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Rival Views: USA Basketball Saturday

Jalen Green
Jalen Green (https://rivals.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS -- Has scoring machine Jalen Green been backing up his top three status in the senior class at the USA Basketball October Minicamp? National Analysts Eric Bossi and Corey Evans take Rival Views from Saturday's action.

More USAB minicamp: Friday Rival Views | Brandon Huntley-Hatfield | Five-star Nimari Burnett talks recruiting

WHO WAS SATURDAY'S MOST IMPRESSIVE PLAYER?

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Bossi's view: I would have had to pick between 2021 five-stars Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith here but we covered both extensively in Friday's Rival Views and with some many elite prospects in attendance we need to spread the love around. So, I'll go with Tennessee bound Keon Johnson here. The super athletic two guard was terrific at the last USA Basketball event and has been even better this time around. He gives off energy on both sides of the ball, continues to improve his skill and more and more looks like a guy who may not be in Knoxville for more than a year or maybe two. In terms of guys who have really gotten the NBA scouts in attendance fired up, Johnson ranks high on the list.

Evans' view: Jalen Green is no stranger to the US Olympic Training Facility and it is that sense of confidence and belonging he has shown repeatedly throughout his two-day stay thus far in Colorado Springs that has made him one of the standouts. On Saturday, the high-flying athlete threw down some impressive dunks, the norm from Green, but it was the consistency that he made perimeter jumpers, both off of the catch and out of the pull-up, that really stood out. If an athlete like Green can become this great shooting the ball, who also possesses great physical tangibles to evolve into a lockdown wing defender, then watch out.

Green was once the number-one ranked player in the 2020 class before Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham made a run; Green is now sprinting his way back into the conversation for who the best prospect is in the land. He has already visited the campuses at Auburn, Memphis, Oregon and USC, and is expected to make his college decision on Christmas Day.

WHICH PLAYER WAS SATURDAY'S MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE?

Bossi's view: Consider me impressed with the work that top 30 senior Adam Miller has been doing. The high scoring combo guard has been nails through two days of camp. He's drained one deep jumper after another, used his strength to play through contact and has been playing with great energy. What makes him a pleasant surprise, though, is how good he's been defensively. Don't get me wrong, I never thought of him as a poor defender but he was on the potentially elite end of the spectrum Saturday. He's taken visits to Arizona, Arizona State, Illinois and Louisville while Kansas and Wake Forest are still on his list (but whether or not they get visits looks to be up in the air) but there's no rush to decide. I tend to think this is shaping up as a Sun Devil/Illini battle but the resolution could take some time.

Evans' view: I have a soft spot for Hunter Sallis after walking into a 15-under game of his last July in California; fast-forward 15 months and he has grown about three more inches, seen some of the best nationally recruit him and has now played his way into the USA Basketball Mini-Camp. Just has been the case over the past several months, once Sallis gets his feet on the ground and is comfortable with his surroundings, the top-50 junior gradually rises to the top and displays high-level traits that could soon make him a five-star recruit.

There is a lot of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dimensions to him with his size, shifty ability, IQ and playmaking prowess. He has to get stronger, work on his first step and handle contact better but it was a great surprise to see Sallis not only hold up his end of the bargain on Saturday, but also shine as one of the top long-term guard prospects in camp. Nebraska has already placed a heavy priority upon him, but so has Arkansas, Iowa State, and Oregon, all while Kansas has begun to show interest.

WHICH UNDERCLASSMEN SHOULD SEE HIS RECRUITMENT TAKE OFF?

Bossi's view: Class of 2022 point guard Scoota Henderson came on strong at the end of the summer to earn a top 15 spot in our first ranking of the sophomore class. Based on what I've seen in Colorado Springs, he's more than backed it up and could even be a little better than his current lofty ranking. He's quick, he can score, he gets others involved and he can lock up. He's not exactly being overlooked with early offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Mississippi but I expect many more to start pouring in. The trajectory he's on, it's only a matter of time before every big time program in the country will want in.

Evans' view: I get it. Jalen Duren could potentially make the direct leap to the NBA in 2022, that is if the one-and-done rule is erased by then. I mean, the dude is the Hulk playing basketball. He has looked like half-Amare Stoudemire, half-Ben Wallace. His physical tenacity, defensive acumen and dominance around the basket, that is whenever he is competing and playing hard, is second-to-none. However, it is like a catch-22 with Duren where, for as good as he is and can be, his college recruitment is dismal compared to other elite prospects in his class thanks to the potential of him never playing college ball and schools not wanting to waste their time in recruiting him.

Maryland, Penn State and Villanova have laid a decent foundation with him but say Duren wants to experience a year of college before leaving for the NBA, or that the one-and-done rule is not erased until 2023, or that he, like most other elite, decides to reclassify a year up? Then what? It would behoove programs to at least show some sort of interest in Duren, just in case.

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