November 2011

Anthony Johnson

(G, 6’3″, RS Freshman)
Anthony Johnson
Photo Credit: purduesports.com

Scouting Report

Scout: James Blackburn

Purdue vs. High Point

Stats
7-12 FG, 13 TP, 4 REB, 1 STL Box Score

Strengths
Plays hard- plays the passing lanes well- excellent foot speed – good lateral movement. Is a nightmare for ball handler- cause’s problems and turnovers. Athletic- long 6’3” guard- changes speeds well to get to rim.
Pro level first step- can get to rim. Good looking jump shot- gets feet set- and follows through on 3 point shot- plays beyond his years. Not afraid to shoot – is unselfish and is willing to move the ball against the zone. Has an effective floater. Length and athleticism help make him solid rebounder- boxes out on most shots as well.

Weaknesses
Needs to improve FT shooting. Must improve off ball defense- hugs man too much, and does not see the ball- is an excellent on ball defender, but needs to improve team and help defense (Purdue is not helping much at all as a team, appears that they want HPU to beat them 1 on 1, rather than give up the 3). Is a tweener at 6’3”- more of a 2 than a true PG- is quick enough to guard a 1, but is not big or strong enough to guard a 2 at the next level. Is willing to make the extra pass on the perimeter, but once he puts ball on the floor- he is going to shoot- eyes go down- is focused on scoring the ball- does not drive to create, like he would need to do at next level playing the 1. Can score and play the 2 on the offensive end at next level, but can’t guard a 2. Combo guards who are primarily scorers are a dime a dozen. Telegraphs some of his passes.

Overview
Redshirt freshman from Chicago- top 100 recruit coming out of HS in Chicago.
Being an undersized shooting guard, he must have something that will make him stand out from the rest of the combo guards around the country- he must develop a skill set that will make him appealing to pro teams. Johnsons does stand out as reliable shooter, to go along to his athleticism and slashing ability and he is an excellent on-ball defender- must work on his playmaking ability and still has to learn defensive rotations at this level. HPU played a zone defense most of the game- I believe Johnson would be much more effective against a man to man. Full of energy- looked in excellent shape. Needs to be more assertive against zone- looked too comfortable to just move the ball at top of key- but to his credit, did not try to do too much- and made the easy play and pass- did not force the issue. Looked good in his first true test as a college basketball player- it will be interesting to watch him develop over the next few years, since he is just a freshman.

***

Want to keep up with all of the latest basketball headlines? Check out BasketballSportsNews.com.

Staff Reports

Quinton Ray (PG, 6’0″, 2013) is a solid PG who we scouted in the JD Lewis Fall league, is a solid passer and can shoot from deep. Recently we caught up with Quinton to get his current recruiting situation and what he’s doing to improve his game.

Quinton has interest from several colleges and it’s possible he could be ready for a breakout season, with his explosive game and an ability to read defenses quickly. Even though he’s a point guard, he understands how to move without the ball in his hands, and his ability to knock down shots makes him even more effective. Defensively, he works to get steals to turn into fast break points.

Quinton already looks physically ready to play in college, and with another year of high school to get stronger and improve, he is definitely a player to keep an eye on.

We’ve shared some Quinton Ray highlights in the past, but in case you haven’t seen him action:

Quinton Ray Basketball Elite

Today we introduce a new feature on Basketball Elite, the Sleeper Report, where we feature players who you might not know much about but are players who should be getting more press than they are. The inaugural report features St. John’s guard Nurideen Lindsey, who we scouted during the St. Johns – William & Mary game on opening night of NCAA men’s basketball.

Nurideen Lindsey

(G, 6’3″, Sophomore)

Nurideen Lindsey
Photo Credit: RedStormSports.com

Scouting Report

Scout: James Blackburn

Stats
8-12 FG, 3-8 FT, 5 st, 19 TP

Strengths
Outstanding floor general- good ball handler, solid passer. Unselfish. Leader on the floor. Ability to finish with contact. Good footwork. Ability to break down defense w/dribble penetration and either finish with a number of moves in his offensive arsenal or find the open man. Gets to the FT line at a high rate. He is a player who you want with the ball in his hands at end of shot clock or game. He is fearless and plays hard and with intensity. High volume scorer. Good defender who plays the passing lanes well. Very quick hands. Good size for the PG position.

Weaknesses
There was not a lot in Lindsey’s game to criticize tonight. Needs to improve his shooting, esp. from 3 and FT- would much rather attack rim, then shoot on the perimeter. Needs to improve FT shooting, gets to the line at a high rate and will have the ball in his hands at the end of the game- needs to make teams pay for fouling him.

Overview
First time I have seen him play. JUCO transfer who averaged over 20 and 5 last year at Redlands CC. Averaged over 35 ppg in HS, showing he can put up big numbers offensively. Has 2 years of eligibility at St. Johns. Under the radar player to keep an eye on. Def. a player to watch especially when St. Johns enters Big East play.

Staff Reports

Jordan Adams (SG/SF, 6’5″, 2012) is playing his senior season for Oak Hill Academy and has committed to play his college basketball for UCLA. Jordan brings a deadly outside shot to the Bruins as well as a solid understanding of the game. Here’s our chat with Jordan, who gives his thoughts on what he’s going to have to do succeed at the next level.

Staff Reports

Kyrie Irving had a brief but spectacular college career, with only 11 games in his freshman season playing for the Duke Blue Devils. Still, he wowed the crowds and proved himself enough to get a shot at playing in the NBA – so much so that he was the number one pick in the 2011 NBA draft. We caught up with Kyrie this week to get his thoughts on the NBA lockout, what he’s doing in the meantime and what he thinks he’ll need to do to succeed in the NBA.

While it wasn’t a complete surprise that Irving was such a high draft pick, many people were not aware at how effective Irving would be at dominating the game from the point guard position. One constant about a college point guard is that if he can consistently beat the zone in a top conference and get points at the rim, he’ll almost certainly be able to do it once he takes on the man-to-man of the NBA. Chris Paul is one the best examples of this, another ACC point guard. While Kyrie still has yet to play his first pro game, we think he’ll be able to make the transition and succeed.

Kyrie Irving Interview

****
Hey, if you like this kind of basketball coverage, do yourself a favor and sign up for the BasketballElite.com newsletter, which is free for basketball lovers.

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.

Oak Hill vs. Quality Education 2011

T.J. Warren basketball

T.J. Warren made his college choice on Wednesday, to stay close to his roots and play for the NC State Wolfpack. T.J. had narrowed his choices to the Pack and the Georgetown Hoyas. We’ve talked to T.J. several times and love his efficient ability to put the ball in the hoop. You can see our previous interview below and some of his highlights:

Highlights: