Previewing Adidas, UA and more
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The second of July's three live periods where college coaches can go out and view recruiting targets kicks off early Wednesday evening and runs until 5 p.m. on Sunday. This time around, Rivals.com will be making stops to cover events in New York, Atlanta, Milwaukee and Dallas. Here's a preview of what we'll be watching.
Adidas Uprising
An All-America camp run by Adidas, the Uprising All-America Camp will be held on the campus of LIU Post in Brookville, N.Y. just outside of New York City. Not surprisingly, the camp features the best 100 or so players who play for summer teams under the Adidas umbrella with a few "non-Adidas" kids mixed in.
The camp features two of the hottest rising senior guard prospects in America in shooting guard Rawle Alkins and point guard Frank Jackson. Both Alkins and Jackson made big jumps to five-star territory when the 2016 Rivals150 was updated at the beginning of the month. A powerful 6-foot-4 wing scorer, Alkins jumped up to No. 15 while the explosive Jackson rose to No. 10 overall. Can these two continue their upward trajectory?
Alkins and Jackson are far from the only big-time players expected to be in attendance. Also expected from the class of 2016 are five-star prospects Edrice Adebayo, Mustapha Heron, Kobi Simmons and Dennis Smith.
Another name to watch for from the class of 2016 is Lindy Waters. A 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Norman (Okla.) North, Waters exploded onto the scene during the spring and rose all the way to No. 117. Can he back up that performance? Is he still underrated? We'll see soon enough.
In total, Adidas is expecting a total of 49 players who are ranked in either the 2016 Rivals150 or the 2017 Rivals100. Rivals will be on hand to cover the camp Wednesday and Thursday.
Under Armour Finals
Under Armour Finals are the culmination of the Under Armour Association. All teams sponsored by UA will be on hand in Suwanee, Ga., on the outskirts of Atlanta. The top 16 teams from the 17U league and the top 12 from each of the 16U and 15U divisions will be competing in a top bracket to determine the Association champions.
The rest of Under Armour's teams will be competing in open brackets where teams that aren't sponsored by the shoe company are welcome to compete, meaning that a total of 152 teams will be participating.
Included under the umbrella of UA teams are California-based Supreme Court and Michigan-based 1 Nation. The teams feature 2017 and 2016's No. 1 players in center DeAndre Ayton of Supreme Court and small forward Josh Jackson of 1 Nation.
Ayton will be looking to make a return to form after a somewhat sluggish outing at last week's Under Armour All-American Camp Powered by Rivals.com while Jackson will be looking to hit the floor fully rested from his trip to Greece with USA Basketball.
Having had the opportunity to watch the top end level of UA's talent at the All-America camp last week, Rivals will be looking to find some under-the-radar talent and we'll put a heavy focus on scouting the 16U and 15U divisions. One player in particular that we will be watching closely is 2017's No. 47 player Malik Williams. A near seven-footer who will play for Team Legit in the 16U division, he has the athleticism and skill to take a giant leap once his production starts to meet potential.
Rivals will be on hand for the entirety of the event.
Summer Jam
The brainchild of NY2LA Sports' Antonio Curro, the Summer Jam takes place in Mequon, Wisc. on the outskirts of Milwaukee. The beauty of the Summer Jam is that it is not bound to any shoe company and will feature teams that are sponsored by Nike or Adidas as well as teams that are independent. In particular, the event always features as good a collection of Midwest talent as can be found.
Currently unranked, Marquette commit Sam Hauser is a player that Rivals.com is looking forward to getting a good look at. A 6-foot-6 small forward, Hauser just missed the most recent rankings update and many trusted sources in the Wisconsin area are adamant that he's worthy of a spot in the 2016 Rivals150.
Every year the Summer Jam produces new names to add to the radar of top players in the country and this year should be no different. Rivals.com will be on hand Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Great American Shootout
For a long time, the Great American Shootout has been a must-see event for the Rivals.com staff and not just because it is run by the good folks at Rivals affiliate TexasHoops.com. It is annually the biggest collection of top talent from Texas and nearby states.
Anybody who follows recruiting closely knows that Texas has become one of the largest producers of talent and the GASO provides a great place to spot some of the upcoming talent early.
Rivals.com will be on hand Saturday and Sunday.