June 2011 – Page 2 – Basketball Elite

Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp 2011

By Marcus Shockley & James Blackburn

Chris Paul takes on Kendall Marshall as Jarrett Jack looks on.

One of our favorite camps of the year is Chris Paul’s elite guard camp, which brings in some of the best college guards as well as a couple dozen elite high school players. This year, Chris has brought in fellow pros Eric Bledsoe, Jarrett Jack and L.D. Williams to help the college players bolster their games. We’ll have more reports after the event and especially after scrimmage games; the first night is entirely drills, and it’s one of the few times you can see college players in a camp setting like this.

Some early notes:

College Players

Harrison Barnes – Actually looks a step quicker than last season, better with the ball. Could be from playing in the ACC all year, but he is active, talking to other players, working the drills. Had huge putback dunk in 5-on-5 drills. Great attitude, cannot emphasize that enough.

Kendall Marshall – Improved jump shot

Kenny Boynton – Very Quick

Jordan Taylor – Solid, smart- great defender- high release- shot has little hitch. Went through drills very hard. Has a strong upper body. Great defense in 1 on 1 drill. Had a great defensive trip against Chris Paul, forcing Chris into a tough fade way 3 that hit the side of the backboard. Explosive and can get to rim and go to middle- loves little right hand hook/floater- Shawn Marion type shot. Future pro

High School Players

Rodney Purvis Looks Ahead to Shawn Lester.

Rodney Purvis (PG, 6’4″, 2012) – Bigger and stronger than last season, now looks like NBA sized guard. Did not get to see him too much but he was matched up against Tyler Lewis in most drills. Purvis now looks like he’s got the strength for the college game. Still looks like his jumper needs consistency, but the first step and explosiveness is there. Fastest HS player baseline to baseline with out ball.

Marcus Bryan (PF, 6’7″, 2013). Has grown a couple of inches but still has an impressive fluidity to his game, great handle and quickness. He has good strength and his height makes him a match up problem for the guards at the camp.

Bronson Koenig (PG, 6’2″, 2013) . Poised and calm, worked to get into a rhythm during one-on-one drills. Has a solid mid range pull up jumper and deft, smooth moves to get to the basket. Needs to get stronger.

Codi Miller-McIntyre (PG, 6’2″, 2012) – Wake Forest commit. Very solid, strong with the ball, heads up dribbler who knows how to run the offense. Makes moves with determination and looks like he understands the flow of the offense very well.

L.J. Rose (PG/SG, 6’3″, 2012) – Handles the ball extremely well, eyes up dribbler. Has good strength. Looks like he could play the 1 or the 2, but need to see him play the point during scrimmages. Fades on his shot some, may have been tired after drills. Messed up one drill and went back and did it over again. Cool demeanor. Solid jump shot, started making them towards the end of the 1 on 1 drills, after struggling with it early. Good defense- contests most shots with hand in face. Has a bad habit of drop dribbling.

Gary Harris (SG/PG, 6’4″, 2012) One of, if not the top HS player that we saw tonight. Did it all. Won the 1 on 1 drill for the HS players. Very strong- can finish with contact. Man amongst boys. Can get to rim and finish. Solid defense. Needs to work on jump shot and consistency- low release. More of a slasher than shooter.

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Southeast Summer Showcase basketball north carolina

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.

Basketball Elite Teams Up With Krossover

It’s never been done before.

Hyperbole is common in sports, but this is the real thing. Krossover, the video software that lets you index every possession of every game, is sponsoring the video from the BasketballElite.com Southeast Summer Showcase, which means that not
only will every coach in the country get the chance to scout the event, they’ll get to use the Krossover software to review the players’ performances like never before.

This will be the first time a showcase has provided coaches and colleges with such a prolific way to extend their scouting efforts. Krossover has been featured by ESPN in some of the high school tournaments this season and recently, the Miami Heat turned to Krossover to review the video from their Game 5 loss and try to make adjustments. It’s a world class video software designed specifically for sports.

The Krossover software will also make it possible for colleges attending the showcase to review what they witnessed in person using the best available tools, and get the most out of their scouting efforts. With most events, it’s hard to see all players adequately, and coaches have to be very judicious about who they choose to scout. Unfortunately, that means that all too often, some players get missed when showing their best performances.

To find out more about Krossover and what the software can do for coaches, players and fans, visit their website at http://www.krossover.com.

Why It’s So Easy To Hate Lebron

By Marcus Shockley

It’s an understatement that Lebron James has become the most hated man in the NBA. While most reporters and fans seem to have turned on Lebron following last summer’s egotistical display of announcing his free agency destination on a 30 minute television special, the roots of the sudden vitriol for All Things James go back much farther than that. It’s really something that two of the most likable personalities in the NBA, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, have become tied to the outpouring of hatred that has been aimed at Lebron.

The hatred for Lebron is actually rooted in the way that he’s been foisted on fans as the greatest player ever, long before he ever stepped on an NBA court, and continues to be called ‘King James’ regardless of how he plays. It’s backlash, not just for ‘The Decision’, but for his entire career of being rabidly hyped by the media and NBA, and possibly just as much, his sense of entitlement to that hype.

A perfect example, in a nutshell, was on a single play in Game 3 of the NBA Finals this year. Lebron, who is an excellent passing forward, sent a routine pass to Chris Bosh, who was on the move through the lane. Bosh caught the pass fluidly in mid-stride, went airborne, rose over and through two defenders, slamming down a two handed dunk in an effortless move. Bosh took an ordinary pass and showed what being bigger, faster and more agile can accomplish. The announcers, however, did not mention Bosh at all, instead gushing about how Lebron is ‘such a gifted passer’ and ‘sees everything’. That plays poorly with the fans, who already are weary of poor officiating and players’ manufacturing of fouls through acting. When Mark Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy tell us a lie about what we saw, it goes against our collective sense of what makes sports great. It also feels like we’re being told that Lebron is amazing despite the fact we just witnessed a different player, on that particular play, doing something amazing.

Therein lies the problem. Nobody needed to tell the fans that Micheal Jordan was great, or that Magic Johnson, Larry Bird or Dr. J were some of the best of all time. Fans already knew. What has rubbed fans wrong for so long about Lebron is the incessant praise he’s received his entire career, even when he hadn’t earned it. This is not to say Lebron is not a great player. He’s had many legitimate highlights in his career and there’s no reason to assume he can’t achieve greatness. It is to say, okay, if he’s great, shut up about it, and we’ll see it on our own in due time. We see when Lebron makes a great play. If Lebron has a career in which he leads a team to multiple titles, we’ll see that too. In other words, stop telling us it’s already happened.

If the NBA has such a hard time grasping why fans are rooting against Lebron, they should start by looking in the mirror.

Southeast Summer Showcase Deadline

Due to the response for the upcoming Southeast Summer Showcase, we are having to establish a deadline of June 13, 2011 for registration.

UPDATE: Due to a technical glitch on the evening of the deadline, we extended the deadline for early sign registration. However, space is limited, so check the site here to see if we are still taking registrations.

This is so we can plan for jerseys, coaches and logistics surrounding the event. If you are planning on attending, you need to register ahead of time in order to secure your spot at the showcase. There is a possibility that players who show up on the day of the event to register will have to be turned away.

The Basketball Elite Southeast Summer Showcase is 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.

Wake Forest Elite Camp 2011

By James Blackburn

Over 100 high school players converged on the campus of Wake Forest on Saturday for a one day Elite camp. Players had the opportunity to learn from the Wake Forest coaching staff and players and compete against each other in games and drills. Here I will give brief scouting reports on the players who stood out in my mind after watching them go through drills and play in games. Granted, these are only the players that I was able to watch today. Apologies to the guys I did not get to see play, there were 5 gyms that were being used, and I did my best to see as many teams and players play as I could.

Top players by class

Class of 2013

Justin Ramey (PG, 5’9”, Queen Anne School)

Good floor general. Great attitude and is a team player. Smart and willing passer. Needs to continue to work on his shooting.

Anton Gill (SG, 6’3”, Ravenscroft)

Big time scorer w/ a strong upper body. Solid shooter. Must continue to work on playmaking skills. UNCC and ECU has offered scholarships to the guard. NC State, Clemson, and Xavier have also taken notice of his potential.

Raekwon Harney (PG, 6’0”, Northeastern)

Quick. Can get to paint, where he uses creativity to finish or he can pull up. Good shooter from 3 point range. Averaged 10 ppg and 3 apg last season.

Clayton Massey (C, 6’6”, Myers Park)

Did a good job in the morning session of post drills. Showed the ability to use either hand effectively. Very strong- one of the strongest post players represented at camp. Solid defender, although he is foul prone.

Matthew Madigan (PG, 6’4”, Reagan HS)

Smart, poised, and confident. High Basketball IQ. Good smooth shooting stroke. Lefty. Handles the ball well. Great shooter off the catch. Has the ability to play either guard position. Is a good enough ball handler and has the IQ to play the PG, but must work on playmaking skills. Has the shooting ability to play the shooting guard, but struggles to defend taller, quicker, and more athletic shooting guards at the other end.

Reed Lucas (G, 6’4”, Greensboro Day)

Good 3 point shooter. Has a slow release, but gets good rotation and arc on shot- very nice stroke. When he misses, he misses off the back of rim- never in front or side to side. Shooting is number 1 skill, but he is more athletic than one would think- had a nice 1 handed alley-oop lay-up finish from bad pass. Has developed a 1 dribble pull-up to complement his set shooting. OK passer. Does not do much with out ball- not very effective- does not move with out ball and does not understand court spacing. Defense and rebounding must improve. Intriguing player nonetheless.

Christian Hairston (SF, 6’7”, Greensboro Day)

Calm demeanor. Solid all- around player- does it all- passes, rebounds, defends, scores.

Good slasher, who can get to rim and finish or pass to open player. Unselfish. Athletic. Good footwork- nice jab step- on balance. Had shot blocked today by the much taller and longer Chuck Ogbodo, but showed zero frustration and kept going at him. Must work on shooting and range.

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Chuck Ogbodo (C, 6’11”, High Point Christian)

Very long and athletic. Good shot blocker. Raw offensively. Needs to keep ball higher- brings it low and gets it stripped by smaller guards. Has a high release, but jump shot needs work. Disappears for stretches- needs to run floor harder and be more active.

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Codi Miller-Mcintyre (PG, 6’2”, First Assembly Christian)

Good ball handler. Gets good elevation on pull-up. Struggled with his shooting a little bit in the afternoon session of drills, but misses were good. Did not get to see him play in the games today, but did see him in the drills. Committed to Wake Forest.

Class of 2012

Zeb Richardson (C, 6’8”, Ashe County)

Runs the floor well- Tyler Zeller like. Good shot blocker and defender. Keeps the ball high. Did a great job in the post drills, especially with the Mikan Drill. Raw offensively.

TJ Carpenter (G/F, 6’4”, Lakeside)

Good all-around athlete. High a big time 1 hand throw down in the mourning 3 on 3 drills. High volume scorer. Averaged 26.1 ppg last season, 3rd best in the state of Louisiana. Needs to continue to improve play making skills- TO prone- over dribbles. Can fill the break and finish.

Max Eaton (C, 6’6”, Admiral Farragut Academy)

Great pick and pop player. Deep 3 point range. Saw him hit 7 in a row at half time from beyond the NBA 3 line. Sets solid screens. Low release- shoots from side of head- but good rotation and very high arcing shot. Strong. Decent ball handler for a post player. Had a good drive and finish with his left hand in the last game of the day. Good rebounder. Has received interest from several smaller schools.

Elijah Wilson (G, 6’1”, Laney HS)

Most active player I saw in the camp today. Do-it-all player for his team today. Kept his team in the game single handedly. Strong finisher-lefty. Showed the ability to finish with right hand as well. Attacks the basket hard. Athletic- capable of finishing over the rim. Great defensive player- slides feet and has active hands. Plays hard.

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The Double Standards of College Athletics

By Marcus Shockley

I won’t go so far as to defend Jim Tressel, the highly successful coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team who was forced to resign this week in the wake of heavy NCAA violations and an ongoing investigation. I do want to examine the curious disconnect that exists among fans and players about what is acceptable for pro players and businesses but not acceptable for amateur athletes.

Let’s start by pointing out that the vast majority of college athletes don’t get the chance to take special privileges, gifts, or anything of that nature. While it does happen, it’s more rare than people think. However, if we only consider the top programs in big money sports, namely college football and college basketball, it’s not that rare at all.

But instead of digging into the ongoing saga of college athletics and how top programs often break the NCAA rules in order to win by bringing in the top athletes, I’d like to suggest that some of the behavior that is condemned in the media and by fans is the same behavior that is perfectly acceptable in business and in life. It’s been said before that some players are pros long before they enter college and have to ‘pretend’ to be amateur for a year or two in some cases.

The issue I raise is that businesses use every advantage available to them, and are expected to do so. For example, the NFL can negotiate higher television contracts each time around because their ratings and popularity continue to grow. It’s an advantage that they have that other leagues could not leverage. But a college athlete cannot use their name recognition to profit in any way; they can’t get better deals on things they purchase or get money for appearances, or anything. The college can make money on them, of course. But not the players. Is it any wonder that the NCAA fights so hard to keep from having to pay any players? They are banking on using the player’s marketability while at the same time preventing the player from doing the same. The question really is, who owns the player’s likeness? The NCAA claims that they (the NCAA) do.

So while openly cheating to win is something I despise, I find it a much tougher, more grey area when it comes to ‘benefits’ to players. It’s hard to get past the fact that the NCAA is also using their position to force players into binding agreements which equal legalized indentured servitude. The college is trading tuition, training and exposure for massive profits on the players’ marketability. For players who have little chance of playing professional sports, the deal is fine, especially if they are serious about getting their college degree. But for the elite players who are bound for pro paychecks, it’s a completely different scenario.

The Smallest Loser

By Marcus Shockley

When it comes to trying to predict the winners in any sport, it’s not just random numbers, despite what XKCD may claim. Trends in sports are often more reliable than trends in the stock market, and one of those trends is that perpetual runners-up rarely get over the hump.

That is to say, losers consistently lose. The Buffalo Bills are the most cited example of this, a team that was good enough to get to the Super Bowl four times but not good enough to win it. The reality is that the Bills were good enough to win a Super Bowl, but for whatever reason, most likely mental, they could not close the deal. This trend holds true in all sports, although not always as clear cut as the Bills, and of course there are exceptions.

That brings us to this year’s NBA Finals. The reality is that the Finals are loaded with runners-up. Lebron James, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd are all players who have tasted the championship only to see it slip away. Chris Bosh has never been on a real contender. In fact, the only real winner in the group is Dwyane Wade, who teamed up with Shaq for Miami’s lone title run. You could also add in Pat Riley and the Miami Heat organization if you are looking for some kind of added leverage.

So when predicting this NBA Finals, you have a team with a ton of experience and drive in the Mavericks, versus a team loaded with scoring talent. On paper, it gives Miami a slight edge simply because of Wade and Riley. This is a chance for one of the two groups of losers to land on the winning side, and only time will tell who is able to buck their own history.