LEWISVILLE, TEXAS – Most basketball camp “all-star games” turn into largely “you score-I score” affairs with little defense, in particular, and intensity of effort, in general.
The Top 30 Game that wrapped up the Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp Sunday afternoon at the MAC Center proved quite the exception to that premise.
*With the squad wearing black jerseys trailing by three points, freshman guard Zarek Thomas (Cedar Hill, TX) scored on a nifty drive along the left baseline to get his squad to within a point with about 20 seconds remaining.
Then 6-foot-7 sophomore LaDarius Marshall (Jackson, MS/Forest Hill) stole the ensuing inbounds pass and immediately muscled in a layup and the “white” couldn’t score at the other end to give the “black” a 95-94 decision.
The white jersey-wearing crew, led by 6-10 freshman Charles Bassey (who came to the U.S. from Nigeria in July and attends St. Anthony in San Antonio), led through most of the game before Marshall, Thomas and 6-9 sophomore Franklin Aguananne (Denton, TX) helped their squad overcome Bassey’s both-ends-of-the-floor brilliance for the victory.
Marshall finished 16 points (statistics courtesy Ronnie Flores of Cal Hi Sports and Ballislife.com) and 10 rebounds and also buried a 3-pointer and had a spectacular one-handed follow bang down the stretch to go with his game-deciding steal and bucket.
The 6-2 Thomas, the most physically gifted backcourt prospect at the two-day and (approximately) 180-player event, scored a team-best 18 points while Aguananne, who spent a lot of the contest throwing in jump hooks over each shoulder, had 16 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
Bassey was overwhelmingly the most impressive player at the camp during his two games on Saturday and it was status quo on Sunday as he capped his weekend with a Top 30 Game performance of 20 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots.
After watching him play five times in less than 24 hours, it’s apparent to me that Bassey’s status as both “player” and “prospect” shouldn’t be measured against other members of the Class of 2019 but against every high school player, regardless of class standing – and pretty much any “non-NBA” player, as well.
Yep – he’s already that good.
Six-four sophomore Chris Mullins (Mansfield, TX/Timberview) added 13 points and four steals for the white jersey-wearing team while 6-8 sophomore Chris Smith (Fort Worth Country Day) added nine points and 10 rebounds with Thomas’ 6-0 sophomore brother, Zack (the fastest player in the camp, on the dribble), chipping in with eight points.
In the Top 60 All-Star Game, the white jersey-sporting club prevailing, 120-74.
My choices for Most Outstanding Players in that game were 6-4 freshman Charles Smith IV (Houston Westbury Christian) for the white and 6-1 sophomore Grant Beucler (La Port, IN/La Lumiere) for the black.
My other honors were:
*Most Outstanding Top 30 performers: Charles Bassey (White) and LaDarius Marshall (Black).
*Most Outstanding Camp Player: Bassey/Marshall as runner-up.
*Most Outstanding Sophomore: Marshall/Chris Smith runner-up.
*Most Outstanding Freshman: Bassey/Zarek Thomas runner-up.
*The Top 25 players in camp (based on performance when I watched them play, not just “college potential”):
TOP 10 SOPHOMORES
Franklin Aguananne 6-9 (Denton, TX)
Jalen Crutchfield 6-3 (Norman, OK/North)
Joshua LeBlanc 6-6 (Baton Rouge, LA/Madison Prep)
LaDarius Marshall 6-7 (Jackson, MS/Forest Hill)
Chris Mullins 6-4 (Mansfield, TX/Timberview)
Chandler Owensby 6-7 (Covington, LA/St. Paul’s)
Cameron Phillips 5-9 (Huntsville, AL/Columbia)
Jordan Phillips 6-6 (Arlington, TX/Grace Prep)
Chris Smith 6-8 (Fort Worth, TX/Country Day)
Zack Thomas 6-0 (Cedar Hill, TX)
Next Five: R.J. Cammack 6-8 (Arlington, TX/Grace Prep); Shawn Feggett 6-5 (Dallas/Bishop Dunne); Tauriawn Knight 6-1 (Edmund, OK/Santa Fe); R.J. Maso 5-11 (DeSoto, TX); Derrick Walter 6-3 (Midwest City, OK);
TOP 10 FRESHMEN
Avery Anderson 6-0 (Fort Worth, TX/Justin Northwest)
Charles Bassey 6-10 (San Antonio, TX/St. Anthony)
Josh Carmichael 6-4 (Baton Rouge, LA/Dunham)
Sam Chapui 6-1 (San Antonio, TX/Fallbrook Prep Academy)
Shawn Fudge 6-2 (Little Rock, AR/North)
Zakee Morgan 6-0 (Balch Springs, TX/Spruce)
Charles Smith IV 6-4 (Houston/Westbury Christian)
Tyreek Smith 6-8 (Dallas/Advanced Prep International)
Zarek Thomas 6-2 (Cedar Hill, TX)
Jordan Wright 6-4 (Baton Rouge, LA/Dunham)
Good Observation, there were some great kids there that you guys totally over looked. One parent ask me should they instruct their kid to be selfish, when attending Camps. Because it seem as if those are the players (selfish) that get picked for the write ups and those are also the kids that made the all-star teams (Top 60)…especially the guards.
Me and several coach personally watch Z and Z Thomas (brothers), both are skilled players, but did nothing in the games. One team had a Big that did nothing and he made the all start teams, while the guards didn’t even get an honorable mention. How did that happen?
I explain my theory too one dad like this. If you follow the camps it’s the same kids that make the all-star teams so that tells me the “evaluator” are just looking for names that are familiar to them. Chris Mullins is a good player with high potential, but there are guards at South Grand Prairie High School, Desoto High as well as Cedar Hill who are just as talented more athletic with higher basketball IQs (especially at South High School) that didn’t even get an honorable mention. Again how did that happen?
Just because a player is over 6’4 does not make him a top player in the area, there were a lot of kids that made the all-star team who can nothing but shoot, they lay no defense, can’t take the ball to the rack and was list as a top player on the camp.
A few coaches and I went to Florida to observe a player that was in a camp there. 6’1 guard could do it all. Great court vision, took great shot selection, good vertical, great passer. Get this and didn’t even make the top 40. I talked to him and his older brother afterward that was his first camp. So I take that as his name wasn’t familiar to the “evaluator”.
However over all I think it was a very impressive group of young men. But give them all a look. Certainly a camp like PANGOS can afford more evaluators.