Matt Rum

CAA Insider traveled to Las Vegas to take in the 2008 Reebok Summer Champioships.  AAU teams from all over the country travel to Vegas to partcipate in this event.  Here are some of the player evaluations from Tuesday's action.

Petersburg Elite

Josh Brinkley (2009, 6-6 PF)
Josh looked good when we first caught him back in May. He might've looked even better in this one. The talented forward has a great combination of skill and athletic ability. Josh can play on the inside or outside. On the inside, he hit a hook shot, had an athletic dunk and also tipped in a missed shot. Josh showed the ability to step outside too as he hit on a pair of free throw line jumpers. He is capable of attacking off the dribble as well. He grabbed a few rebounds in this contest as well. Josh surely caught the attention of some more programs with his fine play.

Karron Williams (2009, 6-1 PG/SG)
Karron is a talented guard. He showed a pretty good jumper out to three point range. He hit a tough fall away free throw line jumper on one occasion. Karron is a quick ball handler who can get into the lane off the bounce. He had a nice drive and kick out. Displaying some more passing skills could really help Karron out. The small guard actually had a couple offensive rebounds in this contest. Overall, it was solid outing.

Drejon Scott (2009, 5-9 PG)
Drejon is another guard who can fill it up. He buried several three pointers from the outside. The lead guard possesses a smooth stroke. He showed to be a solid ball handler too.

Triple Threat

Talib Zanna (2009, 6-9 PF)
Talib put together a good game. He is strong and athletic with the ability to finish inside. Talib scored after contact on one occasion. He likes to drive from the perimeter and threw home a dunk after one of those plays. He grabbed several boards and blocked a shot too.

Michael Gbinije (2011, 6-6 SF)
This young player has some upside. Michael is a good sized wing player that already has the ability to put the ball on the floor and attack from the perimeter. He had a scoop reverse finish on one play. Michael also pulled down several rebounds in this one.

Lasan Kromah (2009, 6-4 SG)
This smooth lefty made a couple plays. He hit a pair of deep jumpers. Lasan also mixed in a pair of good passes. On this loaded team, he was a role player. Lasan still made some plays though.

Brendan Bald (2009, 6-4 SG/SF)
Brendan had a quiet game, due largely to the fact that he rarely saw the court. He did have an impressive short drive and reverse finish. He also grabbed a few boards.

Raphiael Putney (2009, 6-9 PF)
Raphiael is still very much in the developmental stage. The lanky forward missed on a pair of jumpers. He did grab a few rebounds, but otherwise was quiet off the bench.

Dwayne Jackson (2008, 6-7 SF/PF)
Dwayne is a solidly built wing. He'll attack a little from the perimeter. He hit a runner after a teammate found him with a good pass. He did miss a couple other times after attacking though. Dwayne missed on a nice pass and showed his athletic ability with a blocked shot to cap off this game.

Maryland 3D

Matt Rum (2009, 6-2 SG) committed to William & Mary
Matt has committed to play with William & Mary. Look for him to fit in well with their slow it down and fire the ball away from deep type of play. Matt does indeed like to shoot from the perimeter. In this victory, he buried two of his four attempts from beyond the arc. Matt had a steal and transition lay-up. He didn't do much else though in his team's major blowout victory.

Stefan McCray (2011, 6-3 SF)
This young player looked really good. He can handle the ball pretty well, but also likes playing inside. On the interior, Stefan scored using a left handed hook shot. He also had an athletic jam.

Team Breakdown

Ray Taylor (2009, 5-5 PG)
This diminutive point guard is a lightning quick, change of direction point guard. He can get around defenders and into the lane whenever he wants. Ray made several nice passes. We also saw him use a ball fake and then finish after contact for an old fashioned three point play. On this loaded team, Ray is forced to play off the ball. He seems more suited to play the point guard role. His size was an issue when trying to guard bigger plays on the defensive end.

Florida Elite

Jordan Davis (2010, 5-11 PG)
This young guard put together a strong game. Jordan can drive in either direction and is very good finishing after attacking. He's a quick change of direction ball handler. Jordan had a scoop finish plus a foul on one occasion. This wing guard threw a fine pass to a teammate as well.

Greg Gantt (2009, 6-2 SG)
This lefty proved he can stroke the ball. He hit on several jumpers from the perimeter. Greg showed the ability to catch and shoot or pull up. He also scored on a transition basket with contact.

D-One

Ryan Morris (Unknown)
Ryan is a big bodied forward who showed he can really shoot the ball from the perimeter. Early on, he hit a pair of three pointers. Ryan buried another one from beyond the arc late in the contest. He also used his size to pull down several boards.

Worldwide Renegades Orange

Russell Powell (2009, 5-9 PG)
Russell had a solid outing on a loaded squad. He's a pretty quick ball handler who can get into the lane off the bounce. The lefty did a decent job of attacking from the perimeter. He scored on a couple occasions and also dished off for an assist on one play. Russell looked to push after grabbing several rebounds. He had a coast to coast play. He did miss on a runner and a three pointer. This small guard did a good job of running the offense. On this talented team, that is mostly what he's asked to do as he isn't a main scoring option. Russell didn't make any outstanding passes, but he did make solid ones. He had a decent outing from the lead guard position.

Upstate Basketball Club

Gerardo Suero (2008, 6-4 PG/SG)
Gerardo is an aggressive guard who can really get into the lane off the dribble. He finishes well around the rim. The smooth guard had a bank as well as a scoop finish. He showed he can knock down the perimeter jumper and hit out to three point range. Gerardo made a couple nice passes too. He could do more of that though. Several times he couldn't convert because there was simply too much traffic in the lane. Gerardo still played very well though.

Theodore Boymo (2010, 6-8 PF)
Theodore proved to be a solid forward in this one. He is long and pretty athletic. His most impressive play was a short drive and fake, followed by a lay-up. Theodore showed he can handle some in the open court and on the wing. He scored on a transition reverse too. He grabbed several rebounds to help his team out in this contest.

Rayner Moquete (2009, 6-1 PG) 
Raynor made a few plays, but overall was rather quiet. He scored one basket with a foul. He also had a nice drive and dish play.

Dakota Schoolers

Dusty Tetzlaff (2009, 6-7 PF)
Dusty likes to go to work on the inside. He hit a short bank shot with contact for an old fashioned three point play. He also had an athletic dunk. Dusty did fade as the game wore on. He started missing shots after driving to the hoop. He also went cold from the perimeter. Dusty grabbed a couple boards in this solid outing too.