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Part II



2003 Kingwood Classic Recap – Part II

by Phil Kasiecki


Part I: Class of 2004 | Part II: Class of 2005/2006

Class of 2005

Take note, folks: Keith Brumbaugh (6’9″ SF-PF, Deland (FL) High) will be a player. Brumbaugh got better as the weekend went along, as the lefty is long and athletic and showed a multitude of skills. He handled the ball and ran the fast break, rebounded, and by the end of the weekend he knocked down several three-pointers, though that is clearly not his forte. His shot selection left a little to be desired at times and his right-handed dribble needs work, but he has the makings of a big-time prospect down the road.

Brumbaugh’s teammate, Walter Hodge (6’0″ PG, Melbourne (FL) Florida Air Academy) showed some potential at the point in relatively limited playing time after an early pool play game. He’s a quick penetrating guard who made a few nice passes.

Continuing on the tip of Florida talent, the Florida Prep Stars brought a couple of sophomores to keep an eye on. Terrance Vinson (6’9″ PF, (FL) Lowndes HS) used his long arms well to block some shots and is athletic in the post, while Ryan Reid (6’8″ PF, (FL) Boyd Anderson HS) has good size and athleticism and should develop into a nice player.

Byron Eaton (5’11” PG, Dallas (TX) Lincoln HS) has been much-talked about for a while now, and he is justifying the hype. He has a big, strong body for a point guard, but is very quick and knifes to the basket and also swished a few three-pointers. He’s the top player on a team that had just one rising senior, and one of the top players in this class.

The DC Blue Devils weren’t just loaded with rising seniors. Marcus Ginyard (6’5″ SG-SF, Arlington (VA) Bishop O’Connell) appears to be the best rising junior. He’s very quick and athletic, knifing his way to the basket with great body control, and he handles the ball well. He’s a pesky on-the-ball defender as well. Eric Price (6’0″ PG, Washington (DC) Dunbar HS) showed some quickness and slashing ability, running the show capably and also knocking down a couple of three-pointers to keep the defense honest. Reportedly, he will head to Blair Academy in New Jersey next year. Justin Castleberry (6’2″ PG, Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha HS) may be the next star at DeMatha, though the most that can be said from here is that he had his moments while running the show off the bench.

YOMCA had a couple of sophomores to keep an eye on as well. Demond Yates (6’8″ PF, Memphis (TN) Fayette-Ware HS) is an athletic post player who showed some inside scoring ability and a touch from just outside the paint, and should get better with added strength. JP Prince (6’7″ SF-PF, Memphis (TN) White Station HS) played very limited minutes, but has good size and will get his chance to shine.

California Team Select brought a couple of good rising juniors, notably an excellent floor leader in Michael Garrity (6’0″ PG, Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei HS). He fearlessly penetrates and always seems to get to the basket with deceptive quickness and instincts, and finishes many of his drives or finds an open man. He’s not a shooter, but he generally makes good decisions. Amir Johnson (6’9″ PF, Los Angeles (CA) Verbum Dei HS) showed a lot of promise, as he’s an athletic post player who played better as the weekend went along and will be very good with added strength. He can score on the post and showed a touch on jumpers a short distance from the hoop, while making his share of athletic plays.

Another Californian, Marcus Johnson (6’5″ SF, Los Angeles (CA) Westchester HS) showcased his athleticism and in-between game. He’s one of the best athletes in this class, uses his athleticism and good lateral quickness on defense, but needs to continue to improve his ball skills.

Georgia Elite brought the good underclassmen as well. Jay Brown (6’7″ SF-PF, Griffin (GA) High) didn’t show the best of ball skills in the first game we saw, but he looked better later on and is a strong athlete. He looks like a power forward who is expanding his game and transitioning to small forward and experienced a few of the bumps in such a transition. Marquis Ruffin (6’3″ SG, Campbell HS) and LaBrez Barber (6’0″ PG, South Dekalb (GA) High) are guards who showed some potential.

Mike Davis (6’8″ PF, Brooklyn (NY) Xaverian HS) missed a little time with an injury, but when he played, he continued his good spring play. He battles inside, is long and athletic, and will be a solid prospect when it’s all said and done.

Tyrell Biggs (6’8″ PF, Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep) looked good for Riverside Church, as he has a big body but moves it very well in the post and away from the basket. If he can lose some weight, playing small forward might not even be out of the question with a little of what he showed.

Tyler Hansborough (6’8″ PF, St. Louis (MO) Popular Bluff HS) had a good showing, as he runs the floor well, battled inside and was good on the glass at both ends. He scored in the post and showed a little touch away from the basket, and will be among the top prospects in this class.

Emmanuel Mayben (6’2″ PG, Troy (NY) High) ran the show well for the Albany City Rocks, as the pass-first floor leader did a nice job of getting the ball to his big men and hit a game-winning jumper in the final seconds of one game. He’s quick and passes well, though he sometimes plays a little too much for show and not enough for effect.

Class of 2006

No freshman has been more hyped than Derrick Caracter (6’9″ PF, Elizabeth (NJ) Scotch Plains HS), and while he didn’t deliver the goods fully, he continues to show plenty of promise. He moves his 270-pound frame very well, has polished post moves and a soft touch, but has to bring the energy every minute he’s out there. He’s still a young kid, so the expectations need to be realistic right now; that being said, the kid will only get better.

Marques Johnson (6’5″ PG-SG, Ft. Wayne (IN) Snider HS) caught our attention in his team’s first game, as he took over the game in stages before his team lost. He has good quickness and got to the basket basically when he wanted to, finishing well and showing some defensive abilities on the ball. His playmaking skills look questionable, but at his size he can be a scoring guard without a problem.

Curtis Kelly (6’8″ PF, New York (NY) Rice HS) got better as the weekend went along, notably being more aggressive. The lefty has long arms and is athletic in the post, and will get better with added strength and if his hands get better.

Matthew Shaw (6’8″ PF, Los Angeles (CA) Verbum Dei HS) didn’t play major minutes for California Team Select, but showed some potential. He has good size and showed some athleticism on the post.

Part I: Class of 2004 | Part II: Class of 2005/2006

     

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