NBPA Top 100: Session 2

The night session of the NBPA Top 100 camp began at 7:30pm in Charlottesville, VA coming after a long day of games, drills, and speakers which led to some sloppy play and blowouts. While some players lacked the energy they showed in the morning, others improved on their initial showing or continued their strong play.

Day 1 – Session 2 Standouts:

Reid Travis, 6’8”, 2014, Howard Pulley Panthers

Travis was downright dominant in his Thursday night game and helped lead his team to an 83-55 victory on UVA’s practice court. In the course of 24 minutes, he had 16 points on 7-9 shooting. The majority of his points came down low by the basket however he did hit a three-pointer from the wing in the first half. On two occasions, Travis grabbed a defensive rebound and dribbled around defenders for coast to coast lay-ups. In most of his games, he over powers defenders with his strength and post moves, but this time he showed off other facets of his game that aren’t seen as often. 

Devin Booker, 6’5”, 2014, Alabama Challenge

In the morning session, Booker struggled with his shot but he began the night session connecting on three of his first four attempts. Two of those made shots came off drives to the right side of the hoop while adding in a three pointer from the top of the key. Even when not hitting his outside shots, Booker has an effortless jump shot with a quick release showing why he is one of the top shooters in the class of 2014. During the 3^rd quarter, Booker took on the ball-handling duties and became more of a facilitator rather than a scorer. He did go 3-4 from the line in the second half to finish with 12 points and also showed off an improved handle when pressured by the defense.

Devin Robinson, 6’8”, 2014, Richmond Squires

Kelly Kline / UA

One of the players that managed to shine in two consecutive games was the up and coming Devin Robinson. When Robinson’s squad entered the game in the second quarter he was being guarded by either UNC commit Theo Pinson or Georgetown commit Isaac Copeland. Robinson missed his first shot, a three-pointer from the wing, but then caught fire to quickly extend his team’s lead. In a matter of minutes he knocked in a three from the right corner and left wing to go along with a put-back lay-up and drive to the left side of the basket. Robinson was active in the second half as well getting a few buckets in the lane while also blocking shots on defense. Overall, Robinson was one of the top performers on Day 1.

Jaquan Newton, 6’2”, 2014, Team Final

Despite playing on the losing team, Newton was one of the few bright spots during his team’s first quarter action. He got by his defender off the dribble for baskets in the paint and also provided easy shots for his teammates. He added in a three-pointer from the top of the key for good measure. There were times when Newton got a bit out of control which one player described as “his Philly game coming out” but for the most part he pushed the pace and created opportunities for his teammates. 

Isaac Copeland, 6’8”, 2014, Garner Road

The morning session for Copeland was a dunk fest and while he did not play as well during the night game he still had some solid stretches. In the second quarter, Copeland hit a three from the left wing over Travis Reid and added in a dunk and a lay-up to finish his first stint with seven points. In the second half Copeland threw down a one-handed dunk from the right side that woke up all of the fans and bench players. Copeland showed off talent in spurts, but did not show the same energy he did in the morning session and when he did miss on his outside shots they were usually well off the mark.

PJ Dozier, 6’5”, 2015, Upward Stars

Dozier struggled big time in his first game missing nearly all of his shots, but he got loose for a few easy baskets early on which improved his confidence for the rest of the game. Dozier knocked in a three from the wing and also began attacking the rim regularly. He played point guard for the majority of his 2^nd half time and got by his defender at will. Some of his forays to the rim didn’t go in, but it was still nice to see him attack the basket with confidence after his initial showing.

James Blackmon, 6’2, 2014, Spiece Indy

In this second session, Blackmon earned himself the top shooter award with his performance. Blackmon was knocking down three’s from both wing spots all game. When he was covered he used a pump fake to free himself for an open jump-shot or got into the lane for a floater or mid-range pull-up jump shot. Blackmon had it going all game long and helped his team cruise to a blowout win. 

Jaquan Lyle, 6’4, 2014, Spiece Indy

Another top shooting performance from a kid on the Spiece Indy AAU team came towards the end of a blowout loss, but was still impressive none the less. Lyle knocked down four three’s in a row with the last one coming from well behind the NBA three point line which caused the opposing bench to just laugh and shake their heads in disbelief. To go along with his hot touch from the outside, Lyle cut his list of college suitors down to four: Louisville, Indiana, Tennessee, and Florida.

Josh Perkins, 6’2”, 2014, Colorado Miners

Perkins missed the morning session, but it didn’t take him long to show off his court vision and prove that he was the best point guard in terms of throwing a pin point three quarters court pass to an open teammate a la Kendall Marshall. While Perkins did not do a lot of scoring, it was easy to see that he has great command of the ball when he dribbles and knows how to find the open man.