*Online registration will begin Feb. 1

Main Gym:
Monarch High School
5050 Wiles Road, Coconut Creek, FL

Contact:
Brandon
954-234-8536

- All-Florida Showcase And Elite Skills Camp, March 10-16, 2012. There will be divisions for Middle School, High School/Unsigned Seniors and games will be played in multiple gyms due to the expected amount of players attending! Every player will be evaluated, professional video and photos will be taken, scouts and coaches will be in the building evaluating. So be sure to mark your calendars for March 10th!

- Showcase will include a dunk contest, a top 40 game and a top 20 game.

- Elite Skills camp will continue into the week March 12-16

Top Players Set To Attend:

Chris Walker (6’9 Forward; Top 5 Overall In The Country; Class of 2013)

Joel Berry (6’2 Guard; Top Sophomore PG In Florida; Class of 2014)

Demarcus Croaker (6’3 Guard; Top 10 In Florida; Class of 2013)

Kasey Hill (6’1 Guard; Top 3 PG In The Country; Class of 2013)

Malik Price-Martin (6’8 Forward; Top 5 In Florida; Class of 2013)

And more to be named.

Staff Reports

It’s fun to see the proliferation of mixtapes that are common for many players today, and they range from highlight tapes showcasing the players’ overall game to heavily stylized, slow motion free-for-alls. These are fun, but often they don’t match reality.

Perhaps the only player whose mixtape matches the reality of seeing him play is Michael Jordan. Jordan made the phenomenal play seem routine. Here’s some video of Jordan in HD that shows his essence, his ability to score and dominate even the greatest basketball players in the world.

Staff Reports

You might have seen our mention of Madison Jones last week, in our continuing series on the top high school basketball players in North and South Carolina for 2011-12 (Part 2), and of course, seeing is believing.

Here’s the official Madison Jones highlight mixtape from our good friends at M2 Productions:

By James Blackburn, Marcus Shockley, Matt Wood

Although technically a home game for QEA, Wednesday’s match up in Winston-Salem, NC between Oak Hill and Quality Education Academy was a homecoming of sorts for Tyler Lewis, who played last season at Forsyth Country Day, just outside of the city limits. Lewis made a mark in last year’s Frank Spencer tournament, where he broke Chris Paul’s scoring record on the same floor as this game.

The last matchup between these two teams was decided by one point, but this year’s Oak Hill team jumped to an early lead and never looked back. After leading 21-5 at the end of the first quarter, they built too much cushion for QEA to overcome, ultimately winning 84-67.

Here’s some scouting reports and thoughts from the game:

Oak Hill

AJ Hammonds (7’0”, C, 2012)
Committed to Purdue

Strengths

Tremendous shot blocker- not incredibly athletic, but has great timing. Had 9 blocks in game tonight- and kept most of the blocks in play. Good positioning on the defensive end- sees man and ball. Has the ability to control the game without scoring. Physically imposing. Good defensive rebounder- grabs the ball with 2 hands and keeps the ball high. Throws good outlet passes- several of which beyond half court. Did not get one ball stolen or a pass picked. Underrated passer. Did not show much offensively tonight- other than put backs and finishing off of dump downs (Note: Oak Hill runs the Dribble Drive offense, which puts the C opposite of the ball- he did not get many post up opportunities ball side) He did not take any jump shots in the game- but looked to have good touch and a high release in warm-ups.

Weaknesses
Is in pretty good shape considering size- should continue to shed fat and add muscle. Still raw offensively- needs a go-to post move. Plays below the rim. Needs to improve P/R defense- comes out half-heartedly to shade and then gets back to man- this will not stop PG’s turning the corner at Purdue. Needs to play every play and stay active- looked disinterested at end of game to a degree- Oak Hill was winning the game handily. Slow lateral speed.

Overall
Great defensive player. Good attitude through out game. Told us he has developed a right hand hook shot. Will be a force on the defense end in college and beyond. Potential future pro.

Tyler Lewis (PG, 5’11″, 2012)
Strengths
Sees the floor well- has eyes in the back of his head- can see the play before it happens. Makes the game easy for everyone. Sets the pace offensively. Changes speeds well- great P/R player. Looked a lot better defensively than when we last saw him in the Frank Spencer last year. Quick hands and stayed in front of his man better. Tremendous court sense/IQ. Pure PG. Wasn’t consistent from the free throw line but was getting put on the line several times as he had to push the ball up against two defenders at times, who could not stop his dribble without fouling. All in all, Lewis’s game was a really solid performance.

Note: We also saw Tyler at CP3 camp this past summer and he did hold his own against the top guards in the country. The knock on Tyler has been his size and his defense, but he may be showing people that he is putting in the work to be effective all-around. Committed to NC State.

Jordan Adams (SG/SF, 6’5″, 2012)
Knock down shooter from 3- needs to follow shot. Perfect form- quick release. Plays below rim- looked a little out of shape at this point (early) in the season. Great rebounder for size. Jordan has flashes of fluid play and will suddenly impact the game in multiple ways, but appears to drift at times. His outside shot is deadly and barely touches the net. Committed to UCLA.

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (SG, 6’3″, 2012)
A combo guard who has great body control and was hitting from outside and getting to the rim in transition. Hard nosed, tenacious player. Worked hard on defense to get around screens and tried to get in the passing lanes. Strong guard who looks ready for the physical play of D1. Looks like a combo guard but looks much more natural playing off of the ball. (Lewis looks like the only true point on Oak Hill based on this game’s rotation). Committed to Georgetown.

Darion Clark (SG/SF, 6’6″, 2012)
A physical player, strong, active. Has a D1 body/strength already and looks like a solid all-around player. Good rebounder for position.

Quality Education

James Ford(6’4”, G, 2012)
Good shooter, esp. from 3. Long and athletic- plays hard on both ends. Good defender. Had a putback dunk in the second half. One of the bright spots for QEA in this game, started off a little cold but soon started hitting everything. Can get above the rim with ease. Has interest from College of Charleston, St. Francis and Liberty but could be someone who gets a lot more interest this year.

Brandon Bolden (C, 6’11″, 2012)
Bolden played sparingly but looks like he has potential in the post, especially as he gets stronger. Really did not see enough from him tonight, especially when matched up against Hammons. Did not start in this game. Committed to Georgetown.

2011 Southeastern Challenge Showcase Highlights, filmed by Ycelan.

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Want all of the latest basketball related headlines from across the web, updated instantly? Check out Basketball Sports News

See a little of what Lebron James has been up to since there’s no NBA right now.

As our follow up to our recent interview with Tyler Lewis, we wanted to share the All Access feature from our friends at CourtCred.com. Enjoy!

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Hey! Have you heard about the Southeast Summer Showcase? It’s a premier individual players’ showcase, taking place on June 25. Rivals affiliates, college coaches and scouting services will be on hand for this high level, high competition basketball showdown. Click here and get more information today.

Today we share Austin Rivers’ final mixtape of the year, and it should be mentioned that he was one of the more impressive players at the Jordan Brand Classic. Austin looks close to being an NBA ready guard already, although he’ll get a chance to prove it by playing in the ACC next season.

By Marcus Shockley

Dave Telep said something a few days ago that echoes my own thoughts regarding some high school basketball stars. There is a lot of talk among high school players as to ‘who’s number 1′ and it culminates in rankings, lists and mix tapes which feature the next superstar. Telep said that the players who were the most concerned last year with their rankings and mixtape highlights are the very players struggling in college this year. Hey, there isn’t anything wrong with highlight tapes or mixtapes. But it needs to be said, many times, that high school ranking doesn’t mean a thing in the long run. Nothing.

Flikr/TruthAboutIt

When I spoke with Ryan Blake a few days ago, the NBA Director of Scouting, he said that if you watch high school players’ highlight tapes, everyone looks like an NBA All-Star. Then you see the player on the college court and they start looking very, very human.

The worst thing that can happen to anyone, not just basketball players, is to peak in high school. If you are playing in all-star games, getting listed in basketball magazines and have 3,000 Twitter followers as a high school senior, it’s all too easy to think you’ve made it. Got people hanging on your every word and college fans repeatedly clamoring to know where you are going to college?

That doesn’t mean anything. Yet.

Sure, you’ve got potential. But too many players think that a top high school ranking is going to guarantee them a lottery pick and a 15 year NBA career. All a top ranking guarantees you is that college fans are going to expect you to be amazing. They are going to expect to see what they saw in highlight films. They aren’t going to be happy if you can’t dribble to the left or can’t do the footwork in the paint. Suddenly, you’ll be just another college project, not a future NBA All-Star.

People can be very fickle. No, check that, they are fickle. They will love you as a high school player until you commit to their rival school. Then the fans of your school will love you until you step on the out of bounds line at a crucial moment in a game and they’ll call you a bust. Are you ready for that? You’ll have to have the focus and toughness to remember that even though the fans come and go, you are the same player and same person you always were. You need to be your own biggest fan and harshest critic.

To be fair, today’s top basketball high school players have more knowledge and experience against college and pro players than in the past. But playing high school and AAU doesn’t make you a pro, or even college ready. There’s a big difference in playing against high schoolers and playing against guys your own size, who are more than likely stronger and more experienced. It takes a lot of work and mental toughness to succeed, which too many players take for granted.

I’ve said it before, high school player rankings serve more for entertainment than real meaning. People love mock drafts and rankings, but in the end, none of it will matter if you get to college and never play defense or can’t hit a hook shot. Most players need a few years of work in college before they even make an impact, and the vast majority of players in the top 100 high schoolers never even sniff the NBA.

Don’t peak in high school. There are a lot players in college right now who aren’t any better than they were their junior year of prep varsity. They haven’t put in much work and they aren’t listening to their coach. Don’t be another ‘sob story’.

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