Vegas Day Two

The Las Vegas Spring Showcase and the Pump ‘N’ Run Spring Tournament swung into full gear Saturday. Here is a quick rundown of eye catchers from the second day of action in Las Vegas.

ATHLETES

Although the South Florida Heat does not have the overall physical strength of the Houston Hoops, the long, lean squad from the Sunshine State may be the most athletic team in either tournament.

For starters, look for these names to pop up on the recruiting radar screen.

Brian Asbury- The 6-foot-6, 2005 prospect blocks shots, hits the three, can jump out of the gym, and has perimeter skills.

Kyle Marks- This 6-foot-8, 2005 power forward prospect is a lefty who runs baseline to baseline for blocks, rebounds, and dunks.

Chanie Coley- A 2005 combo forward prospect, Coley showed some promise with the ball in the open court. Although listed at 6-foot-6, he appeared taller and played even taller with his big time athleticism.

More from this talent laden team will be forthcoming.

Concerning the Houston Hoops, several of their players had strong showings Saturday morning.

David Devezin- The 6-foot-1 scoring point guard, shot the ball well and had a presence on defense. The 2005 prospect mentioned Oklahoma State and Florida State as the schools pursuing him the hardest.

Fendi Onobun- The Arizona commitment just might be the best raw athlete in Vegas right now. He is big, long, strong, and explosive. At his best in an open court game, pressuring the ball and filling the lanes on the break are what Onobun does best. He does need to refine his skills with the ball, especially in a half court game.

Jeremy Barr- The enormous 6-foot-9 power forward with size 22 shoes has had a slow spring but played well Saturday. The Bahamian native is still developing a feel for the game, but he rebounded well, made some nice post moves, and even made some nice passes. Although and because he is probably three years away from being a high major impact player, coaches are watching him closely. Barr is listing Oklahoma, North Carolina, Marquette, Arizona, and Duke.

Shooters

One of the hotter hands of the day was the left hand of Seketoure Henry of Belmont Shore. At 6-foot-2, this 2005 prospect displayed combo guard skills and the ability to finish strong at the basket along with his silky touch from behind the arc.

2007 UCLA commitment Taylor King, as expected, shot the ball well Saturday. More importantly for King, of the Southern California All-Stars Red, he passed the ball extremely well and was a physical presence inside with his rebounding. The 6-foot-6 King does need to work on his scoring in the mid-range area.

King’s teammate Chad DeCasas displayed a pure stroke as well. The 6-foot-4 2006 wing prospect also has a nice build and feel for the game. DeCasas actually ran the point for his 26-4 high school team. Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, and Minnesota are showing early interest.

Utah shooter Joe Darger is leading the way for the H Squad this summer. The 2005 prospect has a high, smooth release on his jumper coupled with above average athleticism. Darger has offers from Oregon, BYU, Utah State, and UNLV. Washington, Arizona State, New Mexico, and Utah are tracking him closely.

But the hottest hand, hands down, belonged to Mario Chalmers of Alaska/New Mexico Pea ump N Run. The 2005 point guard prospect went for 40 points in a win over EBO/EA Sports. He hit 10 of 10 free throws and 6 three pointers. Look for more on Chalmers in Tim Watts’ Saturday recap.

Guard Play

With his size and skill, Bryan Harvey is a very intriguing 2005 combo guard prospect. The 6-foot-5 guard from the Southern California All-Stars Red can do all the things expected of a big, athletic guard, and he showed a penchant and ability to hoist the long range shot as well. Harvey, who would like to head west, is listing UConn, Syracuse, and Kentucky.

Austin Johnson of Team Texas is thin, very thin, but the 2005 combo guard prospect knows how to play the game and has the skill and athleticism to make plays with his knowledge. He must gain weight to be a factor on the high major level, and if he does, his best basketball is certainly ahead of him. Texas Tech and Colorado State have offered, Kansas is calling, and USC was impressed with his play Saturday.

Look for much more information out of Vegas in On the Bounce with Coach Meyer and player updates in the coming days.