By Brian Crownover

{mosImage}After a spending the first two days between the Reebok Summer Championships and the Adidas Super 64, we decided to spend Tuesday at the Nike Main Event.  The action there certainly didn’t disappoint either.  Here is a look at some of the top players.

New York Gauchos

Devin Hill (2008, 6-8 PF)
Devin has several mid major programs tracking his progress.  He would be a fantastic pick up at that level.  He’s very long and athletic.  He was a shot blocking machine in the first half.  His touches were limited on the inside, but he showed excellent skills when given the opportunity.  Devin possesses good hands and a soft touch.  He had a nice spin move to a jump hook which went through the net without touching the rim.  He was able to get good postioning, thus making conversions in the low block quite easy.   Devin is thin and does need to add some weight.  Although he blocked several shots, he did have some trouble defending quicker players off of the dribble.  Often by just putting out his long arms, he can make up for it.  He also did clear some rebounds, but with his size he should’ve pulled down more.   Devin already has a good combination of skills and athleticism and would be a great mid major level pick up.

Chris Fouch (2008, 6-1 SG)
This was definitely the best we’ve seen Chris play during the spring/summer.  He showed his smooth stroke as he buried a three.  He actually didn’t attempt too many perimeter shots.  Chris is also an underrated ball handler because his teammates are so good in that area.  He’s a straight ahead dribbler who can get into the lane.  He also had a very nice crossover move in transition before a scoop finish.  We are still waiting for a game where he really goes off from the perimeter, but Chris has still played solid nonetheless. 

Kemba Walker (2008, 6-0 PG) Committed to UCONN
Kemba is a fantastic lead guard. I don’t know if we’ve seen him distribute the ball as well as he did tonight. He strung together several difficult passes through traffic. He really does have good vision and combined with his quickness, it makes for a deadly combination. He also buried a smooth three pointer in the victory.

Jordan Theodore (2008, 6-0 PG) Committed to Seton Hall
Jordan was really clicking early on. He had a lay-up and followed that up with two three point shots. He also applied great pressure defensively throughout. He did attempt an alley oop pass to Truck and we’re really not sure why.

Darryl "Truck" Bryant (2008, 6-1 PG/SG)
Truck either seems to have a fantastic game or a “so so” one. Today was of the “so so” variety. He had a nice finish around the basket and drew a few fouls after attacking off the dribble. After that nice start though, he really struggled to finish and was unable to knock down much from the outside all game long. He’s a very talented player when he’s on top of his game, but today wasn’t Truck’s day.

Dan Jennings (2008, 6-8 PF)
This big bodied forward is a very impressive player. He moves well for his size and is quite athletic. He has very strong hands and a good power game to go along with some soft touch. Dan had several baskets after being fouled. He does need to improve from the line though. He also added in a power dunk that rattled the backboard. Last time we saw him do that the backboard broke and play had to be suspended. Dan also had a nasty block from behind. He’s a very good rebounder as well. Dan is already a good prospect for 2008 and if he reclassifies (as is rumored) he’ll be even better.

Dorvelle Carter (2008, 6-5 SF)
Dorvelle doesn’t get a lot of attention on this team, but he’s a solid player. He buried a three pointer and has a smooth stroke. He also ran the floor well. He did miss a runner in the lane.

Firm AC

Owen Wignot (2008, 6-5 PG)
We haven’t been eager to see any prospect more this summer than Owen. After hearing about his great play in the spring, he sparked our interest. The first half left us disappointed, but luckily it was a tale of two halves for him. With coaches from Texas and UCLA in attendance, Owen struggled early. He had just 3 points and hit his first field goal with two minutes left in the half on a tip in. He missed several three pointers in that half. Owen did show off his athleticism with several alley oop/dunk attempts, however he failed to convert on any of them. We’re not sure if it was the late field goal, but something clearly sparked Owen as he went on a tear in the second half. The big guard really found his pull up game. He hit a deep two, followed that up with a three pointer and then a difficult deep turnaround jumper. He scored on another pull up three later on and added in a head fake and lay in on the break just for good measure. In addition to shooting the ball, Owen is a good setup man. With his size, he can survey the defense and find the open man. Owen has a solid handle, but that is an area he could improve in. He takes long strides and is good enough to get a step or two on the defender, but he rarely gets all the way to the rim. He also tried to use his size around the basket, but really had a difficult time converting. Owen really needs to develop more consistency in his jumper as evidenced by his play in each half. With his size, ability to shoot and distribute the ball, Owen might have enough to keep the high major teams intrigued. If he doesn’t play like he did in the second half, game in and game out then it’s unlikely any of them will offer. Right now Owen looks like he could be a very good mid major player. We definitely hope to see more of him.

Carolina Raptors

Peter Hausley (2008, 6-6 215 PF)
Pete is the workhorse inside on this guard heavy team. The undersized forward is very active around the basket. He does a good job getting himself free where his talented guards can find him, often resulting in dunks. He is very effective scoring around the basket. Pete hit a nice scoop finish and also had a nice back to the basket play where he turned to the left and dunked. He’s a very aggressive offensive rebounder. He also blocked a shot during the game. Pete didn’t show much offensively beyond five feet from the goal, but he also didn’t have to in order to be effective. He will have to show more as he progresses onto the next level.

DeMarquis "Dee" Bost (2008, 6-2 190 PG) Committed to Mississippi State
Dee is just one of the triple headed guard attack for the Raptors. He is a fantastic ball handler with a deadly crossover. He gets to the rim with ease and can finish. Dee can drive in either direction and in fact often drives left. The small guard is very athletic as he showed with a dunk after penetrating on one occasion. Dee also gets his teammates involved and had a few nice drive and dish plays. He showed he can hit the pull up three point shot too. All three of the guards on the Raptors got their hands on some steals and were able to manufacture points at the other end.

Damier Pitts (2008, 6-0 215 PF)
Damier is another talented Raptors guard. He had his biggest impact in transition. While many of their guards had steals on the defensive end, we noticed Damier coming up with them more frequently. He runs the floor well and can score or distribute the ball. The quick ball handling guard didn’t look to penetrate quite as much as his backcourt mates, but he had the ability to get to the rim when needed. In halfcourt sets, Damier looked to shoot from the perimeter. While he did hit a nice late three, most of his shots weren’t falling on this day. He still is very talented and put together a nice game.

Darius Johnson-Odom (2008, 5-11 PG)
Darius is the smooth lefty of the trio. He has a quick crossover move. He also had a nice spin and then a mid air pass for an assist. He scored a basket after contact and also hit a pull up mid range three pointer. Darius did have some trouble with his shot, like when he airballed a three point attempt. He did bounce back though by burying a three just moments later. Darius is just another of the top notch players in the Raptors backcourt.

Steadman Short (2008, 6-8 PF/C)
With all of the other talent on this team Steadman is a player who can get overlooked. The long forward is quite athletic though. He scored on a steal and dunk. He has a solid handle, although he doesn’t use it that often. Steadman also showed a nice short bank shot on the interior during his limited attempts. He can also rebound the basketball.

Bethesda Magic

Ron Burks (2008, SF)
We were only able to catch the second half of the Magic’s game, but a pair of players still stood out in their blowout victory. Ron was certainly one of them. He was very aggressive attacking the hoop. He got out and ran the floor and was able to finish or got fouled nearly every time, including a three point play. He’s a good ball handler who can also distribute the ball some. Ron buried a pull up mid range jumper, but also missed on a couple other jumpers from the outside. He is just another talented player from the DC metro area.

Will Alston (2008, 6-6 SF/PF)
Will strung together an excellent second half. He showed his versatility by burying an early three pointer. He scored on a nice spin move and bank shot in transition. On the inside, he drew a foul after starting with his back to the basket and dribble driving towards the hoop.

Cecil Kirk

Kim English  (2008, 6-6 210 SF)
Kim put together another productive game. The talented guard buried a pull up three pointer early. He really favors the pull game and hit another deep one later on in that fashion. Kim can drive in either direction and went left several times. He’s fairly strong and can finish after contact. In fact, he got to the line several times throughout the game. Kim also mixed in a beautiful drive and dish play where he passed the ball off at the last possible moment.

Anthony Anderson (2008, 6-8 PF/C)
After putting together a strong performance at the Reebok Summer Classic East, Anthony was rather quiet on this day. He actually didn’t play all that much in the blowout victory. He had a nice offensive rebound, turn around and put back basket. He displayed good touch and also brought down a couple of rebounds. He missed an easy lay in and turned the ball over because he couldn’t handle a pass. His touches throughout the game were very limited though. We’ll be eager to see him again next month.

CP3 All-Stars

Mathiang Muo (2009, 6-6 SG/SF)
Mathiang is a big wing player who is very quick off the dribble. He has a beautiful stroke and can hit out to three point range. He is also versatile and can score on the inside. He scored on a great one handed catch and bank shot in the post. Mathiang is definitely a big time talent.

Xavier Nixon (2009, 6-6 PF/C)
Xavier is a big bodied post who is pretty nimble. He looked like an offensive lineman and we’re not surprised to hear he is in fact a pretty good one (getting interest from Notre Dame). The lefty also has good hands. He even mixed in a nice pass. Xavier looks like he could be a solid prospect, but from what we’ve read he’s probably a better football prospect.

Latrail McCoy (2009, 6-2 SG)
Latrail hit back to back three pointers from the top of the key early on. He’s a quick ball handler who had a nice drive and finish. The stalky guard also had a nice dribble drive left and alley oop pass to Ty Walker.

Albany City Rocks

Jordan Stevens (2009, 6-5 200 SG/SF)
Jordan is a very skilled guard. The lefty hit a jumper and is a very good shooter. He is a very gifted passer as well. He had several impressive drive and dish plays.

Shimeek Johnson (2008, 6-7 SF/PF)
Shimeek is a lanky, athletic wing. He was most impressive blocking several shots. He can play inside and outside, although he missed on a three point attempt. He was solid on the boards as well.

Hardwood Hustle

Brad Hubenak (2008, 6-6 PF)
Throughout the tournament we didn’t want to cover too many out of region prospects aside from the elite ones. Brad played so well against the Gauchos that we just couldn’t help ourselves. The Texas product has a very well developed mid range game. He really caught our attention by hitting nothing but net on a very deep pull up jumper with Dan Jennings right in his face. He hit several more shots from this range throughout the game. He has range out beyond the three point line, although he’ll usually shoot inside the arc. Brad is also efficient around the hoop and had a few offensive rebounds. Brad also showed that he’s pretty athletic and he elevated on two alley oop attempts. He actually failed to convert on the attempts though. Brad is a very gifted player who could be very good at the mid major level. He may even be a high major talent.