LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Because it is not sponsored or operated by one of the shoe companies, the Pangos All-American Camp at Long Beach's Cabrillo High is a must stop. The lack of shoe affiliation allows players who might not play against each other on the tournament circuit to go head-to-head. The most anticipated matchup of the night was a tussle between the No. 2 player in the class of 2014,
Emmanuel Mudiay, and Denver's
Josh Perkins. Perkins and Mudiay didn't disappoint, and others played well on opening night.
There were a lot of eyes watching the matchup between Mudiay and Perkins. Whenever you get the No. 2 player in the country going head-to-head with the No. 42 player, it will draw a crowd. Perkins is on the rise and Mudiay has been a little up and down during the spring, so people wanted to see if Mudiay would assert himself.
What people got was Mudiay asserting himself and Perkins showing why his stock has been climbing.
A native of Denver who will spend his senior season at Huntington (W.V.) Prep, the 6-foot-2 Perkins got out of the gates quickly. He is a stunning passer, sometimes so stunning that his teammates fumble the ball because they are surprised he saw them open. Perkins is also a flashy dribbler, and when he starts knocking down pull-up 3s like he did early, he is tough to stop. Essentially, he is a crowd pleaser.
Playing with some travel legs early after a late flight, Mudiay wasn't aggressive. He was outstanding on defense, making it tough for Perkins to drive by him. He didn't play poorly, just somewhat passively. In the second half, the 6-foot-4 five-star from Dallas (Texas) Prime Prep showed what he's capable of. Mudiay became relentless in his attack of the paint and used his superior strength and first step to finish at the rim.
On the recruiting front, Perkins stopped by
UCLA earlier Friday and said he and his father had a good meeting with
Steve Alford. Perkins will tour
USC while in town, and he plans to visit Gonzaga next week. He mentioned
Syracuse,
Connecticut and
Kentucky as programs that have made recent calls.
Mudiay said he may take some visits this summer. But as of yet he has set no dates and hasn't decided which schools to visit. His recruitment is one that will take time, and he said it is still the same 10 schools that he cut it down to a few months ago:
Arizona,
Baylor,
Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisville,
N.C. State,
Oklahoma State,
SMU, St. John's and
Texas.