10-9-07 (Article)
HOOP SCOOP Associate Editor Patrick Stanwood was at the Elite 75 Prep Camp at Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, NC over the weekend and the big story was the way 6'7 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian totally dominated the camp. "Johnson scored at will and showed he’s as dominate a 4-man as there is in the Class of 2009," says Stanwood. "Johnson’s ability from behind the arc has really improved and his effort was at full strength (like that of his performance against Renardo Sidney summer before last in the Underclassmen All-Star Game at the Reebok ABCD Camp. When he’s playing well, there aren’t many better players in America. He’s best when grabbing defensive boards, starting the break with ultra quick passes, and beating the defender up the floor and finishing near the basket." Right now Johnson is a long way away from making a decision, but it should come as no surprise that Memphis is the early favorite due to their strong ties to the program and the number of players that they have signed from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC in recent years. Stanwood also was very impressed with 6'7 Jr Andre Marhold from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, who made a strong case for being ranked among the top 100 juniors nationally. "He’s improved ten-fold since this time last year, as he finishes at rim level and can knock down mid-range jumpers. However, we have to admit that we were a tad disappointed with Marhold's head-to-head battle against Johnson. Marhold appeared to get frustrated as the match-up wore on and Marhold showed little interest in rebounding and/or defending in the latter part of the game. All that being said, Marhold is a skilled 4-man who will and has drawn interest from big time school like Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson, N.C. State, and Wake Forest." Stanwood also really was impressed with the high skill level of 6'10 Jr Matt Wilson from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC. "Wilson will be a project for any high major school that takes him due to the fact that he's soft, needs to get bigger and stronger physically, and needs to learn to compete every trip down the court and avoid drifting in and out of games," says Stanwood. But this reclassified junior runs the floor well, knocks mid-range shots, and is an above average passer." Wilson is currently wide open as far as his possible list of suitors, but said he'd like Virginia Tech to show some interest. Stanwood also really liked the way 6'6 Jr Corey Davis from Charlotte (Hickory Grove) NC, who is an athletic slasher that is active around the basket, plays bigger than his size and gives special mention to players like 6'0 Jr LaDarius Frazier from Birmingham (Leeds) AL, 5'10 Jr Luke Davis from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'5 Jr Odelle Turner from Charlotte (Myers Park) NC. The guy who stole the show in the Freshman and Sophomore Division was 6'7 Soph C.J Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, thanks to his freak-like athleticism, magnetic smile, and ability to run the floor like a gazelle. "He's long, strong, can handle, plays well off the ball, and might just be the best wing prospect, along with Jerrell Eddie, in his class nationally," says Stanwood. "Eddie, who is a 6'7 sophomore wing forward fresh off an unofficial visit to Clemson, showed off his ever expanding perimeter game. He is lethal from behind the arc, can handle end-to-end and now has the ability to take his man off the dribble in a half-court set. He's also even improved his low post game, as he now uses his body to score inside and is great at sealing off his man. Eddie also is an above average passer and good defender when he sets his mind to it." Stanwood also liked 6'3 Soph Eric Clark from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO, who is an athletic wing forward with top 100 potential nationally; 5'11 Soph Devonte White from Lawrenceville (Central Gwinnett) GA, who is an impressive combo guard; 6'1 Soph Javaris Rhodes from Greenwood (H.S.) SC who did a good job of controlling tempo and attacking the basket; 5'11 Soph Griffin Shaw from Charlotte (Myers Park) NC, who is a dead-eye shooter that already is getting looks from Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Georgia Tech; and 6'4 Soph Justin Maxwell from Aiken (H.S.) SC, who has a solid handle and standout shooting ability; 6'3 Soph Preston Purifoy from Conway (H.S.) AR, 6'1 Soph Kenyon McNeal from Conway (H.S.) AR; 6'3 Soph Ian Miller from Charlotte (South Mecklenburg) NC, and 6'3 Soph Maurice Nash from Raleigh (Wakefield) NC. Stanwood also tells us to look for big things from Charlotte (Vance) NC in the future "They'll have three of the top 20 freshman prospects in the state," says Stanwood. "6'0 Frosh Jacoby Davis has the skills, strong body, and knack for scoring necessary to be an outstanding combo guard. 5'11 Frosh Marquis Rankin is an ultra quick point guard who plays lock down defense and gets to the cup with strong regularity. 6'5 Frosh Tony Minton is developing into a wiry strong power forward who displays a nice stroke and the ability to get open when slashing." Also having an excellent weekend was 5’9 Frosh Stevie Taylor from Gahanna (Lincoln) OH, who knocked down seven 3-pointers in one game. "Taylor is a better passer than he gets credit for being and appears to have gotten bigger while not sacrificing any off his super speed and quickness," says Stanwood. And Taylor is already receiving interest from schools like Cincinnati, Akron, West Virginia, Ohio State, Georgetown, Tennessee, Marshall, Stanford, Bowling Green, and Butler. The other freshman that really stood out was 6’2 Frosh Larry Savage from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, who does most of his damage inside, but also showed that he has a developing mid-range game. There also was 5’10 Frosh Brian Darden from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, who deserves mention for his defensive intensity and ability to lead a team, and 5’11 Frosh Erik Moody from Richmond (Evangel Christian) VA and 5’8 Frosh Marvin Whitt from Homewood (H.S.) AL both get a call because they were two of the top freshmen lead guards in attendance. Others to note include 6’7 Frosh Javaughn Pressley from Charlotte (Waddell) NC, 6’5 Quashad Williams from Greensboro (Eastern) NC, 6’7 Frosh Matt Giorski from Richmond (Cosby) VA, 5’6 Frosh Sam Mozon from Charlotte (Vance) NC, 5’11 Frosh Reggie Smalls from Raleigh (Southeast) NC, 6’0 Frosh Tyrone Thorpe from Durham (Jordan) NC, and 6’3 Frosh Anthony Harris from Chesterfield (Loyd Bird) VA, 6'4 8th Grader Justin Anderson from Spotsylvania, VA, 6'2 8th Grader James Ford from Richmond, VA, 6'5 8th Grader Jeremy Watson from Birmingham, AL, 6'0 8th Grader Micah Thomas from Richmond, VA, and 6'0 8th Grader Dakota Joungblood from Amelia, VA
