National Prep Showcase: Jenkins shows out
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NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- John Calipari and Kevin Ollie
showed up to watch five-star junior shooting guard Hamidou Diallo on
the second evening of the National Prep Showcase. But it was VCU
committed De'Riante Jenkins who stole the show.
I was impressed with...
I don't know if it is possible for a player ranked No. 60 in the country to be a
recruiting "steal," but if it is then VCU flat stole one in 6-foot-5 do-it-all
guard De'Riante Jenkins of Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military.
After a shaky first half, the South Carolina native turned it on in the second
half as he strung together a 21 point, five rebound, two assist and four steal
effort. As impressive as the stats were, they aren't truly reflective of how
dominant Jenkins was on both ends of the floor. He is a little loose and wild
with the ball at times, but Jenkins is an athletic playmaker who gets wherever
he wants to go via the dribble. He's improved with his jumper and he's also a
vocal leader who is reminding me more and more of current NBA player and former
five-star prospect Will Barton at the same age.
Not tough to imagine that four-star wing De'Riante Jenkins could one day be an All-Conference or Conference POY type at VCU. #NPS- Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) November 21, 2015
I was surprised by...
One of the top available players at the NPS, four-star power forward
Taurean Thompson of Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Prep didn't get off to a great start.
For a kid who has battled consistency issues in the past that was potentially
troublesome, but he did a great job of stepping up and making plays when it
counted. During the final 10 minutes Thompson went to work on the interior,
sprinted from rim to rim and hit the glass. Thompson visited Syracuse
during the fall and said that the Orange are at the top of his list right now
but he wants to let things play out. He mentioned Seton Hall and
Rutgers as the other two making major plays for him after his 19-point
and six-rebound effort.
The appearance of former Arkansas signee and 2015 top 50 prospect
Ted Kapita with Florida based DME was definitely a surprise. After
being ruled ineligible by the NCAA for this season he initially ended up at a
prep in Ohio. Then he was slated to play with the Las Vegas Dealers of the
Amerileague before the semi-pro league folded before even getting off the
ground. Now, Kapita says that he's trying to achieve eligibility as a 2016
player. A big and strong power forward, he was good for 12 points and eight
rebounds and looks the part of a high major player. The question will be whether
or not he can attain eligibility. SMU has been mentioned prominently
with him.
Other notes...
For
the second night in a row, five-star shooting guard Hamidou Diallo
didn't play many minutes. With Calipari and Ollie watching the No. 12 player in
2017 scored eight points in 13 minutes as Putnam Science won easily. Diallo said
that he's working his way through injuries to his Achilles and thumb and that he
hopes to be back to full strength soon.
When
it's all said and done, it won't be a surprised if Penn-bound power forward
A.J. Brodeur ends up an all-conference player in the Ivy League. A
6-foot-8 tail kicker with skill and toughness, he plays with relentless energy
and has off the charts feel for game, time and situation. He was good for 23
points and nine rebounds.
Another
who has a chance to be good on the mid major level is Miami (Ohio) signee
Braxton Beverly. The six-footer from Kentucky who is prepping at
Hargrave is tough, can shoot from deep and is capable of playing either the
point or shooting guard position.
Wichita
State looks like they've landed a potential high level contributor in shooting
guard C.J. Keyser. A 6-foot-4 slasher with extreme athleticism, Keyser
actually spent a lot of minutes handling the ball for Brewster Academy and while
not a point he did a good job of it. Look for him to be a big time transition
finisher, physical defender and perhaps next in a long line of Shockers guards
who play above the level of their conference.
Another
program who looks to have picked up a solid player in four man David Dileo.
He plays hard, can make shots and is a matchup problem four because he can put
the ball on the floor and make plays for himself and others.
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