COLORADO SPRINGS – The USA Basketball National Junior Men’s team minicamp was an ideal showcase for some of the very best in the high school classes of 2018-20, roughly six weeks before the start of the “real” season.
Saturday and Sunday’s drills and scrimmages produced multiple standouts, relative to consistency of effort and production, and improvement (since the last time I watched them play, mostly in the spring or summer).
My choice as the best player from the Class of 2018 at the event was – no surprise – Zion Williamson, who was measured at 6-foot-5 (without shoes) and weighed in at 272 pounds.
The left hander is this generation’s Charles Barkley – a player whose explosiveness and basketball skill is outrageous, even if he does look more the part of an NFL offensive left tackle.
Another easy choice for the No. 1 performer from the Class of 2019 is James Wiseman, a left hander who reminds me quite a bit (in both physical dimensions and skill) of former University of North Carolina and NBA standout Sam Perkins.
Picking the best from the Class of 2020 in the camp was much more difficult but I gave a very slight nod to Jabri Abdur-Rahim, who shot as consistently well from deep as anyone I saw over the two days.
Those three are joined by 19 others as the 22 players (among the 49 of healthy from the 54 in attendance) who most impressed me – not necessarily just the best prospects at the event.
Note: Heights are without shoes, as measured by USA Basketball staff over the weekend:
Class of 2018:
Darius Bazley (6-foot-6/Cincinnati Princeton)
Bol Bol (7-1/Santa Ana, CA, Mater Dei)
Tyler Herro (6-4/Greenfield, WI, Whitnall)
Keldon Johnson (6-5/Mouth of Wilson, VA, Oak Hill Academy)
Tre Jones (6-2/Apple Valley, MN, Apple Valley)
Romeo Langford (6-5/New Albany, IN, New Albany)
Nassir Little (6-5/Orlando Christian Prep)
Reggie Perry (6-7/Thomasville, GA, Thomasville)
Jahvon Quinerly (6-0/Jersey City, NJ, Hudson Catholic)
Cameron Reddish (6-6/West Chester, PA, Westtown)
Emmitt Williams (6-6/Orlando, FL, Oak Ridge)
Zion Williamson (6-6/Spartanburg, SC, Day School)
Class of 2019:
Vernon Carey Jr. (6-9/Ft. Lauderdale University)
Wendell Moore Jr. (6-4 ½ /Charlotte Cox Mill)
Isaiah Stewart (6-8/La Porte, IN, La Lumere)
James Wiseman (6-11/Memphis East)
Class of 2020:
Jabri Abdur-Rahim (6-6/West Orange, NJ, Seton Hall Prep)
Scottie Barnes (6-6/Ft. Lauderdale University)
Xavier Foster (6-8 ½/Oskaloosa, IA, Oskaloosa)
Jalen Green (6-4/Fresno, CA, San Joaquin Memorial)
R.J. Hampton (6-2 ½ /Little Elm, TX, Little Elm)
Jeremy Roach (6-0 ½/Fairfax, VA, Pius VI)
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