June 4, 2009 9:46 am  |  17 Comments

Summertime in the LBC

The Pangos All-American Camp was loaded with some of the nation’s top high school players.

by Aggrey Sam

Last weekend, I was out in Cali for the Pangos All-American Camp, held at Cabrillo High School in Long Beach, Calif. I thought the annual event, run by Dinos Trigonis, would be decent, but to be honest, I was really looking forward to catching Game 7 of the Lakers-Nuggets series in LA, which obviously didn’t happen. However, after being at the camp for three days of action-packed, quality ball without much drop off in talent all the way down the roster, I don’t feel any type of way about ‘Melo and Mr. Big Shot not holding up their end of the bargain. Oh yeah, Cali chicks feel the kid–so I definitely wasn’t mad. Anyway, below are my evaluations of the 25 kids who stood out the most to be. Although there were a lot of kids who played well enough or had the national reps to deserve a mention, these kids are the ones who I came away feeling the best about. Plus, I’m sure you don’t want to read about 50 or more kids. That time will come soon, when you read my updated high school rankings. Let me just say this before you continue: I’ve never seen a group of kids go at it so consistently hard at a national event. I guess it helped that a lot of big-time scouts were in attendance–including some who have influence over who gets invited to events like the McDonald’s game. Great kids, great event, great time in the LBC for yours truly. Enjoy!

–Harrison Barnes, 6-7 wing, Ames (IA) Class of 2010: This was the first event where I really had a chance to focus on Barnes (who a lot of people tout as the top player in his class and from whom you’ll hearing a lot more about very soon in a familiar place), and I can’t say I left disappointed. From a “wow” perspective, he might not float your boat, but you won’t find a more polished, better all-around and fundamentally-sound player in the prep rank. Compared by some to Grant Hill (as a person, too; great kid), he’s got great size for the wing, rebounds like a big man, is extremely smooth and fluid, has a great stroke from deep and mid-range, handles the rock efficiently, is a smart and unselfish passer, finishes with power and athleticism and doesn’t take plays off on D.

–Will Barton, 6-6 wing, Lake Clifton (MD), Class of 2010: The B-More native (he’ll likely transfer to a prep school this fall) is one of the fastest-rising recruits in the nation, and for good reason. Barton, a slender wing with an incredible motor, handles and passes the rock well enough to play both guard spots, but with his tremendous quickness and athleticism, he’s too much for wings to handle. As he gains strength, his D and pogo-stick rebounding ability will be even more deadly, and while his shot didn’t always fall, he can keep defenders honest from the outside, as well.

–Tarik Black, 6-9 post, Ridgeview (TN), Class of 2010: “Manchild” was the word most frequently used to describe Black, whose game puts the “power” in power forward. What’s remarkable about his chiseled frame is that he looks like he can still fill out some more, although his opposition at the camp couldn’t tell by his powerful dunks and domination of both ends of the glass. While his skill game still needs some polish, he showed signs of a face-up game and some decent post moves, not to mention being a factor in transition by the way he ran the floor.

–CJ Fair, 6-8 combo forward, City College (MD), Class of 2010: Fair, a Syracuse commit, has been off the radar for a while, due to a torn ACL he suffered last year, forcing him to miss his entire junior season. I’d seen him play as a rising sophomore, however, and while he looked a little rusty at first (who wouldn’t, with the cumbersome knee brace he was rocking?), he’s retained his sweet stroke and added some muscle to his previously-frail frame. Another Baltimore kid (the Melo influence is strong, no?), he looked to be more athletic than I remembered, as he rebounded and finished plays with authority, posted up smaller wings and took post players off the dribble.

–Gary Franklin, 6-2 combo guard, Mater Dei (CA), Class of 2010: Franklin is a kid who’s been on the scene seemingly forever, but only now is he starting to get the respect he deserves outside of Cali. If you saw the USC commit (don’t be surprised if he reopens his recruitment with all of the good news coming out of that program these days) for the first time at Pangos, you’d think the majoritof the national scouts out there were idiots (that’s another conversation), as he was virtually unstoppable as a scorer for certain stretches–including an 11-trey, including eight consecutive, performance–but also showed he was a more than capable playmaker. My personal issue with him going into the camp was that I wasn’t sure he was a true point, but his high IQ and generally error-free style of play answered that question.

–DJ Haley, 6-11 post, Palmdale (CA), Class of 2010: One kid I’d never heard of before going into Pangos was Haley, a long, thin post, whose first action came before the actual games started, when former Hornets and USC assistant Dave Miller drafted him into being a demonstrator during the workout portion of the camp. I liked his gusto in the drills and my high hopes for his game were confirmed in the five-on-five sessions, as well, where he displayed nice aggressiveness, solid post moves and a presence in the paint. While the strength and conditioning coach needs to become his best friend in college, Haley has a high ceiling, due to his athleticism, strong finishing ability and heart in general.

–Ryan Harrow, 5-11 combo guard, Walton (GA), Class of 2010: Harrow was a kid I’d heard (and seen, but only on tape; his AAU coach called me randomly a few months ago and sent me some DVDs from the high school season; I let my co-worker in New Orleans, an-ex NBA employee, watch them first and he absolutely loved the kid’s game–’sup, T) a lot about prior to Pangos, and I must say, the hype about him from this spring’s AAU events is accurate. The NC State commit is probably a buck-50 soaking wet, but he has incredible athleticism, excellent range and tremendous creativity with the rock in his hands. He’s much more of a scoring point than a straight set-up guy, but his unselfishness, ability to play off the ball and human-highlight film potential doesn’t allow that to be a detriment to his game or team.

–Pe’Shon Howard, 6-2 combo guard, Oak Hill (VA), Class of 2010: Howard, one of the nicest kids you’ll meet on the circuit, is a player I’ve seen since his freshman year, and the development of his game has been quite interesting to observe. He’s always been in high-profile situations, so he isn’t one to get shell-shocked by playing against great comp or in front of the so-called gatekeepers of the grassroots scene, but it’s been great to see him make adjustments to his game on the fly and overall. While I can’t call him a true point just yet, he’s making much better decisions with the ball and did a great job of setting up his teammates, he’s committed defender, a much-improved athlete (if not a high-flyer), is turning into a near-knockdown shooter, has an outstanding motor and uses his toughness to snatch tough boards and finish in the lane on offense.

–Joe Jackson, 6-0 point guard, White Station (TN), Class of 2010: Jackson, the pride of Memphis, is another kid I’ve seen since he was in ninth grade, and while he was always a prolific scorer, nobody was ever sure if he would turn into a true point. Well, he still gets buckets the way most folks breath, but he’s no longer the wild, one-dimensional heist (had to go back to the District on y’all) he used to be, as he consciously tried to set up his teammates (both off the dribble and even coming off screens or in the post), played tough on-the-ball D, used his amazing bounce to be a factor on the offensive glass and hustled all over the court like a madman. He also showed he can still score–dunks in transition and off the dribble in the halfcourt, deep jumpers, pull-ups, explosive dribble moves in space and off ball screens and turnaround jumpers in the post when matched up against another small guard–but his shot selection was much improved.

–James Johnson, 6-9 post, Morse (CA), Class of 2010: Johnson, a Canadian who attends school in San Diego, may have been the revelation of the camp, as his rim-shattering dunks drew everyone’s–campers, media and observers alike– attention early on. A long, athletic big man, Johnson was extremely active on just about every possession and was a force rebounding the ball, blocking shots, running the floor and most of all, finishing above the rim. However, he showed he wasn’t a one-trick pony, as he displayed the semblance of a face-up game–reverse-pivot moves, quick spins, range out to at least the mid-range area, two-dribble drives–on the offensive end.

–Terrence Jones, 6-9 combo forward, Jefferson (OR), Class of 2010: Jones, one of my favorite kids to watch at this camp, is a versatile ballhandler with size who can do damage inside and out. Somewhat reminiscent of Jeff Green (probably a better shooter and dribbler at the same stage than Green a late bloomer; the former Georgetown star might have had a better post game), Jones is pretty much a point forward who handles better than most guards, attacks off the dribbles, sees the court well, gets to the rim from the perimeter and pushes the ball in transition. On top of that, he can knock down treys, rebound the ball on both ends and uses his solid frame and athleticism to finish through and over defenders.

–Alex Kirk, 6-11 post, Los Alamos (NM), Class of 2010: Kirk, who plays AAU with the perennial powerhouse Houston Hoops (what up, Marland!), certainly looks the part with his size, but may initially give off the impression that he’s a stiff, since he’s not exactly fleet afoot. That’s far from the case, however, as he’s a skilled big man, who has multiple moves in the post, finishes with strength and surprising bounce and can step out to hit jumpers, even from beyond the arc. In addition, he’s physical, possesses somewhat of a mean streak (I love that in young bigs), is a capable shot-blocker and a force on the glass.

–Doron Lamb, 6-4 combo guard, Oak Hill (VA), Class of 2010: Lamb, a native New Yorker, is a kid I’ve seen on multiple occasions and got to know a little bit at a past spring event, so when he asked for my feedback on his lackluster performance on the camp’s first day, being me, I kept it funky with him. I’m not going to say that’s what lit a fire under him, but from that point on, the smooth scorer played with a lot more hunger and demonstrated more of an all-around game–he stopped coasting and looked to do things other than score–something that’s needed if he plans to get the accolades he wants. He played with a great motor, used his IQ to anticipate plays on both ends, fed his teammates pretty dimes, backed down smaller guards on the block, played well off the ball by using screens to set up his jumpers or drives and while he’s not the greatest athlete, he got on the backboards, was very effective in transition and either got to the cup or created space for his patented pull-up J.

–Keaton Miles, 6-6 wing, Lincoln (TX), Class of 2011: Miles is a kid I saw for the first time earlier in this spring and while I saw some potential in the long, slender wing, I got a new perspective on him (first of all, the camp picked up both media and players from the airport, so we were in the same vehicle–an adventure of a trip–and after we got to the camp’s hotel, his room situation was uncertain and I ended up picking up his lunch while he was getting right. Later that night, he volunteered to demonstrate in two drills–one a ball denial, where he really excelled and impressed me. Tony must be doing something right down there in Dallas) out in Cali. Anyway, I came into the camp thinking he was more of a perimeter shooter than anything else and while he shot the ball pretty well in general, he showed some versatility to his game, as he filled the lanes to finish on the break, made tough drives to the rack and attacked the offensive boards. Aside from scoring, he defended very well, was a willing passer and played with great energy.

–Quincy Miller, 6-8 wing, Quality Education (NC), Class of 2011: Miller was a kid I’ve heard a lot about, but in every description of his game I’ve heard or read, he was talked about as a face-up power forward. Well, at Pangos, he was every bit of a straight wing–and a very good one, at that–as he rained in jumpers from deep, attacked the basket off the dribble and even brought the ball up quite a bit. Oozing with potential, the skinny, Chicago-born athlete also blocked shots, had some big-time bangs and showed some toughness on the boards, as well.

–Charles Mitchell, 6-8 post, Wheeler (GA), Class of 2012: Mitchell is a kid I first saw play over the holidays and while he didn’t get a lot of burn (in his defense, he played for a loaded high school team and backed up two ACC-bound seniors as a freshman), I liked his potential. He justified my inclinations with his play at Pangos, showing that he’s a physical young big who is a force to be reckoned with on the boards, has a nice little array of post moves and has some savvy and fundamentals on the blocks. Aside from wreaking havoc in the paint, he also ran the floor well and showed he could step out to hit mid-range jumpers and even put it on the floor a little bit.

–Shabazz Muhammad, 6-4 wing, Gorman (NV), Class of 2012: Muhammad, only a freshman, carried himself like a much older player, which is somewhat surprising since he plays with his age group (15-and-under) in AAU competition. An extremely assertive scorer, the Vegas kid shot the hell out of the ball from both deep off the catch and off the dribble for pull-ups, as well as getting to the rim and finishing by using his advanced frame and nice athleticism. While his handle can still improve, he also got to the bucket, did a nice job scoring in transition, showed a high IQ, has solid court vision and contributed on the backboards.

–Darius Nelson, 6-5 combo forward, Sheldon (CA), Class of 2011: Nelson, the younger brother of ex-Duke star DeMarcus, is nothing like his big bro, except for the fact that they both just have a knack for scoring (at least on the high school level–DeMarcus is the all-time leading scorer in Cali state history; if you don’t know, now you know). A big-bodied, undersized forward, Nelson doesn’t beat defenders with athleticism–rather he has a savvy post game, uses angles to attack off the dribble and a great touch out to the three-point stripe. He also uses his wide frame to draw fouls and gain rebounding position on both ends, but he has a surprisingly quick first step and nifty handle, too.

–Rodney Purvis, 6-3 combo guard, Upper Room (NC), Class of 2013: Purvis, a rising freshman, looked more like a seasoned vet (which I thought he was, until looking up his info on the camp roster) at this event. I generally have a rule about not hyping up kids who haven’t even played a high school game yet, but since this was a high school event, I’ll break it–especially considering he legitimately put in work as both a scorer and playmaker. The kid has great size for either guard position already, nice athleticism and quickness, a solid basketball IQ already and a better-than-decent stroke.

–Trevor Releford, 5-11 point guard, Bishop Miege (KS), Class of 2010: Releford (also in on the aforementioned airport odyssey with Keaton Miles and since he got a free lunch out of me, I was already rooting for him), the younger brother of Kansas soph-to-be Travis, may have had the best feel for the game of any player at the camp. A quick, true pass-first point guard, “KC” (as his coach called him; I’m not even sure if he knew his real name) put constant pressure on his man on both ends, attacked the basket on offense, got everyone on his team involved, had nice flair with his handle and served up some pretty dishes. He showed good toughness and creativity in finishing in the lane, kept defenders and honest from the outside, was very effective in the transition game and defensively, he also made plays using his quickness.

–Winston Shepard, 6-7 wing, Hightower (TX), Class of 2012: Shephard, a long freshman from H-Town, showed immense upside at Pangos. Whether he was bringing the ball up, knocking down triples, penetrating to the basket or posting up his man, he showed he could score in a variety of ways. Outside of getting buckets, he used his length and athleticism to be a factor on the glass and D, showed good court vision and constantly sprinted hard down the court on both offense and defense.

–Melvin Tabb, 6-8 post, Enloe (NC), Class of 2010: Tabb, a Wake Forest commit, was a kid I’d never seen, but had heard mixed reviews about. Out in Cali, he showed that the love was justified and at least if he played up to his potential, he was an elite player in his class, as he mixed a physical post game with smooth face-up moves. Athletic and strong, Tabb finished with power and finesse around the basket, shot the ball well from mid-range and deep, beat opposing big men off the dribble and used his above-the-rim capabilities to dominate the boards and be an intimidator on the defensive end.

–JT Terrell, 6-4 wing, Cummings (NC), Class of 2010: Terrell, who I first saw play as a rising soph two years ago, didn’t display the most judicious shot selection I’ve ever seen, but when you make as many shots as he did, what can you say? Another Wake Forest commit, he was one of the best athletes in the camp, as he threw down numerous dunks both in transition and off the dribble, skied high for boards and made acrobatic layups. He was also one of the best shooters, having stretches where just about everything fell for him, and he showed the ability to get to the rim at will by using his creative handle.

–Alex Tiffin, 6-8 combo forward, Thousand Oaks (CA), Class of 2010: Tiffin probably didn’t stand out to a lot of folks, but in an environment where most of the players present were looking out for No. 1, he did all the little things. A skilled face-up forward, he knocked down open jumpers off penetration from his teammates, beat big men off the dribble from the perimeter and showed some nice post moves when he got the ball and had favorable matchups. He also served as a clean-up guy, hitting the offensive boards hard for putbacks, running the floor in transition, hustling for loose balls and playing solid D.

–Dezmine Wells, 6-4 wing, Word of God (NC), Class of 2011: Wells, John Wall’s high school teammate last season, first opened my eyes during a pre-Christmas tourney, where he used his hustle and strength to be effective even though he received limited touches. Still, I thought he was more of an undersized power forward with a football player’s mentality (apparently he recently gave up the sport, but after seeing him at Pangos, I can’t argue with him), although his rebounding, athleticism and overall moxie would serve him well as a collegiate hardwood prospect. Well, all of those attributes were still present this time around, but he also showed he’s now a true wing player, as he put the ball on the floor, made some terrific passes and knocked pull-up jumpers, but most of all played with physicality and intensity every second on the court–and not without purpose, as he had multiple high-flying bangs, absolutely dominated the glass, blocked shots like a post player and was just too quick for big men to handle and too strong for perimeter players–and generally proved that if there was anything for me to quibble about at Pangos, it was that he didn’t make the main all-star game.

I’m sure reading descriptions of these players’ games and my take on how they played was extremely enlightening, but just in case you’re more of a visual learner, check out my man Webb Wellman’s highlight video from the camp: