A Closer Look at Athletes First/Bloomington Red

AUGUSTA, GA.-- Although they were down by two points at the half, Athletes First got a big second half boost from 6-4 shooting guard DeAngelo Alexander in its opening pool play game on Thursday morning at the Nike Peach Jam Invitational Basketball Tournament.

Here is a breakdown on some of the key players in this game, and how they made an impact in the end result (Alexander's impact is described in an article under the Southwest section on our premium side of the site):

BLOOMINGTON RED:

(It should be noted that Bloomington was without two of its key players on Thursday morning. Both forward Chris Hunter and point guard Brandon Cameron attended the adidas ABCD Camp in New Jersey this past week, which ended late Wednesday night. Neither player had made it to Augusta as of yet).

SEAN MAY -- The 6-8, 260 pound forward may have wide shoulders and a broad frame, but even he could not carry Red to the win. In the first half, May played face up and was not hitting. In the second half, however, he essentially carried Bloomington's offense, hitting jumpers in close and out to about 16-18 feet. He's also an excellent passer who uses the bounce pass adroitly to find open teammates on the wing. He did not really hunker down in the low post, but we suspect that he will eventually roll up the sleeves and get dirty in the low post.

JUSTIN JOHNSON -- Johnson, a long-armed 6-8 forward, has continued the momentum from a strong week at the Nike All-American Camp. He was particularly effective in the first half against Athletes First, where he used his pogo stick leaping ability for tap in stickbacks on the offensive glass. However, his impact on the game dwindled in the second half, as Bloomington Red failed to penetrate in deep and afford him second shot opportunities.

DERRICK GRAHAM -- In the absence of floor general Brandon Cameron, Graham was asked to play the point slot for Bloomington Red. And he did an admirable job, using his strength and size to bull his way to the basket and create opportunities for teammate Johnson underneath. Graham took several shots in the first half, and he gets lots of rotation on his jumper. Probably projects as more of a two guard at the Division I level.

ATHLETES FIRST

SHELDEN WILLIAMS -- Clearly one of the top physical talents in the Class of 2002, Williams had his moments in the Athletes First victory over Bloomington Red. While he did not dominate the game, Williams did some good things on the offensive end of the floor. One of the things he does so well is to switch hands and absorb contact, so that it is very difficult to impede his shot in close. Williams showed that he can score despite getting fouled, and even knocked down a 14 foot jumper. Although his low post fundamentals (in terms of footwork and squaring to the basket) are not always textbook, Williams and his agile 6-9, 230 pound frame are tough to stop for many high school defenders.

MARQUES HAYDEN -- A burly 6-7, 220 pound power forward, Hayden looked much better than he did a few weeks ago at the NBA Players Association Camp. First off, he appears to be in better shape, and moved a bit better on both sides of the ball than he did a few weeks back. Hayden is a garbage man around the bucket, and he did get one of his signature tip ins around the basket. He also knocked down an 18 foot jumper from the left wing. He did not have a huge impact on the game offensively, but he did enough things and played within himself to help Athletes First get the job done.

JULIUS LAMPTEY -- A huge 7-0, 255 pound center, Lamptey is a space eater deluxe who has a way to go. Although his body is big, it is soft, and he does not have many refined post moves in the low post. In fact, he sometimes struggles to finish down low underneath the basket. To be fair to Lamptey, big men typically take much longer to develop than guards, so it may take him some time to get into better shape and become a factor on the offensive end. He was also wearing some type of brace on his right hand, and that may have also limited his effectiveness.

KEVIN BOOKOUT -- After weeks of reportedly being on the track and field circuit, the 6-8, 250 pound power forward from Stroud, Okla., was out of the loop in this contest. Normally a factor on both ends of the floor, Bookout was uncharacteristially quiet on Thursday morning. Does he have a Jurassic like performance brewing? Time will tell, so stay tuned!