PHILADELPHIA – We take a look at some of the notable prospects we saw over the last couple of days of the Reebok Breakout Challenge.
Mike Aaman (6’8″ Sr. PF, Hazlet (NJ) Raritan HS) Lefty post player was solid and unspectacular, although he did bust out on the last day with 23 points on 10-17 shooting to go with seven rebounds, then a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. He showed that he can finish with the right hand and the effort is always there. Mid-major prospect has committed to Wagner, where he’ll at least be a good piece of the puzzle.
Seth Allen (6’2″ Sr. PG-SG, Woodbridge (VA) Fredericksburg Christian School) Lefty guard has a relatively mature body and isn’t the quickest guard, but was able to score some. He showed a hesitation moved and finished well, and while he didn’t shoot exceedingly well there was a little range shown, so he may be able to keep some defenders honest. Mid-major prospect.
Dallas Anglin (6’1″ Sr. PG, Montclair (NJ) Seton Hall Prep) As one would expect of a Seton Hall Prep player, he plays extremely well within the team concept, and he had a good showing until late in the event. He shot the ball well from long range, drove by his man and showed that he’s more athletic than he gets credit for, going for 16 points including 4-4 from long range on Friday. But he also had a forgettable game later on Friday and wasn’t himself Saturday. His last two games were aberrations from prior viewing as well as here, and he’s a high-major minus prospect.
Tony Bagtas (5’11” Jr. PG, Union City (GA) Westlake HS) This small scoring guard is one player who really emerged here. He put up big scoring numbers often, hitting a number of three-pointers and getting to the basket with above-average quickness. In one game, he scored 34 points, including a 5-9 showing from deep. While his playmaking didn’t stand out, and that will be important since his size dictates that he plays the point at the next level, he did have six assists with no turnovers in one game. He has a thin upper body, but if he ever gets stronger look out!
Dayton Boddie (6’3″ Sr. SG, Oceanside (CA) El Camino HS) A quietly effective scorer, he shot a good percentage from the field, scoring mainly from mid-range over the two days and also had good rebounding numbers for his position. An athletic wing, he took good shots and was an effective cog in the offense. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect.
Treshawn Bolden (6’9″ Jr. PF, Jackson (MS) Callaway HS) Well-built post player had decent numbers including a near-double-double on Friday and a 14-point outing on 7-10 shooting on Saturday. He ran the floor well and showed he could face the basket and was a reasonably good factor on the glass including an occasional stickback. On the down side, he doesn’t have the quickest post moves, and likely needs work to improve that both with fundamentals and physically.
Kentrall Brooks (6’8″ Jr. PF, Bronx (NY) St. Anthony’s) Long forward is a baby physically and looks to have some good potential. He had a couple of nice games, including 12 points and nine boards late Friday, scoring a couple of times on a high-low play. While he didn’t put up big scoring numbers, he was a factor on the glass.
Joshua Brown (6’2″ Jr. PG, Irvington (NJ) St. Anthony’s) Lefty point guard was solid and unspectacular, as he won’t leap out at you but did a lot to help his team. He showed a knack for getting to the free throw line, where he made a good percentage just like he did from the field, has a jumper that looks good enough to be respected, and he can harass his man on defense when he wants to. His body isn’t there yet, and he manages to be effective despite not being jet-quick or a very smooth athlete, but the end result is what matters.
Reggie Cameron (6’7″ Jr. SF, Hackensack (NJ) Hudson Catholic School) He came here with a pretty good reputation, but only at times appeared to live up to it as he struggled shooting the ball. He has a good frame and hit a few shots, but he’s barely a plus athlete and looked a little turnover-prone.
Jesse Chuku (6’8″ Sr. PF, London (England) Kimball Union Academy) One of the real breakout performers, here’s a young man who didn’t play during the school season due to illness but had a solid showing here. He has a good body and can still get stronger, and the best thing he did was compete at both ends of the floor, even taking it personally a couple of times when he was scored upon. He scored on the post often, including once when he faded to his left, showed a mid-range touch, scored on a pump fake and short drive, and was a defensive presence inside. High-major/high-major minus prospect.
Markel Crawford (6’4″ Jr. SG-SF, Memphis (TN) Melrose HS) A fine complementary wing, he’s athletic and showed a good touch shooting the ball with two fine games on Friday. On Saturday, he didn’t play quite as well, although he still had five assists to go with five turnovers. All in all, he showed well as someone who can play off others.
Stacy Davis (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Laveen (AZ) Better FairFax HS) Although labeled a small forward, whether or not he’s athletic enough for the position is an open question as he’s carrying around some bad weight. He showed a good enough touch shooting the ball for the position, and he has a good frame and finished while fouled, but he’ll need to get his body in better shape to play the wing. Mid-major plus prospect.
Zacarry Douglas (6’7″ Jr. SF, Fort Washington (MD) National Christian Academy) Well-built forward flew under the radar but had some good stat lines scoring and rebounding, while also making a good percentage of shots. He ran the floor well and got out in transition, while also hitting a tough pull-up jumper on the baseline to show he can score in a halfcourt set.
Soma Edo (6’7″ Jr. PF, Dallas (TX) Berkner HS) A post player with deceptive length, he has a good body and did some good work inside, including a nine-rebound performance on Friday. He made a nice lead pass off a rebound on one play, a post move to score on a jump hook on another, and doesn’t have the smoothest ball skills but can get away with them to a degree at his position instead of the wing.
Kedar Edwards (6’4″ Sr. SG, Brooklyn (NY) West Oaks Academy) A scorer whose body isn’t there yet, he put up some good scoring numbers and had good field goal percentages along the way. He also rebounded well, nearly getting a double-double in one game. But he also picked up a technical foul on Saturday and tended to turn the ball over a little too much. Mid-major plus prospect.
Neville Fincher (6’9″ Sr. PF, Teaneck (NJ) High) When he stays inside to make plays, he’s at his best, as he has a good body, can finish in close while fouled and is capable of blocking shots and rebounding. When he tries to be a small forward, as he has done and did here on occasion, he’s not at all the same player as he looks awkward. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect.
Jerome Frink (6’6″ Sr. SF, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony’s) Although he shot the ball better later on, for a while there was a clear pattern offensively: the less jumpers he put up, the better his scoring. He went for 25 points on 10-13 shooting on Saturday, taking just two three-pointers as he largely scored by getting to the basket in transition and on drives, finishing while fouled. Possessing a good body but not a great athlete, he also put up good rebounding numbers from the small forward spot. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect.
Travis Hammonds (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Columbia (SC) Richland Northeast HS) We didn’t get to see any of him on Saturday, which is too bad since he looked like an intriguing power wing type on Friday. More athletic than he looks, he showed a touch shooting the ball, but as a whole was not overly productive on Friday. Mid-major prospect.
Joel Hernandez (6’3″ Jr. SG, Teaneck (NJ) High) Possessing a mature body, what he does best can be summed up briefly: he can shoot. He shot the ball well off the catch from mid-range and long range, and in addition had a key stickback late in one game as well. That points to another thing that became apparent, which is that he’s not a bad rebounder from the shooting guard spot. Mid-major prospect.
Donovon Jack (6’8″ Sr. PF, Mertztown (PA) Berks Catholic HS) The lefty post scorer has always had solid fundamentals scoring inside, which are key since he needs to get stronger. What has been lacking is a rebounding and defensive presence, but that wasn’t the case here. He blocked a number of shots and rebounded well, nearly posting a double-double on Friday. Mid-major/mid-major plus prospect is an excellent student.
Eric Jacobsen (6’8″ Sr. PF, Chandler (AZ) Hamilton HS) Although he doesn’t have the quickest post moves, he has a good post body and ran the floor well, while also getting stickbacks. He competed well, especially later on as he got more assertive, which showed with a 16-point outing on Saturday. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect.
Chris Jones (6’5″ Sr. SG, Teaneck (NJ) High) Although he had a 12-point outing on Saturday, on the whole this scorer with a good body didn’t play as well as previous viewing of him led us to hope. He’s certainly talented, as he’s a plus athlete who has shown he can score and shoot, and he has a thin upper body so he hasn’t reached his peak yet in terms of strength. High-major minus prospect.
Rysheed Jordan (6’4″ Jr. PG, Philadelphia (PA) Robert Vaux HS) A capable floor leader who won’t blow you away with quickness, he’s a fine passer who had eight assists with no turnovers in his last game. His body’s not there yet, but he’s capable of driving to the basket to score or pass as also evidenced by a 19-point outing on Friday.
Akosa Maduegbunam (6’3″ Sr. SG, Hyde Park (MA) Winchendon School) Athletic wing had a good showing offensively, showing his good shooting touch in one game on Friday. He’s always been able to shoot, and his range has improved there, and he also scored on a runner to finish a drive and did get a blocked shot hustling back on defense. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect has committed to Penn State.
Jonathan Milligan (6’2″ Sr. PG-SG, Casa Grande (AZ) Union HS) Few players lived up to the camp’s premise as well as he did. A baby physically and with a slight frame, he ran the show well and effectively got his own offense, showing a good touch shooting the ball out to long range and hitting a nice runner near the baseline on one play. He constantly found teammates, and his assist numbers on Friday might have been a bit low, but those who watched saw what he can do. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect.
Kamari Murphy (6’8″ Sr. PF, Brooklyn (NY) Lincoln HS) A talented forward, he played well on Friday night with 11 points and eight rebounds, but looked out of sorts on Saturday morning. Possessing a good frame, he ran back for a block on one play and finished a break with a dunk on a later play, and looks more like a post player than a wing since he has good but not great ball skills. Mid-major plus prospect.
Obinna Oleka (6’8″ Sr. SF, Takoma Park (MD) Florida Christian Institution) An active athlete with a good body, he’s long and finished well over the two days, making a high percentage of his shots save for an early Saturday morning game. He scored in transition and with an in-between game, not looking to take jumpers, and was effective as he finished close and dunked aggressively later, one time doing so while fouled. High-major/high-major minus prospect.
Miles Overton (6’4″ Jr. SG, Glen Mills (PA) St. Joseph’s Prep) The son of former NBA point guard Doug, he’s a different player from his dad as he’s clearly a wing. He has a good body and isn’t a bad athlete, and he did knock down some long range jumpers off the catch, but overall he leaves you thinking he’s a better player. On one break, he did a good job of making the defender guard him, but he also made some other plays that weren’t very cerebral. He went 8-20 from the field in one game on Saturday, and in three games we viewed he had one assist with nine turnovers.
Timajh Parker (6’7″ Sr. PF, Bridgeport (CT) St. Joseph’s HS) An active forward with a good frame and thin lower body, he has potential but only showed that at one end here. He was a fine presence defensively and on the boards, but struggled to finish at the offensive end. Mid-major prospect.
C.J. Rodriguez (6’2″ Sr. PG-SG, Killeen (TX) Harker Heights HS) A solid shooter based on his showing here, he has a good stroke out to long range but a good enough game off the bounce that he can hurt defenders who get right up on him. He went 0-4 from deep in his last game, but that was an aberration, and he still had two assists with no turnovers so he still found a way to help his team. Mid-major plus/high-major minus prospect.
Dewayne Russell (5’11” Sr. PG, Peoria (IL) High) Small point guard was very aggressive and not afraid to try to make plays inside alongside the trees. He passed well on the move, kept defenders honest with a long range jumper, and turned a couple of steals into layups. Mid-major/mid-major plus prospect.
Justin Seymour (6’3″ Sr. SG, Smyrna (GA) Wheeler HS) Very active wing was in a lot of plays at both ends of the floor and is a fine complementary player. Just a plus athlete, his body can certainly get better, but he scored well with plays like a drive and tough baseline finish and jump shots out to long range that must be respected although he can certainly improve there. In his last game, he scored 28 points on 12-21 shooting. Mid-major plus prospect.
Horace Spencer III (6’8″ Fr. PF, Warminster (PA) William Tennent HS) A talented young player, he caught a lot of people’s attention with some good play on Friday as he competed and scored inside. His body has a ways to go, as one would expect, but the talent is there. He didn’t have it on Saturday morning, before a better effort later to close it out. One unfortunate thing is that some are already wondering if he might be the next Lebron James. That’s unfair to the kid and not a good burden to place on him.
Anton Wilson (6’6″ Sr. SG-SF, Flint (MI) Quality Education Academy) After scoring 17 points on 7-15 shooting in his first game Friday, he didn’t do much the rest of the way. He has a good frame and his body isn’t there yet, and looks to be more of a shooter than a scorer as he made his mark hitting from mid-range, banking one jumper home along the way.
Other players who caught our attention:
David Andoh (6’7″ Sr. SF, Kensington (CA) Saint Mary’s College HS)
Eric Cooper, Jr. (6’3″ Jr. PG, Ontario (CA) La Verne Lutheran School)
Isaac Copeland (6’7″ Jr. SF, Raleigh (NC) Ravenscroft School)
Tevin Glass (6’8″ Sr. SF, Lilburn (GA) Milton HS)
Ikenna Iroegbu (6’1″ Jr. PG, Elk Grove (CA) Oak Hill Academy)
Ray Lee (6’3″ Sr. SG, Redford (MI) Huntington Prep)
Langston Morris-Walker (6’5″ Sr. SG, Berkeley (CA) High)
Agunwa Okolie (6’8″ Jr. SF-PF, Ajax (Ont.) Denis O’Connor HS)
Alex Thomas (6’7″ So. PF, Little Falls (NJ) Hawthorne Christian Academy)
Daiquan Walker (6’2″ Sr. PG, Philadelphia (PA) Constitution HS)
Rodney Williams (6’7″ Jr. PF, Colonial Heights (VA) St. Christopher’s School)
