Peach State Showcase: Day 1 Review

The first July live period kicked off summer recruiting with the Peach State Showcase held in Aiken, SC. Numerous assistant and head coaches trickled in throughout the evening which featured a total of 15 games spread over three courts in the USC-Aiken Convocation Center.

Game of the Night:

Team Thad vs. Game Elite

Last year Team Thad started the July AAU season at the Adidas Invitational in Indianapolis and this year they took their show to Aiken, SC. In a lackluster first half, Team Thad was down almost double digits in a low scoring first half. Upcoming junior Daniel Giddens controlled the paint for Game Elite and Jaylen Brown used his strength to get to the basket for lay-ups early on. Once the second half started, Team Thad turned up the intensity and quickly closed the deficit. In a back and forth affair, point guard Chris Chiozza created opportunities for teammates off of penetration, LeRon Black finished down low, and Riley Norris ran the court for streaking lay-ups and dunks. Also, the newly committed Marcanvis Hymon made a second half impact battling for rebounds and put backs while also knocking down his free throws. Team Thad displayed just enough energy to squeak out a four point victory.

Dunk of the Night:

Jaylen Brown, 6’5”, SF, 2015, Game Elite

The elite small forward from the class of 2015 made his mark in the first half with powerful drives to the hoop. At the 10:17 mark in the 2^nd half Brown was dribbling the ball up the court and at the half court line he realized that his defender was missing. Brown picked up speed as he dribbled with the right hand and started to attack the basket. He rose off one foot and flew through the paint for a vicious one handed dunk that woke the crowd up. Brown showed off his strength early on and later his leaping ability.

Speedster:

Jawun Evans, 6.0”, PG, 2015, SC Raptors Elite

Speed Demon - Jawun Evans

In a full evening slate of games, Evans was far and away the quickest player to step foot on court 1 in the Convocation Center. The South Carolina native got into the paint whenever he wanted whether it came in a pick and roll situation or just a simple blow-by. Evans pushed the pace in transition and found his big men when a shot wasn’t available and finished the game in double figures. The Clemson coaching staff rolled three deep for Evans’ game which included head coach Brad Brownell in what was the last game of the night.

Top Performers:

Javis Howard, 6’8”, PF, 2014, Upward Stars

Despite a losing effort, Howard had the game of the night. The Upward Stars got off to a slow start but Howard’s first half scoring barrage kept his team in the game. He scored 14 points in the first half which came in a variety of ways. Howard started off with a short right hand hook shot that he went to several more times during the course of the game. He hit a 15 foot jump shot and also was the recipient of several put backs after attacking the offensive glass. The scoring slowed down in the second half but he still hit a three pointer and finished the night with 21 points. While he had a stellar offensive game he also made a few steals and was the point defender in the half court press while corralling any rebound that came in his area. Jason Capel and Appalachian State was front and center for his game, but Howard might have piqued other schools interest with his opening night performance.  

Eric Lockett, 6’5”, SF, 2014, Aim High

Lockett’s team played in the first game of the live period on the main court and impressed all of the coaches that arrived at the onset. In a blowout win, Lockett finished with 18 points. An impressive athlete with a great leaping ability Lockett scored the majority of his first half points off drives or put-backs in the paint. He also handled the ball on the break a fair amount and made good decisions without turning the ball over. In the first half he added a 10 foot jump shot and then hit a three towards the end of the game. While Lockett is a great leaper in the paint, he only got minimal lift on his jump shot which caused a few shots to fall short. Even with these misses, Lockett still put on a show to kick off July.

James Demery, 6’4”, SG, 2014, Team Charlotte

In a win over the Upward Stars, Demery led the way with 17 points. He hit one three in the first half and then used his college ready body to score off basket cuts and put-backs. During the game Demery shot two air-balls from three, but besides for those attempts he played well in front of a some ACC coaches that are recruiting him hard. An athletic shooting guard with a strong frame, Demery was a key part in Charlotte’s opening night win.

Grant Bryant, 6’7”, SF, 2014, Southern Kings

Bryant made his mark all over the court as he often played point forward for his Southern Kings team. With a massive wing span Bryant often corralled a defensive rebound and then began the break on the offensive end with his dribbling ability. After giving the ball up, he often found himself down low close to the basket and finished strongly several times. In a game that was competing for attention, Bryant impressed the coaches that stayed around with his versatility and length.

Head Coaches in Attendance:

Some of the college coaches noted included: Brad Brownell (Clemson), Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), Greg Marshall (Wichita State), Josh Pastner (Memphis), Leonard Hamilton (FSU), Brian Gregory (Georgia Tech), Jason Capel (App State), and Doug Wojcik (College of Charleston).

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.