Perkins-Mudiay “showdown” tips off Pangos

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LONG BEACH, Ca. – Day I – well, to be accurate, Night I – of the 11^th Pangos All-American Camp got underway Friday.

And those in the  Cabrillo High gymnasium didn’t have to wait long to be courtside witnesses to what should prove to be the first of what will be a lot of cool individual matchups over the three-day event which annually draws some of the best high school hoopsters, from coast to coast.

Emmanuel Mudiay (Dallas, TX/Prime Prep Academy) and Josh Perkins (Aurora, CO/Regis Jesuit) are generally thought to be two of the half-dozen or so best point guard prospects in the Class of 2014.

And, during the second set of three games late Friday night, Court 3 was the place to be to see them hook up as their respective Washington (Mudiay) and USC (Perkins) teams played.

Who “won” the confrontation?

Well, I’m sure each had his supporters in that regard afterward.

Certainly, there was no “knockout” or clear-cut “winner on points” – and that’s the last time you’ll read me or hear me making boxing analogies this weekend.

First and foremost, the bottom line analysis of a PG’s performance has to be in found in the won and loss columns.

And Mudiay’s team prevailed, 53-45.

In terms of “how they looked”, a few things were apparent to me:

For one, Perkins is a much better jump shooter than is his Dallas counterpart.

Perkins drilled three 3s while showing off terrific lift and a crisp release – range and accuracy didn’t seem to be issues at all for Perkins.

Mudiay, on the other hand, seems to be a “last-resort jump shooter” – reluctant, at best. He doesn’t have the comfort level, form or accuracy of Perkins.

Both, obviously, have strong handles – with either hand – and are comfortable directing things while jetting the ball or walking it up methodically and surveying the landscape in front of them.

Each saw cutters several times in transition and made the attempt to get the ball to them – Mudiay with a bit less flare than Perkins, but a bit more accuracy.

Fundamentally, Perkins got into trouble a couple of times, notably leaving his feet on a pass attempt (on which Oak Hill Academy guard Terrence Phillips positioned himself perfectly and drew the charge), and delivering the ball not quite where the shooter/cutter needed it.

At times, Mudiay got caught up being too “rushed” instead of waiting for teammates to get into position.

Neither was particularly impressive on defense, playing way too high in their stances when checking one another.

Finally, as big an advantage as Perkins has as a jump shooter/perimeter scorer appeared to have on Mudiay, the Dallas guard has that kind of edge on Perkins in terms of size, strength and innate quickness.

Mudiay looks to be 6-3 plus and about 210 pounds – slap him in a Cowboys’ uniform and he could pass for a strong safety – while I’m assuming Perkins goes about 6-2ish and maybe 185.

And Mudiay’s seems to have the kind of feet a cornerback would envy – once, in transition, Perkins had the ball going full speed, attacking a retreating Mudiay who was, basically, back-peddling. Perkins tried to change directions a couple of times yet never could blow by Mudiay in the open court.

Overall, I’d give a slight nod to Mudiay for being “more impressive” (and “impressive”, as we all know, can be a nebulous term and also one that is subject to the eye of the beholder) Friday night.

That being said, my guess is we’ll see them going at each other once more Sunday in the camp’s top all-star game for “Round 2”.

Oops, it didn’t take long to shatter than “no more boxing analogies” promise, did it?

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Other observations from sitting along Court 3 Friday night:

Terrence Phillips (Class of 2015) is the sibling of Milwaukee Bucks’ point guard Brandon Jennings and Phillips did his Big Bro proud with his effort for Washington.

Along with taking that charge on Perkins, he hit a 3, had a couple of assists and, at least when I watched, didn’t turn the ball over.

In a game in which Mudiay and Perkins seemed to get caught up in their 1-on-1 battle (and, everyone watching the game was “guilty” of being just enamored of it, as I just proved by writing so much about it), Phillips just did everything a PG is supposed to with a lot of flair or muss and fuss.

Rex Pflueger (6-5/2015/Santa Ana, CA, Mater Dei) showed off the deep shooting range – and the terrific lift he gets on his jumper – for the USC squad that those in Southern California who have followed him for years have come to expect.

And another junior-to-be, Cameron Walker (6-7/Santa Maria, CA, Righetti), who is a Compton Magic teammate of Pflueger’s, also shot it deep, and well, for USC.

Jabari Craig (Atlanta, GA, Tucker) goes about 6-10 and 240 or so but wasn’t particularly forceful for the Washington team in and around the lane Friday night.

That being said he has to be considered among the best post prospects in the Class of 2014. He looked like a quality athlete and hit a couple of 15-foot plus jumpers.

DeAndre Ayton only scored one bucket for Washington Friday night.

But, wow¸ he is one of the most compelling prospect in the entire camp.

Why? It’s because he’s just an eighth grader, is remarkable agile with nifty hand-eye coordination and seems well on his way to being 7-foot plus.

Ayton, who dunked or blocked anything that wasn’t nailed down at Redondo High in February during the Pangos Junior All-American Camp, will reportedly enroll at Lincoln High in San Diego as a freshman.

It’s still too early to slap a “best player in the camp” tag yet on anyone.

That conceded, I doubt there is a better “scorer” than 6-5 Rashad Vaughn (New Hope, MN, Robbinsdale Cooper) – unless it’s Stanley Johnson (Santa Ana, CA, Mater Dei) or Tyler Dorsey (Bellflower, CA, St. John Bosco), that is – at the event.

Vaughn, playing for the North Carolina State team, pretty much scored however or whenever he was so inclined Friday night against Miami, and was credited by Burrell Lee’s stat crew with seven of nine from the field (including both 3 attempts) while hitting both free throws for 18 points in his team’s 71-60 loss.

Oh, yeah: Lee & Co. had him for six rebounds and four assists, as well.

Also turning in a strong performance Friday night (for Miami) was 6-10 Jacob Hammond (Oklahoma City, OK, United Prep), who was outstanding while playing for the Oklahoma Magic club that lost in the semifinals of the Magic Memorial Day Tournament in Corona last weekend.

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Camp game action resumes at 3 o’clock Saturday afternoon. There are 12 teams and about 100 or so players spread among them.

Cabrillo is located at 2001 Santa Fe Avenue and is easily accessible from the Long Beach (710) Freeway.