Devan Bawinkle, 6'5 185 (Winnebago, IL)  Bawkinkle has yet to really impress in any of his first four games. You watch him play an entire game and find yourself wondering when he'll start to really do something. On occasion he did show some good vision on fast breaks, distributing the ball to his teammates. He doesn't try to force things on the offensive end, as he rarely took ill-advised shots. He's an average athlete, which, at his size, really hurts him. Defensively, he lacks the lateral quickness to really stay in front of his man. He was beaten to the basket several times.  Steve sums it up by saying he's "just OK" at this point...nothing to write home about.

Andray Blatche, 6'11 235 (Syracuse, NY) Was very effective today. Yesterday, he held his own against Oden (Blatche even hit a three right in Oden's face), and today he showed some nice footwork around the basket.

Derrick Brown, 6'7 190 (Dayton, OH) Brown has yet to break out this week. He's sporting a 6.7 player rating after his first four games. He has a long, thin frame and shows very good athleticism. He didn't get many touches on offense, but he played well on the defensive end. During his first game today, he had a nice steal and finished by himself on the break with an easy dunk. He seems to have the potential to do some nice things on the court, but seemed content to take a backseat today. Often times, however, players may be very quiet on days 1 and 2 of the camp, then explode for the last two days. Some players just take more time getting acclimated to their surroundings and team.

Earl Clark, 6' 7 Junior (Rahway, NJ) The local product was again impressive. He has such a presence on the floor that you cant help but notice him. He only had 7 points, 5 boards and 2 assists but he really has a grip on this game.   Karl, who covers New Jersey recruiting extensively is happy that Clark is adding to NJ's talented junior classs.  The top five are Caracter, Zoubek, Clark, Drummond & Thomas.
William Crews, 6-6 230 Junior (Hampton, VA)  Crews is a very strong, very intense and active power forward. He looks like he loves to play, especially when overpowering people. He has good lift and strong hands that grab rebounds and don't let go. Plays defense with a purpose. Has good inside offensive moves with surprisingly adept spins and turnarounds. Only a junior, Crews should progress very well, and although he's a bit smallish for power forward, he may still grow another inch. Makes up for his height deficiency with strength.
Leo Criswell, 6' 8 Senior (Kansas City, KS) Criswell continued his hot play today, and remains near the top of the player rankings.  In game one, he had a nice all-around 13 points, 8 boards and 2 steals. Its good to see Criswell playing well. He was an ABCD camper last year, where he showed lots of potential, but was mor raw and distracted then polished anf focused.  The extra year has really helped his game.

Eric Devendorf, 6'3 180 (Bay City, MI) Not that it's suprising, but Devendorf impressed us all. He's simply fearless. He cuts to the lane and finishes, hits from the outside, makes great passes, etc.  When his team played the Magic today, there were a lot of very good players on the floor (Mayo, Blatche, Currie), and Devendorf stood out.

Monta Ellis 6'3 175 (Jackson, MS) Ellis looked good today and is proving why he's one of the top guys in the nation.  He's a scoring maching, averaging over 15  points per game. He's very smooth, very athletic, and he showed some really polished moves going to the hole.  His ability to penetrate opens up the rest of his game.  Perhaps its chance, but he's had both of his best games in the afternoon, and struggled with his shot late at night.  He's a blistering 15 for 24 in the day, but only 6 for 18 at night.  It will be interesting to see if this trend continues.

Courtney Fells, 6'7" 190 (Shannon, MS) For most of the day, Fells was a non-factor. For long stretches, he was simply another body on the court. At times, though, he did show a nice 17 ft. jumper and he has a lot of bounce to his game. When he wants to, he can really get to the hole, but he has a tendency to sit back a little bit. With some consistent effort, he looks like he has the physical tools to be a highly effective player.  Perhaps his passiveness is due to the fact that he has already committed to NC State, and he has little to be playing for.

John (or Johnny) Garcia, 6' 9 230 (Bay Shore, NY) Garcia has moved himself into elite recruit status with his play in this camp. He was impressive again this afternoon.  His rise is similar to that of Joakim Noah, who transformed from a mid-major prospect to a high-major recruit because of the ABCD Camp.  Noah went on to sign with Florida.

Larry Gurganious, 6'5 195 (Berkeley, CA) This left coaster continued to play very aggresively today. He really gets off the floor and is really effective in trasition...always in attack mode.  Will be very effective for an offense that likes to push the ball.

Tom Herzog, 7'0 210  Junior (Flint, MI) The two words that come to mind when thinking about Herzog are tall and soft. He has a very thin frame and he seems quite reluctant to make his presence known on the lower blocks.  You figure (hope) this will change with another year of seasoning.  His size does bother opposing players' shots (averages 2 blocks a game good for 2nd amongst all juniors in camp), but he doesn't approach defense with that much tenacity. It also looks like Herzog is still growing into his body, as he is not very fluid moving up and down the court. Herzog also has an awkward looking shot. Though he's not much to look at currently, he's certainly worth a look next year with a 7'0 frame.  Herzog is listed at 6'11 in the ABCD media guide, but I hear he's a legit 7-footer approaching 7-1 eventually.

Jonathan Huffman, 7'0 237 (Montgomery, AL) Lean and long post player with great hands and agility to go with his size. It is rare to find his kind of agility in a 7-0 body. Can take it outside and shoot out to 3 pt range. Can post up and out-quick a big guy with inside moves or quick jumping ability to get off shots with great view of the basket. He seems like a team oriented kind of guy, and made several nice passes including one nice give and go that resulted in a big time jam over solid defenders. Has many solid offers in his hand.

Jonathan Kale, 6' 8 245 (St. Andre's School, Barrington, RI)  Kale had another fine game in the afternoon session with 12 points and 10 rebounds. In the same game, his Mavs teammate Shawn Taggart continued his solid play with 12 points, 6 boards and 2 blocks.

Dwight Lewis, 6'6 187 Junior (Rummel, LA) Lewis is a player who has yet to really get into the flow of the games or his team. He seems content to just go through the motions and has a very low rating (4.8) thus far. Does managed to average 5.5 ppg, but only 2.3 boards, and 0.8 assists. His low rating is also due to a low field goal percentage.  Though he didn't hit a great percentage of his shots, he did show some nice form on his jumper, and he may have just had an off day.  Even big time players struggle with their shots at times.  Last year, I remember watching Keith Benjamin (who ultimately signed with Pitt) struggle mightily with his shot early at ABCD only to go off later in camp.  Only a junior, Lewis has time to add to his thin frame.

Tommie Liddell, 6'5 180 (East Saint Louis, IL)  Though not quite as anticipated as Devendorf's decision, Liddell announced today to the media that he will be attending UNLV. He originally was supposed to go to St. Louis, but did not qualify. He will attend Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia this coming year, then head to Nevada.

Ben McCauley, 6'8 225 (W. Newton, PA) McCauley is a forward slash center, who is one of the only top talents in Western Pennsylvania.  He has excellent strength, good fundamentals and a Karl say he's known for having a big heart. Defends with both his feet and his upper body. Has enough agility to play against quicker opponents and out muscle them. For a big man, McCauley has excellent court awareness and understands the game. He can pass in a set offense and outlets the ball very well from defensive rebounds.  In one play, he threw a 3/4 court long low bounce pass through traffic to a breaking wing. Takes opportunities as in the game he was left unguarded just inside half court, saw an opening and went full speed to the basket daring anyone to get in his way. They didn't and he scored.  McCauley will be a great sign for someone.

Nate Minnoy, 6'3 240 (Chicago, IL) According to Karl: The most intriguing player to me at this camp is Nate Minnoy of Chicago's Hale Franciscan HS. The guy has the most improbable body at the ABCD with a 6-3 240 frame. He is perfect for middle linebacker but this is basketball. He is extremely agile for his size, quick on his feet and has tremedous strength. He uses and unusual combination of size and strength at a position not noted for such. He can be anything from a 1 to a 4. He looks for contact which basically freezes his opponent, leaving them to bounce off of him and giving him the space he needs to create. He can handle, pass and shoot and runs the floor like a true wing. He can certainly post up a smaller guard but can even post up bigger people too. What he is, is a true "Basketball Player" and someone will take him and he will be a huge success. One Big East Head Coach, who shall remain nameless, asked me "Who is he going to guard?" Wrong question I thought, Who is going to guard him? He is grading out as one of the top players in the camp.

Kyle McAlarney, 6'2 175 (Staten Island, NY) This senior point guard will be bringing his game to Notre Dame next year. After losing out on Greg Paulus to Duke, the Irish still got themselves a very solid point guard. His stats don't jump out at you, but he does a really good job of controlling tempo and making good decisions with the basketball. He also has a picture perfect stroke. McAlarney always has his head up, seeing the whole floor, waiting to deliver the ball to a teammate. He has a great handle and moves well without the basketball. He should really excel as Notre Dame's next point guard, eventually replacing Chris Thomas. Even after just watching him for only a few minutes, one can see he has great basketball IQ. He knows where to be at all times and he moves well without the basketball. A very solid 4-year college point guard.

Tasmin Mitchell, 6' 7 245 Senior (Denham Springs, LA) The Tazmian Devil was relatively quiet, yet effective today.  In the morning, he only scored 6 points and had 5 rebounds. But, Mitchell is trying to sho off his versatility, and he added 3 assists and 2 steals in that same game.

Greg Oden, 6'11 225 Junior (Indianapolis, IN)  With the exception of Andray Blatche yesterday, Oden doesnt really have that much competition in this camp.  In general, theres a derth of big men around the country this year.  Oden has scored in double digits in each of his 4 games thus far, and his rebounding totals have been rising each game.  Besides hitting a very high percentage of his FG's, he's also shown a nice touch from the line, hitting 10 of his last 12 from the charity stripe.  I'd like to see him try and do even more just prove whether he can absolutely dominate.

Cameron Rundles, 6'1 170 Junior (Minneapolis, MN)  We did not have very high expectations for Rundles, but he had a very impressive showing for such a young guard.  He has super court awareness, sets the tone and looks to be a leader. Can score as well as dish and should continue to improve. Karl went so far as to say he reminded him of a young Jameer Nelson in terms of his stature and style. If he plays half as well he did today, he will be a good one.

Brandon Rush, 6'6 201 (Kansas City, MO)  Rush is a big time talent who had a particularly excellent game in today's afternoon session. By now, everyone knows he has tremedous athletic skills.  But it still seems like his game is still coming and eventually will develop into an all-conference type player in a major conference.

Kiwan Smith, 6'9 190 (Laurinberg, NC) Smith had the dunk of the night, receiving a beautiful alley-oop. Unfortunately, he was out-done minutes later...by himself, as he threw down a tomahawk that brought down the house. This high flyer is a physical specimen.

Artem Wallace 6'8 230 (Toledo, WA) He has similarsize as McCauley (discussed above) and they were matched against each other much of the afternoon.  It was a great battle of two hard nosed players. Wallace is also a tough inside defender who is quicker than he looks at first. Fundamentally sound and will fill his role appropriatyely at University of Washington where he has committed. Generally outplayed by McCauley inside, he does not have as complete a game, but he can get involved in an offense and step back and hit the medium range shot. Good player.

Eric Wallace, 6'6 180 Sophomore (Kernsersville, NC) Wallace is already a hot commodity among high majors, though he's only going to be a sophomore. Wake Forest, NC State, and North Carolina are all keeping very close tabs on him. Wallace has a very thin frame, but can do a hell of a lot with it. He's very explosive and is dripping with athleticism. Has a lightening quick first step and can finish well around the basket. It'll be fun watching him mature over the next couple of years and seeing what he'll be able to do with some added weight. Wallace also shows great promise on the defensive end, as he is constantly getting his hand in passing lanes causing deflections. After four games, Wallace is averaging 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks. This all-around player is ranked among the top sophomores in the class.  He seems to have the type of game which down the road, projects to be an early NBA exit.

Shaune Williams, 6'8 228 (Memphis, TN) Williams is boosting his status this week, and emerged today as one of the premier wing players in camp. Williams is 6-8 228 but has the athletic ability to run the floor as a 3. He has 3 point range, can create his own shot hit the spot up jumper. He also can be a slasher in the open court or set the offense. Made a beautiful spin move off the wing today leaving his defender, then jammed and was fouled. A real big time play. While more of a finesse player he can still board and belly up to a wide body and hold his ground. Chance to be a big star at he highest level.

Marquis Young, 6'9 275 (Chicago, IL) Marquis seemed a bit out of synch for most of his game today but came on toward the end. He is a big body with extra baggage that has to be shed to improve his quickness, strength and endurance. Looks to be a year behind the other big men at this camp but certainly has the body to make it work in time. He has to realize how big he is and assert himself defensively; Once accomplished he can be a solid contributor.

Other Notes:
There were a host of solid individual game performances throuhgout the day.  Charles Little wen off for 30 during the afternoon, which helped boost him to 2nd overall in scoring at the camp.  Little has been playing well around the country of late, and he recently had a big showing at the Atlanta Basketball Classic.  Monta Ellis had another big scoring effort of 25 points later on, and it would not be surprising to see Ellis lead the camp in scoring when its all over.

Will Walker (6'0, 170, Junior) who we capsuled yesterday, continued to play well and is generating interest from scouts and on-lookers.  Marques Johnson (6'5, 190) who is a little more widely known then Walker but also a junior, is creating a following by showing off ball-handling skills, exciting finishes, and little bit of everything.

We spoke to anonymous Big East assistant coach about Sean McCurdy, the 6'1 PG/SG out of Jersey City, NJ.  The coach said that although McCurdy is being looked at by a wide range of schools in the MAAC and A10, he feels McCurdy is good enough to play at the Big East level.  He feels McCurdy will really come into his own during his 3rd and 4th years in college.
Cassiem Drummond, a 6'10 PF from New Jersey had an interesting stat line with 9 offensive rebounds in one game today.  He finished with 11 points and 13 total boards for the game.  Very impressive for a junior who has mostly gone under the radar.
When I asked Steve who he thought was the most surprising underclasssmen, he said Corey Fisher, a sophmore point guard who is coming on in the NYC metro area.

Jovan Adams (6'0 185, Houston TX) was disappointing today after a solid start yesterday.  I only saw him in the morning, and was basically good for fouls and nothing more.  I dont know enough about Adams to think he has a general problem fouling, and it was probably just a freak thing.

No one was able to watch Gerald Green (6'8 200, Houston TX) but I did see some big time dunks and alley oops he threw down during the day.