The Weekly Spin: A Fresh Look
By A.W. Prince, BearTerritory.net, Story appeared on Rivals.com on August 13, 2007
Unlike nearly every other significant summer AAU Tournament weekend, just about every basketball prospect in the country makes an appearance in the annual Nike, Reebok, or Adidas summer hoops tournaments in Las Vegas. From the numerous coaches and writers that show up at the events, that's the beauty of showing up in Vegas. You can watch players like Modesto (Calif.) Christian standout D.J. Seeley in action.
Along with recent Pepperdine verbal Brad Tinsley and 2009 mega-prospect Jordan Hamilton, who The Weekly Spin chronicled in Last Week's TWS, Seeley was rock solid in Las Vegas while playing for the Compton Magic. He showed his versatility by playing the point, the two-guard, and the three-spot during pool play. Seeley stroked a number of three's, pull-ups, and acrobatic drives but also dished at least two dozen assists in his five games. His ceiling is like that of former Arizona guard and NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, with his smooth moves, timely scoring, and sensational defensive abilities. He has a knack for making his teammates better and winning games.
San Francisco (Calif.) Sacred Heart Cathedral forward Jerry Brown, a 2009 prospect, is a prospect we've been watching for two summers now. He played with the always talented EBO team in the Adidas event. Brown, who has an offer on the table from the University of Washington and was shadowed at the event by Lorenzo Romar, is still finding his confidence on the court. He's a very intriguing prospect because he's the idea small forward at 6-foot-6 with plenty of length, strength, and athleticism. However, his three-point shot isn't consistent yet, and while his baseline game is solid, Brown's got a number of defensive issues to work through. His upside makes him a prospect you have to watch though. He still has two years of prep ball left to work out the kinks, and on a team that possesses talents like Tim Harris, Luke Babbitt, Brendan Lane, and Oscar Bellfield, it would be tough for anyone to truly stand out.
Speaking of Lane, the Rocklin (Calif.) big man really made some noise inside as the EBO big man next to Babbitt. Lane blocked a number of shots, hit some huge three-pointers when his team needed them most, and competed on a bad wheel for much of the tournament. He showed a number of coaches across the country that he's not only an athletic post player with a tremendous outside stroke, but that he's also willing to bang and grab rebounds.
His teammate Babbitt left us speechless at times. What an outstanding prospect Nevada head coach Mark Fox has in the Reno native. He's a Leon Powe type prospect who scores from everywhere while racking up rebounds, yet is undersized a bit at the four. He's a top 10 prospect nationally, and there's no question about it. He scorched 7-foot Ohio prepster B.J. Mullens, the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2008 class for 34 points.
Coincidentally, Mullens and Babbitt would have been teammates had Babbitt stuck with his initial commitment. However, all of northern Nevada is the beneficiary now. Congrats to Babbitt, one of the classiest kids we've ever met, on a fantastic prep career to date.
NorCal Pharaohs big man Festus Ezeli was one of our key must-see prospects to watch before the tournament started, and he did not disappoint. While numerous coaches and players are trying to recruit Ezeli to their schools of choice – Babbitt was pulling for Nevada while Washington verbal Elston Turner was hoping for Festus to choose Washington[/db] – the 7-foot-5 wingspan post player is still very raw offensively. Defensively, he's very advanced and does a great job controlling the boards. He's not far from Solomon Alabi, a 7-foot big man and the No. 24 ranked player in the 2007 class.
What are Ezeli's future plans? Look for a Videography soon on the native of Lagos as he explains his future goals and top schools in audio.
Turner, the No. 113 ranked player in the 2008 class, had another dynamite tournament. Two years after we first saw the explosive Roseville (Calif.) performer (Turner is now headed to the Houston area for his senior year as his NBA coaching father of the same name caught on with the Houston Rockets staff), he again vaulted to the top of our best California prospects list. The Huskies have themselves a player that coaches love because Turner has a firm understanding of how to play the game. He's a do-it-all type who will see plenty of action early in his career.
There are a number of 2009 guards that stood out. Concord (Calif.) De La Salle point guard Brandon Smith has a very solid While no Spartan player usually stands out in the passing game, high-intensity team approach, Smith has a lot of talent. He created well for his teammates, knocked down some tough shots, and made a number of aggressive plays defensively. His jump shot could make him a Pac-10 point guard.
A SoCal prospect that is now rated amongst the top 75 players in the 2009 class is Moreno Valley (Calif.) Rancho Verde shooting guard Michael Snaer. With offers from a handful of colleges already, Snaer is an outstanding shooter who can also attack the rim. Playing alongside future UCLA star Malcolm Lee doesn't hurt his stock either. Lee's game isn't far from former Arizona guard J.P. Prince, who transferred back to his home state of Tennessee to play for Bruce Pearl. It'll be very interesting to see how Lee's game translates at UCLA, as he runs the court more like the Arizona attack.
Elk Grove (Calif.) Pleasant Grove point guard Xavier Thames had a big tournament playing for Compton Magic. Teaming up with Seeley, Thames often stoked the flames of the Magic offense upon his entry. He's quick with the ball, has a solid jumper, and has a lot of energy in his game. We've always been impressed with Thames, and he looks like a player that could make a big leap as a junior.
Seeley's Modesto Christian teammate, 2009 power forward Reeves Nelson did not see much action at the Adidas Super 64.
Talented 2009 point guard Elijah Johnson looked sensational when we saw him with the Houston Hoops. The Las Vegas (Nev.) native who stars at Cheyenne high school is ranked in the Top 40 of the 2009 class – for good reason. He can flat out play the game. The same can be said for two-guard Roberto Nelson, who is currently ranked in the Top 70 of the 2009 class. Smooth is the best way to describe the Santa Barbara (Calif.) standout.
Lastly, power forward prospect Matt Simpkins played well for Lamar Odom's I Can All-Stars. It took the Berkeley high product a few games to get it going, but the buff 6-foot-9 NorCal star was solid on the break, the boards, and from three as the tournament continued. Unfortunately, both Hamilton and Simpkins ran into the red-hot Tinsley led Team Jones in the Nike hosted "Main Event", getting smoked by nearly 30 points.
With the exception of just a few names, plus all the committed prospects, these players are being watched by numerous programs in the Pac-10, to include Cal.
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