SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Trying to designate “most outstanding players” at an event which featured a whole lot of those was quite a task Sunday evening at Rancho Solano Prep following the conclusion of the two-day West Coast Elite/Arizona camp in this suburb of Phoenix.
But, anyway, it had to be done, so – with the help of Gregg Rosenberg of Rivals.com – here goes:
*Grabbing MOP honors for his play during the Top 40 All-Star game was 6-foot senior Elijah Mead (Phoenix Camelback), who scored 24 points to help his team to an 80-69 victory.
*Bagging the MOP tag in the Top 20 All-Star clash that wrapped up things was sophomore guard Jovan Blacksher (Phoenix Shadow Mountain), who dropped in 19 points in his team’s 89-76 win.
*Colten Kresl (Scottsdale Chaparral) was the “senior class” MOP after playing its extremely well, as both scorer and playmaker, in each of his two “camp games” as well as the all-star clash.
He’s one of the best point-guard prospects, in the west and in the senior class, who has yet to commit to a college for the 2017-18 academic year.
*And, finally, the MOP among underclassmen (freshmen, sophomores and juniors) based on his three games of action on Sunday was yet another guard, 6-1 sophomore Jaelen House (also at Phoenix Shadow Mountain).
House – the son of former NBA guard Eddie House and the nephew of another former NBA guard in Mike Bibby – scored pretty much anyway he had to over his three games, via mid-range jumpers, slick drives and full-court transition sprints to the glass.
*Bibby is the head coach at Shadow Mountain and he’s going to have quite the trio of guards in the upcoming season with sophomores House and Blacksher as well as senior Marcus Shaver.
Shaver, a transfer from Trinity in Las Vegas (who was at St. Mary’s in Phoenix in as a sophomore and a prep school in Texas as a sophomore), plans to sign with UC Santa Barbara in November.
He scored 13 points in the Top 20 game and jump shot very well all day.
*Impressive efforts by other seniors included those of 6-3 Garrett Sullivan and 6-5 Matthew Kempton (both from Phoenix Brophy Prep); 6-7 Jared Rodriguez (Glendale Mountain Ridge); 6-5 Jimmy Smith (Chandler Hamilton); 6-1 Virshon Cotton (a recent transfer to Hillcrest Prep from Milwaukee); and a player from Los Angeles, 6-5 Harold Moore (Westchester).
Sullivan was one of the better jump shooters on display on Sunday while Rodriguez both scored and rebounded quite well.
*Six-nine K.J Hymes (Phoenix St. Mary’s) and 6-6 Tevian Jones (Chandler) are – along with 6-4 Timmy Allen (Mesa Red Mountain), who didn’t attend the camp – two of the three most touted juniors in Arizona.
Hymes, a member of the Las Vegas Prospects on the Nike/EYBL circuit in the spring and summer, was playing pretty well in his second camp Sunday afternoon before suffering what appeared to be a rolled left ankle in the second half which kept him out of the rest of action, including the Top 20 all-star game.
Jones showed off a lot of shooting range if not quite the consistency he’ll need to convince college recruiters he can be a “3” (wing/small forward) but was an easy choice on the Top 20 roster.
Some players from the Class of 2018 with not nearly the hype yet of Hymes or Jones who impressed me on Sunday included 6-4 Ian Burke (another member of what obviously should be a very good Phoenix Brophy team this season); 6-3 Sam Beskind (Catalina Foothill); 6-5 Jared Martin (Scottsdale Saguaro); 6-8 Miles Lightfoot (the brother of Kansas freshman Mitch Lightfoot attends Gilbert Christian); 6-8 Jok Jok (Phoenix Moon Valley); 6-7 Jaxson Baker (Brophy Prep) and 6-6 Jake Furgerson (a very good shooter from Eagle in Idaho).
Burke and Beskind played in the Top 20 game and Martin should have selected to it.
*Joining House and Blacksher as Class of 2019 standouts on Sunday were 6-5 Majok Deng (Tucson Salpointe Catholic); 6-5 Josh Green (who attends Glendale Mountain Ridge but apparently will be playing for Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix this season); 6-6 Andre Harris (Mesa Red Mountain); 5-10 Josh Usery (Surprise Valley Vista) and 6-8 Lucas Elliott (Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian Academy).
Deng has been the subject of the most recruiting/Internet-flavored hype from this group since the spring. He struggled early with his jump shot in Game 1 Sunday morning but warmed up a bit in the later stages of Game 2 and then dropped in three 3s in the Top 20 game.
No one in the camp played consistently harder at both ends of the floor than did Deng.
But Green, who is originally from Australia, impressed me the most among all of the 2019s – and from within most of the classes, as well – on Sunday.
Harris isn’t a big (vertically) or quick leaper but has an advanced knack of gaining strong position in the lane or along the baseline for scoring and rebounding opportunities.
Elliott isn’t nearly as polished or aggressive as the other guys in this group but he’s got a boatload of potential by way of his good feet and hands and frame that looks as if it could add another two inches or so before he’s in college.
You’ve got to love his bloodlines, too: He’s the nephew of former University of Arizona and NBA standout and current broadcaster Sean Elliott.
*The only freshman in the Top 20 game was the best Class of 2020 point guard prospect I’ve seen in the west so far.
And 6-0 Nico Mannion (Scottsdale Pinnacle) was just about as impressive as any of the 140 or so players in the camp.
His head-up matchup with House was as good as an individual showdown as was on display Sunday.
Mannion accepted an invitation to play in the USA Basketball age-group workouts in Colorado Springs during the second weekend in October.
Other 2020 standouts (again, from my standpoint) on Sunday included 6-7 Hunter Rock and 6-3 Kiimani Holt (both from Rancho Solano), as well as 6-2 Dalen Terry (Tempe Corona del Sol).
Rock and Holt played in the Top 40 game and Terry should have (he was a Top 60 game participant).
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