It was a bit different turnout for west coast players at the Adidas ABCD Camp
than it was at the Nike All-American Camp.
While Nike had 19 west coast players participating, ABCD had 32. Plus,
there were seven west coast kids in addition to that participating in the camp
that are prep schoolers.
The west coast was truly well-represented, particularly the state of
California. In the senior all-star game, 9 players of the 30 total were
from California. The writer for the Long Beach Press Telegram, Louis Johnson,
called ABCD "Camp California."
We wrote yesterday about the west coasters that stood out. Those
assessments of their games still stand, so we'll supplement that report with one
here that provides a rundown of the rest of the west coast players at ABCD.
But first, there are some addendums to those players we mentioned in the
first report from Friday:
Arron Afflalo ended his effort by leading the entire camp in scoring, with an
average of 17.8 points a game. It was slightly skewed since a few players
who were ahead of him in scoring average - DeMarcus Nelson and Andre McGee among
them - decided not to participate in their last competitive game, which lowered
their scoring average. It's safe to say, though, that those three west
coast players, Afflalo, Nelson and McGee, would have been three of the top four
scorers in the camp for the week. In fact, six of the top ten scorers in the
camp were from the west, including preppers Jared Dudley and Richard Roby, and
Robert Swift.
The west coast seniors that participated in the all-star game were: Afflalo,
Nelson, Swift, Gabe Pruitt, Tim Pierce, Bryce Taylor, and preppers Dudley and
Robey. The west coasters that played in the underclass all-star game
were: McGee, Mario Chalmers, Dior Lowhorn, and Taylor King.
So, here's a look at the remainder of the west coast players at ABCD that we
didn't mention in yesterday's article:
Bryce Taylor, 6-4 SR SG, Studio City (Calif.) Harvard-Westlake. He
averaged 10.6 points a game for the week, which was very good. In a year when
there weren't great shooters at the camp, Taylor had to be among the best pure
shooters in attendance. In the senior all-star game, where he scored
8 points, 4 rebounds and made two of three threes.
Tim Pierce, Oakland (Calif.) Hercules. In the senior all-star game where he
had 14 points, 4 rebounds and was 2 of 7 from three. For the week he had 9.6
points a game. He showed off his hops quite often; in fact, in one game,
he threw down three alley-oop dunks.
Curtis Allen, 6-4 SR SG, Palos Verdes Peninsula (Calif.) Rolling Hills Prep.
He had a good week, shooting the ball well, and averaging 11.3 points a game.
He's continuing to refine his game, utilize a mid-range shot and play under
control, which has increased his effectiveness. Pac-10ers are interested
and a recruiting update is forthcoming.
Dwight O'Neil, 6-2 SR SG, Fresno (Calif.) Washington Union. O'Neil looked
solid here, scoring with his athleticism, which is the thing to do at this
camp. But he played hard, and was active, leading him to score 12.4 a
game. He's solidified as a mid-major.
Matt Sargeant, 6-3 SR SG, Huntington Beach (Calif.) Ocean View. Among
the better athletes here he sometimes got lost, but he had stretches in games
that were impressive. On the last day he must have hit four or five threes in a
row and score close to 20 points in a game. He was running the point here quite
a bit, but is better as a catch and shoot guy. He'll probably continue to
get low- to mid-major looks.
Lyndale Burleson, 6-2 SR PG, Seattle (Wash.) Franklin. Burleson still
has the look physically of a player, but is caught between positions. He's
trying to make a go of being a point guard, but doesn't yet have the mentality,
and he can't score well enough to be a shooting guard. He, though, is improving
in running an offense from the point, and tried to do it in this camp
environment, which is an accomplishment in itself. He's a low-major at
this point.
Hector Hernandez, 6-8 SR SF/PF, Denver (Col.) Lincoln. Hernandez was
limited here by his lack of athleticism, being overwhelmed sometimes by the
better athletes he was facing. But his skill level is still impressive, as is
his energy. He's probably a mid-major at this point.
Quentin Thomas, 6-2 SR PG, Oakland (Calif.) Tech. He had scouts shaking
their collective heads for the week. He showed flashes of greatness at the point
here, but then looked very raw and out of sorts. Again, it's hard to determine
much from this loose of a camp environment, but it's pretty clear that he'll
have to step up his level of play this July for the high-majors that have been
recruiting him to move on him.
Marcus Lewis, 6-7 SR PF, Long Beach (Calif.) Poly. Lewis looked good here,
among the top 10-15 rebounders in the camp, averaging 6.3 a game, while also
scoring 8.6 a game. He was shut down at times in the post, but when he stepped
out and opened it up a bit, taking defenders with a short dribble, he showed
good quickness and was effective. He certainly helped his stock as a solid
mid-major with a tinge of high-major.
Vince Oliver, 6-2 SR PG, Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola. Oliver struggled some,
going up against guards as big as he was but quicker. At this camp,
though, there's also the issue of whether you have a good fit in the team you're
on, and Oliver didn't. He's more of a heady type of point guard, and there is no
place for headiness here. He'll probably look much better the rest of the
summer playing in AAU ball, which is a reflection on the camp play in itself.
Lamar Roberson, 6-7 SR SF, Compton (Calif.) Dominguez. Okay, we have a
long-running policy of not writing about any player who is supposed to be
transferring to a west coast school. But Roberson is currently enrolled in
classes at Dominguez, so I guess that qualifies. He looked much this
spring with Dominguez than he did here. At first, he had to play as a four on
his camp team, and struggled, but in the last couple of games he went back to
the three and looked better and more comfortable. He's certainly long, has a
good body and athleticism. With all that, it's just a matter of how he can
develop his skills. Right now he's between a mid-major and the lower end of the
high-majors.
Marcel Jones, 6-6 SR SF, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. In a camp where
everyone shoots just about every time they touch the ball, Jones was a Roman in
Rome. He shot the ball quite a bit, and didn't shoot at a high percentage,
so he didn't come off well. Jones will have to show college coaches he can give
up the ball and play within a team concept this July to improve his stock.
Seniors who didn't participate:
Sean Ogirri, 6-1 SR PG, Denver (Col.) East
Ty Morrison, 6-6 SR PF/SF,
Phoenix (Ariz.) Trevor Browne
DeVon Hardin, 6-9 SR PF, Newark (Calif.)
Memorial
Underclassmen:
Mario Chalmers, 6-2 SR PG/SG, Anchorage (Alas.) Bartlett. While it was plain
that the level of talent here affected him, Chalmers did prove, though, that
he's one of the best junior guards on the west coast with his performance here.
His combination of scoring and passing ability all week was good enough to get
him on the underclassmen all-star game, where he easily held his own. As he gets
bigger and stronger, and more comfortable with this level of competion, Chalmers
has some serious upside. Definite high-major.
Dior Lowhorn, 6-5
JR PF, San Francisco (Calif.) Riordan. You have to give props to Lowhorn, who
recognized a niche and took advantage of it. In this camp style, not many
players want to do the dirty work inside, but Lowhorn dedicated himself to it,
and came away as the sixth best rebounder in the camp, averaging 6.8 per game,
and a spot on the underclass all-star game. He's gotten in quite a bit better
shape than when we saw him on Memorial Day, which has improved his energy.
He has some good athleticism, and he uses it well to make up for his lack of
height as a post. But he did his thing in the all-star game and grabbed
rebounds and scored on putbacks and looked good. A mid-major as of now.
Ed White, 6-3 JR SG, Studio City (Calif.) Harvard-Westlake. White is a
limited athlete with a nice shooting touch and a good feel for the game - not a
great combination to succeed at a camp like this. Also, with so many athletes
flying at him, he didn't shoot the ball really well.
Lamar Falley, 6-3 JR SG/PG, Las Vegas (Nev.) Durango. A bit overwhelmed
at times playing against this level of competition, Falley, though, as the week
went on, gained confidence, ending up scoring 7.3 points a game, which was
decent. He's at the higher end of the mid-majors at this point.
Marcus Williams, 6-5 JR SG, Seattle (Wash.) Roosevelt. As we've stated
before, Williams is a very intriguing player. He has very good size, but still
looks like a baby and could have some growing to do. He has some nice
skills, which sometimes make him look like anything from a point guard to a
small forward. His physical development might end up determining what
position he ultimately fills on the college level, but with his ability to
shoot, pass and handle the ball, combined with his size, he's got a chance to be
special. He also rebounded well here, which makes you believe he might end up a
small forward as he gets physically bigger. A high-major.
Trevon Willis, 6-2 SO PG, Fresno (Calif.) Washington Union. Willis
played a lot of point at the camp, and he pulled it off fairly well. His
ballhandling was strong enough to hold up, while his decision-making broke down
sometimes. He wasn't afraid to put the ball up, either. His body, though,
is what's so promising. As a sophomore, at 6-2ish with a good, wide-shouldered
frame but good quickness, he's very intriguing. He's at least a mid-major
and with development, potentially quite a bit more.
Taylor King, 6-6 FR PF/SF, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. King became a
favorite here at the camp among onlookers, especially scouts. It just
wasn't his amazing soft outside shooting touch, but his craftiness and
persistence around the basket. He was only one of two freshman to make the
underclass all-star game, and despite having a disapointing game where he was
pretty fatigued, he definitely used the camp to make a name for himself on a
national scale. And again, he's only going to be a freshman at Mater Dei this
year.
Didn't participate: Titus Shelton, 6-6 JR PF, Bakersfield (Calif.)
High
West Coast Kids Going to Prep School Who Participated:
Sylvester Seay, San Bernardino
Jermaine Johnson, Anaheim
Dorell Wright,
Los Angeles
Jared Dudley, Leucadia
Richard Roby, San Bernardino
Lorenzo
Wade, Las Vegas
Joel Smith, Lompoc