On the Bounce with Coach Meyer, TOC vol. 2

BIG TIMERS CAMP AT LOUISVILLE

Louisville has an impressive group of prospects expected to attend the Louisville Basketball Camp June 11-13. Several of Louisville’s top recruiting targets will be on campus to attend the camp. Andre McGee the No. 29 ranked player in the class of 2005, Amir Johnson, the No. 39 ranked player in the class of 2005, Terrence Williams the No. 54 ranked player in the class of 2005, Marcus Johnson, the No. 57 ranked player in the class of 2005, and Brayden Bell, the No. 76 ranked player in the class of 2005, are all expected to attend.

ARIZONA MAGIC NEWS

Look for a Lawerence Hill commitment to Stanford as soon as early next week after he returns from the Pangos event this weekend. Hill played very well for the Magic last weekend at the TOC, playing a strong overall game and averaging 16.8 points per game.

Another item out of the Magic camp is that Duke is very high on 2007 prospect Jerryd Bayless. Bayless had a tremendous weekend at the TOC, averaging 25.3 points per game in the 16-under division. At this point, Bayless is easily a top 5 player in his class. He will be on the Arizona campus this weekend playing with his St. Mary’s High School team in the Arizona team camp. Arizona has already offered the in-state prospect.

MEMPHIS HAS PLAYERS

Two Memphis teams played very well over the past weekend. Team Memphis won the Nike Memorial Day Classic in New Orleans behind the strong play of Thaddeus Young, Pierre Niles, J.P. Prince, Wayne Chism, Willie Kemp, Jay Watkins, and Shawne Williams.

The Nike brass came away from New Orleans extremely impressed with the play of Thaddeus Young, the No. 7 ranked player in the class of 2006. Do not expect to see Young on the circuit, however, in July. As gifted in the classroom as he is on the court, Young is planning on spending six weeks this summer in an academic program at Taft School in Watertown, Conn.

At the TOC this past weekend, the Memphis Bulldogs went undefeated in their pool with a 33 point differential and made it to the quarterfinal where they upended by Syracuse Rap (Greg Paulus & Andray Blatch) 71-68. Although they were not loaded with big reputation prospects like Team Memphis, the Bulldogs played very well as a team. They got after it on defense and shared the ball and took good shots on offense. A testament to the unselfishness of the team is that no one averaged over 15 points per game.

Here is a look at some of the top players on the Bulldog squad:

Lawerence Kinnard (2005, Raleigh-Egypt High School, Memphis, Tenn.)- The 6-foot-8, 210-pound small forward can shoot it from behind the arc and has a nice mid-range pull up game off the dribble. He sees the floor well and can run the lanes also. Defensively, he moves well and can get up. He is very good shot blocker. He will need to get stronger for the high major level. He will have numerous high major offers by the end of the summer. His name is out now, and coaches will just want to get a look at him first in July.

Anthony Mason, Jr. (2005, Fairley High School, Memphis, Tenn.)- The athletic and No. 115 ranked player in his class can do a little bit of everything on the court. At 6-foot-6, 190-pounds, he is a small forward who appears to shoot the ball well enough from behind the arc to slide over to the shooting guard position as well. His strengths on offense are his court awareness, coupled with the ability to take care of the ball and make the assist pass, and his ability to finish at mid-range and around the basket. He is long a pesky on defense as well.

Reginald Owens (Fairley High School, Memphis, Tenn.)- Although he is not an explosive athlete and he is a little undersized, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound power forward just gets it done. He knows how to use his body to gain position and is a sure rebounder, and he gets the ball in the hole from 15-feet and in. He was the glue on the interior for the Bulldogs during the weekend. Probably a good mid-major prospect, Owens is a guy to keep your eyes on.

ERIC GORDON SHINES

2007 Spiece Indy Heat prospect Eric Gordon from North Central High School in Indianapolis, Ind., has shot the ball extremely well in limited minutes over the spring. But in the final game of the TOC, Gordon displayed the multifaceted nature of his game. Instead of just playing on the wing, looking for a catch and shoot opportunity, Gordon took over the point guard position in the second half as Mike Conley, Jr. slide over to the wing. Defensively, Gordon took on the challenge of guarding Darryl Augustine and did a solid job containing the sensational 2006 point guard. Gordon is definitely one of the top 2007 combo guards in the country.

MID-MAJOR OR BETTER

2005 prospect Danero Thomas is a glue player for the New Orleans Jazz just as Reginald Owens is for the Memphis Bulldogs. Thomas, 6-foot-6, 190-pounds, is quick off the floor, has a nose for the ball, and if he gets his hands on the ball, it is his. If he is within 12-feet of the rim, then the ball is in the basket. At time Thomas looked to have the potential to play the small forward. If he develops a three point shot and improves his handle, he could be more than a mid-major prospect.