166 - Greg Oden - Indianapolis, IN - 7’0 - 235 - Sonics

In the evening, Oden was up against Caracter in the camp’s feature game. But let’s just be honest folks, this is not a fair match up. Oden is simply too good and too big for Caracter. Beside the fact that Caracter had no chance to guard him one on one, you love how Oden goes about his business without any attitude. Which is not to say that he’s not competitive, because he certainly is, but he takes his emotion out while dunking the ball with force, not while running up and down the court. He’s surprisingly fast, and he goes from block to block very quickly.

126 - Herb Pope (2007) - Aliquippa, PA - 6’8 - 213 - Suns

I love Pope’s game. His legs are like springs, and he just goes up and down so quickly. Even when he misses short shots, it seems like springs back up and gets the put back before anyone else. When he gets defensive rebounds, he’s always looking to push it up, and made some real nice long range passes to bursting guards.

20 - Scottie Reynolds - Herndon, VA - 6’0 - 170 - Hawks

I haven’t paid close attention to Reynolds this week, but the kid can definitely shoot the ball from three. All of his shots look good, and he’ll be a major weapon from long range down the line.

100 - Renardo Sidney (2009) - Jacksonville, MS - 6’9 - 210 - Clippers

For an upcoming freshmen, you can’t help but be wowed by how much talent this kid has for being 6’9. He’s obviously extremely undeveloped, especially on the inside, where his inconsistency finishing would be frustrating if he wasn’t so young. He does’t run 100% fluidly, but either did I at that age, and I was 5’5.. But he was really giving Justin Reilly problems (a 6’7 senior) with his ability to handle the ball on the perimeter which was really impressive for Sidney’s age.

89 - Jimmy Smith - Encino, CA - 6’5 - 187 - Jazz

Smith has grown on me since his first game at camp. He doesn’t do anything exceptionally well, but I was most impressed with how easily he was able to go step for step on defense with little Malik Boothe. There’s no ultra-long Shaun Livingston’s in this class, and Smith might be the tallest legitimate point guard in camp outside of Marques Johnson.

146 - Tyler Smith - Pulaski, TN - 6’7 - 215 - Pistons

Smith is one of the higher ranked players who I haven’t mentioned thus far in my coverage. He was up against Earl Clark in the afternoon, and he really did a great job defending him. The thing with Smith though, is that the kid looks like he’s 40, and has looked physically mature for quite some time. The question then is simply how much will he be able to improve in the coming years beyond the solid player that he already is?

73 - Lance Stephenson (2009) - Brooklyn, NY - 6’4 - 195 - Bulls

Stepehenson was not quite as hot today as yesterday, though inconsistency is expected for a young guy. When he wants to work hard off the ball, he can be a real pain in the neck, because he’s so fast and can change directions on a moments notice. He definitely has no left-hand though, and finding one will take his game to another level.

91 - Malik Story (2008) - Cerritos, CA - 6’5 - 198 - Cavs

Story has a chance to develop into a great scorer. He can’t really create shots for himself on this level, but his stroke is very pure from long range. He just needs to work on finding ways to score besides waiting for open shots on the perimeter.

94 - Seth Tarver - Portland, OR - 6’5 - 205 - Mavs

Tarver is consistently solid though never spectacular. To me, he seems like typical west-coast wing player. Nice passer, runs well, hangs out on the wings, but rarely mixes it up with the big boys inside.

8 - Isaiah Thomas (2007) - Tacoma, WA - 5’8 - 157 - Mavs

Thomas’ specialty is three-point shooting, but he’s very streaky from out there. He’ll miss a few in a row, and you question why he’s shooting, and then he hit’s three in a row, and you question why he’s not shooting more..

120 - Lance Thomas - Scotch Plains, NJ - 6’8 - 210 - Mavs

Thomas’ stock has continually risen in my eyes. Wiry is a good physical description, but it’s not like he plays soft or weak in the slightest. When he attacks the rim, he does a nice job leading with his opposite shoulder to clear out the defense. His outside range seems to be much better these days, and I’m more comfortable with him shooting from outside.

97 - Ekpe Udoh - Edmond, OK - 6'9 - 214 - Wizards

Udoh projects to be a solid role player in college. He stays inside, and focuses on rebounding and interior defense. Offensively, I’ve only seen him score on put backs and chip ins, and have yet to see a developed offensive game.

196 - Dale Vanwright - Houston, TV - 6’6 - 205 - Warriors

Today was the first time I’ve ever paid attention to Vanwright. For a 6’6 kid, he’s surprisingly good in the open floor, both handling the ball and especially with his vision passing it. I love guys that can muscle a rebound and then burst up the floor on their own and run the fast break. Vanwright does this with ease.

22 - William Walker - Bolingbrook, IL - 6’2 - 175 - Mavs

Walker can certainly play with any point guard in camp. He’s just one of those guards who you can give him the ball, let him do his thing, and be comfortable with his decisions.

198 - Eric Wallace (2007) - Winston-Salem, NC - 6’6 - 210 - Lakers

Wallace had a nice match up with Lance Thomas in the afternoon, though Thomas was definitely getting the better of him. Thomas simply was outworking him, and Wallce’s head was down for some time. He’s got great skills, but Wallace seems to disappear for long stretches when his team is not out running. In the evening though, Wallace did make two awesome dunks which brought down the house.

62 - Willie Warren (2008) - Cedar Hill, TX - 6’3 - 175 - Pistons

Warren was not having the best afternoon. I don’t know if he’s really a good shooter but was just off, but the kid was spraying long range shots around that looked like they had no chance of falling. Later, on one break when it looked like he had an opening for a lay up, he tried to hard to make the pretty pass which failed as well. He’s young, so maybe it was just one of those days.

144 - Dan Werner - Middletown, NJ - 6’7 - 215 - Warriors

Werner was impressive in the afternoon, showing off a few high-arching long-range bombs. For a 6’7 kid, he has virtually no inside game however.

11 - Ryan Wetherell - Calgary, AB - 5’10 - 160 - Cavs

Wetherell is shooting from a nice percentage from three according to the stats, though I’ve yet to see a game where he’s hit more than one. A player from recent years who has similar size to Wetherell is Pat Doherty, whose now playing at Holy Cross. Doherty was simply better in all respects however (faster, better shooter, better ball-handler), and I imagine Wetherell will only be able to get playing time at a low level D1 school.

23 - Dougie Wiggins - E.Hartford, CT - 6’0 - 175 - Bulls

The afternoon game was perfect for Wiggins, as he had a chance to run all over the opponent. He just always has his man backpedaling, and his teammates need to be aware at all times because he’ll find a way to get them the ball. His highlight play of the day was a sensational spin move for an easy lay up. Or maybe it was a behind the back pass for a dunk. Or perhaps it was a shocking block on Keenan Ellis. He had too many highlights to count today.

..Return to Day Three: Players A to G (Ashaolu, Bawinkel, Caracter, Fisher, more..)

..Return to Day Three: Players H to M (Hackett, King, Mayo, and more..)