2014 McDonald's All American Practice: Tuesday

The second day of practice for the McDonald’s All-American teams was short and sweet. Both teams went for just over an hour before they played a closed scrimmage later in the afternoon. Yesterday it was the West team that came out with the intensity in drills and scrimmages, but today the East squad matched their level of play which created a hard fought session this morning in Chicago, IL.

EAST

Top Players:

Romelo Trimble, 6’3”, G, Bishop O’ Connell (VA)

The future Maryland Terrapin had his offensive game working this morning as he scored from a variety of areas on the court. Trimble is known for his scoring prowess and he showed why in both the 5 on 5 half-court and full-court scrimmages. Going against Tyus Jones, Trimble was able to get a step on Jones on occasion and used his powerful shoulders to keep the smaller Jones on his hip. Trimble finished at the rim with right handed lay-ups and he also dropped in a soft floater from around eight feet. He also knocked in a three from the wing capping an extremely productive morning practice session. This past season he was one of the best, if not the best player in the DC area and is now continuing his high scoring ways against the top players in the country. 

Karl Towns Jr., 6’11”, C, St. Joseph (NJ)

On Day #2, Towns Jr. and Myles Turner were battling again in the post. This time Towns Jr. got the better of Turner by using his power and strength to finish several tough baskets around the rim. Not just a bruiser, Towns Jr. impressed with his ability to get up and down the court as well. He also showed patience by not getting frustrated after numerous fouls that weren’t called during the scrimmages.

Justise Winslow, 6’5”, SF, Saint John’s (TX)

The Texas native showed media and scouts his ability to become a lockdown defender at the next level with his defense on Isaiah Whitehead, one of the top shooting guards in the country. Despite having one of the nicest jump shots in the country, Whitehead had trouble even getting a shot off. Winslow hounded Whitehead all over the court and stayed with him when he tried to shoot from the outside and when he tried to attack off the dribble. In addition to his defensive prowess, Winslow also came to play on the offensive end as well. He hit several open jump shots and also used his athletic ability to finish at the rim. 

Other Notes:

Five-star center Cliff Alexander missed practice today after a wrist contusion suffered during the PowerAde Slam Dunk Contest. The Chicago native still hopes to play in the game. D’Angelo Russell continued his stellar play from Day 1 looking extremely comfortable firing up jump shots off the dribble. While Russell was making his outside shots throughout the practice, so was James Blackmon Jr., the men’s winner of the 3-Point Contest. Blackmon hit several three’s and pull-up jump shots from 10-15 feet on the day. Future UCLA Bruin Kevon Looney took advantage of a mismatch in the post this morning. Going against small forward Justin Jackson, Looney used his strength down low to score several easy baskets early on.

WEST

Top Player:

Jahlil Okafor, 6’11”, C, Whitney Young (IL)

Okafor had a strong day yesterday, but was a monster today. Going against the 7 foot Thomas Welsh, Okafor used his size to score in a variety of ways down low including a rim rattling dunk on the future UCLA center. Okafor grabs the ball like it’s a tennis ball to keep it out of reach from the defense and needs only one or two dribbles to back his man down below the basket. Okafor used his patented spin move at times, but he also scored from the middle of lane off the left and right block. Today Okafor showed why he is considered the top player in the country. 

Other Notes:

Rashad Vaughn continued his hot shooting from Day 1 hitting several three’s from the wings and corners during the half-court and full-court action. Along with Vaughn, shooting guard Devin Booker also displayed his smooth stroke from the outside. The 6’5” guard struggled to get to the basket against quicker defenders but had no problem knocking in jumpers off the catch. Emmanuel Mudiay became a bit more involved today. Sliding over to the point guard position, the 6’5” guard was able to get in the lane off the dribble and was a lot more involved than yesterday. Power forwards Reid Travis and Trey Lyles continued to do battle with both players scoring on each other inside and outside.

Overall:

The practice session was shorter today, but definitely more intense. After going against their teammates the past two days the East and West faced off in a scrimmage on the United Center floor this afternoon. After playing in front of media and scouts, the most talented players in the country are looking forward to a national audience tomorrow.

NBPA Top 100: Session 5

The NBPA Top 100 camp concluded on Saturday evening, which wrapped up an action packed three day affair in Charlottesville, VA. The Celtics camp team were crowned champions and guard Jaquan Newton put forth the best individual performance seen all week in leading his Celtics squad to an upset win. After two long days on Thursday and Friday, many players were road weary and nicked up during Saturday’s play. While some kids were forced to sit out, the players that stepped on the court let their talent shine and played high intensity playoff basketball throughout the final day.

Top Performers:

Jaquan Newton, 6’2”, 2014

Scoring over 20 points in one of the camp games turned out to be fairly rare, yet Newton went for 31 points in the championship game to go along with seven assists and four rebounds. In his semi-final game, Newton put in another solid performance with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. While most teams and point guards relied heavily on the pick and roll, Newton used his ball handling and quickness to penetrate time and time again. After beating his defender off the dribble Newton had no problem finishing at the rim amongst taller defenders. Similar to earlier games Newton had his outside shot working and made teams pay for sagging off in hopes of containing his drives. Newton took advantage of the increased playing time due to an injury to Tyler Ulis and earned himself a championship and a spot on the all-camp team.

Ben Bentil, 6’8”, 2014

Despite playing in the consolation game of the camp to start the final morning, Bentil brought his “A” game scoring in a variety of ways. He started his first half barrage with a coast to coast lay-up primarily using his left hand to make it down the court and then followed that up with a nice looking 15 foot jump shot. Bentil used his muscle for a few baskets down low and also added another coast to coast lay-up. His most impressive basket came on a textbook pic and roll. After setting a hard screen, Bentil popped out for another 15 foot jumper which he calmly drained. Bentil has the size and strength to dominate defenders down low, but also displayed nice touch and form on his jump shots and solid ball handling skills.

Myles Turner, 6’11”, 2014

Myles Turner - Kelly Kline / UA

The most talked about prospect in camp was Myles Turner, and he ended his week on a high note. Matched up against touted 2015 big man Skal Labissiere, Turner went to work on the offensive end while keeping Labissiere away from the basket on the defensive end. To start the game, Turner connected on a right handed hook shot from seven feet out and added in an “and-1” down low off of a nice pass from TJ Haws. Turner also connected on a three-pointer from the wing and a jump shot from just outside the lane. He scored 18 points in his final game and given his height and athleticism is an extremely tough cover for any defender given his ability to score down low and also from the outside. As the competition continues to get tougher for Turner, his game continues to grow stronger.

Anton Beard, 5’10”, 2014

The future Arkansas Razorback lead guard got his 76ers squad off to a strong start Saturday morning as he pushed the tempo and created opportunities for his bigger teammates. In the first quarter Beard matched up with future Florida Gator point guard Chris Chiozza in what will become a regular occurrence in SEC play. Beard began the game with a fast break lay-up and followed that up with a deep jump shot. He scored another lay-up in the half court set after blowing by Chiozza off the dribble and added one more lay-up after running a pick and roll with Turner. While Beard scored early on, he also added in six assists coming in transition and the half court set. The strongly built Beard turned his game up a notch and got a win over Chiozza’s squad to begin their point guard rivalry.

Charles Matthews, 6’5”, 2015

One of the few bright spots in a blowout loss was the play of Matthews who went for 11 points to close out his camp session. His baskets came primarily from 15-17 feet as he used a left to right crossover to create space and his jumping ability to rise over the defense for a shot attempt. With long arms and a top notch vertical, Matthews can get a mid-range jump shot anytime he wants. He did miss-fire on several of these shots and will need to continue fine tuning his release throughout the summer.

Dwayne Morgan, 6’7”, 2014

Morgan’s, a UNLV-bound combo forward, had his offensive arsenal on display in the second half during his team’s loss. He scored nine points in an efficient manner and was very active off the ball by setting screens and constantly staying in motion. Morgan hit a pull-up jump shot to go along with a pull-up three pointer from the left wing and then added in a powerful two hand dunk in the middle of the lane after a basket cut. He also took a seven foot jump shot that he nailed over the outstretched hand of Myles Turner. Over the past year, Morgan’s game has steadily improved and when he looks to be aggressive he shows spurts of being one of the most complete wings in the class of 2014.

Other Tidbits from the Playoffs:

Tar Heel Teammates Face Off: In a quarter final match-up, North Carolina commits Theo Pinson and Justin Jackson went head to head. Pinson won the scoring battle 16 to 11, but did so with one additional quarter. Pinson’s baskets came primarily with the ball in his hand as he used his quickness and a hesitation dribble to get by Jackson several times from the top of the key. He was aggressive attacking the basket which resulted in several trips to the line and also a 10 foot bank shot over Jackson’s out-stretched hand. On the other hand, Jackson as usual got his points from catch and shoot situations or those where he only needs one or two dribbles to free himself for a mid-range floater or pull-up. Jackson hit one three from the corner to go along with a few patented floaters and drop shots. Overall, Jackson did not have his typical efficient performance that earned him a spot on the camp all-star team, but his team did get the win and earned a match-up in the semi-finals with another future Tar Heel in Joel Berry.

Top PG’s go head to head: Joel Berry and Josh Perkins are two of the most highly regarded point guards in the class of 2014 and they got to go head to head for 24 minutes in a semi-final game. Two players with contrasting styles went at each other as best they could but neither one had an overly dominant performance. Perkins has a few inches on Berry to go along with a bit of quickness, while Berry is stronger and a better mid-range jump shooter. Berry went 1-4 in the first 12 minutes as he hit his first shot from the foul line extended (his bread and butter shot) coming off a pick and roll. While Berry’s team primarily ran a pick and roll offense, he did use an in and out dribble move to blow by Perkins once and get into the lane but a lay-up attempt that was blocked by Karl Towns Jr. In the second half Berry added another jumper from just outside the foul line to go along with a three from the wing as he finished with 8 points and 2 assists. On the opposite side, Perkins was fairly quite in the first quarter as he miss-fired on a few outside shots. Known as one of the best ball handlers in the camp, Perkins had trouble getting by Berry in the half court set. In the second stanza, Perkins knocked in two three pointers and a jump shot in a quick two minute span. All of these shots came in transition and Perkins finished with a similar 8 point, 2 assist performance. While this match-up could be deemed a draw, it was Berry’s defensive effort in keeping Perkins out of the lane that was most impressive.

The Road to the Championship: In a semi-final win, Jaquan Newton’s Celtics squad got strong performances from a number of players including Chieck Diallo, Reid Travis, and Perry Dozier. Diallo was his usual force around the basket dunking anything in sight and blocking shots, while Travis was scoring from all over en route to a 26 point, 11 rebound performance. Last but not least, was Perry Dozier who scored nine points. Dozier used his crossover to create space for open jump shots as he was being guarded by the 7 footer in Thon Maker. Dozier had an up and down camp, but when his confidence is brimming and his jump shot is falling it is obvious why so many high major coaches are involved in his recruitment.

Karl Towns - Kelly Kline / UA

Big Man Battle: Two of the top big men in the country, and fellow 7-footers, were on the same court for a semi-final matchup in Kentucky Wildcats commit Karl Towns Jr. and 2015 center Stephen Zimmerman. With a significant size advantage, the monstrous Towns was guarded by Angel Delgado but matched up with Zimmerman on the defensive end. Delgado is not small by any means, but there were a few possessions where he was eaten up down low by Towns. To put Towns size in perspective, he was dominating Jerome Williams aka the Junkyard Dog down low in a one on one match-up during the camp break. On the other side, Zimmerman used his quickness to score on Towns. He has a fast spin move when operating down low and used that several times on Towns while he also got to the line numerous times in scoring 13 points. Towns used his size and strength to score down low, but Zimmerman played to his own strengths in what turned out to be a very entertaining big man battle.

NBPA Top 100: Session 4

The nighttime arrival of Karl Towns Jr. to the NBPA Top 100 created quite a stir at John Paul Jones Arena. As session four of the NBPA Top 100 camp tipped off, all eyes focused on the main court as Towns made his debut against another highly talented young prospect in Skal Labissere. While this match-up took center stage, the best game of the camp took place in UVA’s practice gym between the Grizzlies and Lakers. The Lakers pulled out a 74-69 win as the game featured high level plays and match-ups all over the court.

Top Performers:

Craig Victor, 6’9”, 2014, New Orleans Elite

Victor put together one of the top performances seen in the two day camp even though he was primarily matched-up with Kevon Looney, one of the top players in the country. Early-on all cylinders of Victor’s game were firing. He established position down low for easy and powerful dunks and he attacked the glass with a ferociousness rarely seen. At one point he elevated for an offensive rebound over a defender and missed the put-back, so he jumped over the taller defender again for another put-back attempt that went in. Victor also showed off a nice shooting touch knocking in two 15 foot jump shots from the corners to go along with a three-pointer from the wing. Victor played aggressive all game long knocking in jumpers and using his quick leaping ability to own the boards. He also added in a few nice passes resulting in easy baskets for his team. On the defensive side of the ball he matched-up with anyone from the 6’8” Looney to the 7’0” Thon Maker and used fundamental footwork to keep them away from the basket.

Phil Booth III, 6’2”, 2014, Team Takeover

Some players are hot for one quarter and then fall back to earth during their next quarter. Not true for Booth whose jumper was scorching the nets all game long. He went for 17 points in a loss with a variety of mid-range jump shots and three-pointers. In the first half Booth scored nine points and followed that up with eight points in the second half. He hit a total of three triples with his shots coming primarily off the dribble. Playing point guard for his second and fourth quarter unit, Booth ran a smooth floor game which was largely turnover free. Before the night session of games each team went through a pick and roll station where they learned the offensive and defensive nuances of this play from NBA personnel. It was obvious that Booth paid attention during this drill as he ran the pick and roll to perfection almost every time resulting in open looks which he knocked down all game long.

Kevon Looney, 6’8”, 2014, Milwaukee Running Rebels

Looney admitted that he let Victor get the best of him in the 1^st half, but he thought he made up for it in the 2^nd half. It’s hard to argue that fact since Looney’s team came out on top. Throughout the course of the game, Looney was active down low scoring off put-backs and dunks. Previously comfortable from 15 feet and in, he showed off his extended range by knocking in a three pointer from the top of the key with a defender draped over him. In the 2^nd half, Looney contested a shot which turned into a two-hand block and after grabbing the loose ball led the fast break. Contributions were made on both sides of the ball, and Looney showed off his versatile skill set in a victory.

Quentin Snider, 6’2”, 2014, Louisville Magic

The future Louisville Cardinal penetrated into the lane at will and scored from a different part of the floor each time en route to nine efficient points. While he constantly put pressure on his defender with penetration, Snider also knocked in a three and pull-up jump shot. Since last summer Snider has put on some noticeable muscle and this added strength has helped evolve his offensive game. Upon getting into the lane, if Snider didn’t have an open lay-up he used his stellar court vision to find the open man resulting in several assists throughout the game. 

Other Notes:

The future Miami guard, Adonys Henriquez put on one of his finer performances by draining multiple outside shots while also finding cracks in the defense to score inside the three point line. At one point in the second half, Henriquez ran a beautiful pick and roll with future Wolverine Rickey Doyle. A hard screen was set by Doyle at the top of the key and Henriquez rubbed shoulders as he went left, sized up the defense for a moment before attacking the basket. While Henriquez was initially looking to pass, he ended up holding on to the ball and finished with a left hand lay-up against a taller defender.

Colorado commit, Dominique Collier put on a fine shooting performance in the first half with several three’s and then followed that up in the second half with a few more baskets. Collier took smart and open shots and had an extremely efficient game.

Kejuan Johnson is a powerful G/F, but it was his passing that was on display throughout the game. Several times Johnson connected with teammates with passes that somehow got through the defense and resulted in lay-ups for his team.

The California boys were on opposite sides and while both Daniel Hamilton and Tyler Dorsey did not have their finest games, they both showed glimpses of why they are highly sought after. In the first half, Hamilton went coast to coast for a basket and added in a deep three and a reverse lay-up for good measure. Dorsey struggled with his shot, but created separation almost anytime he wanted from his defender.

The big man match-up was quite a site for the eyes throughout all parts of the game. In both the first and third quarters the two largest players in the camp went against each other in the 6’10” 270 pound Elbert Robinson and the 7’2” 260 pound Tanveer Bhullar. Both players were somewhat quite from a scoring standpoint, but they both kept each other at bay on the boards and set rattling screens. Robinson scored off a lefty put-back, while Bhullar dropped in a soft 12 foot jump-shot. In the second half, the Grizzlies put Robinson back in the game due to a depleted roster and he went against the 7’0” 200 pound string bean in Thon Maker. With the large weight discrepancy, Robinson tried to demand the ball in the post. To his credit, Maker did a pretty good job using his length and quickness to try and offset the weight difference, but a few times Robinson established position close to the basket and there was nothing that Maker could do as he watched Robinson lay the ball up easily.