LA GRANGE, IL – A year ago, then-freshman De’Sean Allen-Eikens (Williston, ND) had a terrific first day at the Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp.
But an injury kept him out of the Top 30 All-Star Game that was played on the concluding Sunday afternoon.
Flash forward 12 months and, after another couple of scintillating performances on Saturday in the Park District Center in this Chicago suburb, the affable Allen-Eikens promised to make an appearance in Sunday’s top all-star game – if selected to play, of course.
“Don’t worry,” the now 6-foot-6, 200-pound sophomore said, smiling after helping his “St. Louis” squad edge “Butler”, 95-94, in perhaps the best of the 18 camp games play Saturday afternoon and evening.
“I’m not going to get injured before Sunday’s (all-star) game.”
And, for those out there curious enough to drive to the facility and watch him play in the 2 p.m. (CT) final all-star game, he’ll be selected to participate.
He left no doubt of that Saturday at the event that was covered by a flock of regional and national Internet and scouting service analysts.
He dominated both the offensive and defensive backboards, snatching rebounds with either or both hands, well above traffic.
And there appeared to be no defender – of combination of defenders – that could contain him when he went into the low post, decided to penetrate on the dribble or rise up for mid-range jump shots.
He may have been the most impressive performer on Saturday but he was far from the only standout, of course, in the third of four stops on Southern California-based hoops impresario Dinos Trigonis’ national “Frosh/Soph Camp” circuit.
There were a large batch of freshmen (Class of 2019) who will be beginning their “real” high school seasons in six week or so that showed they are likely to make serious impacts on the varsity scene.
Among those were Lamond Johnson (Chicago Morgan Park), Caleb Hunter (Southfield, MI, Christian), Jaret Griffith (Collins, OH, Western Reserve), Patrick McCaffery (Iowa City West) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Kansas City, KS, Bishop Miege).
The 6-1 Johnson overpowered every guard who tried to check him in the afternoon game I watched, often to the court-side chorus of “take him, LJ!”
Yes, it appeared he has already cultivated quite the following.
The 5-8 Hunter had quite the facial and (right now, at least, minus five or six inches) physical resemblance to Lindsey Hunter.
And, yes, that’s because he’s the son of the former NBA jump shooter of note.
He’s taking after pops in another fashion, too: He nailed three 3s in the game I watched.
The 6-3 Griffith scored with about as much ease and aplomb as anyone I watched on Saturday.
Two years ago Connor McCaffery made quite as splash at this camp as a freshman and is now one of the better guards in the Class of 2017.
And younger – and, at about 6-7, taller – brother Patrick McCaffery also did their father (Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery) proud Saturday by showing off a nice bath of both inside and outside offensive skills.
But the most intriguing and – just maybe, for now – the best “prospect” among the freshmen on display Saturday was the 6-7 Robinson-Earl, who got a whole lot done with the seemingly the greatest of ease, from inside the lane and along the baselines.
Among the other sophomores who joined Allen-Eikens in impressing me Saturday were Eden Holt (Sugarland, TX, Ft. Bend Austin), Raekwon Drake (Chicago Orr), Taylor Horton-Tucker (Chicago Simeon), JaVonni Bickham (Minneapolis Minnehaha Academy) and Malik Hall (Aurora, IL, Metea Valey).
The 5-6ish Holt played with the best combination of speed, control, passing decisions and jump shooting-ability of any 2018 point guard I saw Saturday.
The 6-5 Drake played a whole lot bigger than his size on Saturday – he was the most explosive, vertically, player, I saw in the gym.
Like Lamond Johnson, the 6-3 Horton-Tucker – with a linebacker’s body – just overpowered guys Saturday.
The 6-6 Bickham played with a nifty combination of power and finesse – his low-post savvy was immediate apparent.
And the slender Hall scored with the greatest of ease, via jump shots or short drives.
Jaret Griffith will end up one of the top 3 players out of class of 2019
Has shown his ability to score and play on both ends of the floor , Good Size, Scores it better then anyone in his class , most likely and no doubt a top 3 player out of class of 2019, just picture if he did reclass we are talking #1 player in the USA out of 2020 ,