ABCD Camp – Player Profiles – Class of 2006
TEANECK, NJ – The 2004 ABCD Camp had a new sponsor after years of carrying Adidas’ name. After camp director Sonny Vaccaro left Adidas and joined Reebok, he took the sponsorship with him, and this is the first year with the Reebok sponsorship. With that, the camp has now held the sponsorship of all three major shoe companies at one time or another during its 21-year history.
Saturday night featured the best matchup of all, as the top two rising juniors had at it with Greg Oden and Derrick Caracter going head-to-head. When the two faced off at the Houston Kingwood Classic in late April, it was a dud as neither player did much in the game, but this time around it was classic save for a few bad calls by the officials. In this case, the matchup was interesting very quickly, when Caracter got the ball on the post, backed Oden in, then scored right over him and got a foul. Later, Caracter scored a few more times on the post and hit a couple of jumpers, but also got called for a few offensive fouls. Oden scored a few baskets of his own and drew fouls on Caracter, but Caracter gets the slight edge in this matchup. It surely won’t be the last one between the two that will draw heavy interest over the next two years.
As great as that matchup was, Caracter and Oden were far from the only big-time talents there. In a year featuring a down rising senior class, the underclassmen stole the show as there were plenty of them. Even so, a number of top senior players were present. Some lived up to their billing, some didn’t play as well as expected, and a few really helped their recruitment with good performances in front of many coaches, including a number of head coaches. With that in mind, we take a look at some of the notable players.
Class of 2006
Derrick Caracter (6’8″ PF, Scotch Plains (NJ) St. Patrick’s HS) His matchup with Oden won’t soon be forgotten, but aside from having the edge there, his camp was just good. He scored in close, including using the left hand, and showed his touch from mid-range and didn’t get caught up in trying to play away from the basket too much. On the down side, his rebounding wasn’t as good as it usually is, and in trying to take Oden off the dribble, he committed three charging fouls. Still, he’s right there among the top prospects in this class.
Earl Clark (6’7″ SG-SF, Rahway (NJ) High) Versatile athlete has loads of potential, and he showed it here. But he also showed that it is just that – potential. He can capably handle any of the three perimeter positions, and he often ran the point, but along the way he took some questionable shots and missed a number of close shots en route to a poor overall shooting percentage. He looks to have all the tools, but needs to improve his shot.
Dwayne Collins (6’8″ PF, Miami (FL) Senior HS) This athletic and very active post player had a solid camp overall. He showed some quick moves inside and was among the top rebounders at the camp (top rebounder among rising juniors), and generally seemed to have a nose for the ball.
Daequan Cook (6’6″ SF, Dayton (OH) Dunbar HS) After struggling to score most of the camp, this athletic scoring wing came alive in the Underclassmen game en route to co-MVP honors with 21 points (9-11 shooting) and 9 rebounds. His overall numbers were mediocre by his standards, but he’s still among the better prospects in the class right now.
William Crews (6’6″ SF-PF, Hampton (VA) Phoebus HS) Athletic combo forward had a good showing, as he battled inside and was efficient at both ends of the floor. He converted 67% of his field goals and rebounded well, ranking among the top ten in the class in the latter category for the camp.
Robert Eppinger (6’8″ PF, Rockford (IL) Jefferson HS) Good size post player had a nice showing at the camp, although he did drift away from the basket a bit much. He showed a nice touch away from the basket on offense and was good on the boards, but also shot just 38% from the field – not a good percentage for a post player. He’s a prospect with good potential.
Jimmy Graham (6’8″ SF-PF, Goldsboro (NC) Charis Prep Academy) His red afro got the attention of observers, but his play did a nice job of it as well. He has good size and really competes inside, and he was the top shot-blocker in the camp. He earned a spot in the Underclassmen game, and as he was miscast in a game more about highlight reel plays than anything else, he didn’t put up big numbers. Nonetheless, this solid prospect committed to Miami shortly after the camp.
Eugene Harvey (5’11” PG, Brooklyn (NY) St. Benedict’s Prep) Quick floor leader had a nice showing, finishing in the top ten in assists and fourth in steals. He showed his ability to penetrate and dish, and also took good care of the ball with a nearly 2:1 assist/turnover ratio. He didn’t show much from long range, but still made 48% of his field goal attempts and is a nice floor leader.
Tom Herzog (6’11” C, Linden (MI) Powers Catholic HS) Very thin post player didn’t put up big numbers, but showed good fundamentals inside like keeping the ball high and showed some good post work in the Saturday morning skill stations. He’s a shot-blocker who can rebound some as well.
Trevon Hughes (6’1″ PG-SG, Wauwatosa (WI) St. John’s NW Military Academy) Quick and very active guard shot the ball very well as part of a good all-around effort. He was third in three-point shooting and ranked among the top players in steals, while also getting a good share of rebounds for his size and making some good decisions with the ball.
Tory Jackson (5’10” PG, Saginaw (MI) Buena Vista HS) Very quick penetrator was easily one of the top players in the class at the camp and looks like he’ll be one of the elite prospects. He finished very well against the big guys and absorbs contact well, and also showed a nose for the ball. One highlight was a tip-in he got over big man Amir Johnson, who stands a whole foot taller. On the down side, he didn’t shoot the ball well from long range and had more turnovers than assists. Still, he’s shaping up as one of the elite prospects in the class.
Curtis Kelly (6’9″ PF, New York (NY) Rice HS) After a rather non-descript spring, he showed some flashes of the great potential he showed last spring. He ran the floor well and got some close baskets, and was a factor inside most of the time, but he was also very turnover-prone and tried at times to be a small forward, which he is not. He’s not very explosive, and needs to settle into the power forward position.
Johnnie Lett (6’9″ PF, Mobile (AL) BC Rain HS) Quietly, he led all rising juniors in rebounding and tied for second in the camp in that category. He has good size and was a consistent presence inside, adding eight rebounds in the Underclassman game. Offensively, he didn’t play that well, as he shot just 33% from the field.
Greg Oden (7’0″ C, Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence North HS) Big man has all the potential in the world, but at times his reserved nature almost seems to hinder him. He scored frequently on offensive rebounds and stickbacks as well as dunks, while doing his usual work of running the floor and being a defensive terror. Players won’t score easily on him and he’s solid on the boards, ranking second in the class in the latter category in the camp. He showed a good mid-range touch Saturday morning in the skills stations, but stays to the post most of the time on offense. The big thing he lacks is are good post moves to score, as he mainly scores on dunks and stickbacks, but he has all the potential in the world.
Scotty Reynolds (6’0″ PG, Herndon (VA) High) The top scorer among rising juniors, Reynolds had a terrific camp. He couldn’t miss for much of the camp, as he was tops in field goal percentage and three-point shooting in the class and in the top five overall in both categories, making nearly 61% of his three-pointers. He also played solid defense using his good quickness. He can flat-out score the ball, but has to take better care of it than he did here as his turnovers nearly equaled his assists.
Richard Semrau (6’9″ PF, Grafton (OH) Lutheran HS West) Although he has the size to play in the post, he seems to like facing the basket and showed a good touch shooting the ball at times. He didn’t post big shooting numbers, but looked good during the Saturday morning skill stations and his shot must be respected as far out as three-point range.
Tracy Smith (6’7″ PF, Detroit (MI) Mt. Zion Christian Academy) Solid post scorer showed at the camp that he can simply score inside, though he showed a little more athleticism than he has before. He was third in the class in scoring and tops in free throw shooting.
Lance Thomas (6’8″ SF-PF, Scotch Plains (NJ) High) After a big spring, this combo forward wasn’t much of a factor at the camp. He mainly played inside, where he didn’t post good shooting numbers or rebound a lot, and didn’t look like himself until the Underclassman game, where had 17 points on 8-11 shooting. Free throw shooting remains a concern for him, as he’ll get to the line but still struggled here by making just under 59% of his free throws.
Rob Thomas (6’6″ SF-PF, Brooklyn (NY) St. Thomas More) Good athlete scored in the post and finished well in transition en route to being the second-leading scorer in the class and posting the second-best field goal percentage as well. He also got some rebounds and kept his scoring in close, not looking good when he shot the ball from long range. Reportedly, he will not be back at St. Thomas More this coming school year.
Other Juniors who played well:
Michael Conley, Jr. (6’1″ PG, Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence North HS)
Tray Duty (6’11” C, Van Nuys (CA) Stoneridge Prep)
Taj Gibson (6’9″ PF, Brooklyn (NY) Stoneridge Prep)
Damion James (6’8″ SF, Nacogdoches (TX) High)
David Lighty (6’5″ SG-SF, Cleveland (OH) St. Joseph HS)
Will Walker (6’0″ PG, Bolingbrook (IL) High)
