NBPA Top 100: Top Performers

The NBPA Top 100 camp came to a conclusion this past Saturday and the three day event provided numerous opportunities to watch some of the best prospects in action compete in a structured setting. While the camp names its own MVP and All-Star team, here are some other superlatives that players earned with their play:

MVP: Jaquan Newton

As stated yesterday Newton had a terrific camp. While he started slowly in the first two sessions his game started to pick up steam on Friday morning before coming to a conclusion in the championship game with a 31 point, 7 assist, and 4 rebound performance. Newton was one of the taller point guards in the camp, but still went by the shorter defenders off the dribble almost anytime he wanted. Newton finished at the rim, knocked in jump shots, and pushed the ball up the court any chance he got. With this stellar performance under his belt, Newton will look to carry over his strong play to the Peach Jam in early July.

Best Passers: Joel Berry, Tyler Ulis, Josh Perkins

Joel Berry (North Carolina Tar Heels) led the camp with 4.2 assists per game. While not the flashiest of passers, he knew when to take a shot and when to find a teammate. Berry’s squad used the pick and roll as their primary set offense and he either knocked down a 15 foot jump shot or hit Angel Delgado rolling to the basket. If the big man wasn’t open, Berry kicked out to Joe Burton or BJ Stith (Virginia Cavaliers) on the wing for open jumpers.

Tyler Ulis’ camp ended early Friday morning after a collision with Damontre Jefferson nicked up his shoulder, but in the three games he did play in there was no one better at delivering the ball to the perfect spot. If Ulis was passing to a Devin Robinson or Riley Norris on the wing, the ball would hit them in perfect rhythm for a jump shot. If he was looking down low for Reid Travis or Satchel Pierce, the ball would find them off a perfect bounce or lob. Ulis delivered the ball where it needed to go and made the game easy for his teammates.

Josh Perkins was the king of both the fancy pass in a halfcourt set and ¾ court pass on the fastbreak. On the break he often found a streaking teammate a la Kendall Marshall at UNC and in the half-court set he often zipped a no-look pass through an unsuspecting defense. Despite being the flashiest of the point guards at the camp, Perkins’ turnovers were limited as his assists climbed.

Best Scoring Guards: Isaiah Whitehead, Devin Booker

As a freshman, Isaiah Whitehead was one of the most talked about names in the class of 2014. Over the years, new names and faces began to surpass Whitehead in the rankings and he entered the spring as a top 40-50 type player. After a stellar spring on the AAU and camp circuit, Whitehead is expected to see his ranking rise back up quickly. Always a guard with great strength, Whitehead has been showing off his textbook three point shot and ball handling ability over the past three months. When he gets his feet set behind the three point line you can go ahead and add three to his scoring total as these shots routinely hit nothing but net. Whitehead also handled the ball a decent amount and never got out of control during the camp which is something he was known for in his younger days. After playing well on both the UA and Nike AAU circuits, Whitehead brought his best game to the NBPA camp and left as one of the top shooting guards in the country.

Devin Booker only scored in double figures twice during his four games but easily passed “the look” test. He has a quick release and nice rotation on his jump shots, but now as senior-to-be he is active in attacking the basket for lay-ups, floaters, and one-dribble jump shots. He has average quickness but often got by defenders with his ball-handling skills. Booker is also quite capable with his left hand as he once scored all five of his baskets on left-hand lay-ups, dunks, and a floater. Booker can score easily and cemented his rep as a top 20 player in the country.

Top Shooters: James Blackmon, BJ Stith, Phil Booth

James Blackmon Jr. (Kelly Kline/Under Armour)

Playing with Shelton Mitchell (Wake Forest Demon Deacons) and Josh Perkins, Blackmon (Indiana Hoosiers) had no issue running the court and spotting up for three’s as he knew his point guards would find him. Blackmon shot the deep ball well in almost every game he played in and when he wasn’t knocking down three’s, he was using a solid pump fake to create space for a pull-up or drive to the basket.

Stith felt at home in his future college surroundings and started the camp off with several three’s on Thursday morning and poured in 23 points on Friday morning. Standing at 6’5”, Stith has good size for a shooting guard and had no problem letting it rip in John Paul Jones arena. While smaller than Stith, Phil Booth’s shot was just as pure averaging close to 10 points a game. On Friday night, Stith had his finest game of the camp hitting three’s and jump shots from all over the court in both halves for 17 points. He hit high arching shots off the dribble on both the left and right wings and didn’t force the action at all. Both players made their outside shots at a high clip.

Most Efficient: Justin Jackson

Surprise, surprise, small forward Justin Jackson (North Carolina) was the most efficient player in camp. After a stellar AAU season, Jackson continued his strong play from the beginning of camp. He scored in double figures all seven games and did not need a lot of shots to do so as he usually shot well over 50% from the field. As usual, Jackson hit numerous mid-range floaters and also added in some one-dribble jump shots and was usually good for one or two three’s a game. With his tall frame and long arms Jackson can get shots at almost any time, but unlike most players he only takes them within the flow of the offense.

Best Motor: Kevon Looney, Leron Black

Two of the highest rated players in the camp were also the most competitive. Looney and Black dominated the boards, played tough defense, dunked down low, and even hit three’s on occasion. Both players started out with an intensity that was hard to match which resulted in an 11 point, 11 rebound performance for Looney and a 20 point, 9 rebound performance for Black. Both players attacked the defense and kept the pressure on the opposing team every time they stepped on the court.

Strongest Wing: Brandone Francis

Francis was the most powerful perimeter player and used his strength to bully defenders down low any time he crashed the boards or received a pass down low. Some defenders backed off Francis when he got the ball on the perimeter and he made them pay by hitting deep jump shots or three’s on occasion. His play in camp earned him offers from the Boston College Eagles, Providence Friars, Washington Huskies, and USC Trojans immediately after camp.

High Riser: Derrick Jones

If you heard a commotion breakout in JPJ during the camp, there was a good chance that Derrick Jones had just thrown down a ridiculous dunk. Standing at 6’7” with long arms, the sinewy junior could rise up like no one else. Tip dunks, fast-break dunks, power dunks, and alley-oops were common throughout the seven games that Jones played in. While Jones showed off his leaping ability any chance he got, he also displayed improved handles and outside shot during the three day stretch. While Jones is a hot name on the east coast his stock will continue to rise during July as more coaches get to watch this high-flying athlete.

Biggest Paint Presence: Cheick Diallo

Diallo earned the camp’s MVP based on his offensive and defensive paint presence while playing an integral part on a championship team. Diallo averaged 11 points and almost 8 rebounds throughout the camp. On the defensive side Diallo snatched up missed shots and blocked shots with his quick timed jumps and on the offensive side he turned passes into assists with powerful dunks or short hook shots.

Smoothest Big Man: Stephen Zimmerman

Zimmerman had it working all camp long and showed off his wide variety of offensive skills. His preferred move was a lefty spin move out of the right post as he used his quickness to catch most of the big men guarding him off guard. Throughout his games, Zimmerman proved that he could score from the outside, bang down low on the inside, and execute the pick and roll. Despite being a year younger than most players and quite a few pounds lighter, Zimmerman had no qualms about playing physical and solidified a top spot in the 2015 rankings.

Most Tantalizing Prospect: Shaqquan Aaron

Aaron (Louisville Cardinals) is a high major talent, but in some ways still similar to the freshman that played significant minutes for Mater Dei in 2010-11. Standing at almost 6’8” with a lanky frame, Aaron has all the skills to dazzle yet never does so consistently. In Aaron’s first game of the camp he went scoreless while the next game he went for 13 on a mixture of deep three’s and drives to the basket. Aaron has the ball handling skills to play point and loves to isolate slower defenders at the top of the key. He has NBA range on his three but is a very streaky shooter. He might hit three in a row, or he might miss badly off the side of the rim. Aaron is a one of a kind talent that is just waiting for someone to help him fulfill his potential. Rick Pitino is hoping he can be that person.

Sneakiest Athlete: Tadric Jackson

Standing at 6’2” with broad shoulders, Jackson looks like a pure power player that probably plays below the rim. If anyone thinks this is the case, hopefully they won’t be standing under the rim when Jackson unleashes a two hand dunk. Playing in the auxiliary gym on Friday night Jackson caught the ball and threw down a two hand dunk off of one step. In his other games Jackson was flying above the rim on breaks for ferocious dunks. While Jackson does like to bully smaller guards, he can also get above the rim in a hurry.

Spring Stock Risers: Myles Turner, Devin Robinson

The top two stock risers throughout the spring were Myles Turner and Devin Robinson and both of these players substantiated their new found hype. Turner earned a spot on the all camp team as he averaged 12 points and 5 rebounds. He scored off hook shots and drop steps down low while also showing off his touch with jump shots all over the court. The lanky Robinson knocked in three’s from the wings and was the recipient of many Tyler Ulis passes early on in the camp. He had his best game against a future Tar Heel in Theo Pinson and future Georgetown Hoya in Isaac Copeland. Both players proved that their strong springs were not a result of weak competition and will be hearing from a lot more college coaches after camp.

Maryland's Latest Commitment: Jared Nickens

On Sunday afternoon head coach Mark Turgeon and Maryland picked up their third recruit from the class of 2014 in 6’6” wing Jared Nickens who recently finished his junior year at Westtown High in Pennsylvania. This commitment gives the Terps another versatile player to go along with point guard Romelo Trimble and sharp shooter Dion Wiley. 

While Trimble and Wiley made their names early on in their high school careers, Nickens is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. Although he did not join his two future teammates at the recent NBPA Top 100 camp, Nickens was named to the Under Armour Invitational All-Star game that recently took place in Las Vegas. 

Jared Nickens

During the first live recruiting session in April, Nickens led his Sports U / Team Izod AAU team to the championship with a win over future teammate Trimble and his DC Assault AAU team in the Pitt Jam Fest. Nickens was arguably the most impressive and consistent player during the three day period and Turgeon was one of the few high major head coaches to appear for all three days in Pittsburgh. While Turgeon was there to support his future point guard in Trimble he also witnessed numerous Sports U games and obviously liked what he saw.

Over a three day span, Nickens was the most impressive player for the tournament champions. One of the many tall and lengthy wings in the tournament, Nickens possessed the best ability to score at all three levels in the 17U age group. He knocked down deep threes with consistency, showed a soft touch on his mid-range jump shots, and finished above the rim with ease when around the basket. With a game similar to that of Rashad Vaughn, Nickens churned out impressive game after game in Pittsburgh. Nickens will need to add some weight to his frame in the future, but for now he proved to be one of the top scorers on the Under Armour circuit.

Over the past year, Nickens expanded his game from just a shooter to a well-rounded offensive threat. While not an amazing athlete, Nickens is athletic enough to get to the rim off the dribble and finish amongst taller opponents. He also relies on a nice fade-away jump shot to create additional open space on his shots. 

As noted in April, Nickens needs to add strength to his frame especially with Maryland’s move into the Big 10. Right now his lengthy wing span offsets his lack of strength but that might not always work in the future. 

With this recent commitment, Mark Turgeon made it clear that he plans on having Maryland basketball back on the map sooner rather than later. Just over one week ago, Turgeon was being praised for his ability to land the top player from both the DC area AAU powerhouses in Team Takeover and DC Assault. Now with a commitment from the under rated Nickens, Maryland is set at the guard and small forward positions in the years to come and can focus on recruiting quality big men to College Park.

Pitt Jam Fest Recap
Pitt Jam Fest: Day 2

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.