Kevin Durant Skills Academy

The Kevin Durant Skills Academy tipped off Friday night on the pristine campus of Sidwell Friends High School in Northwest DC. Coming a few days after Nike’s point guard and big man skills academy, this event featured 19 of the top college wing forwards and 30 of the top high school wing forwards. The college players were up first and as a result they received an up close and personal view of Kevin Durant as he joined in on many of the drills and scrimmages.

College Notes

Standouts:

In a who’s who of college basketball, a few players that stuck out during drills and scrimmages were Geron Johnson of Memphis and Cleanthony Early of Wichita State. 

Geron Johnson

Johnson was measured at 6’3.5” and 203 pounds with a 6’8.5” inch wingspan. After averaging 10.4 points per game during his first year at Memphis, Johnson is looking forward to the spotlight now that he is familiar with the college game. Early on, Johnson used the one on one full court drills to show off his quickness and power constantly blowing by defenders for easy baskets. As a 35% three point shooter last year, Johnson was also one of the top outside shooters in the camp and during the scrimmages he showed off his range hitting several deep three’s. 

After making a name for himself during Wichita State’s Final Four run this past year, Early is looking to enhance his reputation this year. Standing at 6’7”, Early had the chance to go against both the shorter and taller wings in the camp. He knocked in several jump shots, attacked the basket, and was one of the most active players throughout the two hour session. For a few possessions Early got to go against Kevin Durant and during these opportunities he did not back down from the NBA superstar.

Late Arrivals:

Both DeAndre Daniels from UConn and Glenn Robinson III from Michigan arrived late to the Skills Academy. Despite missing their time to warm-up and various drills, both players jumped right into the activity. Daniels drove hard to the basket during the scrimmages and was the best finisher at the rim, while Robinson hit several outside shots and used his strength for rebounds on the defensive end. 

Potential:

These two players combined to average 6.5 points per game during their freshman seasons, but both Tyler Harris from Providence and Winston Shepard from San Diego State could be primed for breakout sophomore seasons. Shepard is the more refined of the two players as he played 20 minutes a game for one of the top teams on the west coast. Shepard struggled from the field during his freshman campaign shooting 39.3% but with his size (6’8”) and athletic ability, he remains a tantalizing prospect. During the shooting drills at the camp, Shepard still struggled but when it came time to scrimmage he got to the rim and showed off his athleticism with several highlight reel dunks. He also displayed his fast twitch muscle fibers when it came time for rebounds as he was usually the quickest player off of the court for tip-ins.

While Shepard played 20 minutes a game last year, Harris red-shirted the season after transferring from N.C. State. In Raleigh, the 6’8” forward only played in 19 games and averaged 1.8 points per game. While he still looked raw during the Skills Academy, one could tell that the year off helped his game. Harris has a 6’10” wing span and performed adequately during the dribbling and shooting drills. While he only weighs 204 pounds, it was obvious that Harris has potential to become a player for the Friars in the future.

NBA Scouts:

One NBA scout was overheard making fun of Marshall Henderson’s alligator arms. Henderson measured at 6’2” with a wing span of 5’11.5.” As he was the smallest player on the court at all times, Henderson struggled to find room for shots, but he did display the nicest stroke in all of the drills early on.

Another NBA scout noted that he really liked Damyean Dotson during his freshman year at Oregon and was a player that he planned on watching with a keen eye. Dotson is a 6’6” wing that was second on the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game.

The Freshman:

Jabari Parker is used to the attention and rightfully so after winning four consecutive Illinois state titles and earning a Sports Illustrated cover. These high accolades also earned him the attention of Kevin Durant during many of the one-on-one drills and scrimmages. As the only incoming freshman on the roster, Parker knew that he would have to adapt quickly to the size and strength of the college players, but he didn’t anticipate trying to adapt to Kevin Durant right off the bat. Durant picked Parker up in the one-on-one full court drills, and while Durant was not going 100% he was still playing pretty hard. On the first two possessions, Parker scored on Durant with a left-handed lay-up and kept Durant from scoring on the other end. The two went back and forth during the drills and scrimmages. Parker struggled from the outside, but he also forced Durant into some of his own struggles. Several times Durant looked like he was going to take Parker off the dribble and was forced to settle for a contested outside jump shot. Parker looks like he worked on improving his quickness during the spring time and will need that added burst when he starts play in Durham. Standing at 6’8.5” and 240 pounds, Parker still has a ways to go conditioning wise but already proved that he is ready for the challenges coming his way.

High School Notes

The high school kids did not get as much on-court time as the college kids and they also didn’t get to play with Kevin Durant, but pretty much all of the top ranked shooting guards and small forwards were in attendance. The top shooting guard in the country, Rashad Vaughn was a late arrival and forced to jump straight into the 3-on-3 drills. Despite a lack of warm-up, Vaughn used his left hand dribble to get to the basket at will. He didn’t get a chance to show off his stroke, but still displayed the athleticism that will have NBA scouts watching his every move.

One of the top players this spring was forward Devin Robinson from Richmond. Before the spring, two schools were recruiting him the hardest in VCU and Virginia Tech. After a strong performance Indiana dropped its hat in the ring offering Robinson a scholarship. Still growing into his body, Robinson has a ways to go to reach his potential as he currently stands 6’8” and 169 pounds.

Terry Larrier

6’7” Terry Larrier from Team Scan was another spring riser and also one of the most impressive players in the short scrimmages held at the end of camp. Larrier drove strongly to the basket several times from the left wing and threw down a handful of thunderous dunks down the middle of the lane that caught everyone’s attention. 

Riley Norris’ shooting touch was on display during the NBPA camp and the 6’7 wing from Alabama started to receive increased attention from college coaches. After the NBPA camp, Norris heard from the coaching staff’s of both UNC and Indiana who plan on watching him during July. So far Norris has visited the campuses of Florida, Vanderbilt, and Alabama.

Ahmed Hill, a 6’4” shooting guard out of Georgia struggled during the NBPA Top 100 camp but is looking forward to bouncing back during July where his Southern Stampede team will play in both Augusta and Orlando. Currently schools such as Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and Indiana are going after Hill the hardest. 

The Kevin Durant Skills camp continues on Saturday and Sunday which should give the NBA scouts a plethora of opportunities to watch the top high school wings in the country go at each other including Rashad Vaughn, Daniel Hamilton, Devin Booker, Justin Jackson, and Stanley Jackson go at one another.

A Man On A Mission: TJ Haws

Sharp shooter TJ Haws won his third state championship at Lone Peak High School in Utah this past year and is on a mission to win a fourth one as a senior. This past season, Haws played an integral part on the most dominant hoops team in Utah history. Lone Peak went 30-1 and finished the year ranked fourth in the country by Hoopniks.com. They went 16-0 in the state of Utah and won their games by an average of 29 points per game, including a 72-39 state championship win. The Knights also traveled the country winning over fans in Chicago, Florida, and Massachusetts with their up tempo style of play and three point shooting acumen. In a starting line-up that included BYU bound point guard Nick Emery and big man Eric Mika, Haws was the lone underclassman to start for the team. With the graduation of four starters Haws will have a difficult time winning a fourth straight championship, but he is already embracing the challenge. 

While his former teammates graduate, Haws is currently spending his off-season on the AAU and camp circuit working on his game. Last year he was primarily seen running the wing while draining three’s from all areas of the court or finishing at the basket after an athletic move. During the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA, he was seen running the point. Standing at 6’3”, Haws usually towered over his opponent as he went up against the 5’8” Tyler Ulis and 5’10” Chris Chiozza in camp games. The shorter and quicker guards tried to bother Haws with full-court pressure but he used his dribbling skills and quickness to break the press and set up the team’s offense. With the departure of Emery, the majority of the ball-handling duties at Lone Peak will eventually fall to Haws.

 “I thought I did pretty well at the point. It was a good experience going against those athletic point guards and will only help me for my future,” Haws said. “My dad played point at BYU and that’s the position I’ll be trying to play when I get there after my mission.”

Known as one of the top shooters in high school hoops, Haws was normally deadly from well behind the college three point line as he hit four three’s in Chicago against Proviso East and averaged just over three made three’s a game in the City of Palms tournament. During the camp, Haws did not get as many shot attempts as normal while manning the point, but he still found times to show off his stroke and quick release. 

“I kind of like playing the point better because I can push the ball and find open looks in transition” Haws noted.

During five games, Haws only averaged 5.2 points per game but kept his teammates such as Myles Turner and Ben Bentil happy with his passing. The opposing guards thought they could take advantage of Haws with their quickness but he was able to stay in front of his man defensively while also getting by their pressure on the offensive end. He produced a modest stat line during the camp, but ran the point against some of the top players in the country and did so with a limited amount of turnovers all while looking like a natural point guard.

In the upcoming July time frame, Haws will suit up for the Las Vegas Prospects and compete in tournaments in Long Beach, Milwaukee, and Las Vegas before returning back to Utah. 

When asked about a four-peat, Haws said “We have a pretty good chance. We won’t be able to compete on a national scale like we did last year, but we should be alright in Utah. We have some players ready to step up along with a transfer from Lehi (upcoming sophomore guard Frank Jackson who scored 30 on Lone Peak this past year).”

In the upcoming season, Haws knows that he will need to shoulder the scoring burden along with a fair amount of ball-handling duties. We already know that the scoring burden won’t be a problem for the prolific scorer, and after his play at the NBPA Top 100 camp playing point guard won’t be much of a problem either. Already a top 50 player in the country, Haws is putting in the work during the off-season to improve his game in and close out his run at Lone Peak with a fourth state title.   

Spring Riser: Brekkott Chapman

photo - Desert News

Each spring there are a few players that rapidly ascend up the high school recruiting rankings during the spring and early summer. For some of these players the jump is attributed to a spike in their performance, while for others it is attributed to increased exposure on the national circuit. For Brekkott Chapman, a 6’8” combo forward out of Roy, Utah, both of these factors played a part in his rapid ascension through the 2014 rankings.

Chapman currently sits un-ranked in Scout.com’s top 100 and at number 87 by Rivals, both of which were made prior to the spring AAU circuit.  When the new rankings are released expect to see a jump into the top 40.

As a junior, Chapman averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds a game as he lead his team to a 17-7 record and the Utah 4A state quarterfinals where they lost to Bountiful 50-44. He finished the year as a top five scorer in 4A, but was held to just two points in their season ending loss as Bountiful harassed him with physical defenders and forced him out of his comfort zone. 

In AAU and camp play, Chapman worked hard to get back into his comfort zone playing for the Utah Prospects on the Under Armour AAU circuit while also attending the Pangos All-American and NBPA Top 100 camps. 

In Charlottesville, VA for the Top 100 camp, Chapman played both forward positions on the offensive and defensive ends and looked comfortable in both spots. 

“I prefer the three, but either the three or four is fine,” Chapman said when asked about his preferred position. 

Standing at 6’8”, Chapman has ideal height for a combo forward, but it’s his jumping and shooting ability that make him a nightmare match-up on the offensive end. On the first night at the NBPA Top 100 camp, a recruiting analyst noted “I had no idea he could do that” after watching Chapman throw down another high-flying dunk. Chapman routinely caught taller defenders off guard as he blew by them on the wing for a dunk or acrobatic finish while also displaying his smooth lefty stroke when given space on the perimeter. 

During the three day Top 100 camp, Chapman showed off his dunking prowess and soft outside touch in every game he played averaging nine points per game. He played on one of the most talented teams in the camp and scored between seven and thirteen points in all seven games with a variety of shots from all over the court. He drained three’s from the wing, but also looked comfortable operating in the paint where he used fundamental post moves and soft fade away jump shots to keep his defenders off balance. 

Due to his light frame, Chapman is not as strong on the defensively as he is offensively, however he was quick to bring up his defensive efforts in Charlottesville. 

“Defensively I’ve been doing really well. I stopped my guy, played really good help defense and just tried to do what I can do,” Chapman noted

With his recent play, Chapman has drawn interest from a majority of west coast schools with Arizona and UCLA being the latest big names to show interest. While the heavy hitters in the Pac-12 are starting to pay attention it was the three local schools (BYU, Utah, and Utah State) that were on him the earliest to go along with Gonzaga and Arizona State. For now, Chapman plans to play out the summer which includes stops in LA, Milwaukee, and Vegas before deciding on what schools he wants to visit.

While Chapman is not sure about what schools to visit, he is positive that his high school team will make another state tournament run.

“I feel that we will have a better squad this year with the other juniors coming back that all work really hard and I think we can make it to the finals,” Chapman said. 

When his play over the past few months, Chapman has shown recruiting analysts and college coaches his multi-dimensional skill set. After mixing it up as a combo forward with some of the best players in the country, one can be sure that Chapman will not shy away from physical play come his senior year.

NBPA Top 100: Players with Potential

Over the past week, there were numerous reports coming from the NBPA Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, VA on the top performers and their college suitors. The three players discussed below did not make it onto any of these lists and were relatively quite from a scoring standpoint; however they all showed signs of future potential. 

Brandon Ingram, 6’6”, 2015

Brandon Ingram is an upcoming junior wing out of Kingston, NC that is rated the number 12 prospect in the class of 2015 by ESPN. A late addition to the NBPA Camp, Ingram was added to a team featuring Joel Berry and Stephen Zimmerman and primarily floated around the perimeter during his time on the court. Standing at 6’6”, Ingram already has the height to be a high major player, however he is physically well behind his peers which led to long disappearing stretches throughout the camp. Ingram did turn in his finest performance of the week during a semi-final loss in which he scored seven points on 3-3 shooting. In this game, Ingram started off with a deep three, added in a fast-break lay-up, and then hit a pull-up jump shot over Justin Jackson. Ingram’s height and shooting ability are tantalizing, but his lack of strength and quite demeanor make it a challenge for him to have much of an impact on a consistent basis. Right now his ESPN ranking is based more on potential, but the lanky wing could blossom in the near future with further physical development and turn into a very productive player.

Rickey Doyle, 6’9”, 2014

Saying that Doyle was over shadowed by his teammates at the NBPA camp would be an understatement. Playing with names such as Kevon Looney, Tyler Dorsey, Thon Maker, and Quentin Snider the opportunities were few and far between for Doyle to make a major impact on games. While he did not draw raves with his play, Doyle was a solid contributor throughout the week and averaged 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in five games. He used his physicality to body up defenders forcing them out of their preferred post position and good lateral quickness in keeping them away from the basket. On his limited offensive touches, Doyle showed off a solid jump shot out to 12 feet along with a knack for grabbing offensive rebounds. With the pick and roll heavily emphasized during the camp, Doyle was probably one of the best at setting strong screens to free his guards for open shots or drives to the basket. During his junior year, Doyle averaged 21.7 points and 6.9 rebounds for Bishop Verot High in Ft. Myers, Florida despite missing a majority of the season with a stress fracture in his foot. He committed to John Beilein and Michigan in the spring and could be next in the line of unheralded Wolverine recruits to outperform expectations.

Connor Ferrell, 6’1”, 2015

Another late addition to the NBPA camp roster was the Georgia native who teamed up with guards Quentin Snider, Dominique Collier, Tadrick Jackson, and Tyler Dorsey. While these alpha dogs controlled the ball, Ferrell was aggressive whenever he received it. He only managed to score a total of six points throughout his first four games and his initial viewing took place on Friday evening when he missed all three shots and played limited minutes. Despite not making it into the score book, Ferrell impressed with his quickness and ability to separate from defenders when hunting a jump shot in one of the most competitive games of the camp. In a first round playoff defeat, Ferrell was the only player on his star studded team to finish in double figures with 16 points to go along with 5 assists and 2 rebounds. While Ferrell is only ranked as a top 35 player in the state of Georgia (allmetrohoops.com) his time spent in Charlottesville, VA could ready him for an interesting summer with his Stackhouse Elite AAU squad.