On the Bounce with Coach Meyer, Vegas vol. 1

In this first of two installments of On the Bounce with Coach Meyer we will look at more player performances from out in Las Vegas.

MORE FROM VEGAS

Seketoure Henry shot the ball well Saturday, and he was still out Sunday morning. The Belmont Shore shooting guard hit 6 straight threes in the first half against the Arizona Magic White’s young squad. In the second half the Magic came out of their zone and took away Henry’s three ball. He did get a couple dunks off steals, and he made a ridiculous running hook shot from 12 feet out, which he swears is a staple shot for him. Not much of a rebounder, passer, or mid-range scorer, Henry can put up points, nonetheless, like the 28 he put on the Magic. Henry named offers from San Diego and San Diego State and interest from USC, Oregon, Oregon State, and Pepperdine.

Henry’s teammate Jamal Boykin, the No. 54 ranked player in the class of 2005, was a hot topic amongst the coaches in Vegas. Coach K watched him play Saturday and Rick Pitino was a fixture on the baseline wall both on Saturday and Sunday when he played. On the other hand several very successful high major staffs are not high on Boykin’s game. The fear is that he is an undersized power forward at 6-foot-6, 210-pounds, who does not have either the skill or explosiveness to make up for it. On the other hand, Boykin’s plays extremely hard and might be the perfect “glue guy” to do the dirty work and pull together a high profile team. Lesser profile high majors would certainly take him in a second. More specifics about Boykin will be coming this week, but Louisville, Georgia Tech, Duke, Washington, Pepperdine, Oregon, Oregon State, and Kansas were the schools Boykin’s discussed with Rivals.com.

2006 point guard prospect Christian Polk led the Magic against Belmont Shores with 23 points, including 5 three pointers. Polk is a very nice scoring point guard. His shot does tend to flatten out when he pulls up off the dribble, and his three ball rotates from right to left. Nevertheless, he gets the ball in the basket, and despite the sideways rotation, he has a nice looking, high release. Polk will continue to get better as he gets stronger.

His teammate Jerryd Bayless, a top 2007 point guard prospect in the country, scored 19 in the losing effort. Bayless has a very good stroke from behind the arc and can get to the lane with ease, especially with his right hand. He is prone to force the ball against tough odds at times, but that just comes with his fearless style of play.

He is already an explosive leaper, who will soon be unstoppable around the rim once he gets a little stronger. Already possessing such a mature game for his age, it will be a pleasure to watch Bayless’s game further develop.

Terrel Harris, 6-foot-4, 175-pounds and ranked No. 48 in the country, looked strong for Team Texas Sunday morning. The athletic 2005 shooting guard prospect shot the ball well from beyond and inside the arc. He hounded the ball at the top of the press, and he was very aggressive on the offensive boards.

Teammate Calvin Miles looked strong as well. Miles got out on the break with the ball numerous times and made solid and precise assist passes. He was also aggressive on the offensive boards at times. Inside the arc he scored the ball off sophisticated moves, but he did shoot it poorly from behind the arc. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Miles is staking a claim as the best 2005 small forward prospect in the country.

In a thriller versus South Florida Heat, Bryan Harvey both kept Southern California All-Stars in the game during the first half and then led a double digit comeback for a 2 point victory. Harvey controlled the ball in the frontcourt and scored 34 points, including 13 of 16 shooting from the line and 5 three pointers. Although not an explosive athlete, Harvey used his power and nifty moves to get in the lane and draw fouls against a very athletic South Florida team. Harvey also has a quick release on his catch and shoot. His stock went up over the weekend and look for Big 12 schools to jump in the recruiting mix for Harvey, who is making a case to move up from his No. 53 ranking.

Another Southern California All-Stars prospect Marcus Johnson is being evaluated by quality high major programs. The question concerning the athletic Johnson is whether or not he has the skill and strength to be a big time high major small forward. Johnson, 6-foot-6, 190-pounds, was tough going to the basket at times, but he never looked for the outside jumper. Defensively, he can be a long presence, especially in the zone press.

South Florida Heat has four high major 2005 prospects in Brian Asbury, Chanie Coley, Kyle Marks, and Alonso Gee. All four are long and athletic, but Gee might just be the best prospect because of his ability to shoot the ball from outside.

More information will be coming on these prospects along with more news and notes from the past weekend in Las Vegas.