Carter-Williams impresses at EYBL
HOUSTON- Several of the marquee prospects in the 2011 class struggled on Friday night at the second session of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. Syracuse commitment Michael Carter-Williams, however, was on top of his game.
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A silky smooth 6-foot-5 point guard, Carter-Williams did a lot of everything, leading his BABC club to a close win over the Southern Kings. As the primary ball handler and playmaker, Carter-Williams pumped in 36 points with a variety of shots.
He is cut out of the same mold as taller point guards like Evan Turner and Jelan Kendrick, but Carter-Williams is a much better shooter/scorer at this stage of his career. With Carter-Williams, there is no question he is a five-star prospect. The question is only how high of a five-star prospect.
Mycheal Henry (2011 Mac Irvin Fire)- Did Illinois ever land a good one in Henry. Every bit of 6-foot-5, Henry is a multi-skilled wing with impressive upside. He's bouncy off the floor, has a developing physique, has a feel for the game on both ends and knocks down shots.
Friday night he put up 20 points on 8-15 shooting, 4-8 from three and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Sam Thompson (2011 Mac Irvin Fire)- At 6-foot-7, Thompson spent most of the game playing point guard for the Fire, and he did an excellent job at the position. The opposition spent most of the game in a zone, and I'm not ready to label this versatile perimeter player as a point guard, but his play certainly was impressive. Thompson delivered the ball with timing, executed the difficult pass and played with overall composure.
As for his recruitment, Thompson is working with five schools- Florida (offer), Ohio State (offer), Oregon State (offer), Kansas and Georgetown. These last two schools just got involved with Thompson, and he plans to attend Kansas and Florida's elite camps.
He would like to visit all five schools in the fall and then sign in November.
Wayne Blackshear (2011 Mac Irvin Fire)- You would never know Blackshear is playing through an injury based on large amount of hustle plays he made Friday night. A couple charges and a dive for a lose ball which turned into an assist for a dunk where the type of plays that united his team with a focus on winning.
Blackshear played a solid game, scoring 13 points, but it was his leadership that was most impressive.
Quincy Miller (2011 D-One Sports)- There is no denying that Miller is an ultra-talented prospect. The question with Miller and a number of the other high level prospects in the 2011 class is whether they are just happy playing or are competing to win. Miller's team was down to Mac Irvin Fire the entire game, and Miller never was inclined to try and take the game over. He spent most of the time on the wing, never demanded the ball and his teammates were more than happy to ignore him.
When Miller did go inside the paint good things happened with him grabbing some impressive rebounds and drawing fouls. He finished the game with 13 points on 4-14 shooting and 11 rebounds.
Kentavious Caldwell (2011 Georgia Blazers)- Taller and stronger, Caldwell looks much more impressive this spring than he did at the end of last summer. He still has that dangerous stroke from deep, but he is now attacking the basket with much more explosiveness and authority. On the defensive end, he has also been impressive this spring, coming up with a lot of steals by getting out in the passing lanes.
James McAdoo (2011 Boo Williams)- Coming off a wrist injury, McAdoo only played about half the game for Boo Williams, but he was impressive while he was on the court. He scored nine points and only missed one field goal attempt which was a left handed jump hook on the move. His pull up jumper from 17-feet was impressive and bodes very well for the future.
McAdoo had considered moving up to the 2010 class to give North Carolina some immediate help on the frontline. And when the Wear twins transferred, speculation heated up that McAdoo would make the move to 2010. McAdoo, however, told Rivals.com Friday night that he will remain in the 2011 class.
Justin Anderson (2012 Boo Williams)- Anderson is still raw around the edges, but his physique and athleticism set him apart from most of his contemporaries. He is playing more under control, and hardly anyone can match is ability to attack the basket from the wing with one or two dribbles.
Bradley Beal (2011 St. Louis Eagles)- It was one of those nights for Beal. He spent almost the whole first half on the bench in foul trouble and never could get it going from the field. He finished with 13 points with only one goal from the field. Nonetheless, he stayed in the game mentally, and attacked off the dribble, getting to the line 12 times and converting 10 of those attempts.
Marquis Teague (2011 Spiece Indy Heat)- Like Miller and Beal, Teague was not at his best Friday night. He did score 19 points in a loss to Team Texas, but he never had control of the game and struggled to finish in the lane.
Kyan Anderson (2011 Team Texas)- The small but speedy point guard was impressive running the point for Team Texas. He wisely picked his spots on the way to 16 points and a number of assists.
His top five schools are Wake Forest (offer), USC (offer), UCLA, Georgetown and Miami. Santa Clara and SMU have also offered.
More Notes
Quddus Bello looked good shooting from behind the arc. Known more as an athletic slasher, Bello hit four three-pointers and led D-One Sports with 20 points.
The Alabama Challenge took down the Houston Hoops, and the Hoops coaching staff had nothing but praise for Levi Randolph and Charles Eaton. Apparently the sharp shooting duo didn't miss a shot and were shooting it from deep.
Zack Lofton knocked down at least five three pointers for Howard Pulley against Memphis YOMCA.
Louisiana Select has a couple intriguing prospects in athletic wing LeRon Barnes and mobile post player Shawn Long.
More Recruiting
Athletic combo guard Macari Brooks has Providence and Marquette at the top of his list. Both schools have offered and visits are in the works for Providence later this month and Marquette at the beginning of June. He also claims an Illinois offer and is considering Indiana, Oklahoma and Colorado as well.
Nick Johnson, another athletic combo guard, recently picked up an offer from Louisville.
Jabari Brown, who has his stock well on the rise, is now hearing from Kansas and Georgetown. Maryland was the latest school to offer him.
2012 power forward Brandon Ashley listed offers from Pac-10 schools California, UCLA, Washington, Stanford and Arizona. He is also hearing from Kansas and Texas.
2012 small forward Dejuan Marrero listed offers from Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue and Cincinnati. He is also being recruited by Michigan, Marquette, Xavier, Florida and Kentucky.
Combo guard A.J. Price has offers from TCU and Wichita State. He is also hearing from Washington, Providence, Santa Clara and SMU.