Published Jun 29, 2023
Wood's Takeaways: NBPA Top 100 Camp
Russ Wood
Rivals.com

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The NBPA Top 100 Camp started Wednesday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World. The annual event attracts the top players in the nation, regardless of travel team shoe circuit affiliation. During the first session, Derik Queen's game impressed.

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2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team

2025 Rankings: Top 80

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Queen has some of the best hands and footwork of any 250-pounder that you will see. At 6-foot-9, he has good size and physicality. He can finish with either hand in the post, can drive from the elbow or the perimeter into the post, and use a spin move off the bounce in traffic to score.

He can grab a rebound and start the break or he’ll run in transition to post or set a drag screen, roll and look for the dump-off. Queen is a very good rebounder and rim protector. In the two games we watched, Queen made 21-of-24 shots and posted game-highs in points (25 and 22) and rebounds. (11 and 12).

Queen has taken junior year official visits to Maryland and Indiana. Other programs are involved but the two Big Ten programs appear to be the leaders for the Baltimore product. One key note is that Queen's lead recruiter at Maryland, Tony Skinn, is now the head coach at George Mason making the Terps' efforts to keep Queen home more challenging.

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CAMERON BOOZER MAKES A STATEMENT

In a much desired matchup of 2025's top-ranked prospects, Cameron Boozer’s performance against Cooper Flagg practically screamed that he intends to reclaim the No. 1 spot.

The bigger, stronger Boozer (6-foot-9, 225) dominated action at both ends of the floor and seemed to frustrate Flagg, who fouled out of the game, at times. Boozer can play the 4 (space) and play the 5. He was very active and very efficient Wednesday scoring 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-3 from downtown, and led all players in rebounding with 14. Flagg posted a solid 14 points, on 6-of-16 shots – he missed all four of his three-point attempts – and 10 rebounds but many of those points came when Boozer was not in the game.

Boozer wants to get to the rim on drives, he is better going right and can take defenders off the bounce, but can get to pull-ups and he will face you down for threes. He goes to the glass hard, is a very good offensive rebounder and shuts guys down on defense.

His game is so refined that it doesn’t seem possible that he hasn’t turned 16 yet.

Flagg, who gave up at least 20 pounds to Boozer, struggled to make shots but he did not allow that to impact the rest of his game. He led his team in rebounds and dished four assists to help his squad get a win.

Perhaps by design, this game set up a scheduled rematch at next month’s Nike Peach Jam quite nicely.

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DAQUAN DAVIS IS A GOOD FIT FOR PROVIDENCE

Providence's Kim English got a verbal commitment from Daquan Davis last week that looked okay on paper but looked even better after Davis’ performance Wednesday. Admittedly, Davis’ day got off to a rocky start making just 2-of-6 shots – including a missed layup. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds on the camp roster, Davis flipped the script in the second half by making 4-of-6 shots. By the end of the game, he filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists and just one turnover in 28 minutes.

Davis may not be the biggest guy on the floor but he is fundamentally sound plus has the mental and physical toughness to succeed in the Big East.

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JAIDEN GLOVER SHOULD BE A HIGH MAJOR PRIORITY

This was my first look at Jaiden Glover and he did not disappoint.

He was a lights-out shot maker from all over the court, scoring 18 points on a very efficient 6-of-8 shots, to go along with four rebounds and four assists. The effort Glover brings, including defensively, makes him the kind of teammate you want to go into battle with. Glover is a very solid player, a physical and athletic driver who goes to the glass.

Offers from Creighton, Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, St. John’s, Villanova and West Virginia are already in. If Glover plays in July the way he started off this camp, even more high major offers will come.

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QUICK NOTES FROM SESSION ONE

– One of the bigger surprises to me when the 2022-23 high school season began was why V.J. Edgecombe only had three offers. He has 19 now. At 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, he is a wing with good size, length and athleticism. He is capable off the bounce, will make you pay for a bad closeout and is a good offensive rebounder.

– Harvard snagged a good one in Robert Hinton. The 6-foot-5, 180-pounder is very capable off the dribble. He drove on bad closeouts and either got to the rim or to the mid-range to knock down a pull-up. Hinton didn’t attempt a three-pointer in the game we watched but he didn’t need to when he could shoot over defenders in the mid-range or play over them at the rim. He has a lean frame, but Hinton is tough.

Khani Rooths backed up his top-50 status Wednesday. The skill and versatility Rooths packs in a long, lean, 6-foot-8, 200-pound frame is impressive. He is good off the bounce. Although the longer three-point distance affected him Wednesday, Rooths is a capable shooter.