What’s up basketball world, I am here again to tell you about my week.
Monday I did not have school, therefore my brother and I had a day to hang out at home, play PlayStation 3 and watch a little television. I also started a new book titled “Ashes.” When my dad came home from work, we went outside and ran the hills in Roosevelt Park for 25 minutes. We also dribbled 2 balls up and down the hills of the park for 30 minutes, which was very hard. I never realized how difficult it is to dribble 2 balls on grass and dirt up-hill until my dad had us try it. We finished our workout by doing vertical leap drills and more ball handling. I really love working out with my dad and brother!
Tuesday, we had the basketball clinic at the JCC and it was cool. The kids are really beginning to understand how working hard can be fun. When my dad was managing the last hour of the clinic with my step mom and brother. I worked out doing shooting drills and ball handling with a 7lbs ball and regular ball with my teammate and friend Jason Graham. We also did power jump drills 15 minutes to end the work out. On our ride home, we had lots of fun, my dad can be a lot of fun when he is in a good mode. You see, he was happy because he beat me in a run the length of a basketball court. He a barely beat me but he bragged all the way home. He was even singing songs on the radio, changing words describing how he smoked me. My dad is really fast, and it made him feel good, so I don’t mind. I will beat him next time for sure.
Wednesday, I stayed home and hit the books because I had several quizzes and test to end the week. Fortunately I have been doing really well in school so far, all A’s, although I received a 79 on a notebook test in Science because I was out for a class and forgot to make up the work. My dad was not happy when he found out and I was not either.
Thursday, I had a test and I got an A. After 2 hours of homework after school, I went to the gym with my dad at 8 and work on my pull up jump shot. We did a lot of drills with the heavy ball and worked on quick hit dribble moves and combination moves for 2 hours. I had a great work out. My dad said it was the best effort he has seen from me over the past few months and I felt good.
Friday, school was good. We had Mass and classes went smooth. After school I took a nap for an hour before my step-mom woke me up for Team Final practice. Practice went well and the team is coming together. After practice my dad, brother and I drove to King of Prussia, PA for a tournament I had on Saturday and Sunday at Competitive Edge. I played very well overall, playing 17U but unfortunately we lost all 3 games. I should say that we had 3 starters missing because of official visits to college. I scored the ball well and even dominated for periods of times, we just were way too small to rebound with the size of some of the teams.
It’s already Sunday night 10 PM and I need to read for school, shower and get to bed. Until next week basketball world.
Showcase Report: Once Alex got used to the speed of this event he settled down. He has a flashy handle and isn’t afraid to force the action. He saw the floor very well while driving down the teeth of the defense. This kid has a very high basketball IQ.
Even though these kids were pitted against players in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 classes they more than held their own. The 2016 class definitely has some special talent and I look forward to seeing these kids develop.
Harry Giles 6'6 from Winston Salem, NC is still very raw in his skill set but his competitive fire is second to none in his class. He, like Turner, competed against a much older more experienced 6'7 sophomore LaRon Black on a number of occasions, looking like a sophomore at times with his aggressive plays around the hoop and with his hustle defensively against Black. When Giles improves his footwork around the basket on his post moves he will be fun to watch. Playing against older and bigger players will have to be a priority for him over the next year.
Derryck Thornton 6'0 from Hidden Hills, CA. Derryck heads the long list of elite PG's in California in this class. He plays with the flair of a upperclassman and isn't intimidated by size or age. Not to put pressure on him but he typifies the word 'Phenom'.
Caleb Swanigan 6'5 from Fort Wayne, IN is the younger brother of one time high major recruit 6'10 Carl Swanigan who was a Zack Randolph clone with nice touch from outside. Caleb will be no different, scouts who saw Caleb could not believe the similarities in their faces and mannerisms, and skill level. Swanigan is still feeling out his new body which has lost 60 lbs since last May. If that work ethic is consistent over the next 2-3 years his class is going to be in trouble trying to match up with Baby Z-BO!
Kylia Sykes 6'3 from Goldsboro, NC was a live wire going to the glass for put backs and running the floor for lay ups in transition. One of those young athletes you can see stretching out to 6-7 later in high school.
Diondre Overton 6'2 from Wilson, NC was a scoring machine for his team and made plays for others as well. Not someone I saw a lot of but when I did he was scoring that ball.
D.P. Burton 6'8 from Milwaukee, WI long, lean and athletic big who plays tough and doesn't try and float on the perimeter. He goes to work inside and is very aggressive pursuing rebounds and lose balls.
Adrian Moore 6'2 from Conway, AR was very impressive as he competed and was the most productive and consistent player on his team which included freshmen and sophomores. Moore is an aggressive defender and wiry athlete, who can explode on the break for dunks. Shut it down late due to cramps.
7th Grade
Cody Riley 6'8 from Hidden Hills, CA. Cody may have been the only 7th grader in the camp, but he definitely showed he belong. His skill level is well beyond his age and he doesn't back down to bigger and stronger kids. All I can say is the young fella competes. His upside is tremendous.
This report was written by Darnell 'Tate' Johnson of hoopsreport.com and Hoopscouting. He has over 10 years of scouting high school and middle school basketball.
Even though these kids were pitted against players in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 classes they more than held their own. The 2016 class definitely has some special talent and I look forward to seeing these kids develop.
Thon Maker 7'0from Australia played with maturity beyond his years and was not as easily pushed around inside as his frame would suggest. His shot blocking ability sets himself aside from his class with timing and length that guys in his class simply do not have. I liken him to a tougher harder playing Isaiah Austin at this stage. He brings energy to the game and hates to loses. One to keep an eye for the future.
Khalea Turner 6'8 from New Orleans, LA was the talk of the camp while battling with 6'10 sophomore Dakari Johnson who regularly had his way with the young fella but there was no backing down from Turner. His hands and touch around the basket were on display, and his post passing was up there with the best in the camp. In terms of guys getting the most out of the camp Turner surely had to come away knowing where he wants to go that his conditioning and competing hard on every play must be improved.
Trevor Stanback 6'10 from Hidden Hills, CA is a very intriguing prospect who you know right away his best basketball is way down the line. He is still growing into his body but has soft hands and a good work ethic as he was noticeably very attentive in stations. He will be a face up big man with a soft touch down the road and he defensively already knows how to change the game on the defensive end.
V.J. King 6'4 from Charlotte, NC was hard to find because we thought he was a junior at first couple looks. He is a well built athlete who has a strong handle and looks like he belongs out there with older players. Had a couple of nice dunks on the break, goes to the offensive glass and played well defensively which not all guards do when playing older players.
Devearl Ramsey 6'0 from Hidden Hills, CA . Devearl had me having flashbacks of the great Pearl Washington in his prime. He was strong with the ball and loved to attack the basket. If you played him to close he will embarrass you.
Ryan Murphy 6'0 from Los Angeles, CA. Ryan really surprised me. He came in camp and did more than just competed, he stood out. He has a great IQ for the game and is as tough as nails. He comes from the Dreamvision program in California and reminds me a lot of their 17u starting PG Joe Rahon. Ryan has the maturity to be a 4 year starter in high school.
Michael Corchiani 5'7 from New Orleans, LA is a heady point guard who knows when to make the right pass, and can knock down the open jumper.
This report was written by Darnell 'Tate' Johnson of hoopsreport.com and Hoopscouting. He has over 10 years of scouting high school and middle school basketball.
The Basketball Spotlight Tip Off Classic will take place December 3rd and 4th. This event will be the official start of our Road To The Grand Finale. Some top teams already have shown interest.
14U 1. DC Assault 2. Team Rebels 3. Gauchos 4. Team Scan 5. F.A.C.E.S. 6. New Renaissance Basketball Club 7. CT Elite 8. Mass Shooting Stars 9. Philly Triple Threat 10. VBC 11. Severn Elite 12. Milbank 13. Playaz 14. On Point Cyclones 15. Jersey City Boys Club 16. Mid Jersey Heat 17. Boston Titans 18. ETU Warriors 19. St. Michaels 20. Showtime All Stars 21. New Heights NYC 22. Team Elite/Owens 23. Connecticut Select 24. KSK
13U 1. Team IZOD 2. CBC 3. Team Final 4. Team Rebels 5. KSK 6. Albany Dream Team 7. Jersey City Boys Club 8. Swish City Magic (NC) 9. Juice All Stars 10. New Renaissance Basketball Club 11. Milbank 12. On Point Cyclones 13. St. Michaels 14. East Coast Elite (CT) 15. MABC 16. New Heights NYC 12U 1. Riverside Hawks 2. Natural Ballers 3. Force One Basketball 4. East Coast Elite 5. New Renaissance Basketball Club 6. Team Rebels 7. Team Final 8. KSK 9. NJ ABC 10. NC Runing Rebels 11. Playtime Panthers 12. Swish City Magic (NC) 13. Team IZOD 14. DC Assault (Perry) 15. NJ Shore Shots 16. PWC
11U 1. Team Nelson 2. CJ Hawks 3. Team Rebels 4. Playtime 5. Run and Gun Elite 6. Severn Elite 7. T-One Ballerz 8. NJABC 9. New Heights 10. On Point Cyclones 11. St. Michaels 12. New Renaissance Basketball
The Class of 2017 had some great battles at the Super Showcase. These young ballers really got after it. Check out this video and you can see how intense this event was. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this action next summer.
What’s up basketball world? I had a very full week overall filled with basketball and a lot of other things. First off, I am finishing a good book called Witch & Wizard. I love to read, and I especially like to read scary books.
On Monday my step-mom and I went to yoga, but the class was too full, so we went to the gym for some intensive training instead. We worked hard on my flexibility for about 30 minutes and then cardio with a medicine ball. We did a ton of walking lunges with weights and continuous box jumps and shuttle runs. We finished with pulls ups and dips to exhaustion. The next day my legs were really sore which means I put in some hard work.
On Tuesday our Battlebasketball clinic at the Scotch Plains JCC went really well. The kids are getting better and better. After the clinic I worked out with Temple Gibbs from SCAN. We got in an hour workout. We did some of the drills that I learned at the Micah Lancaster camp last week. First we worked on getting our shot up quicker, then we did finishes and moves to the basket.
Wednesday I went to workout with Coach Rich at Hoops America. I didn’t play very well so my dad got on me. He told me that I wasn’t in help defense and I was not playing aggressive enough. Coach Rich said that I need to improve on a few things and that it’s only up to improve my weaknesses.
Friday we had team practice again. It was a very competitive and we did A LOT of running. Unfortunately, I had a bad practice, so my coach/dad was not happy. He really hates when kids don’t work as hard as they can on every play. H really gets on you and he has been on me all weekend. My dad will not stop until he gets 100% effort. I will do better next week, for sure.
On Saturday we went to NYC and participated in a fundraising basketball clinic in Harlem with Hollis Copeland and Herb Williams of the NY Knicks. Hoops for Haiti is the idea of Helen Mashburn, mother of Jamal Mashburn. Jamal played for the Mavericks, the Heat and the Hornets. The idea of the event was to raise money for the people of Haiti who were devastated by the earthquake a year ago when a lot of innocent people where killed and displaced from their homes. We had a lot of fun, while raising a lot of money for a great cause.
Last season one of the biggest surprises was the emergence of John Paul Sanders of Team Final. Sanders had an impressive regular season, AAU Nationals showing and Super Showcase. His coach Orlando Hildago loves his passion for the game and versatility; “J.P. is one of the hardest working players I’ve ever coached. He is a tough defender and can play any position I need him to play. Generally he likes guarding the best player from the other team” said Hildago.
Currently a 7th Grader Sanders has a long way to go before becoming a finished product but his coach thinks he’s on the right path. “Right now he needs to improve his ball handling, mid range game and 3 point shot. He’s currently a matchup problem for anyone. He’s too big for guards and too swift for forwards. He has tall genes in his family therefore when he grows he could be a nightmare for many teams now and the next level” Coach Orlando finished. Basketball Spotlight will be watching Sanders and his Team Final teammates closely this season.
Showcase Report: Jackson came in with a heavy scoring rep and didn’t disappoint. He thrives in attack mode with a wet jumper and surprising athleticism. This was a big time atmosphere and DJ stood his ground. This is a very tough kid with a bright future.
Class: 2016 Breakdown: Lamar’s length and his ability to create plays makes him a scary prospect down the road. He rebounds outside his area and will reject shots from penetrating guards. This kid is just scratching the surface in terms of his potential. Don’t be surprised if this prospect shoots off the charts in the next few years. He’s one of the top prospects in Philly for the Class of 2016.
Breakdown: The University of Florida has a guard named Erving Walker that I covered coming up and now Orlando has a young guard that reminds me of him. Nick Honor from Orlando, Florida has serious range and a legit floater with either hand. Honor fills up the stat sheet quickly and can drain shots from the cheap seats like Walker.
Ismail Charles has become one of the most dominant inside players in the region. CBC’s coach Reggie Hatchett has seen his game progress first hand,”Ismail’s ability to get better is what impresses me the most. He has improved faster than any other player I’ve been around” Hatchett said. Even though he has achieved some early success Coach Hatchett makes sure he keeps this youngster grounded and focused on improving. “He needs to improve his shooting and though he has worked on his ball handling he needs to make it tighter before entering high school”.
The state of Connecticut has been known to produce some big time players and Hatchett believes Charles has a chance to be among the best. “I think he will be at least 6’8 and a great athlete. He already dunks the ball consistently and should be a high major prospect if he continues to work hard. His ceiling is very high and the sky is the limit with him” Hatchett finished. Basketball Spotlight looks forward to watching Charles in action with CBC this season. We will keep you posted on his progress.
Breakdown: Watson was a late entry into the Super Showcase but the Philly made the most of his afternoon. He used his strong frame and ability to shoot off the bounce to make an impact on this event. He was difficult to keep out the lane and has legit range for a perimeter prospect. It looks like Philly has another tough guard on the horizon.
Event Performance: Smith tallied 25 point, 12 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the LD Rebels to a victory over the X-men to win the Lefrak Tournament Championship. The MVP got praise from his coach and NYC legend Lloyd Daniels. “NyRhique had tremendous stats but what impressed me the most was that he only had two turnovers. I preached to him that it was important to take care of the ball and he listened well” said Daniels.
Breakdown: Lykes was tough to guard at the Super Showcase while breaking down defenders all afternoon. His change of direction was spectacular and he was able to finish among the trees inside. Check out his footage from this event.
The rankings have been released and we respect others opinion. Therefore if you have some thoughts and would like to chime in with your opinion feel free on the message board. We promise to let you be heard.
The Basketball Spotlight Class of 2015 Rankings are below. This is our first national ranking and we have been tracking most of these kids since 12U Nationals. We have seen many of these players play in person in Spotlight events and around the country. Please remember this is just our opinion and should be taken as such. All of the players have appeared on our website one time or another through my recaps or those of other writers. Enjoy and let the debates begin. (Click on players in red for highlights)
Basketball Spotlight Super 75 National Ranking (Class of 2015)
Breakdown: Brooks took home the Basketball Spotlight POY by stacking his trophy case with MVP hardware. The lefty scored the ball early and often in many of his high stacks games. Check out some of Jalen’s highlights from this past season and you can see why he got the nod.
