2012 High School OT Invitational Scouting Reports

By Devin Masone

The HighSchoolOT.com holiday tournament in Raleigh, NC is definitely one of the top talent events over the holiday break. This year, several teams with high profile recruits – and some on the rise – were on hand.

Garner Magnet

Demarcus Sanford G “6’1” Senior: Slashing guard with speed. Excels best when he is exploding to the rim. Great finisher. Solid mid-range game. Needs to work on decision making.

Julius Barnes G “5’8” Sophomore: On of the quickest guards I have ever seen. He is a “TRUE” point guard. Kid has excellent vision and knows how to get the ball to his teammates. Don’t sleep on his scoring ability though. Barnes has a great all-around shooting set.

Goldsboro

Lonzia Tyson C “6’8” Junior: Skinny frame big who has shown some athletic ability. Good finisher around the rim and a very good soft jump hook.

Leesville Road

Shyheid Petteway G “6’2” Senior: Good body frame guard who plays hard on both ends of the floor. His effort is something to watch. A rebounding guard who gets most his points off of put-backs. Very skilled shot blocking guard.

Lemont Martin-White PG “6’0” Senior: Mid-speed guard with quick handles. At his best when he is set in a isolated play setting. Can beat you on the drive with his floater but good on penetration passing.

Reggie Jones F “6’5” Senior: Lanky forward who can play the guard position if needed. Good, solid rebounder and is at his best playing 15ft facing the basket. He has a solid mid-range shot and post moves and can get up for blocked shots.

Broughton

Devonte Graham PG “6’1” Senior: Had one of his best games verse Person. Graham showcased his passing ability and really had some impressive assists. He shot the ball very well the whole tournament and his three point and mid-range game looked exceptional.

James Hemphill F “6’6” Senior: Really aggressive player that you can tell works hard. Kid can really rebound and has a nose for the ball. Very explosive off the boards. He really needs a deeper shot variety to excel for college though.

Cameron Gottfried G “6’2” Junior: Really Good three point shooters with great form. One of the best transition passers I’ve seen all year. He’s a solid defenders and very coachable kid.

Jamie Rooker G “6’2” Senior: A very young senior who could really benefit if he re-classed. In my option he is a undersized forward. Rooker is very explosive and is always looking to attack the rim and finish. He tried many times to dunk on opponents best nationally ranked players. Very good rebounding guard who provides a spark to the team.

Person HS

Tyrone Outlaw Jr F “6’6” Senior: Strong bodies forward who can punish any team inside and out. Outlaw can body you inside, catch put backs inside, or kill you with threes. Watch out though they don’t call him “Flight 44” for nothing, you can jump with him but in most instances that doesn’t matter.

Logan Coates G “6’5” Senior: One of North Carolina’s hidden treasures. Coates is a coach’s dream. Very Coachable kid who understands the game. A high riser who will give you highlight dunks and a three point specialist who can give any team a scoring threat.

Holly Springs

Craig McDaniel PG “6’2” Junior: Guard who can really get to the basket and finish. He has a very skinny frame but can finish on almost anyone. Also very explosive by the rim, the kid can get up!

DJ Flippin F “6’6” Senior: Nice mid-range game and face up game. Handles are suspect. Could transform into a really good athletic guard with the right coaching at the next level.

JF Webb

Tyrek Beverly F “6’3” Junior: Good body frame forward who can easily transform into a guard. Good team player, nice shot and finisher.

Isaiah Hicks F “6’9” Senior: Hicks has really added a shot to his game. A former post only player, Hicks has added a nice 15+ foot shot that will only prepare and make him better for his transition to UNC next year. Of course Hicks did put on a nice dunk and block display for the fans who came out.

Mitron Terry G “6’3” Junior: A scrappy guard who has so much heart. Kid gives it 110% every time he is one the floor. He is a great penetrator, shooter and defender. He is really starting to make a name for himself.

Devonte Williams G “5’8” Sophomore: One of the most composed young guards I’ve seen in a while. Great young point guard who has a good floater and shot. Passing could be better but with Hicks & Terry alongside him he averages 4+ assist a game easily.

Word of God

Josh Newkirk G “6’2” Senior: Josh has really turned out to be a explosive guard. He has added a consistent shot and his signature floater looks good. Passing has really improved and he is at his total best in the transition game.

Shane Whitfield F “6’5” Senior: College ready body. Great all around player and competitor. Very strong and athletic. Whitfield is a matchup problem, he is able to beat you on the drive or get you with is jumper.

Tyrek Coger C “6’8” Senior: Coger has really been working on his game and it is showing. He is finishing around the rim more than ever. Soft hand big who used to have problem finishing is now all around the basket with layups and dunks. Coger has become a physical rebounder and free-throws have improved.

Jordan Whitfield G “5’9” 8th Grade: Younger brother of Shane Whitfield. The kid can shoot the three ball. He had a decent floater but tons of composer. Came off the bench all tournament and was a spark. He ended up being named to the all-tournament team.

Apex

TJ Evans G “6’1” Junior: Evans can score the ball no doubt about it. Kid knows how to get to the basket. Even if Evans doesnt make the basket he makes sure to draw contact and get to the line. His decision making is solid, but would love to see him pass more.

T.J. Wells “5’10” Junior: Gaurd with good handles and decison making. Would love to see him shoot more but a solid player.

Dudley HS

Sam Hunt PG “6’2” Senior: Confident guard & a great passer in transition. Great free-throw shooter which came crucial in Dudley’s close championship win over Garner.

Miller School

Isaac Copeland F “6’9” Junior: Good forward who has a excellent jump shot, 15+ foot jumper comes natural to him. He needs a bigger body to be a “TRUE” forward but definitely a high major forward prospect and top 20 caliber player in his class.

Aram Martin F “6’9” Senior: Very physical forward who likes to be involved in every play. A big who loves the three ball and can defiantly hit it. He is a shot blocking threat.

Kinston

Josh Dawson PG “6’1” Senior: Tough guard (physically and mentally). Dawson is a tough competitor that wants to win! He gives it his all every play and fans take note of it. He is a natural leader and a very good finisher. When his shot is on he is very hard to guard.

Brandon Ingram G “6’7” Sophomore: Reminds me a little bit of Wake Forest’s Aaron Roundtree but more athletic. Skinny frame but a 6’7 with the height and handles that Ingram has he is becoming almost every guards nightmare.

New Hampton School

Noah Vonleh PF “6’9” Senior: He really is any high school players matchup problem, he has a college ready body and honestly can play any position on the floor. He has great soft hands for a big. Powerful down low, but can also beat you off the dribble from behind the three point arc.

Travis Jorgenson PG “6’0” Senior: Very crafty guard who was really a crowd favorite. He’s not your fastest guard you will see but the kid can dribble and was crossing defenders right and left all week. He knows how to get to the hoop and finish when he needs to but a excellent team player and play maker with vision.

Tory Miller PF “6’9” Junior: Strong bodied and very physical player. He is involved in almost every play down low. At his best when he is on the block posting up. A solid rebounder and loves showing off his explosive side (kid dunks everything and with authority).

Cuthberton

Shelton Mitchell PG “6’3” Junior: Mitchell was one of my favorite players to watch. He’s not the most crafty player on the floor or fastest but he is a tremendous basketball player. The lefty has a very solid jumper and floater and he is a natural competitor. In his matchup verse NC State commit Antony “Cat” Barber he was composed and held his own. Coach Roy Williams and staff were on hand for all his games.

Hampton

Antony “Cat” Barber PG “6’2” Senior: Very fast guard who has many gears to his game and knows when to turn them on. Barber knew exactly when to turn on the jets, showcase his incredible handles or show the range from behind the arc. Barber shot very well the whole tournament and was a crowd favorite.

Desoto

Matt Jones PG “6’4” Senior: Very skilled guard who can shoot the three ball. He plays very poise and is a team leader. He knows when to score and when to do the small things to help his team win ball games. He fits perfectly in the Duke system and can be a threat for their squad right away.

Devin Wyatt F “6’7” Junior: Wyatt was a human pogo stick all week long. His jumping and shot blocking ability was on display. Every team had to go hard when they played Wyatt and Desoto otherwise your shot wouldn’t see the rim. Wyatt hustles on every play and run the floor well.

High Point Christian

Diante Baldwin PG “6’0” Senior: Baldwin was one of the players you watch and he looks like a ball player. Baldwin won the crowd over with his fearless play, he wasn’t afraid to play anyone. A excellent penetrator and finisher. A coaches dream, he is very coachable and knows how to run a team.

—

Devin Mason owns M² Productions, providing highlight sports videos for athletes as well as mixtapes of some of the best up and coming high school and collegiate players on the court today. Check out his latest work by following Devin on Twitter @msqdprod.