Bigs dominate at USA Basketball
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COLORADO SPRINGS -- The 2014 USA Basketball fall developmental camp got off to a quick start at the Olympic training facility Saturday morning. The camp features an interesting mix of class of 2015 Hoops Summit candidates who all have two or three years of USA Basketball experience taking the floor with members of the 2017 and 2018 classes who are getting their first taste in hopes of making next summer's 16U national team. Not surprisingly, five-star senior big men Henry Ellenson, Caleb Swanigan and Stephen Zimmerman had their way during the weekend's opening session.
Senior bigs dominate early
On Saturday morning, one group of players had a clear advantage: The class of 2015 big men had their way. Mixed in against players two and three years younger, the senior bigs didn't just have advantages with strength, size and athleticism - their experience in the USA Basketball program was obvious. That was particularly the case with five-stars Henry Ellenson, Caleb Swanigan and Stephen Zimmerman.
Currently ranked No. 17 in the senior class, Ellenson is almost moving to the point where it is hard to classify him as a "big" man. A faceup player all the way, Ellenson simply had his way with younger defenders. His favorite move is to freeze his opponent with a right shoulder hesitation before crossing the ball over low from his right to left. After that crossover he can explode into the paint or pull-up from a jumper that is accurate out to 22 feet.
There are other players that jump higher than Ellenson, but his ability to get up and down the floor and continually improving lateral quickness make him a load. The Wisconsin native also rebounds well. If anything, he does get a bit trigger happy with his shot selection but it is hard to complain when he is scoring at will.
A recent visitor to Marquette and Michigan State, Ellenson has one visit left to Kentucky for their Big Blue Madness on October 17th. He mentioned that he really felt like he made a connection with the Marquette staff and that he now has a better idea of their vision for him and that being close to home is a bonus. The Michigan State visit gave him a chance to see campus for the first time and really get to see Tom Izzo and their staff in their element and now he's headed to Kentucky with open eyes and ears. He will decide in the fall and the chance to play all over the floor and player development will be huge factors.
A teammate of Ellenson's on last summer's 17U World Championship winning USA Basketball squad, Swanigan ranks one spot ahead at No. 16. It seems that just about every big kid in the 6-foot-8 to 6-foot-9 range who is more of an under the rim player gets compared to Zach Randolph but the comparison is looking more and more realistic with Swanigan. He's so strong that he gets any position he wants and his footwork around the rim is impeccable. At times, he doesn't finish as well as you would hope around the rim but if he doesn't finish the first time he's almost a lock to track down his own rebound and finish the second or third time.
Swanigan showed a more developed touch to 12 feet during the morning's first workout and the work he's done to transform his body has to be recognized. Swanigan said that he still doesn't really have a set list but indicated that he will be taking unofficial visits to Kentucky for their combine weekend on October 10th and to Arizona for their annual Red/Blue scrimmage game shortly after.
Next week, Zimmerman begins a stretch of five straight official visits with a trip to Kansas. His tour will also take him to Arizona, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA but in the meantime he was putting in work in Colorado Springs. Zimmerman was dunking at will, running the floor, crashing the boards and as active as he as ever been as a shot blocker. The No. 10 player in 2015, Zimmerman has continued to find a great balance between playing on the block and showing off his faceup skill.
Felton oozes ability
Make no mistake, if a player is in Colorado Springs this weekend he can really play. To be able to make things look effortless in a sea full of sharks is another thing. That's exactly what five-star sophomore point guard Jalek Felton did during the first session.
Ranked No. 6 nationally in the class of 2017, the 6-foot-3 point guard is a big time athlete whose biggest strength is his vision. The passes that he sees and delivers are often of the variety that nobody else on the floor would think to attempt. He can make jumpers and he can get into the lane to finish or make plays for others at will.
Because he makes things look so easy Felton can look at times like he is not putting forth maximum effort, but he was playing with tremendous intensity on Saturday.
"It felt good, I had to get used to the altitude but once I did that I felt good," Felton told Rivals.com. "I liked the fast pace."
The nephew of NBA point guard and North Carolina product Raymond Felton, many have assumed that the Tar Heels will be tough to beat. Felton said that he's not really putting any thought into his recruitment at this point and mentioned Kansas, Wake Forest, Louisville, Wichita State and Virginia as others that have been involved.
Only a freshman, Marvin BagleyClick Staying in the class of 2017, the skill with which Michael PorterClick The No. 2 player in the class of 2017, 6-foot-6 Troy BrownClick There is plenty of time left to discuss Jaylen BrownClick More Saturday morning notes Here to view this Link. in more detail before the weekend is over, but the No. 2 player in the class of 2015 was as advertised on Saturday morning. He toyed with defenders and had them on their heels with a crossover stepback jumper that he has added and become very reliable with. Mix that with his punishing athleticism and you have a special prospect. Here to view this Link. looked the part early. Brown is a lean guard with size and versatile game. He has become bouncier in transition and it looks like he has put in some work on his pull-up jumper. Here to view this Link. scores the basketball is something else. A big-time shooter who is pushing 6-foot-8, he can create off the dribble, runs loose in transition and he can score the ball at all three levels. He easily backed up his No. 4 class ranking and looks like one of the biggest upside players in camp. Here to view this Link. enters his high school years highly touted. Standing at least 6-foot-8 (the 6-foot-10 roster listing seems a bit generous) he is a fluid lefty combo forward who passes the eyeball test with ease. He runs, he is bouncy and he looks to have a very well developed skill level and feel for the game. Some of the older guys pushed him around a bit, but that's understandable for a 15-year-old.
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