MaxPreps.com Staff Report
A large cast of the nation's top high school basketball prospects are headed to camp this weekend.
Nike's LeBron James US Skills Academy and Reebok's Rbk U will host over 200 rising stars through early next week, giving college coaches, scouts, and the media a chance to see the handpicked rosters go head-to-head.
In addition to games, the Skills Academy will work on development at the players' respective positions and offer up a seminar on the NCAA. The event is being held in James' hometown of Akron, Ohio, at the University of Akron Friday through Monday.
Rbk U, billed as the country's "ultimate All-American camp experience," will run Friday through Tuesday at the Athletic and Recreation Center on the campus of Philadelphia University.
The featured attraction in Akron will undoubtedly be Louisiana's Greg Monroe, the top-ranked senior-to-be nationally by CSTV. As a junior, Monroe led Helen Cox High School in Harvey to a 36-4 record and the Class 4A regional playoffs.
Other top CSTV Class of 2008 attendees expected to be in Akron tonight include Ed Davis (No. 3, Benedictine, Va.), Al-Farouq Aminu (No. 4, Norcross, Ga.), and Samardo Samuels (No. 5, St. Benedict's, N.J.).
The Rbk U lineup will feature 10 members of CSTV's Class of 2008 top 50, including No. 2 Brandon Jennings of Oak Hill Academy (Va.). The point guard, who emerged originally at California's Dominguez High in Compton, averaged 15.3 points and 11.5 assists per game as a junior for head coach Steve Smith's Warriors.
Other top 50 players from the Class of 2008 expected to join Jennings in Philadelphia are William Buford (No. 16, Toledo Libbey, Ohio), Terrence Jennings (No. 17, Mt. Zion, N.C.), Malcolm Lee (No. 22, J.W. North, Calif.), Elliott Williams (No. 20, St. George's, Tenn.), Romero Osby (No. 23, Northeast Lauderdale, Miss.), Darius Miller (No. 32, Mason County, Ky.), J'Mison Morgan (No. 45, South Oak Cliff, Texas), Mike Rosario (No. 48, St. Anthonys, N.J.), and Eshaunte Jones (No. 49, Fort Wayne North Side, Ind./Hargrave Military, Va.).
Rbk U also features several prominent underclassmen, including three of the top 10 players in CSTV's Class of 2009 - Rendardo Sidney (No. 1, Artesia, Calif.), Kenny Boynton (No. 6, Fla.), and Karron Johnson (No. 10, Patterson School, N.C.).
Incoming freshmen phenoms LeBryan Nash of Texas and Tony Wroten of Washington were also included in the elite group of 120. Nash is headed for Cedar Hill High outside of Dallas, while Wroten is expected to attend Seattle's Garfield High next fall.