July 6th, 2005

ABCD Camp Day One: Players A to J

Scouting reports of ABCD Camp participants.

159 - Olu Ashalou (2008) - Brampton, ON - 6’7 - 215 - Magic

This is the first time I’ve seen this sophomore play and I was very impressed. For a kid his age, he’s a “wow” athlete, and he really was persistent in his desire to attack the rim. He showed the occasional mental lapse, particularly with some overzealous passes, but he’s a player to look out for in the future.

76 - Devan Bawinkel - Winnebago, IL - 6’5 - 190 - Mavs

Bawinkel looked better than I’d ever seen before, but I’d like to see more from him going towards the hoop and not just settling from the outside. He hit some nice threes, but all seemed to be when he had a lot of time to set up. I’d like to see how he can shoot on the move, or with a man right in his face.

24 - Keegan Bell (2007) - Madison, AL - 6’1 - 177 - Magic

Bell was better than I expected, and looked good against both of the more experienced point guards he faced. In the evening, he was head to head with 2006 point guard David Bullock, and more than held is own.

25 - David Bullock - Jersey City, NJ - 6’1 - 190 - Sonics

Bullock is a local point guard, whose somewhat overshadowed on a very talented squad. On one play, he made a poor turnover, but managed to come back and swat Keegan Bell on the break.

138 - Earl Clark - Rahway, NJ - 6’8 - 210 - Cavs

Clark cut his hair since the last time I saw him, so it took me awhile to spot him. He wasn’t nearly as active as he usually is, but I only saw him in limited minutes. His team was up big (18-3) during the time I watched, so he was obviously doing something right.

26 - Mike Conley - Indianapolis, IN - 6’1 - 195 - Sonics

Conley is paired in camp with his high school teammate, Greg Oden. At this point, it would be nice to see how Conley looks without Oden, in terms of evaluating his talent. Playing with the big man obviously makes the game easier for him than most PG’s. However, Conley is a lot better now than when I first saw him a few years back, especially on the offensive end, where he’s more asserted. The fact is though that his team is stacked (even beyond Oden), and he’s put in a situation where its almost impossible for him to look that bad (evidence by his camp high 7 assists in game 1.)

77 - Daequan Cook - Dayton, OH - 6’5 - 210 - Sonics

Cook was one of the Underclassmen MVP’s from last year, but most likely he wont have a chance to put up big numbers this year with Oden, Conley, and other quality players on his team. As he’s already given his word to Ohio State, he doesn’t have too much to prove here. His jumping ability is truly amazing, as it’s not just the force of his jumps, nor the height, but the length with which he can take off from that’s so impressive.

154 - Kasey Cunningham - Albuquerque, NM - 6’7 - Mavs

I’d never heard of Cunningham before today, but he surprised me with his talent. He plays like a player whose out to prove his worth, as he constantly seemed to be in the action, and wasn’t afraid to mix it up.

102 - Keenan Ellis (2007) - Cincinnati, OH - 6’11 - 200 - 76ers

Ellis is the third teammate of Mayo and Walker. He’s certainly the least talented, but his game has improved since I saw him last year. Strength is obviously an issue, but his long arms make him a shot blocking force when he comes across from the weak side.

161 - Devin Ewbanks (2007) - Queens, NY - 6’8 - 175 - Wizards

I don’t want to be too harsh towards Ewbanks because I only watched him play for a few minutes, but simply put, there’s no need for him to ever be shooting the ball from the outside with the form I saw.

37 - Darius Gabriel (2008) - Queens, NY - 6’2 - 180 - Knicks

For such a young player, Gabriel had a lot of pressure on his shoulders, because he was really the only pure point guard on his team. He’s got nice size for an ‘08 point guard, and looks like a player to watch for the future. Offensively, he needs to calm down, and distribute the ball earlier instead of just dribbling in circles.

63 - Jonathan Gibson - West Covina, CA - 6’0- 179 - Magic

168 - Ray Hall - Denver, CO - 7’0 - 250 - Clippers

For whatever reason, Hall seemed to have a lot of fans in attendance. He moves pretty well for a kid who weighs 250 pounds. Unlike most big men in camp, he really throws around his body, and doesn’t merely rely on jumping over guys. Of course, that has a lot to do with the fact that he’s not a great jumper, and it would be nice if he showed a bit more vertical explosion. He’s one of two big centers to come out of Denver which is a bit off.

81 - Paul Harris - Niagara Falls, NY - 6’5 - 225 - Celtics

Harris is like a track star. He’s got huge Cavs and he can jump at a moments notice. More than his jumping skills, his best natural talent is his really quick feet, which he uses on D and to get to the basket going one on one. He’s also got really strong arms, physically you can’t ask for more. His jumper still needs work, especially from three, where his shots always look flat.

167 - Tom Herzog - Linden, MI - 7’0 - 220 - Knicks

Herzog looked much better than the last time I saw him, which was at the 2004 Camp. He’s still way to skinny obviously, but his legs did look a little more physically developed. More importantly, he played like he really belonged in camp, picking up some nice blocked shots, and trying to be more active on offense. The team made a concerted effort to get him the ball down low, which worked with mixed success.

56 - Blake Hoffarber (2007) - Minnetonka, MN - 6’3 - 190 - 76ers

Hoffarber is a surprisingly good player. Granted he’s playing with Mayo and a stacked squad, but he worked perfectly as a complimentary player. He’s got a nice three-point shot, which didn’t even hit rim when it went in. He’s also a surprisingly good passer, as he made some good no-look passes in the break, and even one or two solid ones in the half-court. One of his great passes led to a monster windmill dunk by high-flying Bill Walker. Lastly, Hoffarber is also solid on defense, particularly using his pretty long arms to disrupt the passing lanes.

28 - Trevon Hughes - Rosedale, NY - 6’1 - 190 - Magic

Hughes is a solid, yet not overly flashy player. He manages to take it to the hole with ease and finish strong for a guy who is only 6’1. He’s also one of the few players out there who impressed with his defense. He gets into a real nice defensive stance, where he spreads his legs nice and wide making it tough for his man to get by.

29 - Brandon Jennings (2008) - Lakewood, CA - 6’1 - 150 - Jazz

For whatever reason, the 2006 point guard class is rather weak, so it was more fun to focus on some of the younger guards. Jennings was an exciting player to watch, who was extremely confident for his age. He’s not really a natural point guard, and seems like he naturally prefers to be a scorer. You could tell he’s lacking maturity, as he was one of the few players out there who was preoccupied with the refs and foul calls. He’s got a quick shot, although it seemed a bit erratic, and he’s more than comfortable finishing the ball and handling it on the fast break. Defensively, he’s always highly active, and his quickness his frustrating for opposing guards.

162 - Marques Johnson - Fort Wayne, IN - 6’6 - 205 - Wizards

Johnson never seems to overpower the game, and today was no different. He’s especially impressive when he can get out on the break, as he can finish from a variety of nifty angles.

132 - Damion Jones - Nacogdoches, TX - 6’8 - 225 - Hawks

While watching another game, I happened to notice Jones make an awesome put back dunk off someone’s miss. That one play alone warrants me spending more time paying attention to him the rest of the week.

65 - Eshaunte Jones (2007) - Fort Wayne, IN - 6’4 - 160 - Wizards

I only got to see a glimpse of Jones, because he went down during the afternoon with what appeared to be an ankle injury. Considering how extremely thin his legs are, perhaps its not a huge surprise that he got hurt like that.

41 - Verdell Jones (2008) - Champaign, IL - 6’2 - 140 - Wizards

One of two Jones on the Wizards, Verdell was impressive for a sophomore guard. He weighs only 140 pounds, and looks about the same age as my nephew who just had his Bar Mitzvah. Unlike my nephew, this kid can really pass the ball, but doesn’t have the game to really contribute in the half court yet. On the break though, he’s always looking to make the assist which leads to a lay up, and has a nice little cross over dribble.

..Continue to Day One: Players K to R (King, Love, Mayo, Oden, Pope, and more..)

..Continue to Day One: Players S to Z (Sanders, Thomas, Walker, Wallace, and more..)