize that there are two Armsteads- older brother SG #23 Aaron Armstead (6-3, 180, signed with Wisconsin-Green Bay) playing alongside younger brother #24 Aaric Armstead.  Although the older Armstead had some good flashes and showed a bit more poise, but I’m sure I confused the two again, the younger Armstead looked like the more exciting player. Aaric ran the floor really well and got out in transition nicely to set up other players or to be the recipient of scoring chances by the hoop. I must have caught one of Aaric’s better performances of the season because the hype was not that great for the junior this season. Aaric lead his team in points and at some points of the game, he was knocking down almost any shot. He proved he could be the team leader as a junior and help carry a team even though Hales eventually lost. Despite the ability to finish alley-oops and flashy dunks, Armstead’s athleticism will not jump out at you. At times, he can disappear from a game and rely on other teammates. Though proving he can handle the ball and facilitate it, Aaric was a bit selfish at time at would take some bad shot despite some of them going in. Aaric is going to need a huge senior season in one of the top high schools in Chicago for bigger schools to eventually offer him a scholarship. Bradley, Northern Iowa, Loyola (IL), and Wisconsin-Green Bay have looked at the younger Armstead. I don’t see Aaric ever cracking a top 150 list, but he can play his way to a decent low to mid-major scholarship and contribute immediately. He needs to get a bit stronger and solidify a consistant jump shot before more people take notice, but right now, this is a fine prospect to keep an eye on.

PF Jermaine Morgan (6-8, 210 lbs, no offers)- Simply put, Morgan needs to bulk up to be more dominant. The thing about Morgan is you can’t watch a highlight of him without getting 3 or 4 shot blocks. Jermaine has a great nose for the ball and is the best shot blocker on his Whitney Young high school team; which says a lot considering the high major prospects on Whitney Young’s roster. Morgan has long arms and can make up for being beat on a play or having someone quicker getting around him. He is what I like to call a violent blocker because the shots he does block fly way out of bounds or gets spiked to the ground like a volleyball. For the class of 2012 in Illinois, I feel confident saying he is one of if not the best shot blocker. Unfortunately, that’s where the complements end. His offensive game is extremely raw and he is not athletic enough to jump over people or quick enough to beat bigger and stronger players off the dribble. Despite being able to shoot the midrange shot, Jermaine does not do it consistently enough to be a major threat. I would best compare him a bit to someone I previewed in part 1 of the class of 2012 and that player is Steve Taylor. The size is similar but the difference is Morgan is not nearly as good as a shooter as Taylor and does not finish around the rim as well. Morgan’s biggest impact is on the defensive end but his greatest improvement will have to come on the offensive end. He does not have what scouts call a “go-to” move in the post. If Morgan could add about 10 pounds of muscle and maintain some quickness, he’d develop into a more serious prospect. Right now, the only university that has given Morgan a serious look, despite no scholarship is UIC. Morgan will probably max out to a low to mid 3 star recruit but it is fun to watch him swat basketballs away like flies at a picnic.

PG Aaron Simpson (5-11, 170 lbs, no offers)- It’s a shame that Simpson isn’t 4 or 5 inches taller or he could be a top 10 shooting guard in this class. His outside shot is that good. In some games, including a matchup against one of the better teams in Chicago, Whitney Young, Simpson was torching the nets with his three point shooting. Rather in transition, feet set, or not feet set, Simpson has deep range that you would love to see in a shooting guard. The problem is, Simpson is not a shooting guard and he is not 4 or 5 inches taller. The only way he’d play for a high major program is if he could develop more into a point guard. Simpson can pass the ball well, however, he plays off the ball and another player for North Chicago brings up the ball for the team. Simpson can get to the rim but I have yet to see him dunk and he doesn’t have the hang time that would make your jaw drop quite like other guards in this country.  With his headband and Mohawk, Simpson looks like he’s wearing the helmet that Shredder wore in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Despite the funky style, Simpson is a pure shooter. The main reason more universities haven’t jumped at Simpson is his lack of dominant point guard skills and IQ. For someone his size, he has to run the floor and set up other taller players despite his outstanding shooting. Simpson is one of the more cocky players in Illinois and with his shooting it’s hard to blame him. He plays with an edge that drives him to take over games. You like to see this in your player, but you also like to see your point guard lead your team by doing more than shooting. Because of his outstanding outside game, some consider Simpson to be a top 150 prospect. He keeps defenders honest by driving to the hoop but his game is at its best when he’s on the perimeter. Despite no offers, bigger programs like Marquette, DePaul, and Purdue have showed some interest. Simpson may have too big of an ego to dominate at a lower level program so he’s probably hoping for one of these major programs to drop a scholarship in his mailbox. Expect Simpson to have a big scoring season, but hopefully he develops more into a facilitator and floor general to match his supreme outside shooting. If he can accomplish this, Simpson could crack the top 100 in some scout’s eyes and possibly earn one of those high major scholarships he hoping and looking for.

NEXT POST- PREVIEWING THE ILLINOIS CLASS OF 2012 PART 3

Previewing the Class of 2012, part 1

In the coming weeks, I will preview some of the top players in the Illinois class of 2012. In years past, Illinois has typically produced at least one five star recruit and/or several four star recruits. In this upcoming class, the strength that an Illinois class typically has is not there; for now. Going back to the last 10 recruiting classes that Illinois has produced, if things stand, this class will be the weakest as far as star power. This class compared to others is like the other Manning brother that sucks at football. However, a couple players stand to have big seasons and hopefully will move up recruiting boards and might actually challenge super-sophomore SF Jabari Parker of Simeon for 2012 Illinois Mr. Basketball.

PF Jay Simpson (6-8, 220 lbs)- Simpson has verbally committed to Purdue, so the excitement in his recruiting for one of the best seniors in this upcoming class appears to be over, unless something drastic happens where he becomes this super recruit like Anthony Davis of Chicago did in the class of 2011 and pulls in attention from big time programs. There are some things that do stand out in Simpson’s game that does suggest he could be a special player. After watching some highlights, it is clear that for his size, Simpson runs the floor very well and can handle the ball better than a lot of people at 6-8. Simpson has good court vision, showing that facet of his game on a couple fast breaks where he dished the ball off to players better suited to make an open layup or dunk. Also, on multiple occasions, Simpson was able to hit the midrange shot from 10-15 feet. This will be a key component of his game because defenses will be forced to step out and guard that shot which should give Simpson the opportunity to drive the basket more with more open lanes to the hoop. However, Simpson lacks explosiveness that you would see in a high level power forward prospect. Simpson will not have any flashy dunks and at some points of the game, it will look like he has sandbags attached to his shoes holding him down. I have read he has worked tirelessly to be better conditioned, but for right now, it looks like the main thing holding him back from a good prospect to a very good or great prospect is his lack of explosiveness.

PF Steve Taylor (6-7, 205 lbs)- One of the things that stands out about Taylor by looking at him is that he needs to add a lot more weight to become a lot more effective. He does a lot of things well like shoot the outside shot and can find open player better than a lot of frontcourt player. Not that he has point guard-like vision but Taylor is very unselfish and plays more off other players rather than trying to create for himself. Some people will find this to be a turn off and a reason why he won’t be a top 100 recruit next year, but basketball is a team sport and players like Taylor help the other four players on the court which will also be vital at the college level. Taylor is a good rebounder, too, and isn’t afraid to go over or through others to get the rebound. For right now, Taylor’s biggest asset is his ability to step out and hit the 18 foot jump shot with some regularity. A reason why his outside game is so good is because he doesn’t trust his inside game as much. He rarely will take people off the dribble and drive to the hoop. Taylor doesn’t have a go to move and isn’t a good enough ball handler to be fancy with ball and draw other defenders to him. Right now, Taylor doesn’t have the bulk to bang with others his size, so he is more finesse then tough, but that can change because he has wide shoulders and long arms and has the ability to realistically add 20-25 lbs in the next year or two. At the moment, Taylor hold official offers from DePaul, Ohio, Marquette, Xavier, and Northwestern. Taylor looks like a big recruit for a mid-major team or just another piece to a high major program. I believe Taylor will be amongst the top 3 or 4 prospects in Illinois for the class of 2012 this time next spring.

PG Curtis “C.J.” Jones (6-0,170 lbs)- C.J. has verbally committed to Ball State (the most erotic sounding university in America) over DePaul. C.J. has the mop-head dread look so it is easy to point him on the court. C.J. will probably never be in a dunk competition because I’ve never seen the guy dunk. He’s one of those 6 foot players that can only get the ball to the rim and has to lay it in or he’ll be stuffed by the rim. He’ll get to the rim but does not finish in traffic too well. As a point guard, C.J. is more of a shooting point guard than a passing point guard. He is a very good jump shooter but most of his shots were just inside the three point line so I did not get a chance to see him display a three point shot. He has a nice stroke and can jab step a defender to create some space to get a better jump shot. In transition, C.J. ran the floor very well and had some deceptive and flashy passes. C.J. showed good ball handling but in half-court sets, he did not show the same clever and flashy passes that you would see from a top tier point guard recruit. In the end, his all-around game is good but not great, but needs to improve his driving into the lane ability a lot more to become a more inside/outside threat than he is now. C.J. has good strength for someone his size and will be physical, but he won’t drive in traffic and get in the lane quite like other point guards. C.J. is a big fan of the crab dribble or jump-stop around 5 feet from the rim. In the end, C.J. is pretty close to his ceiling and can only improve his jump shot. You are either born a great facilitator or your born to look for your shot first. C.J. is more the shooter but will need to learn to become a better passer in college.

NEXT POST- PREVIEW CLASS OF 2012 PART 2

Recap of All-American Championship

Let the All-Star and AAU season begin. It is this time of the year where players make their move from unnoticed to some of the top recruits. The McDonald’s All-American game kicks off the All-Star season and other well-known All-Star games such as the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, OR and the Jordan Brand Classic in New York follow soon after. In the inaugural game, the All-American Championship focused on players from the Class of 2011 and 2012 from four regions in the United States: North, South, East, and West. For the North team, 5 Illinois players were featured, all from the Class of 2011. Joining the 5 Illinois stars were 4 players from 2012 class in Indiana and a player from Missouri (Sr. SG B.J. Young, signed with Arkansas). For players like Sam Thompson (signed with Ohio State) and Ryan Boatright (signed with Connecticut), this was a chance to showcase their talent to those that did not think they were worth playing in their hometown for the McDonald’s All-American Game. In what was an unenthusiastic and sloppy game, the energy and skill picked up late in the game in what turned out to be an exciting overtime game that ended on a buzzer beater. The following players were observed:

Sr. PG Tracy Abrams (6-1, 185 lbs, signed with Illinois)- I was looking for a good point guard performance from Abrams because it looks like he will be counted on to provide some valuable minutes for the Illini next year at the point guard position. I was looking for an ability to spread the floor and read defenses while making precise passes, all be it in an All-Star game where players will forego defense to cherry-pick and run out for a dunk. In split time with Jr. PG Kevin Farrell (5-10, 170 lbs, committed to Indiana), Abrams put up respectable numbers with 10 points and 5 assists.  On one hand, Abrams demonstrated an ability to get others involved which is one of the main responsibilities for a point guard; on the other hand, Abrams was very lethargic with the ball, which seems to be the bug-a-boo of a lot of players in an All-Star game. Abrams did not demonstrate much of an outside shot, but showed he is willing to slash into the lane for easier buckets. This should be welcomed at the next level as mediocre jump shooters last as long as a bulimic in an all you can eat buffet line.  One of, if not the best pass of the night came from Abrams in which he was leading a 3 on 3 fast break and threw a pass between his legs between two defenders to a cutting teammate that took the ball in for an easy layup. Certainly a pass like this would give a coach a heart attack if this was performed in a more competitive game,  but the fact that a player can make highlight plays is always a good sign.

Sr. PG/SG Ryan Boatright (5-11, 175 lbs)- I was most excited to see the Co-Mr. Basketball in Illinois because his buzz about his game has spread more than the SARS epidemic. I had high expectations for Boatright as I thought he would put on a shooting display to confirm his status as one of the top player in Illinois. Unfortunately, 10 points was the extent of Boatright’s night. He seemed a bit smaller than I thought he would be and it showed on the court. For him driving in the paint, it looked like a chipmunk going after a bear with Boatright going up against two to three players 6-7 or bigger at a time. He resulted in just outside shooting and a couple failed drives to the basket. Aside from that, he did not show much else in his game such as passing and rebounding. I’ve been told he is a great facilitator especially in AAU games, and for this, he will be considered to play some point guard in college, but that part of his game was not displayed. The highlight of the night for Boatright was a game tying three pointer to send the game into overtime. Boatright has proclaimed himself as “clutch” and it would be tough to argue with that as he hit possibly the biggest shot for the North team all night. Looking forward, I expect Boatright to come off the bench in college and play similarly to Kemba Walker in his freshman year at Connecticut. And if the Huskies are lucky, Boatright does have the potential to be Kemba-like in college.


Sr. PG/SG Chasson Randle (6-2, 190 lbs, signed with Stanford)- Did someone say Illinois Mr. Basketball? The other winner of the award shared with Boatright was relatively quiet in Randle. Unfortunately for the North team, they featured two players 6-6 or bigger, which meant there were a lot of guards on display. For Randle, he did not see as many minutes as others and as a result, his impact on the game was minimal, especially on the offensive end. At some point during the game, Randle was playing small forward and in the post; something he will seldom do in his college career. Randle was one of those players that got lost in the shuffle only collecting a couple points and assists. It would have been nice to see Randle dominate and stamp his title as Co-Mr. Basketball, but Randle did what he has been known for his high school career and defer to others and take on more of a team approach, rather than the me-first approach which is customary in All-Star game. It will be interesting to see how his game translates at the next level.

Sr. SF Mycheal Henry (6-5, 200 lbs, signed with Illinois)- Outside of B.J. Young and D’Vauntes Smith Rivera, I was most impressed with Henry. Only days before Jereme Richmond declared for the draft after his freshman season at Illinois, Henry showed in this game that he can step in and play significant minutes for the Illini. In his 14 points, Henry displayed a little of everything: a jump shot, athleticism, defense, and rebounding. Henry scored both inside and outside- exactly what you would ask for from your small forward. Henry also looked the part as he had one of the bigger bodies for his size as far as muscle goes. It appears as if the transition from high school to college should not be too difficult for Henry. He did not do anything flashy, outside of a nice dunk in the second half, but Henry was one of those players where you looked at the box score after the game and saw his statistical impact on the game was as good as his physical impact running the floor during the game. I love players like this- they don’t stand out and you hardly remember hearing his name but at the end of the night, he has some of the better numbers on the team. Henry will appear to be a nice piece to a team puzzle next year and I expect him to be a decent bench player in his first season and a starter later in his career.

Sr. SF Sam Thompson(6-6, 170 lbs)-  Something rare for Thompson was that he was the second tallest player on his team. Because of this, his long frame was asked to guard bigger player and play more inside than outside- something he did not do much of in his last high school season. Despite being outrebounded, Thompson showed that he was a good defender and could guard players taller than him. His offensive stats were not staggering, only collecting a handful of rebounds and dishing out a couple assists. What this game showed more than anything was the versatility that made him such a highly sought after recruit in that he could play shooting guard, small forward, and even a little power forward if the matchup is right. The biggest thing for Thompson is going to be his ability or lack thereof to add some weight and muscle. For someone who the announcers of the game compared to Philadelphia 76er and Chicago native Evan Turner, Thompson has a long way to go until he can be mentioned in the same sentence as Turner. Athleticism is not the question, he can jump about as high as anyone, it his stamina against stronger players. If he cannot bulk up, Thompson will be pushed around a lot and not be as effective as his skill level will allow him to be.

The South team won on a last second put back by Sr. PF Tony Parker (no not that Tony Parker- sorry Ms. Longoria). For much of the game, the South, unlike the Civil War, was in control most of the night over the North. Rallied by some late baskets and bad turnovers (even though there are no such thing as good turnovers), the North staged a comeback and pushed it to overtime thanks to a last second shot in regulation from Ryan Boatright. The thing to take away from this game for the representatives from Illinois was that each player has something unique to the table that makes them such appealing recruits, like Abrams size and floor vision for a point guard, Boatright’s streaky but effective shooting, Henry’s versatility, Randle’s ability to help make others around him better off, and Thompsons freakish athleticism. It will be how these players utilize their unique talent and turn themselves into a star or just another player to wear a college uniform. It is safe to say the future looks very good, especially for the likes of Boatright, Henry, and Randle.

NEXT POST- PREVIEW CLASS OF 2012 PART 1.

Recap of McDonald's All-American Game

If you were looking for an amazing performance, it wasn’t in this game. If you were looking for stellar defense, it definitely wasn’t in this game. And if you were looking for amazing dunk after dunk after, well, you didn’t miss much. The Marquee high school basketball all-star game did not have the flair of games from the past, but the record crowd for an All-American Game (19,091) saw a good game. The headliner for the crowd was the two Chicago natives Wayne Blackshear (signed with Louisville, left) and Anthony Davis (signed with Kentucky, left). For me, Davis was the main attraction because he was the one I have seen the least this past year. The 6-10 power forward had an urban legend type of hype following him into this game with his shooting guard-like game inside a power forwards body. The Kevin Garnett comparisons were hovering around him for the days leading up to the game due to his game and his size. So as I walked up to my seats, I was giddy like a fat kid in a bakery to see Davis.

What I saw from Davis- In the 5^th row in section 318 hovering above the court, Davis stood out from the rest of his team West teammates. The power forward was the tallest player on the West team, and also the skinniest. From that high up, Davis looked disgustingly skinny, almost like a cartoon hangman. This should have been expect; at 6-3 and about the same weight last year, Davis was an unnoticed junior that was going nowhere in his high school career. But in the span of a couple months, Davis shot up to 6-10 and brought his game with him- something unique at his height. Unfortunately, his weight did not increase quite like his height did. But when I moved down in the second half (I was on TV for 2 second, I got the proof on my DVR) I got a much better look at Davis. He has a nice lower body and looks like he has the capability to add some weight to his calves to become more of a post-up threat, but when looking at his arms, I just couldn’t see how any weight could be added. His arms were like twigs dangling from a Redwood Tree. When Kevin Durant and Joakim Noah left college for the NBA, the biggest question was whether they could ever add some strength onto their slender frame. Although those questions were answered as they were able to put on some weight, the two talented NBA players have adapted their game around their lean physique. I just don’t see it with Davis, though. I think all the minutes in the day in the gym could not put enough muscle on his frame to become a back down player. This means he will have to become an outside threat, like Garnett was early in his NBA career and how Durant is today. So When Davis had a couple shots from beyond the arc clank off the backboard and one shot miss everything, I was left to question what role Davis will play next year at Kentucky.

Davis finished the game with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and four blocks. Davis had the best 3 straight minutes out of any player in the game when he opened up the second half scoring 8 straight points, all dunks and layups, and had a couple blocks. His game for that period of time wowed the crowd and showed glimpses of why Davis has a good chance to become the #1 overall recruit in the class of 2011. For his size, Davis is supremely athletic. The first bucket of the game for the West team came from an assist from Indiana recruit Cody Zeller to Davis who caught the ball at the free throw line, took a step and glided through the air to slam the ball through the net. Davis also had a pair of alley-oop dunks in the second half that had everyone going crazy yelling out “A-D, A-D!!!” But the excitement and thrills Davis bestowed upon the crowed slowed down as quickly as it game and Davis and a pedestrian 4^th quarter. What stood out to me most about Davis was his long octopus-like arms swatting balls out of the air and rearranging shots. It is extremely clear that Davis will be a force on the defensive side of the ball next year and high his rise to the top of the recruiting boards have moved so quickly. There is definitely a lot to like about this high school senior, but the few things he did not do well said more to me than anything else. There was a point in the 1^st half where Davis was trying to post up a defender near the free throw line. Davis was being pushed further and further away from the hoop like someone pushing a shopping cart. When he went to retrieve a pass, the defender pushed around him to steal the ball. Now in an all-star game, it is too much to expect 100% effort from all the player on both ends, but being pushed around typically is not due to a lack of effort. Simply put, when Davis is matched up with a player similar to his height and stronger than him, which is everyone; he has a tough time inflicting his will. Davis did not seem like he could create plays on his own, rather, the recipient of others doing work around him to get him the ball closer to the basket.

In the end, Davis will be a top 3 overall recruit, if not #1, and his athleticism is freakish for someone at 6-10. Kevin Durant- not with his shot right now. Kevin Garnett- not with his strength. But all the signs are there for Davis to become one of the top freshmen next year. There are some concerns I, and others have of Davis about his strength and his exact role either as a power forward, center, or even small forward. Overall, he put on a nice show for his hometown crowd, even though it was for about 3 minutes.

What I saw from Blackshear- Cue the disappointing music. Call me the Blackshear jinx. When I wrote about him first a couple of blogs ago, Blackshear had a mediocre game with me in attendance at the City-Suburban Showdown. When I wrote about him last Sunday, that seemed to be the jinx on Blackshear to injure himself. At a practice for the game on Sunday, Blackshear separated his shoulder and was declared unlikely to play in the game on Wednesday. For the dunk contest he was supposed to participate in on Monday, a day after he injured himself, Blackshear was wearing a sling to support his arm as I’m sure he was still in pain from his shoulder. So when I was watching the shoot-around before the game, it did not surprise me Blackshear was not out there. But when the game started and the tip was thrown, Blackshear was in the starting lineup playing the first couple of minutes of the game. Blackshear was wearing a shoulder protector which seemed to limit his mobility with his left arm. He was able to jack up a shot before he was quickly pulled, and eventually finished the game playing the least amount of minute than anyone else (8) with 2 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds. With his home crowd looking on, you could tell Blackshear was not going to be denied playing in this game. This definitely showed a lot of toughness and heart, but if you’re a Louisville fan, you held your breath hoping he wouldn’t injure himself further. I was disappointed I didn’t get to see the best of Blackshear in the game, so I can’t report much. I’ve been told his injury is not serious enough to impact his offseason to get ready for his freshman year. Being a Michigan State fan, I know first-hand how a top recruit like Blackshear needs an offseason to get him in game shape as Adrian Payne had a similar injury last year but had to miss his whole offseason which in turn impacted his play this last year and was quite underwhelming. Expect Blackshear to be an intrical part of the team next year, but for someone eager to see him play against elite talent, I was disappointed not to see him be a factor at all in this game.

Player that impressed me most- Khem Birch (6-9, 210 lbs, signed with Pittsburgh, right) had a great game. Birch was by far the most consistent player around the rim getting a two and-1’s to go along with his 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks- all of which were in the paint. Birch gathered his statistics throughout his 21 minutes of play, which is a good thing as you want consistency from a freshman as I’m sure Pittsburgh will enjoy next year. As the game wore on, Birch got better and was the West team’s most dominant player in the paint. Watching him play with his agility and quickness, he will be a great help to a team that loses a couple of big seniors in Pittsburgh. If the West won, Birch easily could have been the game MVP.

Speaking of which, the MVP was shared between to East players in Michael Gilchrist (signed with Kentucky) and James McAdoo (signed with North Carolina). I agree with this pick as no one performance was most outstanding. McAdoo had a huge second half capped with several break away dunks and finished tied with a team high of 17 points. Gilchrist impressed me with his 16 points and 12 rebounds. With his double-double (the only of the game) Gilchrist did not do anything that stood out, rather, just did a lot of things very well. If it was possible, Gilchrist had a quiet double-double as you don’t remember hearing his name that much but at the end of the game, was one of the most productive. This is a good sign for Kentucky as you like to see these types of players in that the game comes so easy to them that they can be very productive without standing out.

In all, the game was about as competitive as an all-star game could get. It was a tough act to follow as last year the game went down to the final seconds. After controlling most of the 1^st half and building a double digit lead at halftime, the East team let the West team crawl all the way back and at one point in the 4^th quarter, the game was tied. In the end, the length and ability to hold onto the ball proved to be the difference in the game as the East walked away with the win.

NEXT POST- RECAPING THE ALL-AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP IN HOUSTON FROM 4/3/11