An enjoyable early look at college's future stars
NEW ORLEANS -- While the recruiting scene has gone quiet and college coaches are finally taking time away from the trail, adidas put the capper on the summer hoops scene with the adidas Basketball Experience, a five-day showcase for U.S. and international high school players. In the months leading up to the event, the top U.S. prospects in the 2008 and 2009 high school graduating classes -- as selected by adidas regardless of high school, AAU or future college affiliation -- convened to practice and compete against one another four times at different locations throughout the country.
During the adidas Basketball Experience, the U.S. players, who were divided into two teams by graduating class, competed in a tournament with a similar collection of talent from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. At the event, which concludes today at the Allero Center in New Orleans, it seems the real winner has been the game of basketball itself.
The American teams are coached by Paul Silas, former ESPN analyst and of course both a former NBA player and coach. Silas, by sheer size and stature, demands the respect of the youngsters. And he has used that respect to institute NBA preseason-style workouts and an NBA-style playbook similar to what he used with the Cavs during his last coaching stint.
I could go on and on about Jrue Holiday, who is headed to UCLA, or Larry Drew, who is going to UNC.
Ohio State's future center, B.J. Mullens, was vicious with his ability to throw down in traffic. Former Ohio State commit and now future Nevada Wolf Pack forward Luke Babbitt is a better version of former Oregon forward Luke Jackson before his injury.
But through it all, I most enjoyed watching the camp counselors, who were incoming and current college basketball players, play after the tournament games ended. Talk about a group stacked with talent. Derrick Rose (Memphis), Eric Gordon (Indiana) and Kevin Love (UCLA) were the incoming freshmen who served as counselors. Established college players like D.J. Augustin (Texas), Darren Collison (UCLA), Antonio Anderson (Memphis), Tyler Smith (Tennessee), Brian Butch (Wisconsin), Robert Dozier (Memphis), Quincy Pondexter (Washington), Curtis Jerrells (Baylor), Kevin Rogers (Baylor), Mario Chalmers (Kansas), Brook Lopez (Stanford), Mike Cook (Pitt), Sasha Kaun (KU) and Ben McCauley (NC State) were just a few of the top-level players who went at it in front of some NBA scouts after the regular games were done.
Here are some player nuggets I took from my time at the Experience.
• Kevin Love is as good as advertised. He may be only 6-foot-8, but he looks nothing like what you would expect out of a true freshman. His range has improved to where he is a consistent 3-point threat from well beyond the line. Love, headed to UCLA, was still fairly effective inside even though he was going against Arkansas' Steven Hill, who is a terrific shot-blocker. I expect Love to average a double-double and challenge for national freshman of the year honors. His stats may be hurt, however, due to the depth of quality big men in the Pac-10. Remember that Brook Lopez, Jon Brockman, DeVon Hardin and C.J. Giles all will get up for Love. But from what I saw, he is ready.
• Indiana's Eric Gordon struggled a little the first couple of days against the more experienced guards. But he adjusted by putting his midrange game on display the more he played. Gordon looks a bit heavy compared to when I saw him score an easy 40 in February during his high school's demolition of the team featuring Michael Jordan's sons. Gordon's midrange game has improved, but I have no doubt that Kelvin Sampson will run a good 10 pounds off the stocky-looking Gordon. Gordon still must improve his overall guard skills in order to become an elite NBA prospect at 6-3.
• Every NBA scout I spoke with agreed with the general assessment that Derrick Rose has a chance to be a better shooting version of Jason Kidd. Rose is every bit the team player, has a better looking jumper already and his body is chiseled out of granite. He is not, however the passer that Kidd is in terms of overall vision, but he will make everyone better from a Memphis team that was pretty close to the Final Four without him. His shot looks fundamentally fine, but it does not go in often and he really has two speeds: fast and fast. A change of pace or a mid-range game would help since he cannot shoot behind the ball screen right now.
• Memphis will have Antonio Anderson, who is a beast and is also able to penetrate. Anderson looks like a linebacker and teammate Robert Dozier also looked solid and stronger. When the college players asked who my preseason No. 1 was and I told them Memphis, no one took issue with that pick. The Tigers also brings back stars Joey Dorsey and Chris Douglas-Roberts.
• For my money, the best of a stellar guard gathering was Texas point D.J. Augustin. He must take more initiative offensively and use his improving jumper as a weapon, but Augustin is the purest PG in the land. He is never rushed, delivers the ball on time and in rhythm and finishes in traffic. Even when Kansas guard Mario Chalmers picked him up -- and Chalmers is great defensively -- Augustin picked his spots and sliced through the defense. Augustin's family was displaced by Hurricane Katrina nearly two years ago, and he is serving as a virtual tour guide as all the players conduct a free clinic in the lower Ninth Ward Tuesday.
• Darren Collison was probably the least recruited player in the entire American contingent of high school players and college counselors. Yet Collison continues to improve. He is not a spectacular athlete, but he is always in the lane and he is a very skilled finisher. His shot is awkward-looking but effective. And, as with most UCLA guys nowadays, he plays consistent defense. He is not in the same class as Augustin, Rose or Chalmers, but to me, he is the better than North Carolina's Tywon Lawson.
• Watching Brook Lopez, whom I first met when he and twin brother Robin were 3 years old but looked 7, admitted to me that they need to handle pressure defense better in order to take the next step for Trent Johnson's Cardinal. Health however, may be just as big a concern as Brook missed games last year and Robin missed this camp with a minor injury. And in New Orleans, the entire camp held its breath as Brook took a knee in the thigh the first time the counselors lined up.
• Remember this name: Serge Ibaka from the Congo. There are reports that he may be older than his listed age of 18. Regardless, he is a freak athletically. In a vertical jump test, he made the pole look meaningless as he touched the highest point to which it could be raised. Ibaka is 6-9 or so with long arms and a decent face-up game, but he is a beast inside.
• You can put any rumors of Mark Fox going here or there to bed. Luke Babbitt is the best Reno high school talent since David Padgett. Everyone in attendance thought that even Nick Fazekas' ridiculous career numbers may be in jeopardy if Babbitt stays all four years and he, unlike Fazekas, is a tremendous passer as well.
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