2014-15 ACC Preview

ACC preview brought to you by Sean Moran and Stephen Kalayil:

Stephen Kalayil's Predictions; 

1. Louisville: In the toughest conference in college hoops, the Louisville Cardinals are my top team by the slimmest of margins. Replacing a player the caliber of Russ Smith is a tall order for most teams, but with budding sophomore star guard Terry Rozier and defensive ace, Chris Jones, the Cards backcourt might be better than last year. Obviously, the leader and preseason ACC POY Montrezl Harrell will be the key to this team. Harrell, known for his rim rocking jams and defensive intensity has added a mid range game to his arsenal. With that addition, I don’t see a big man in the country outside of Jahlil Okafor and Frank Kaminsky that could guard him one on one. Two big keys this season are the production of Wayne Blackshear in his senior season and the development of redshirt sophomore center Mangok Mathiang. If Blackshear and Mathiang pan out, the ACC better watch out. 

    

2. Duke:  Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones were just what Duke needed to become national title contenders. Okafor is projected as the #1 overall pick in the next NBA draft and Tyus Jones along with Quinn Cook will help from one of the best backcourts in the country.  Marshall Plumlee, Rasheed Sulaimon and Amile Jefferson along with Quinn Cook look to be the sage veterans that can mentor the freshman duo. Watch out for fellow freshman Justise Winslow and Grayson Allen to be solid contributors this year on a deep Duke squad.

3. UNC: Marcus Paige is easily the best scoring guard in the nation and will lead UNC to be a title contender. Paige averaged 18.7 PPG and had some of his best performances against high profile teams (Louisville, Kentucky, Duke, Syracuse).   The incoming class of Joel Berry, Justin Jackson and Theo Pinson will make an immediate impact and help ease the loss of James Michael McAdoo and the memories of the mercurial PJ Hairston.  The big keys to UNC’s season are the development of uber athletic forward Brice Johnson and the ultra skilled Kennedy Meeks. Both players had their moments last season, but need to be consistent for the Tar Heels to succeed. Also, if Isaiah Hicks can live up to his potential, UNC will have all the weapons to win it all.  

4. Virginia: The defending ACC champs will be returning the majority of their Sweet Sixteen team and will be able to make a run at the Final Four under Tony Bennett. I think UVA has the experience and great coaching to be considered with Louisville, Duke and UNC, but I do think the losses of Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell are going to hurt much more than most think. Look for Malcolm Brogdon, Justin Anderson and Mike Tobey to step up and lead UVA to a deep tourney run.  

5. Syracuse: The Orange are going to be tough this season with senior big man Rakeem Christmas and sharpshooting Trevor Cooney leading the way.  The big factors are if talented freshman Chris McCullough and Kaleb Joseph are able to step in and contribute immediately. One interesting player to keep an eye on is Indiana transfer Ron Patterson. Patterson has a versatile game and could be able to contribute immediately.      

POY: Montrezl Harrell (UofL)

Freshman of the Year: Jahlil Okafor (Duke)

ALL-ACC:

Montrezl Harrell (UofL) (F)

Marcus Paige (UNC) (G)

Jahlil Okafor (Duke) (C)

Olivier Hanlan (BC) (F)

Jerian Grant (Notre Dame) (G)

Surprise Freshman: Xavier Rathan-Mayes (FSU)

Surprise Player: Angel Rodriguez (Miami)

Most interesting thing you are looking to learn about the conference.  I’m interested to see the slugfest between Louisville, UNC, Duke and UVA. All of those teams have the tools to not just get to the Final Four, but to cut down the nets in March. Okafor vs. Harrell, Rozier vs. Paige, Paige vs. Tyus Jones are all individual matchups that I’m hyped to see.  Also, I’m curious to see who emerges from the middle of the pack of the ACC. Florida State, NC State, Pitt, Notre Dame and Miami are all excellent teams that can cause problems and make the NCAA tourney.  

Sean Moran's Top 5 Questions:

1. Will the ACC as a whole be any good?

Yes, yes, I know the ACC is now the “top” conference in college hoops with prestigious programs such as Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, and Louisville in the mix. Add in a Top 10 UVA squad and have some serious competition. I am talking about the other part of the ACC. The part that was pretty much god awful last year outside of four to six programs. Last year Miami, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, BC, and Virginia Tech were all pushovers. Three of those schools got new coaches and Miami and Notre Dame welcome back returning players (Jerian Grant) or talented transfers. For the ACC to truly be the top conference in the country the pushovers will need to step their game up.

2. Will Virginia lose a home game in conference play?

The Cavaliers have gone two straight years without a loss in conference play while playing in John Paul Jones Arena. That’s 17 straight games which covers last year’s ACC championship winning season and the 2012-13 NIT season. The Cavs last lost in late February and early March of 2012 when they fell to UNC 51-54 and then Florida State 60-63. The first big test will come on Saturday, January 31 with a home game against Duke. The Cavs then head to Chapel Hill before returning home to play Louisville. 

3. How will Louisville cope in the post Russ Smith era?

The last three years were good to Cards fans. A final four, a championship, and a sweet 16 performance with Russ Smith leading the way. Last year he averaged 18.2 points per game and took a team high 481 shots (100+ more than the next closest starter). Sure, the Cardinals have a lot of returning pieces to work with including Montrezl Harrell and projected first round pick in Terry Rozier, but the loss of a three year beast cannot be understated. Add in a move to the ACC and how will the Cards fare in their first year without Russ.

4. Which player will surprise?

Last year Malcolm Brogdon was the conference surprise. He was UVA’s most consistent scorer and finished on the second team all-conference list. Who could surprise this year? Let’s stay with the Cavs for a minute. I think Anthony Gill has a legit shot at making first team all-ACC. The athletic power forward really came on at the end of the year scoring in double figures for six straight games before a sweet 16 loss to Michigan State. If he didn’t get hurt in that game, the Cavs might have won. With more playing time, the former Top 100 recruit will certainly surprise some people. Other possibilities include Isaiah Hicks of UNC and Michael Young of Pittsburgh.

5. Can N.C. State replace the POY?

Last year N.C. State went 9-9 in conference play and snuck into the NCAA tourney. TJ Warren led the way as he pretty much carried the Wolfpack with 24.9 points per game on 52.5% shooting. This year some of the younger players will need to step up. Cat Barber has the keys to the car with the transfer of Tyler Lewis and Trevor Lacey is a key transfer. Can Kyle Washington, Beejay Anya, and Abdul-Malik Abu handle things down low?

Surprise predictions:

Anthony Gill makes first team All-ACC and Justin Jackson gives Okafor a run for his money in freshman of the year voting. 

UAA Finals: Day 3

After a long day at the Suwanee Sports Academy for the Under Armour Finals, Day 3 concluded with a bang. First, Net Gain out of Minnesota hit a buzzer beater to upset Jaylen Brown’s highly touted Game Elite squad and then the Utah Prospects lost on a short fade-away to Earl Watson Elite.

Heading into the final day, the semi-finals are set in the 17U age bracket. The South Carolina Raptors face off against Sports U and We R 1 goes against KC Run GMC.

Day 3:

Justin Jackson, 6’8”, F, 2016

Jackson was impressive in a win against Team Felton on Friday afternoon. Driving down the lane for dunks, running the floor, and hitting outside jump shots propelled his 16U Canada Elite team to a win. Jackson showed good court awareness and seemed to always be in the right place at the right time while presenting a match-up nightmare due to his size and skill.

Jalek Felton, 6’4”, SG, 2017

Going against Jackson, was the 6’4” rising sophomore Jalek Felton. Raymond Felton’s nephew finished with 19 points after falling just short in their comeback attempt. Felton’s talents were on display early as he used his quickness to get to the basket for lay-ups or assists. Felton gets the ball out of his hands extremely quickly and always puts a good zip on the ball so that it arrives to his teammate in the knick of time. During the game, Felton hit two deep three’s including an and-one towards the end of the game, but at the same time he also forced some shots from well beyond the NBA arc and struggled with his shooting percentage. After the game, the Canada Elite coach let Felton know how impressed he was saying “I haven’t seen too many kids like you.”

Frank Jackson, 6’2”, G, 2016

BYU commitment Frank Jackson plans to keep the Lone Peak state title tradition alive and if his performance Friday night is any indication, he might just be able to do that himself. A superb athlete, Jackson single handedly brought his team back before they fell on a last second attempt. He got by his man off the dribble and finished at the rim with right and left hand lay-ups, while also adding in a nice two hand alley-oop dunk. He also hit a three from the wing showing off the complete scoring package. The one negative for Jackson related to his free throw shooting as he missed several shots throughout the second half.

Derrick Jones, 6’7”, SF, 2015

Jones led his team to the semi-finals with one two fairly easy wins over Team Charlotte and Baltimore’s Finest on Friday. In his first game, Jones finished with 13 points on a cool 5-5 from the floor. The athletic and long swingman threw down several highlight worthy dunks and competed on the defensive side of the floor hardly breaking a sweat.

Donovan Mitchell, 6’3”, G, 2015

Built like a fullback, Mitchell used his upper body strength to create several easy scoring opportunities yesterday. In a loss he went 6-9 from the field to finish with 16 points. The fast rising senior also knocked down a three in addition to his strong drives to the basket. Despite playing on the farthest court in the gym, a few head coaches were seen checking out Mitchell including Brian Gregory of Georgia Tech and Mark Gottfried of N.C. State.

Marquese Chriss, 6’9”, PF, 2015

Playing in front of his future head coach Lorenzo Romar, Marquese Chriss scored 23 points to go with four rebounds against two four-star big men in the class of 2016 in Juwan Durham and Dewan Huell. In the first half, Chriss spun down the lane and finished with an authoritative two hand dunk that got the crowd off of their feet. The California big man also showed a soft touch from just outside the paint.

Jaylen Brown, 6’7”, SF, 2015

One of the top players in the senior class, Jaylen Brown put on a show scoring 20 out of a team total 48. Brown’s team lost at the buzzer, but the wing put on a scintillating performance. Several times he caught the ball at the high post before turning to face up his defender. With one quick move, Brown was usually by his defender and finishing at the rim with a powerful dunk. With a strong upper body, Brown often sought out contact on his drives and ended up with eight trips to the line. 

Other Notes:

He only scored two points, but rising sophomore Darius Perry showed no fear playing with kids two years older. One of the ball handlers for Game Elite (GA), Perry was extremely quick and put his man on ice skates for his only basket of the game, a 15 foot step back. In addition to his quickness, Perry can handle the ball and is one to watch going forward.

6’6” Tevin Mack scored 18 points in a loss to Baltimore’s Finest and put up a hefty amount of three’s in the process. Mack took 10 three’s and connected on three of them as he tried to bring the Carolina Wolves back from an early deficit. With his size, Mack can often get his shot off whenever and wherever he pleases.

Roy Williams took a quick break from the Peach Jam to check out 6’4” wing Rayjon Tucker and 6’6” guard PJ Dozier. Tucker struggled with an injury suffered on opening night and scored six points while going 0-3 from the floor. Dozier finished with eight in an easy win and had a nice dunk down the middle of the lane after working his way in between two defenders.

There is a lot of talent in Las Vegas in the 15U level. In the 9pm games last night on side by side courts the Las Vegas Prospects and Team Vegas Elite were playing. The Las Vegas prospects were extremely impressive and probably could compete with almost every team at the 16U level. Led by superstar, Troy Brown, a 6’5” point, the Prospects put on a show in front of various Pac-12 assistants and Kansas. Brown got to the basket anytime he wanted and put together a highlight show and Austin Nelson, Carmelo Bright and Darian Scott got in on the action. For Vegas Elite, 6’4” Charles O’ Bannon impressed as a 6’4” wing.

USA Camp: Class of 2014 Review

The USA Developmental Camp held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs will probably be the best event all year in terms of the amount of talent in one place and the competitive structure of the two day event. With each kid playing for a purpose the intensity level was high throughout. On Day 1, one of the drills involved half court and full court scrimmages where both the passer and shooter had to acknowledge each other immediately after a made basket or the point didn’t count. The kids learned very quickly to recognize their teammates. Each session involved individual drills, group drills, one on one play, controlled scrimmages, and 10 minute scrimmages.

Tyus Jones, PG, Apple Valley H.S. (MN), #4

Tyus Jones

Jones has been listed at the top of the 2014 rankings from the time his high school career began. He showed why at the USA camp as he excelled in all of the camp drills and controlled the pace during the scrimmages. While he is not a physical specimen, it wasn’t hard for Jones to get by his defender on the offensive end. He was a wizard in all the dribbling and passing drills and didn’t break a sweat. On the defensive end, Jones he struggled a bit, especially during the one one drills and when isolated with Rashad Vaughn in game situations. 

Rashad Vaughn, SG, Findlay Prep (NV), #13

Bad Rashad came out Saturday morning, but this persona was replaced by good Rashad on Saturday evening. In the morning session, Vaughn displayed his sweet stroke during shooting drills, but struggled during the scrimmage portion. He did not look to attack the basket and instead settled for difficult fade-away jump shots and deep three’s which weren’t connecting. He also forced a few too many shots despite all of the talented players around him. 

Saturday night was a different story. His intensity picked up from the get-go and harassed the hell out of his opponents on the defensive side of the ball in one on one and pick and roll drills. His intensity level stayed high throughout the session and he put together an incredible night session. In the scrimmages he blew by Tyus Jones several times for lay-ups and he also took the ball coast to coast for a floater. When given an open look he drained shots from the wing. Vaughn did not take any bad shots in the night session and was on the lookout for open teammates as he racked up assists on several possessions in a row. Vaughn’s team also won both games.

Stanley Johnson, SF, Mater Dei (CA), #6

Johnson did not dominate the action like he did during the EYBL and Peach Jam; however he did have a solid performance. He handled the ball at times and also used his strength and size to attack the basket especially during 3 on 3 or 4 on 4 drills. The main weakness in Johnson’s game relates to his outside shooting. In the two day session Johnson did not attempt many of these shots and it was hard to gauge whether any improvement had occurred.

Kevon Looney, PF, Hamilton H.S. (WI), #14

Looney used his long arms and agility to put together a solid defensive performance at camp. He has the quickness to guard small forwards and the length to handle big men in the post. Looney was a bit quiet on the offensive end as he decided to operate from 15 feet and in. At times he got by his defender and finished with rim-rattling two hand dunks, but for the most part did not dominate the action.

James Blackmon, Jr., SG, Marian H.S. (IN)

Fresh off cutting his college list to a final five, Blackmon put together an impressive performance at the USA camp. Known as a knock down shooter, Blackmon did that and more. He got all the way to the basket at times during the scrimmages and also put down some dunks during the drills and games. On the defensive side of the ball he used his quickness to frustrate Vaughn on Saturday morning and put together a strong performance every time he stepped on the court.

Myles Turner, C, Trinity H.S. (TX), #2

Turner had his dad and high school coaching staff in to watch him compete in his first USA event and he did not disappoint. Turner started off the camp battling hard in the one on one drills with his fellow big men. Turner was aggressive in establishing a post position and easy entry for the passer. Once he got the ball it was either one dribble for a right hook or one dribble for a lay-up. On the defensive side he used his wing span and quick jumping ability to block shots or force his opponent into a difficult attempt. Turner played with a high energy level throughout the camp and also displayed his outside game which has college coaches and NBA scouts drooling. It was also apparent that a recipe of 500 push-ups a day improved his strength from AAU season. On Day 2, Turner struggled a bit during the defensive agility drills, but that area will most likely improve as Turner continues to get more comfortable in his body. 

Jahlil Okafor, C, Whitney Young H.S. (IL), #1

The consensus top player in his class put a hurting on the young fellas early Saturday morning during post drills. He first matched up with Chase Jeter and used his 50 pound advantage to basically move Jeter under the basket for easy lay-ups. He also got the better of 2015 big man Diamond Stone by using his size and quickness for baskets in the paint. His dominance did not last long as Okafor suffered a right ankle injury towards the end of one on one drills and was done for the rest of camp. Okafor is a dominant presence in the post, but needs substantial work on his outside game. He currently shoots a set shot with a slow release which was evident in the full court drills performed by the players. This is not a concern for Okafor on the high school level but could be in the next few years.

Theo Pinson, SF, Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC), #27

Pinson was one of the leaders throughout camp. He started the first session off causing havoc on the defensive end in one on one drills and carried that intensity over to the scrimmages. On the offensive side he brought the ball up the court at times and fed the big men in the post. He also attacked the rim off the dribble and hunted for tip-backs on the offensive glass. Pinson struggled early with his outside shot which has been fairly normal for him; however when he went straight up and down on his shot, whether off the catch or the dribble, the result was usually pretty favorable. Overall, it was a solid two day showing for Pinson.

Justin Jackson, SF, Homeschool Christian Youth (TX)

Jackson had his moments but similar to Johnson he blended in more so than during previous AAU or camp games. Per usual, Jackson had his mid-range game and patented floater working early and often. He also was one of the best players in camp in terms of cutting off the ball for easy lay-ups and dunks. In the controlled scrimmages he was effective running the pick and roll with Ivan Rabb and other big men on his team. He didn’t shoot much from the outside, but during the shooting drills his shot still looked relatively flat with a lack of rotation which is one thing for him to work on before arriving in Chapel Hill. 

Chris McCullough, PF, Brewster Academy (NH), #15

McCullough was injured and did not participate.

Reid Travis, PF, De La Salle H.S. (MN), #39

Travis was injured and did not participate.

*All rankings from Scout.com