USA Basketball: Bamba emerges
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COLORADO SPRINGS -- Though a handful of players had to sit out Sunday's action due to various bumps and bruises, the second and final day of the USA Basketball Fall minicamp featured two high-level sessions of hoop. While the 2016 class flexed muscle during the final scrimmage rounds, 2017 five-star big man Mohamed Bamba may have had the most impressive day.
Bamba breaks out
Five-star junior Mohamed Bamba had some moments on Saturday, but the New Yorker who plays his high school ball for the Westtown (Pa.) School had a breakthrough Sunday.
The slim 6-foot-11 big man had looked somewhat overwhelmed by the pace and length of the day on Saturday. On Sunday, though, he came ready to play, brought incredible energy and the rest took care of itself as he spent the entire day playing above the rim and changing the game on both ends of the floor.
Already ranked No. 5 in the class of 2017, it doesn't come as a surprise that Bamba played well. But, the added offensive skill, real dedication to protecting the rim and constant energy allowed him to play at a level even above his lofty ranking.
Bamba's size, length and athleticism always made him an elite prospect, but if he keeps showing a complete game like he did Sunday, his value is potentially through the roof.
Since the summer, Bamba has checked out the campuses of Wake Forest, Duke and St. John's and he holds offers from Kansas, Connecticut, Villanova, Kentucky, Maryland, Texas and many others.
Allen remains open
Currently ranked No. 20 overall in the class of 2016, five-star power forward Jarrett Allen is one of the more intriguing cases in the senior class.
At 6-foot-9, he's a thin but long-armed and fluid athlete with soft touch, good footwork and skill out to 12 feet. He runs the floor and he can be a rim protector with his shot blocking. Those attributes make him a potentially elite prospect.
However, he has also been a bit inconsistent so it can he hard to get a good read on how he projects to the next level.
Sunday, Allen didn't leave much room to wonder about where he might project. He was engaged and effective all day long on both ends of the floor. He scored over the rim on lobs and spin moves, he flipped in jump hooks from six feet and sprinkled in some 10-12 foot jumpers.
On the recruiting front, Allen confirmed that he is down to a group of eight consisting of Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Indiana, Kansas State, Texas and Houston.
Allen said he's yet to set up any official visits and he wasn't sure when he and his family would do so. Because of that, it's reasonable to expect that his recruitment could run through to the spring, but Allen said he didn't yet know if he would sign early or late.
Smart shows versatility
The No. 3 player in the class of 2018, Javonte Smart really turned up his game during the last session when he found himself playing against teams filled with mostly older players.
A 6-foot-4 combo guard, Smart played both the point and shooting guard positions and was effective in both roles. As a point, he penetrated and found teammates or scored at the rim. Off the ball, he drained jumpers and filled lanes for a few alley-oops on the break.
He didn't do anything but enhance his status as one of 2018's top players and he still looks to have great upside.
Smart told Rivals that he hasn't paid much attention to his recruitment just yet but did mention that he's seen LSU and Alabama come through this fall.
One of the smallest players in the gym, 2018 point guard Darius GarlandClick Quietly, 2018's No. 12 player Robert WoodardClick He missed the evening session because of a flight home, but Jarred VanderbiltClick WashingtonClick One of the better individual matchups on Sunday was that between five-star Texan big men Marques BoldenClick Make no mistake, Troy BrownClick In the class of 2017, they don't get much more skilled than 6-foot-8 small forward Michael PorterClick More Sunday notesHere to view this Link.. Because of that skill, he makes things look easy and it seems that he can be in cruise control at times. Porter found his groove during the morning session and it continued through the evening. Known for his jumper, it was the work Porter did attacking the rim and offensive glass that really allowed him to stand out. He's also a very cerebral passer.Here to view this Link. backed up his No. 8 overall ranking in 2017 and then some. A 6-foot-6 guard capable of playing all three backcourt positions, Brown always rebounds and defends. Sometimes, he's a bit too passive on the offensive end and he's struggled with his jumper. Sunday, Brown was confidently hitting jumpers from between 15 and 20 feet and playing in attack mode at all times. He didn't back down a bit from 2016's No. 1 player Josh JacksonClick In the class of 2017, they don't get much more skilled than 6-foot-8 small forward Michael PorterClick More Sunday notesHere to view this Link.. Because of that skill, he makes things look easy and it seems that he can be in cruise control at times. Porter found his groove during the morning session and it continued through the evening. Known for his jumper, it was the work Porter did attacking the rim and offensive glass that really allowed him to stand out. He's also a very cerebral passer.Here to view this Link. and had a great day.Here to view this Link. and Jarrett Allen. We already discussed Allen, but he and Bolden really went at it. Bigger and stronger, Bolden really tried to get physical around the rim and also showed a really nice jump hook with either hand. Both rebounded, both blocked shots and they competed pretty evenly.Here to view this Link. has gotten a good one in Daejon DavisClick One of the better individual matchups on Sunday was that between five-star Texan big men Marques BoldenClick Make no mistake, Troy BrownClick In the class of 2017, they don't get much more skilled than 6-foot-8 small forward Michael PorterClick More Sunday notesHere to view this Link.. Because of that skill, he makes things look easy and it seems that he can be in cruise control at times. Porter found his groove during the morning session and it continued through the evening. Known for his jumper, it was the work Porter did attacking the rim and offensive glass that really allowed him to stand out. He's also a very cerebral passer.Here to view this Link. backed up his No. 8 overall ranking in 2017 and then some. A 6-foot-6 guard capable of playing all three backcourt positions, Brown always rebounds and defends. Sometimes, he's a bit too passive on the offensive end and he's struggled with his jumper. Sunday, Brown was confidently hitting jumpers from between 15 and 20 feet and playing in attack mode at all times. He didn't back down a bit from 2016's No. 1 player Josh JacksonClick In the class of 2017, they don't get much more skilled than 6-foot-8 small forward Michael PorterClick More Sunday notesHere to view this Link.. Because of that skill, he makes things look easy and it seems that he can be in cruise control at times. Porter found his groove during the morning session and it continued through the evening. Known for his jumper, it was the work Porter did attacking the rim and offensive glass that really allowed him to stand out. He's also a very cerebral passer.Here to view this Link. and had a great day.Here to view this Link. and Jarrett Allen. We already discussed Allen, but he and Bolden really went at it. Bigger and stronger, Bolden really tried to get physical around the rim and also showed a really nice jump hook with either hand. Both rebounded, both blocked shots and they competed pretty evenly.Here to view this Link.. Currently ranked No. 43 in the class of 2017, Davis is a 6-foot-3 combo guard who looks to be on the rise. He attacks the rim, can make jumpers to the three-point line and he is a ball hawking defender. What really stands out about Davis is the physical toughness and mean streak he shows despite a lean build.Here to view this Link. did his best work of the camp during Sunday's morning session. The thin 6-foot-7 combo forward was energetic and bouncy around the rim, ran the floor and played top notch defense.Here to view this Link. had an outstanding weekend. A well-built shooter with 6-foot-5 size and confidence, Woodard was comfortable from beyond the NBA three-point line. Because he's so strong, Woodard can move people around on either end of the floor and make space when he needs it.Here to view this Link. played with huge heart on Sunday. A deadeye jump shooter with deep range whose father Winston played eight years in the NBA, Gardner was bombing threes from all around the gym. What was most impressive, though, was how willingly he scrapped and mixed it up with players that he was spotting anywhere between 2-4 inches in height and 20-40 pounds of weight.
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