Jake Cohen

After a couple strong days at the Hoop Group Elite Camp, it was off to Philly for Reebok's national All American Camp.  CAA Insider was on hand Tuesday evening.  Here is a look at some of the players.

Jake Cohen (2009, 6-10 C)

Jake really struggled the first few times we saw him, so his strong play in this elite camp was a welcome sign. One of the tallest players at the camp, Jake played with his back to the basket. He has some decent post moves and often started off with a quick spin move. He had a very nice play where he caught the ball on the move and banked home the short shot. That really showed Jake’s good hands and coordination. He has pretty good touch and a nice feel around the hoop. He hit a good looking fall away, turn around 12 foot jumper too. Jake gets decent positioning too and displayed nice footwork. He really does need to get stronger though as is often the case with high school big men. The skills are certainly there though.

Sam Dower (2009, 6-9 PF/C)
With George Mason coach Jim Laranaga front and center, Sam put together a strong game.  The left handed big man has a solid build and is athletic.  He possesses very good hands and that helped him pull down rebounds and score around the basket.  Sam also displayed his skills on a beautiful up and under move that many coaches marveled at.  He had an athletic dunk off a good feed and drew a couple fouls too.  He does need to work on using his right hand around the basket though.  Sam was a standout performer in this one.

Carl Baptiste (2009, 6-8 PF) committed to St. Joe's
After getting in foul trouble early and sitting most of game the first time we saw him (several weeks ago), we were eager to get a second glance at the future Hawk.  Carl certainly held his own in this contest.  He's not going to dominant against this high level of competition, but he played well.  He stands out physically because he already has a college body.  He mixed that in with that a solid all around skill set.  Carl moves better than one might first expect and is surprisingly athletic.  He's very comfortable handling the ball whether it's on the perimeter or in short space on the inside.  He can play with his back to the basket or step outside.  On the inside, he used a nice spin move and rolled home a shot.  He seems to have decent touch and a good feel for playing on the inside.  Carl grabbed several rebounds in this contest.  He did miss on a three point attempt and didn't put up many shots.  He still made some nice plays though.  Carl may not be a guy you build your team around, but he looks like he can be a solid contributor for several years.

Aaron Moss (2010, 6-3 SG)
Formerly known as Aaron Walton, Moss opened the game with flurry.  The left handed guard had a nice drive and bank and hit a runner in the lane.  Aaron also drew a couple fouls while driving, including one where he converted on another runner.  He’s a quick ball handler who obviously can get into the lane.  He has pretty good size for an off guard as well.  Aaron distributed the ball too with several nice passes.  After an outstanding first quarter, he really disappeared.  Aaron definitely showed he belonged though. 

Thomas Robinson (2009, 6-7 PF)
Thomas had started off as a potential mid major player, but he just keeps looking better and better.  He’s very strong and active.  We only caught the end of his game, but he grabbed several rebounds, made several nice passes on the break, had a steal and long outlet and also blocked a shot.  Thomas has really shown himself to be a terrific player.

Raphaiel Putney (2009, 6-9 PF)
Raphaiel is a very intriguing player because of his length.  He has a lot of work do to as a player.  Despite being so tall and long, Raphaiel actually showed some perimeter skills and looked more comfortable out there.  He moves well, can handle the ball a little and also made some nice passes.  Raphaiel did battle inside some too.  He banked home a runner and had an offensive rebound put back.  He did turn the ball over on one play when he tried dribbling too much.  Raphaiel gets pushed around a lot because he’s extremely thin.  While he did grab a few rebounds, we still felt with his height that he should’ve come down with more.  We’d also like to see a few more plays on the interior where he should be able to utilize his length.  Raphaiel does have some potential, but has a long way to go.

Darren White (2009, 6-4 SG)
Darren was a surprise player for us.  Unfamiliar with his name, this Virginia prospect definitely impressed.  The lanky guard first caught our attention when he buried a pair of three pointers.  He also proved he could handle the ball when he drove into the lane and drew a foul.  Darren appeared to be pretty athletic.  We are intrigued to learn more about him and watch his progression.

Chris Richardson (2009, 6-8 PF/C)
Chris is a big man with good size and athletic ability.  He had a dunk after a nice feed from a teammate.  On the interior, he also converted on a put back.  Chris displayed some perimeter skills too, including hitting a three pointer.

Ferg Myrick (2009, 6-5 SF)
Ferg made several nice plays in the game and showed his versatility.  He converted on a runner in the lane, had a put back on the inside and stepped outside and knocked down a three pointer.  He also had a bad miss on a reverse and airballed a jumper.  Ferg didn’t have an outstanding game, but he held his own.

Aaric Murray (2009, 6-11 C)
It certainly wasn’t the most productive day, but Aaric had his moments.  He really runs the floor well and that should help him put together some strong games here.  He showed his great hands as he scooped the ball off the floor and converted for a lay-up.  Aaric had a nice drive from the wing which he drew a foul.  He also flashed his athletic ability on a follow up.  His lone post shot was a missed hook.  He didn’t really throw down any of the big dunks that we’re accustomed too.  Aaric was certainly solid and it’s probably only a matter of time before he puts together a standout game.

Tyrone Garland (2010, 5-11 PG)
Want to get noticed at this camp?  Tyrone decided to do it the unconventional way during the evening session.  He hit a jumper from near half court at the end of the quarter.  Even if they weren’t paying close attention, many coaches had to check their roster after that shot.  Tyrone didn’t have his jumper working too well throughout the game though.  He did have a nice short drive and bank, but his size hurt him on the inside several times as he was blocked on the interior.  Tyrone is very smooth with the rock in his hands, but his speed was neutralized a bit at this level.  He still got to the rim some, but wasn’t as successful with runners as in the past.  Tyrone still made some plays and if he ever gets his quick trigger jumper going in this camp, look out.

John Johnson (2011, 6-0 PG/SG)
John did make a couple plays when attacking the basket.  He drew several fouls and converted on a reverse.  He did miss badly on a jumper.  He’s not quite at the level of the upperclassmen at this camp, but John made some plays.

Erique Gumbs (2009, 6-8 PF/C
We arrived at his game and didn’t get to see much of the big fella.  He does have a nice body and is athletic.  In the few minutes we did see him play; Erique had a dunk and was fouled to convert on an old fashioned three point play.