Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Recap

The Midwest’s top young ballers spend the weekend in Chicago.

by Dave Spahn / @davespahn

Every year, Dinos Trigonis hosts his annual Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph camp in Chicago. And every year, Dinos assembles a camp loaded with high-major talent and future college stars.

Players such as Anthony Davis, Derrick Williams, James Harden and Shabazz Muhammad all played in one of the Pangos camps. The past weekend was no exception, with multiple big-time prospects highlighting the camp.

Here is a breakdown of the top performers, including a few under-the-radar kids who are beginning to break out on the national scene…

Marlon Stewart (Sophomore, Davenport West HS, Davenport, IA)

A smart and floor-savvy point guard, Stewart has great vision and loves setting up his teammates for easy baskets. He reads the floor well, always trying to get in the lane and either draw a double team or take it all the way to the rim. He is underrated athletically and brings good size for the PG position. His 49-point game highlighted the weekend and kept a buzz going for two days. He needs to devote himself on the defensive end more, but Stewart has all the makings of a legitimate college stud.

Josh Thomas (Freshman, Simeon HS, Chicago, IL)

Thomas came away from the camp as arguably the highest performing freshman in attendance. He displayed a complete offensive game all weekend and went toe-to-toe with every player at the camp. He consistently hit shots from beyond the arc, beat his man off the dribble on his way to the rim, found the open man in transition, and hit some jumpers on the move from mid-range. Josh may not be a household name yet, but he certainly adds to the Simeon pipeline.

Charles Matthews (Sophomore, St. Rita HS, Chicago, IL)

Matthews, the highest rated prospect in the event, was injured on the first day and didn’t have the opportunity to show his skills all weekend. But he still showed why scouts regard him as a consensus top-20 player nationally in the 2015 class. Matthews can do just about everything on the offensive side of the ball and turned up his defensive intensity as of late. He constantly beat his man off the dribble, but his most impressive ability stood out when he didn’t have the ball. He turned out to be one of very few kids at the camp who moved well without the ball, setting screens and making great cuts to the hoop. Elite level players do well with and without the ball in their hands, and Matthews did nothing to prove otherwise.

Maguy Agau (Sophomore, Omaha Central, Omaha, NE)

The younger brother of Louisville commit Akoy Agau, Maguy plays different from his brother but still shows signs of an intriguing prospect. He showed great touch on his three-point shot and nailed four triples in the game I saw him. He is a long, solid athlete who runs the floor well and can get from end line to end line in a hurry. He needs to assert himself more on every play, as his man beat him down the floor multiple times while jogging, and still has a very raw basketball IQ, but the potential is definitely there for Agau.

Edward Morrow (Freshman, Simeon HS, Chicago, IL)

Arguably the best true big man in the 2015 class in Illinois, Morrow played about as well in the paint as any kid at the camp. The big men saw few touches due to guard happy shooting, but Morrow commanded the ball and almost always pinned his defender on his back. He has good footwork and above average touch in the paint, two much-needed attributes for a big man. Team him up with the rest of the Simeon lineup and you have a kid whose best basketball days are ahead of him.

Trevor Manuel (Sophomore, Sexton HS, Lansing, MI)

The other consensus top-30 prospect at the event, Manuel followed in Charles Matthews’ shoes and also injured himself during the camp. He played very sparingly on the last day, but a person who can’t see the potential in Manual must be blind. He’s a legitimate 6-9 with fantastic athletic ability and a strong frame, and he threw down a few highlight reel dunks during the weekend to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats. Manuel is far from a finished product, but he will be a name to remember in the coming years.

Myles Carter (Sophomore, St. Rita HS, Chicago, IL)

Another athletic freak, Carter dunked everything he could get his hands on throughout the weekend. He owns a strong football frame and bullies smaller defenders in the paint. Carter needs to develop his right hand more, as about 99 percent of his post moves went to his left hand, but he can run the floor and rebound with the best of ‘em. Throw in his rebounding ability and you have one intriguing prospect in the 2015 class.

Luwane Pipkins (Sophomore, Bogan HS, Chicago, IL)

Say what you want about Pipkins’ size; he can flat out put some points on the scoreboard. Pipkins nailed five threes in the second half of the Top 60 All-Star game and abused his defender all game long. He still needs a good amount of work to become a true point guard, with his shot selection being an area of concern. But Pipkins enriched his status as arguably the best on-ball defender in the 2015 class in Illinois and should develop into a legitimate college player down the line.

Devonte Brooks (Freshman, Melvindal Academy, Detroit, MI)

A physically imposing wing, Brooks should hang up his sneakers and go get a set of shoulder pads. Athletically, Brooks was far beyond most of the competition and out-muscled his defenders on his way to the rim almost any time he pleased. He defended the opposing team’s best player every game and caused problems on nearly every possession. He needs a lot of work on his perimeter skills, but his God-given frame is hard to match at his age.

Zach Norvell (Freshman, Simeon HS, Chicago, IL)

If you haven’t noticed, Simeon has no problems in the talent department. Another highly touted freshman, Norvell came ready to play from the minute he walked in the gym. Smaller defenders failed to keep Norvell out of the lane for most of the camp, and Norvell took advantage of the opportunities. He showed off his solid mid-range stroke when the defense gave him space and took the ball to the hoop when the defense pressed him. Norvell was another standout defensively, using his long arms to deflect passes and keep his man from getting to the hoop. Look for Norvell to be a major piece to the Simeon program for the next few years.

Joseph Toye (Sophomore, Whitney Young HS, Chicago, IL)

Finally, my MVP of the 2012 Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp. Toye is not as well-known nationally as fellow sophomores Charles Matthews or Trevor Manuel, but Toye will become a hot commodity among college coaches soon enough. His 6-6 frame, coupled with an elite level vertical jump, made him a match-up problem almost every time down the floor. He threw down the dunk of the weekend and constantly found his way through double teams on his way to the rim. He showed off his nice shooting touch and much-improved ball handling throughout the weekend as well, using multiple hesitation moves to get around defenders. One of his most underrated attributes turned out to be his floor vision, which became extremely evident in transition when he led the break and found the open man almost every time. Toye doubles as a track star in the triple jump, high jump, and long jump as well. But he hasn’t even come close to scratching the surface of his basketball potential. He still has some raw parts of his game to iron out, but expect to see Toye’s name often from here on out.