First day game broadcast from the 2014 Triad Pro Am, from Winston-Salem, NC. Features Wake Forest player Greg McClinton and former UNC player Vassil Evtimov.
Greg McClinton
Peach Jam 2012 Final Four: CP3 All Stars vs. Oakland Soldiers
By Marcus Shockley
More player evals are coming, but here’s a few notes from this year’s EYBL Final Four matchup between the CP3 All-Stars and the Oakland Soldiers.
Oakland Soldiers vs. CP3 All-Stars
Oakland Soldiers 55
CP3 All-Stars 53
The CP3 All-Stars come in loaded with a couple of a high flyers, one of whom being Theo Pinson (SG/SF, 6’5″, 2014), who has an electric style of play as evidenced in the highlight dunk from the Saturday night win over E1T1 (video above). Pinson is a big time athlete with great length and bounce. Still working on his handle but has great elevation on his jump shot. Pinson continues to track as one of the top prospects in his class.
The Oakland Soldiers’ biggest name is Aaron Gordon (PF, 6’9″, 2013) a long player with great awareness and quickness from the big forward spot. It’s not unusual to see Gordon bringing the ball up the floor and finding an open teammate. He is a top flight basketball talent, excellent footspeed for a big and light touch around the basket. He is versatile and can pull other bigs away from the basket in order to drive around them. Still needing to add muscle to bang in the paint but Gordon is a future pro prospect and likely lottery pick when he makes the jump to the NBA.
Sam Hunt (PG/SG, 6’1″, 2013) continues to impress me with his ability to score, even against elite talent. Hunt is sort a forgotten man on CP3, since there are so many big names, but I currently have him as the #2 PG in NC in his 2013, so I’m not surprised to see him getting buckets at EYBL. Hunt is strong and has a consistent deep shot.
The Oakland Soldiers, in this game, went as Gordon went- they took an early lead, but when the big man picked up his third foul late in the first half, CP3 took advantage and built a small lead. Greg McClinton (SF, 6’6″, 2013) showed much of the explosive athleticism that highlight video guys desperately seek. McClinton has an agile ability to get putback shots and finish in transition, but also can shoot from mid range or deep, as we saw during the high school season.
Kendall Smith (PG, 6’2″, 2013) is a capable, sure handed point guard for Oakland, while the player who gives a real boost to Gordon is Stanley Johnson (SF, 6’7″, 2014), who has a great ability to do his work in the mid range, whether it’s exploiting gaps in the zone defense or getting off his own shot on the move. For CP3, Youssoupha Kane (C, 6’11”, 2013) continued to show he belongs on the national scene with his superb shot blocking ability and some decent offensive moves. Kane is a solid prospect with a lot of room to grow as a player. Definitely a guy who has slipped through the cracks of the national rankings due to his limited exposure in the United States. Reggie Dillard (SG, 6’3″, 2013) showed an improved ability to pump fake on the perimeter and drive effectively for CP3.
The final play came down to free throws at the last second, with Pinson unable to convert after being fouled on a three point shot, and the Oakland Soldiers advanced to face CIA Bounce in the championship game.
7 Questions With…Greg McClinton
By Marcus Shockley
Greg McClinton (SF, 6’6″, 2013) is an AAU teammate of Rodney Purvis and a great prospect from North Carolina. Greg has length and a ballhandling ability that will allow him to play the 3 in college and probably a lot of the 2. He’s a big time athlete with a good head on his shoulders, a quick first step and an ability to get above the rim. But all of that doesn’t tell you one of the most important things: He plays under control, keeps his emotions in check and just wants to help his team win. He doesn’t jaw at the officials or other players or showboat, which makes his explosiveness that much more impressive. It’s hard, as a fan of the game, not to like McClinton’s approach, and it’s not a surprise that he admires Harrison Barnes’ reputed work ethic.
He can defend multiple positions and moves very well laterally. If he can improve his consistency on his outside shooting, he’s going to really be difficult to guard and has the talent and potential to play beyond the college game.
Here’s our 7 Questions with Greg.
1. The first question (it always is): Which schools are you considering,
what offers have you received or what colleges have been communicating with you?
Offered:
Wake
Xavier
Virginia Tech
Miami
High Interest:
Louisville
Clemson
2. What visits have you taken or plan to take?
I have visited
Louisville
Wake
Virginia Tech
Xavier
I plan on visiting Miami sometime next year when I have the time.
3. What are the parts of your game that you feel are the strongest?
I feel that I do the little things. I can rebound, I have a nice pull up mid-range, I can get to the basket, and I think I’m a good defender. I have a good basketball IQ.
4. Are any coaches giving you feedback on your game, and if so,
what are they telling you they want to see?
They want me to play harder and be more consistent. They also want me to improve my shooting ability from deep.
5. What are the parts of your game you are currently working on?
I’m doing a lot of shooting and ball handling, and working on being a better finisher around the basket.
6. Can you name a current or past player or a coach (at any level)
that you may admire and why you admire them?
Harrison Barnes. I really like his game. I hear from people all the time that he has a great work ethic. I think he’s going to be a great player one day.
7. If you could tell people one thing about you that you wish
they knew, what would it be?
That I’m a good kid and I’m just trying to get better and be the best I can be.
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Greg McClinton Basketball Scouting Report & Video
By Marcus Shockley
Greg McClinton (SG/SF, 6’6″, 2013) is a player who has length, speed with a nasty first step. We first scouted him when he was in the eighth grade and he’s grown another inch and still looks like the prospect we thought he’d be. He’s already garnered offers from Virginia Tech and Miami, but if he continues to work on his game, there will be more to come. Be sure to watch this video in HD, and check out Greg’s full court speed and ability to get to the rim at the 1:10 mark.
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