The NBPA Top-100 Camp has not lacked for talent, scorers, defenders or athletes. Instead of doing our very own best to decipher which prospects have shined the brightest, we asked the players themselves who they thought stood out.
MORE NBPA: Five-star Anthony heads Friday six pack | Guards, Robinson break out
WHO IS THE BEST ATHLETE?
“Besides myself? Probably Cassius (Stanley). If there is anything off of one foot, jumping wise, he is capable of doing it. We were dunking the first day that we were here and he was doing some crazy stuff straight out of the gate.”
-2019 guard Scottie Lewis
"Cole Anthony. Did you see that dunk the first day? That was tough."
-2018 forward Taeshon Cherry
PREDICTION: Stanley has spoken highly of USC, UCLA, Arizona and Alabama for the past few weeks but the Bruins could have the inside track.
Regarding Anthony, getting anything out of him and his camp is nearly impossible, though it is expected to be a blue-blood affair with Kentucky, Kansas, Duke and UNC likely among those in the mix.
WHO IS THE BEST POINT GUARD IN THE 2018 CLASS HERE?
“Ayo Dosunmu, he is very tough. I like him a lot and his game. He works really well off of ball screens and just has a pretty good feel for the game.”
-2019 guard Cole Anthony
"Jahvon (Quinerly) is the best point guard here for sure. As a big, he's the best point guard. He always finding me in the post that it's crazy."
-2018 center Naz Reid
While the discussion doesn’t end with Dosunmu and Quinerly when arguing who the best point guard was at the NBPA Top-100 Camp, they definitely belong in the conversation. Dosunmu, like Anthony said, is nearly unguardable off of the high ball screen where Quinerly is an unbelievable distributor, especially once he gets his lane to the basket.
PREDICTION: Dosunmu recently picked up a Kansas, offer which should immediately put them among the favorites; Xavier and Illinois remain heavily in the mix as well.
Quinerly is down to a final seven. He will take an unofficial visit to Virginia on Sunday as the Cavaliers and Villanova are in a good spot; Kansas, UCLA, Seton Hall, Arizona and Stanford round out the rest of his list.
WHO IS THE HARDEST GUARD TO DEFEND?
“I would probably have to say Javonte Smart. He is just good. He can pass and shoot the ball. He is just a dog on all phases.”
-2019 forward Trendon Watford
A 6-foot-3 lead guard that has a college ready body and a mature skillset, there is no denying Javonte Smart's abilities. He is smart and tough with the basketball, and if you try to bully him Smart will just take the contact and make his opponents looks sheepish.
PREDICTION: Smart recently cut down his list of schools to six, a group that includes Kentucky, LSU, Kansas, Florida State, Oklahoma State and UCLA; LSU is the perceived leader.
WHO IS THE BEST BIG MAN HERE?
“Naz Reid. He is a very skilled player. He can play a face-up game, he can back you down and rebound.”
-2019 center Kofi Cockburn
“There are a lot of good big men here but watching him a little bit, (David) McCormack has done well. I have seen him killing it. He is just a big body that, if guards get in the lane, he will dunk it. He is just a smart big.”
-2018 guard Devon Dotson
Reid and McCormack were arguably two of the top five big men at the NBPA Top-100 Camp, as each was rather dominate in the paint. While Reid can oftentimes play a bit too much facing the basket, whenever he plays near the rim he simply overpowers his defender. McCormack, on the other hand, is a consistent producer because he knows where his bread is buttered, which is 10-feet and in; he's a solid paint producer who rebounds and finishes.
PREDICTIONS: Reid recently cut his list to seven and while there has been talk about going to the same school as Jahvon Quinerly, look for Kentucky to be the last team standing in the race for the five-star talent.
McCormack remains rather wide open as his recruitment extends from coast to coast. He will visit Duke on Saturday as the Blue Devils could have the upper hand over others such as Virginia, Virginia Tech and Kansas.
WHO IS THE BEST SHOOTER HERE?
“Anfernee Simons and A.J. Reeves. I haven’t watched Anfernee a lot but AJ, you can’t let him bring it up because he can really shoot it. You have to get into his shooting pocket and not jump on the up-fake.”
-2018 forward Nassir Little
Little was about as accurate as you’re going to get when assessing the best shot makers at the camp. Simons, a Louisville commit, shot the lights out, as did Reeves.
PREDICTION: Reeves is looking at Louisville, Villanova, Virginia and Providence, and the Friars could be the big winners at the end of the day for the top-50 talent.
WHO IS THE BEST SHOT-BLOCKING BIG MAN HERE?
“I would probably have to say Simi (Shittu). He has a lot of bounce and makes it hard to get your shots off. He is just a strong, versatile big man. Once he gets going, it is hard to stop because of his strength.”
-2018 forward Jalen Smith
Shittu led the entire camp in scoring and rebounding, and Jalen Smith may have made the correct call stating that the Canadian is the best shot blocker, too. He is strong, instinctive and relatively quick off of his feet, all of which makes Shittu one of the biggest problems to deal with, regardless of which side of the floor that you’re on.
PREDICTION: Kentucky and Duke have begun to recruit Shittu while others including Michigan, UConn and Syracuse, have turned up the heat, but Oregon may be in the driver’s seat for another super-talented Canadian prospect.
WHO IS THE MOST COMPETITIVE GUARD HERE?
“This is the first time I've seen a lot of these guards, but Immanuel Quickley is the most competitive point guard I've played against this camp."
-2019 forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
One of the biggest talkers in the camp, Quickley is not going to back down from a soul. The 6-foot-4 lead guard has thrown his name heavily into the mix as to who the best point guard prospect is in the 2018 class. On top of it all, Quickley has asserted himself into the conversation as to who the most competitive is, which equates to a dynamic playmaker in the backcourt.
PREDICTION: Quickley is down to a group of four of Kentucky, Kansas, Maryland and Miami. Kentucky may have found its next jumbo, super quick lead guard, as the Wildcats are the team to beat.