I made it out to Team Camp yesterday and I’ll be back today. Games were at Crisler, the IM Building, and the Track Building. Here are my thoughts on some of the players I saw. A lot of them you already know, but there were some new faces.
Ray Lee (2012, G, Romulus) Ray impresses me more and more every time I watch him, and this time was no different. He plays great defense, always plays hard, and gets to the basket whenever he wants. Also, his shot is really coming around and he was hitting yesterday. When we spoke he talked to me about how he plays a lot of different positions for his high school team, and that was true. He played a lot of the 3 yesterday and had no trouble banging with the bigs in the post. Continue to be impressed by him.
Chris Jenkins (2012, F, U-D Jesuit) Chris Jenkins is a player for University of Detroit Jesuit who plays for The Family. He’s tall, extremely long and rail thin. He looked to be about 6-6 or 6-7, and I wasn’t blown away by his play in the post, but he was intriguing as a wing prospect. He spent a lot of time on the perimeter and consistently knocked down 3-pointers. Also, he did get his shots inside against Southfield, which is no easy task. He needs to step up his post defense, but still a very good prospect because of his versatility.
Justin Moss (2011, F, Romulus) Moss played well in the few games I saw. You know what you’re going to get from him: toughness, aggressiveness, pedestrian post moves and a work-in-progress midrange jumper. He goes after rebounds like nobody’s business, and he’s very athletic, slamming a couple home in Romulus’s game against Huron. He’s also by far the most well-developed post player at camp.
Cameron Fowler (2012, G, U-D Jesuit) Fowler is a quick guard who plays with Jenkins at U of D and also plays for The Family. When I saw him playing with the 17U’s for The Family I thought he was in a little over his head, but I’m glad I got to see him again because he was pretty impressive. He had a couple nice blow-bys and some nice finishes at the rim. Definitely a young guy to keep an eye on.
Darren Washington (2011, F, Gabriel Richard) The recent Gabriel Richard transfer had an off-and-on day. In the first game I saw of his, he played well. He was aggressive and tough, constantly getting fouled in the post. In the second game, he looked frustrated and beat-up. He ran into a bit of a wall and had a hard time contributing. He tries to force up shots in the post that weren’t there. He needs to bulk up so he can make all the little guards fouling him pay–right now, they’re able to affect his shots too much. One really good thing about Washington is his ability and willingness to pass out of the post. That never changed no matter how frustrated he was. Washington is clearly talented, but kind of a rough day for him.
Luther Page (2011, W, Gabriel Richard) Washington’s teammate had a similar day he did. Page is a 6-6 wing who can play in the post or on the perimeter with very long arms and great athleticism. Page is very aggressive, competitive and passionate. He was impressive at times at Elite Camp and that’s the way he was yesterday–impressive, at times. He was able to finish some tough shots inside, but had a tendency to force the issue a bit.
Dante Williams (2011, W, AA Huron) The Huron High School product was impressive when I watched him. Dante is extremely athletic and plays smothering defense. His shot is getting better and better and he’s doing a great job of making defenders who play off him pay. He’s still very, very thin, but even so he can finish in traffic and gets the basket consistently. Very impressive effort.
A.J. Mathew (2011, G, AA Huron) A.J. is the unquestioned leader of the second-best team in the state. He isn’t extremely athletic, but he has a great feel for the game and is quick enough to guard anyone. He always seems to make the right pass and he’s a very good 3-point shooter. He made a very clutch 3-pointer against Romulus in the last game I watched of the day.