AIKEN, S.C.- During the second five-day live period of July, one of the best places to be is along the Georgia-South Carolina border in the Augusta area. There are three high level events taking place within miles of each other and loads of players to recruit. Wednesday,
Rivals.com was on the campus of USC-Aiken to check out opening evening festivities at the Peach State Summer Showcase. Featuring many of the Southeast's top non-shoe-affiliated teams, there was no shortage of athleticism and
USF commit
John Egbunu put on a show.
Watching
John Egbunu at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in June, it was pretty evident that the 6-foot-10 center from Eagle's Landing (Ga.) High was physically ready to make an impact at the high-major level. It turns out that he is ready to use more than athleticism to make an impact for the
Stan Heath's Bulls at the next level.
Make no mistake about it, the bouncy and strong insider is tough around the rim. He takes and administers punishment, dunks everything in sight and is a terror on the glass. On top of that, he blocks shots and specializes in doling out intimidating looks at opponents.
But, don't be fooled, Egbunu has a good base of skill to go with all of that. Playing with his summer squad the Douglas Brothers, he was patient in the double post as double teams came, made terrific passes and also used his footwork to spin by guys. When he got to the free throw line, his shot was crisp, compact and accurate.
Already ranked at No. 121 nationally, Egbunu is most likely undervalued at this point.
One of the most heavily watched guys of the night was
Sam Singer. Playing for Gulf Coast, the three-star combo guard drew head coaches from
Kansas State,
N.C. State and
Texas A&M to go along with a litany of high-major assistants.
Probably closer to 6-foot-3 than his listed 6-foot-5, Singer is a sound guard from Miami (Fla.) Ransom Everglades and has some upper-body strength. A very good passer in the open floor who advances the ball 20, 30 and 40 feet up the floor, he certainly shares the sugar. His jumper was a bit spotty but he showed confidence in it and he isn't a risky ball handler.
Is he a one, a two or a combo guard in college offenses? That's what coaches are trying to figure out. Among the other offers mentioned by Singer were
Nebraska,
Virginia Tech,
Penn State,
Oklahoma State and
Boston College.