By Pat Stevens
MaxPreps.com
AKRON, Ohio – Nolan Dennis of Richland (Texas) walked in with a Memphis t-shirt. The shooting guard committed to the national runner-up Tigers last week. John Henson of Round Rock (Texas) high-fives a youngster with North Carolina shorts, his school of choice. Even the host of the show is on it as LeBron James sports red Ohio State shorts.
A select few others look into the small bleachers underneath the hoops, where college coaches are decked out in polo shirts with their school’s logo on them.
Those high schoolers don’t need shorts or recognition, just a look and a scholarship offer. This week, that’s what they’ll play for.
For most of the chosen talent here, though, they’re mulling offers. The college coaches are watching, adjusting their depth charts as to who to pursue further in recruiting.
A spring spent on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball circuit and a trip to one of four position-specific camps being run by NBA stars culminates at this week’s LeBron James Skills Academy.
80 of the best high school players in the country hit the floor playing for college scholarships as they’re evaluated by the top collegiate coaches in the country.
Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Arizona’s Lute Olson, Kansas’ Bill Self and Memphis’ John Calipari represent a small sampling of the high-profile coaches in Akron hoping to show face and secure commitments from players they have been recruiting, as well as maintain commitments already landed. Everything is verbal right now until national letter of intent signing day comes in November.
The stakes are high. They’ve been doing it for years now, and so have the cream of the crop recruits.
What was once the Nike All-American camp for so many years morphed into the LeBron moniker last year.
The hometown boy who played up the street at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School leads the charge each morning with instruction and a little participation in the workouts, firing up and motivating all the talent that’s here.
“The instruction we get is off the charts,” Xavier Henry of Putnam City (Okla.) said. “It’s like no other.”
Mornings are spent broken up by each team doing drills at different stations. Leading the teaching are the likes of the Boston Celtics’ assistant coach Kevin Eastman, former NBA player Craig Ehlo from the up-the-road Cleveland Cavaliers, and trainers Mike Procopio and Alan Stein, who work out a good number of the players entering the NBA draft.
All of the players at the LeBron camp attended a position camp headed by four of Nike’s signature NBA stars last week. The Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce hosted the wings, the Phoenix Suns’ Steve Nash took the point guards, the New Jersey Nets’ Vince Carter worked out the shooting guards, and the Suns’ Amare Stoudemire instructed the bigs.
Jordan Hamilton of Dominguez High School (Calif.) is one the premier wings in the rising senior class. He attended the Paul Pierce Skills Academy and is here to follow up on what he learned, all under the watchful eye of some of the biggest college programs in the country.
“I know Texas and Kansas were sending coaches to watch me today,” Hamilton said. “I got some good reviews and feedback from the Pierce camp so I’m trying to capitalize on that this week.”
Hotly recruited, he said it’s likely to come down to the Longhorns and Jayhawks along with Connecticut, Syracuse, California and USC battling for his signature.
Asked if he’s waiting on scholarship offers from any other schools, he says that there are some new to recruiting him and that may offer him if he continues to play well, which could possibly change his narrowed list of six.
“Memphis called, and so has Tennessee,” Hamilton said. “I can’t say I’m done listening to Memphis. They’re in there too.”
Dion Waiters was a tough cover on Sunday. At a bulky 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, the rising junior got hot and nearly brought his team back from down 20 points to win its night cap. Waiters is committed to Syracuse and had Jim Boeheim’s eventual successor and current assistant coach Mike Hopkins in attendance watching him play.
Other schools have contacted Waiters about his college commitment, but he maintains his allegiance to the Orange.
“I’m still committed to Syracuse,” Waiters said.
High school is a different story as Waiters is considering transferring back home to Philadelphia from South Kent (Conn.). But for Waiters, none of that matters this week. He’s got his scholarship already and says he’s firmly committed. This week is about just doing what he loves and playing basketball.
“This is it. This is the big week because everybody’s here. For me it’s about playing the best and dominating,” Waiters said.
John Wall of Word of God (Raleigh, N.C.) has been an extremely popular attraction. A 6-3 point guard, he was a virtual unknown this time last year and after rising through the high school season and travel team circuit, he is considered by some as the top player in the class.
Wall delivers on-point shuffle passes off the pick-and-roll, leads the break in transition, and pulls up for three-pointers effortlessly. He provided Sunday’s biggest highlight, pump-faking a shot from the left wing, jetting to the rim and rocking the rim with a left-handed jam (his off-hand) to draw the loudest applause of the day.
Wall already has a long line of impressive suitors. Oklahoma State, Baylor, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Memphis and Duke have coaches positioned in the bleachers.
“No pressure,” Wall said. “I’m here to play my game.”