After spending three days in Las Vegas last weekend (and
logging about 1,000 road miles), I learned that April is a great time to visit
Sin City. I’ve worked in Las
Vegas from time-to-time over the last seven years, and even had to deal with
a mammoth flash-flood
one day that rivaled
Noah’s ride in
the ark a zillion years ago. So it’s an easy call: go in April if you
get
a chance.
There were two basketball tournaments in Las Vegas between April
16-18;
the Pump & Run Easter Tournament, a 64-team tournament that is
played at three different high schools, with Adidas the key sponsor, and the
Las Vegas Spring Showcase (also 64 teams) where Nike is the key sponsor. Needless
to say it took some
serious time management to
catch the teams and players I wanted to watch.
Here’s a list of the players, in no particular order,
that I
had a chance to view, talk to, and learn about during the weekend.
Mario Chalmers – Bartlett High School
in Anchorage, Alaska
6’1", 160 lbs, point guard – Class of 2005
An explosive speedster who can rise, Chalmers oozes ability. He possesses similar
confidence to
Jason Terry in the way he carries himself on the court, and for that reason
there were plenty of Pac-10 coaches watching him. He showed an impressive ability
to shoot from long range, get to the rim, and set up his teammates for easy scores.
Chalmers also showed tremendous leaping ability in throwing down a few of the most
impressive dunks of the weekend. He's a very good student whose parents are both teachers.
Chalmers does have to improve both his jump shot - since it's more of a set shot - and
his ballhandling - as he did lose the ball on a few occasions in the lane. Throughout the
Pump & Run competition, Chalmers, who was often the best player on the court, was able
to dominate a game with his quickness. When you combine that speed with passion you are
looking at a top 25 player who is a likely shoo-in for next year's McDonald’s
All-American game. He put his exclamation point on Las Vegas by scoring 67 points during
the final two games of the Pump & Run Tournament.
James Keefe – Santa Margarita Catholic
HS in Santa Margarita,
California
6’9", 210 lbs, power forward – Class of 2006
With outstanding build and long arms to boot, Keefe is an extraordinary talent.
He's easy to overlook in warm-ups because he has a California surfer look to
him but the moment
you watch him play, you see a worker who immediately makes an impact. In one
game, he showed tremendous intensity, hustling and making plays, even though
his team had a lofty lead. He
can post, drive, shoot it to 15 feet, and has a firm understanding of staying
within himself. An extremely athletic post player that will garner national attention
due to his
hustle, Keefe is a brilliant communicator. Signaling and talking with your teammates
is
one of the more underrated aspects of watching prep basketball games but it’s a treat
to watch a youngster do it as effectively as Keefe. One of his few flaws is that because
of his proficiency, he sometimes gets caught out of position, but this can be remedied
with more game experience. Keefe had some of the best feet in the Nike tournament and runs
the court a lot like Ike Diogu. He can alter shots, position rebound, and drive to the
hoop. His build is already Pac-10 strong.
Kevin Love – Lake Oswego HS in Lake Oswego,
Oregon
6’8", 220 lbs, power forward – Class of 2007
How can this young man be a freshman? That’s the biggest compliment one
can honestly give big Kevin Love, the son of Stan Love, a former Oregon Duck
and NBA player.
Kevin has all the post moves down and just makes you feel like it’s a dirty
trick
that a young man could be this good but still have 3½ years before he can actually
play
in college or the NBA. Love doesn’t possess superior foot speed and doesn’t
alter a ton of shots in the middle but he’s well-drilled and perhaps the
most fundamentally sound high school freshman I have seen in more than 10 years.
A number of
Pac-10 schools are closely watching Love and he makes a strong case for being
the best
player in the 2007 Class.
Alex Stepheson – Harvard Westlake High
School in North Hollywood, CA
6’8", 200 lbs, power forward – Class of 2006
One of the top surprises while watching the Pump & Run Tournament was Alex
Stepheson. An extraordinary worker on the glass, Stepheson is a constant double-double
threat who knows how to position himself and score. He has a solid build and projects to
about 6’10", 230 lbs. He plays in a very competitive high school league and goes
100% all of the time. His high school stats depict exactly what his game is all about - 11
pts and 11 rebounds per game. Stepheson is a consistent worker who defends his opponents
very well often pushing them away from the post. He can still work on developing more
refined post moves and does have a tendency to commit touch fouls. He does play very hard
and carries himself with a quiet confidence. Stepheson is a rising player in the 2006
class who is receiving a ton of interest from Pac-10 schools.
Ricky Sanchez – Puerto Rico native
6’10", 190 lbs, small forward – Class of 2005
A Jonathan Bender-type growing in popularity in the 2005 class, Sanchez has filled
out
a bit earlier than expected. A versatile outside performer who’s 6’10",
Sanchez can handle the ball as well or better than most two-guards (a la Lamar
Odom).
Sanchez runs the court very well and didn’t get beat on defense once. He’s
tough to evaluate though since most coaches project Sanchez as an interior player,
yet he often played away from the basket. Offensively, he stays outside, wanting
to use his array of
step-back moves and sometimes tries to make too many moves with the ball instead
of shooting over his man. Sanchez is a decent post defender, but lacks tough
rebounding
skills. He has a great physique and in the right system, Sanchez could
be a
force. The Pac-10 is calling.
Jordan Wilkes – Loyola High School in
Los Angeles, California
6’11", 195 lbs, center – Class of 2005
Easily one of the most improved players over the past 12 months, Wilkes has a
ton of upside. Jordan is the youngest son of former Pac-10 star and Lakers legend
Jamaal Wilkes,
and brother of standout shooting guard
Omar Wilkes (who is currently transferring out of
the Kansas program). A sleeper a year ago who was easily pushed around, Wilkes came back
to Las Vegas much tougher. Early in the competition, he made some fantastic athletic moves
on the post to get baskets and used his long arms to affect the game. He fought hard for
rebounds and approached the game with a Tim Duncan-type demeanor (a player that he admires
quite a bit). Wilkes is also an underrated passer who consistently hit the open man
whenever he was double-teamed. He did lose his legs a bit as the competition wore on but
that’s understandable when one plays five games within 36 hours. One of the top
players on the West Coast next year, and a fast-rising player nationally, he could be the
best senior big man in the 2005 class.
Anthony Goods – Centennial High School
in Corona, California
6’3", 170 lbs, point/shooting guard – Class of 2005;
A silky smooth shooting guard and point man from Centennial HS in Corona, Goods
has
enormous potential. During the Pump & Run tournament, Goods stood out as
being an outstanding fundamental shooter. It's just as a coach draws up with
the release over the
top after a comfortable lift. Goods was a bit banged up coming off the previous
weekend's play and in his first game of this week's event took a very hard (and
cheap) foul as he
went up for a two-handed jam. This caused him some problems the rest of the tournament
and he admitted that he didn't have his usual explosiveness. Nevertheless, he
was still able
to show his graceful but solid overall game. Some coaches compared him to B.J.
Armstrong while others see more of a Ray Allen-type. Goods has an excellent crossover
move and can
handle the ball like a point though his dribbling skills aren’t off the
charts. One of the best guards in the west due to that picture perfect form,
Goods is already
receiving loads of Pac-10 attention.
Jamal Boykin – Fairfax High School in
Los Angeles, California
6’6", 210 lbs, small forward – Class of 2005
Boykin is becoming a favorite of a lot of high majors due to his workmanlike performances.
He is the type of young man that seems to play every game a bit harder then his previous
game. Boykin knows how to score and is a coach's delight; a solid player that will go out,
execute and stay within a game plan. Some of his limitations appear to be that he
doesn’t show an incredible amount of athleticism to his game and this limits his
potential. There isn’t a lot of lift on his jumper either. Boykin has off-the-chart
competitiveness and the bottom line is that he’s a winner. He was the driving force
on the Fairfax Lions run to the California Division I State Championship in 2004 and
he’ll be a winner in college too. It doesn’t take long to see that he’ll
often outwork his opponents. Pac-10 coaches love his game and two coaches from the ACC and
Big East were front and present when Boykin was on the court.
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