LAS VEGAS — Hindsight may eventually alter the perception.
But, in its immediate aftermath, I’m going to deem the 21st Pangos All-American Camp as “Three Days of the Guard”.
In the absence of more than one dominant post player, at both ends of the floor, it was left to a multitude of quality backcourt players, across the classes of 2024 and ’25, to create most of the buzz in the Bishop Gorman High gymnasiums.
And the likes of Philadelphia’s Rob Wright, Ahmad Nowell and Jalil Bethea; San Fernando Valley-based Trent Perry, and cousins Mercy Miller and Vyctorius Miller; Labaron Philon of Alabama; Tahaad Pettiford of Jersey City; Adam Njie of the Bronx; Boogie Fland of upper-state New York, and Jasper Johnson of Kentucky were like an enraged hive of bees darting about the three courts used for the games Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
Each of those guards — with two notable exceptions — played in the Top 30 Cream of the Crop game that wrapped things up Tuesday afternoon with many of the representatives of the 27 NBA teams and 159 accredited members of “media” outlets showed up still on hand and watching.
Those exceptions were Fland (who had to catch a New York-bound flight) and Njie.
Njie was my choice as one of the two best “basketball players” in the Top 60 game that preceded the final all-star clash.
That he was not selected to the Top 30 game was not quite so much an oversight — his inclusion onto that roster was discussed several times by the five of us in the selection meeting — but just an unfortunate collective decision, IMO.
That aside, Coach Kyle Smith’s Washington State Cougars (to whom he recently committed to signing a letter of intent with next November) will be getting a good one in Njie for the 2024-25 season.
Six-foot-eight junior-to-be Nikolas Khamenia (a teammate of Perry’s, as well as another senior to be, Robert Hinton, who was also a Top 60 game standout) didn’t get much “Top 30 traction” over the course of his four camp games with “USC”.
In fact, he, and his father (Val Khamenia is an assistant coach at L.A. Valley College and with the BTI club program that Nik is a part of) were about to get into their car and head home to the San Fernando Valley when they learned he was put on the Top 60 roster.
And Nik Khamenia, a key element in the Wolverines’ 33-2 record and California State Open Division crown in March, made the most of that opportunity before hitting the south-bound, I-15, with 11 points (four of five from the field, including a 3 and couple of free throws, seven rebounds, two assists, a steal, a blocked shot, and no turnovers.
With Khamenia, Perry (who had a strong final day, in his camp game finale with Syracuse and in Top 30 game, with a collective 31 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists) and Hinton (who turned in nifty driving and dunking, and jump shooting, displays over the three days) on the floor, Coach David Rebibo’s Wolverines are a threat to win each of the collective eight games they’ll play during the Cali Live and Section 7 events over the final two weekends of the month.
Joining Perry, the Millers (Mercy attends Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks while Vyctorius played for Compass Prep in Arizona last season) and Eric Freeny (the Corona Centennial senior-to-be was solid in all five games he played) as the only California residents in the Top 30 game was Santa Maria St. Joseph State Sophomore of the Year Tounde Yessoufou.
Six-seven Brannon Martinsen (one of the state’s top freshmen last season while helping Santa Ana Mater Dei win the CIF Southern Section Division I title while knocking off Etiwanda in the Honda Center), also made the most of his Top 60 game opportunity.
The left hander hit a couple of 3s in that game and shot, rebounded, defended, handled, and passed consistently well while often matched against opponents at least two or three years older.
Finally, my choices for the players that consistently most impressed with their both-ends-of-the floor effort and “positive attitude”, as well skill levels were:
*Flory Bidunga (6-9, Kokomo High in Indiana), the one “dominant big man” at the event and Rob Wright (pictured; 6-0, Neumann Goretti in Philadelphia), the guy who, with the better part of two months remaining in the “summer season”, is my choice as the No. 1 point guard prospect in the Class of 2024.
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