Kingwood first night breakdown
Houston-The Kingwood Classic is officially off and running. Here are some player breakdowns from the first night of action. Leading the way as one of the top performers of the night is 2008 point guard Brandon Jennings.
SoCal All Stars
Brandon Jennings- If there is a better point guard in the 2008 class, we haven't seen him. Jennings is shooting the ball well from three, can push the ball past defenders in transition and can pressure the ball 94-feet. All he needs to complete his game is to improve his strength and improve his ability to finish with his right hand around the basket.
Jennings has a top four of UCLA, UConn, Arizona and Texas with UCLA and UConn as his favorites. He plans to enroll at Oak Hill Academy next year.
Kevin Love- Still pin pointing length of the court outlet passes, Love is as skilled and strong as any post man on the circuit. His outside shot looked very good tonight. The only thing Love lacked tonight was elevation around the basket.
Taylor King- Never really got untracked offensively. King forced several shots and had more turnovers than he would have liked.
SYF Players
E'twaun Moore- His range on his jumper has improved enough to keep the defense honest, but it is with his slashing ability, defending and rebounding that Moore will beat you.
Robbie Hummel- Broke loose on some cuts to the basket to score and got a some putbacks, but it was not a big scoring night for Hummel. Hummel did rebound and pushed the ball well in transition.
TMAC All Stars
J'Covan Brown- The sturdy 2008 guard played only about half the game, but he was productive while in there. He hit a couple threes, played physical defense and displayed some crafty ball handing and impressive passing off the dribble. The most impressive pass was a one handed left handed pass against the grain for a dunk. He is very talented, and Rivals.com will be keeping an eye on him.
Kris Richard- Long slasher at 6-foot-4. Richard was active and passed the ball very well on the move. Didn't shoot it much from outside, but his free throw looked good.
B.J. Holmes- Skilled point guard shoots it well from the outside and has a sharp pull up jumper going to the left. Came up empty going to the rim on several occasions. A floater from the mid-range would have come in handy.
Steve Tchiengang- Hard nosed 6-foot-8 post player hit a couple threes, battled on the boards with Elgin Bailey and had a nice spin move in the post. Definitely a 2008 prospect to keep an eye on.
California Hoops
Elgin Bailey- The big post player grinds out possessions and has some athleticism to go with his effort. Not the most fluid runner, but Bailey is quick off the floor and has good footwork in the post. He blocked a number of driving shots by the TMAC All Stars. He shot the ball well from 15-feet and in and showed some nice post moves in the lane.
Bailey rattled off a long list of schools recruiting him, including USC, North Carolina, LSU, Kansas, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Tennessee, Miami, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. He was not sure who has officially offered, but noted that USC, Miami, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are recruiting him the hardest.
Houston Swoosh
DeAndre Jordan- Up to at least 6-foot-11, Jordan has a good deal of natural ability. Still not one to mix it up inside, Jordan spent a lot of time trailing plays and often not getting across half court. The lefty did have a nice jump hook to the middle on one of his few touches on the block.
Metro Hawks
Samardo Samuels- The long, thick 6-foot-8 post player has a motor and competes. He has polished post moves and can face up and put the ball on the floor and might even finish it off with a little runner. One possession, he'll block a shot. On the other, he'll take a charge.