King City Classic: Player Evaluations
Posted on 08. Jul, 2009 by Nolan Shulman in High School, KCC Player Evaluations, King City Classic
I’m here court side at the King City Classic in Cleveland, Ohio, watching the top 90 high school players in the country. As the day progresses, I will be adding players to the list of evaluations. The last few days in Akron were great, but the players didn’t go live as frequently as I would have liked. I got a chance to see them work on their skills, which is always a great way to judge a kids talent level and work ethic. Seeing the kids in a competitive setting in front of every big name college coach in America really gives us analysts a better chance to evaluate. So far from what I’ve seen, the 2010 and 2011 freshman to be should be a pretty dynamic group.
JT Terrell, PG- Although the Wake Forest commit will need to coral his game at the next level, he demonstrated his upside on day 1. He’s lightning quick, has superb ball handling skills, and loves to take it to the rack. He forced the action quite a bit and took some ill-advised shots, but there is no denying this kid has the talent to play in the League one day. He just needs to learn to let the game come to him and get his teammates more involved. He’s extremely streaky, as he made about 5 three’s in 5 minutes during one stretch during game 2. He’s been the key ingredient to team Michigan State’s 2-0 start.
Doron Lamb, SG- Although he doesn’t have a true position at the next level, Doron is a very talented player who can do a little bit of everything. He’s not a true point guard, however he did show he’s capable of playing the position in a pinch. He made some excellent plays in the paint, protected the ball, and was more vocal than usual. That’s all great, but Doron is a scorer at heart and it showed out on the court. He scored from a variety of places, beating his man off the bounce as well as knocking down some mid range jumpers. Combo guards are in vogue right now, and Doron is certainly one of the best combo’s in the class.
Justin Anderson, SF- Justin is a 2012 recruit and superstar in the making. He definitely belonged out on the floor today. He moved well without the ball, and attacked the goal harder than anyone else on the floor. Oh and by the way, this kid can DUNK. He threw down some absolute ferocious one hand and two hand dunks. Justin is surprisingly chiseled for such a young man. By looking at him, you would have no idea he’s two years younger than most guys in the gym.
Dajuan Coleman, C- Coleman is a very wide body that uses his strength to out muscle his opponents for baskets. He’s got surprisingly good hands, and can finish despite contact. He needs to use his power to establish better post position, as he wasn’t catching it low enough to do anything other than pass it back out. He’s a little overweight, and it shows when the tempo starts picking up. Coleman has a lot of untapped ability that should start to shine through as he gets in better shape. He’s a real big boy, and guys his size are hard to find. He’s just a 2012 recruit, which means he’ll have plenty of time to get in shape. When he does, the sky’s the limit.
Phil Pressey, PG- Phil as always was the most vocal player on the court. He’s the ultimate leader in a gym filled with players who star for their respective high schools. He’s a pass first point guard who’s always directing traffic and getting his teammates in a position to succeed. He doesn’t over dribble, which seems to be a common problem amongst the point guards here in Cleveland. He was outstanding in Akron at the LeBron James Skills Academy, and his terrific play has continued today. Phil is very small, which limits his ability to get in the lane. At the next level that’s going to be even more of a problem, as the players get both bigger and more athletic.
Harrison Barnes, SF - The #1 player in the class of 2010 according to some, Barnes certainly looked the part on day 1. Harrison did a little bit of everything out on the floor. He rebounded on both ends of the floor, got to the line, made some jumpers, and most importantly led his team to victory. He had a chance to ice the game with two free throws, but only connected on one. Luckily for Team Michigan State, Connecticut couldn’t get a three point shot off. The one thing Harrison seems to be lacking is athleticism. He had his shot blocked a few times underneath, and doesn’t seem to be able to take people off the bounce. He more than makes up for it with his sound fundamentals, great movement away from the ball, and high basketball IQ.
Marquis Teague, PG- Marquis is the younger brother of former Wake Forest player Jeff Teague, who was just taken in the first round of the NBA draft. Marquis has had an outstanding tournament thus far. He may have had the most buzz of any prospect in the gym this afternoon. He’s showed an outstanding quickness, highlighted by how low he bounces the ball. He’s almost impossible to rip. He needs to work on getting others involved a bit more, as well as starting to help dictate traffic. There’s no denying he’s got the jeans to do some pretty special things in this game.
Jared Sullinger, C- Sullinger is the biggest man in the tournament, but has proven that he’s more than just a wide load. What’s been particularly impressive is his ability to take players off the bounce. His face up game is unbelievable for a young man known for his power game. He establishes fabulous low post position and has the patience to let the lane clear out before making his move. He’s really a lot further ahead than Ohio State’s latest one and done, BJ Mullens was at this point in his development.
Tobi Oyedeji- The Texas A&M commit really had a terrific afternoon. He’s 6’8, but uses his long wingspan to play quite a bit longer. He was a shot-blocking machine today, even blocking 4 shots in one possession. He wasn’t active for just one possession though. He demonstrated an extremely high motor throughout the day. He rebounded on the offensive end really well, as the players guarding him all seemed to have trouble boxing him out. Although he’s somewhat limited in the half court, Tobi showed he’s more than capable of running the floor and finishing in transition. He seems to have a good feel for angles when on the move. His face up game is ok, but still needs work if he’s going to make an impact in the Big 12 next season.
Dion Waiters- Dion is an ultra competitive kid with an excellent body and relentless mindset. He showed off his ability to get to the goal, displaying a great feel for spacing and understanding of how to use his body to protect the ball. He finished in a variety of fashions, including dunks, reverse layups, and double clutches. His ball handling has improved, but it’s still the weakest part of his game. His three point shot also looks quite a bit better. He’s so good at taking it to the goal right now, that he didn’t really have a need to shoot anything from mid range. Once he gets to the Big East, that’s something that he’s going to need to work on as the big men are no joke up there.
More to come so stay tuned !!!!!
Nolan Shulman
nolan@flagrantfouls.com
Matt Faust
09. Jul, 2009
great read noly…you have footage of Lebron being dunked on?!