PrimeTime Shootout Notebook
Rivals.com provides a look at some of the top junior and senior performers from the 2005 PrimeTime Shootout in Trenton, NJ as well as a brief recap of Sunday's action.
2005 Prospects
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6-foot-3 2G from Oak Hill Academy. The Syracuse bound guard is still a dangerous scoring threat, but he has come a long way in terms of getting is teammates involved in the action. His 12 assists in two games were, perhaps, his most impressive statistic of the weekend.
6-foot-9 C/F from Montrose Christian School. Unisgned senior big man showed his versatility against Episcopal Acadmey by dominating the paint and knocking down shots from the perimeter as well. Has the tools to be an impact player as a freshman in college. Just scratching the surface of his potential.
6-foot-4 G/F from Oak Hill Academy. Unsigned senior is tough as nails in the paint. Still not a great shooter, but his physicality allows him to dominate games on the wing. Rarely takes a bad shot and gets his points within the flow of the game. Efficient.
6-foot-5 G/F from Bishop O'Connell. North Carolina signee scored 24 points and was a defensive stopper for Bishop O'Connell on Sunday. Showed his versatility playing all three perimeter spots with equal effectiveness. Great getting to the hoop off the dribble, his length and quickness will create matchup problems at the next level.
6-foot-10 C from Westchester HS. Louisville signee has raised the interest of NBA scouts of late. Superb athlete who blocks a ton of shots at the defensive end of the floor. Has a variety of post moves and nice touch around the basket. Probably could use some tme in college to improve his strength and face the basket skills, as well as his consistency in terms of effort.
6-foot-3 2G from Montrose Christian School. There aren't many catch and shoot guys with a better stroke than Matsui possesses at this level. He'll need to improve the other facets of his game to really excell in college, but he can flat out shoot the three, and that's an important, though often neglected, skill in basketball today.
6-foot-2 PG from Christian Brothers Academy. Duke signee is pretty much a one man show for his high school team. Excellent court vision. He's a confident, savvy floor leader who seems to always make the right play. His footspeed and consistency shooting the ball from the perimeter are still areas that need to improve.
2006 Prospects
6-foot-7 P/WF from Raritan HS. A senior who'll attend prep school next year, Calhoun is a very intriguing prospect. Terrific athlete with skills to play both in the paint and on the perimeter. No question that he's good enough to play at the highest level. Intensity and desire are the biggest question marks. Need to see him play more consistently like he played on Saturday against Rice.
6-foot-10 P/WF from Oak Hill Academy. Durant was the best prospect in attendance at the PrimeTime Shootout. Long and extremely mobile, Durant flys up and down the court and finishes plays with gusto in transition. Can step outside and bury shots from 22 feet and in. Excellent mid-range shooter as well. Intimidating shot blocker and does a good job on the glass. Needs to add weight and get stronger. Ballhandling must improve if he hopes to play on the wing full time.
6-foot-4 2G from Episcopal Academy. If Durant was the best prospect in attendance, Ellington was probably the best player. Poured in 38 points almost effortlessly. Doesn't force the issue but when he's on from the perimeter, he just appears to be playing on another level from the competition. Smooth ballhandler who would probably make an excellent point guard, but he's such a great scorer from the wing that it would be silly to move him from that spot. Has really improved the mechanics on his jumpshot.
6-foot-4 1/2G from Niagara Falls. Harris is the definition of toughness and hustle in high school basketball. One of the best passers, if not the best passer in the junior class, he has great vision and a knack for delivering the ball in the right place and at the right time. A hulking physical presence inside, he attacks the glass and has the athleticism to play above the rim. Shot well from the perimeter on Saturday, but his shooting both from beyond the arc and at the foul line are areas that need improvement as well as his ballhandling if he hopes to play the point in college.
6-foot-2 1/2G from St. Vincent-St. Mary HS. Johnson put a scare into Oak Hill on Sunday with a terrific display of three point shooting and dribble penetration. In the second half they double teamed him and worked to deny him the ball, but by the end of the game he'd officially had his coming out party. Has the complete package for a combo guard and should be an elite high major target by the beginning of summer.
6-foot-9 PF from Rice HS. Kelly is a mobile athletic forward prospect with elite level athleticism. Has shown flashes of ability to play some on the wing, but is much more effective in the paint at this stage. Thin build, but uses his quickness and agility to manuever inside. Has shown improvement in a number of areas and looks primed to have a breakout spring/summer. Not yet on the same level as the cream of the crop in the junior class, but he's knocking on the door.
6-foot PG from Oak Hill Academy. Speed kills, as Oak Hill's opponents found out this weekend when Tywon Lawson had the ball in his hands. Lawson had numerous layups in transition simply because he outran the defenders at the other end. Has improved his perimeter shooting, and his 11 assists on Friday night just underscored the fact that he has become perhaps the best PG in the junior class. Only concern is decision making as he sometimes forces the action, but is otherwise an outstanding prospect.
6-foot-10 C from Bishop O'Connell. Moody has come a long way over the past couple of years and is finally showing signs of living up to his vast potential. Playing under control and staying focused were problems for him early on, but he has put that behind him and is now playing with a renewed energy that has high majors jumping on the bandwagon. Developing post player with an array of moves in the paint and nice touch around the basket. Very good athlete who gets up and down the floor. Needs to refine his defensive techniques and continue to develop his footwork at the offensive end.
6-foot2 PG from Rice HS. Sosa is another rapidly improving player in the junior class. Considered more of a shoot first combo guard early on, Edgar has really focused on becoming a pure point guard this season and it is paying off in spades. Excellent size and quickness, he's creative off the dribble and made several outstanding passes after dribble penetration on Saturday. As the lists come out with the top junior point guards nationally, Sosa's is a name that belongs high up on it.
Sunday's Games
Bishop O'Connell 68
Germantown Academy 57
North Carolina signee 6-foot-5 G/F Marcus Ginyard scored 24 points and grabbed 4 rebounds to propel Bishop O'Connell (VA) to a 68-57 victory over Germantown Academy (PA) on Sunday at the PrimeTime Shootout. Ginyard was the catalyst at both ends of the floor for O'Connell and the Patriots simply had no answer to O'Connell's perimeter firepower.
Early in the game, unsigned O'Connell forward David Neal established an inside presence, and when Germantown adjusted Ginyard took over on the perimeter. Neal finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds and 6-foot-10 junior center Rockwell Moody added 8 points and 7 rebounds.
Germantown Academy was led by unsigned 6-foot-7 forward Brian Grimes with 26 points and 7 rebounds. Notre Dame bound forward Ryan Ayers added 16 points and 7 rebounds, but really struggled with his shot early. 6-foot-9 junior center Andrew Ott had 6 points and 6 rebounds, but had his share of difficulties matching up with Moody in the paint.
Oak Hill 70
St. Vincent-St. Mary 57
St. Vincent-St. Mary (OH) even without current NBA superstar Lebron James put a scare into powerful Oak Hill Academy (VA) on Sunday afternoon before succumbing to the Warriors in the third quarter and dropping a 70-57 decision.
6-foot-2 junior guard Marcus Johnson was on fire from the perimeter in the first half and Oak Hill looked a little flat as they went into the break trailing 32-27. However, in the third quarter it was all Oak Hill as they went on a 24-6 run behind the play of juniors Kevin Durant and Tywon Lawson to put the game out of reach.
Durant had 23 points and 5 rebounds to lead Oak Hill. Lawson added 20 points and 7 rebounds, 6-foot-4 senior guard Jamont Gordon had 18, and Syracuse signee Eric Devendorf finished with 9 points and 7 assists.
Johnson led St. Vincent-St. Mary with 26 points and 6 rebounds.
St. Patrick's 68
Cardozo 46
The Celtics got a superb effort from sophomores Jeff Robinson and Corey Fisher, as St. Patrick's (NJ) easily disposed of Cardozo (NY) 68-46 on Sunday.
6-foot-4 Robinson led all scorers with 17 points and added 8 rebounds in the win. 6-foot Corey Fisher had 14 points and 7 assists, and 6-3 junior guard Tyrone Cook added 12 points for the Celtics. 6-foot-9 junior Derrick Caracter turned in another lackluster effort with 6 points and 10 rebounds.
Unsigned senior guard Drew Gladstone led Cardozo with 15 points and 5-foot-11 senior guard Victor Morris had 10 in the loss.
Christ the King 56
McCorristin 44
6-foot-3 junior guard Larry Davis scored 13 points to lead the USA Today's 5th ranked Christ the King (NY) to a 56-44 win over McCorristin (NJ).
5-foot-11 guard Jeff Randall led the Iron Mikes with 12 points.