Cliff Alexander joined a list of recent Pangos All-American Camp most outstanding players that includes Harrison Barnes, James Harden, Brandon Jennings, Shabazz Muhammad and John Wall.
Photo by Nick Koza
In the final installment from the Pangos All-American Camp, held over the weekend at Cabrillo High School in Long Beach, Calif., MaxPreps looks at the event's top five performers and prospects who have a chance to raise the bar in their recruitment heading into the July evaluation period.
Starting Five
Conner Frankamp
Photo by Nick Koza
G – Conner Frankamp, North (Wichita, Kan.): Would have received our vote for most outstanding player honors. Bill Self has quite the player en route to Lawrence in the 6-foot-1 combo guard, who poured in over 32.3 points per game as a junior at North. Can run the show at the point spot and play the facilitator role or off the ball and fill up the scoring column. Sharpshooter has a number of hesitation and start-and-stop moves to get to the hole with deceptive quickness and athleticism.
G – Zach LaVine, Bothell (Wash.): Stunned a lot of observers physically with recent growth spurt and outrageous athleticism. Ended informal dunk contest prior to camp-ending Top 30 Cream of the Crop Game with an effortless, between-the-legs crush job that opened some eyes to the type of explosiveness he possesses. He's one of the most skilled guards in the Class of 2013 with deep shooting range and a tight handle. LaVine may have vaulted himself into the five-star conversation and pending a couple of big events in the coming weeks, the McDonald's All-American Game short list.
G/F – Stanley Johnson, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.): This spot could have gone to
Wayne Selden, but Johnson earned the nod by outshining his fellow 2014 star over the course of the weekend. Johnson, who has played more of a power forward role at Mater Dei early in his career, showed off his perimeter skill at Pangos and was hot from start to finish beyond the arc. He tallied a game-high 18 points to go along with five boards in the Top 30 contest.
F – Jarrell Martin, Madison Prep Academy (Baton Rouge, La.): A dual-threat 6-8 forward, Martin can get it done in the paint but is equally dangerous operating outside. We asked a dozen or so players on Sunday who caught their eye the most in Long Beach and Martin's name consistently came up (along with Frankamp).
F/C – Cliff Alexander, Curie (Chicago): The first non-rising senior most outstanding player in the Pangos All-American Camp's 10-year history, Alexander upstaged a number of highly-touted and older post players to take top honors.
Stock Boosters Dakarai Allen, Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.): The 6-6 wing is making a big effort to develop his offense game. If he improves significantly on that end of the court, watch out. He's a persistent pest on defense and an opportunistic playmaker.
Brandon Austin, Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia): At 6-6 (and probably 165 pounds), Austin has the potential to develop into an intriguing point guard prospect. The Philly star had it all working at Pangos – great ball handler, good shooter and can take it to the basket and finish.
Jordan Bell, Long Beach Poly (Calif.): Playing just a couple of miles from his home court at Poly, the camp setting was perfect to put the 6-7-
ish junior's strengths on display. He was in constant motion, running the floor, blocking shots, getting tips and second-chance putbacks and dunks. Versatile defender will be a slightly undersized but athletic 4 at the next level.
Ikenna Iroegbu, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.): After playing backup to McDonald's All-American
Tyler Lewis at OHA as a junior, Iroegbu came to Pangos with something to prove and did just that. A 6-1 point guard with a running back build, Iroegbu consistently blew past defenders off the dribble and more often than not finished at the rim. Also shot the ball confidently from the outside.
Julian Jacobs, Desert Pines (Las Vegas): Jacobs – a junior already committed to Utah – is a bit of an acquired taste. He's a well-built 6-3 guard but doesn't necessarily have a frame that commands attention. He's got quite a burst going to the rim, however, and seemed to be doing something positive for his team every time we looked his way this weekend.
Jermaine Lawrence, Pope John XXIII (Sparta, N.J.): Though he is closer to 6-7 than his oft-listed height of 6-9, Lawrence has the look of a NBA small forward and may be showing signs of developing the skills it will take to play that position. Lawrence is one of the more graceful athletes in the 6-7-plus range nationally and was highlighted by camp instructor Jeremy Russotti as one of the prospects that caught his eye.
Elliot Pitts, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.): Was a bit surprised Pitts wasn't selected for the Top 30 game because he seemed to be knocking down shots all weekend. He simply can't be left alone. Though it was a bit tough to gauge, we're guessing he is well-schooled on the defensive end as well playing for head coach Frank Allocco at De La Salle. The Spartans limited opponents to 34.4 points per game last season.
Patson Siame, Impact Academy (Las Vegas): Committed to Loyola Marymount, the 6-10 Siame says he will join the Class of 2013. If that's the case, don't be surprised to see his name on our Top 100 list at some point. A native of the African nation of Zambia, Siame has an impressive face-up game and looked comfortable stroking it all the way out to the 3-point stripe.
Ben Simmons, Australia: Much has been made about the 6-8 Class of 2015 prospect since he arrived at Pangos as a virtual unknown on Friday. Russotti called him, "Probably the highest pro potential guy I've seen here." Enough said.
Christian Wood, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.): Before even putting on his sneakers, Wood had everybody's attention. The UNLV commitment looks to be pushing 6-10 with length to match and put it to use by rising above the crowd for buckets.
Namon Wright, Pacific Hills (Los Angeles): Wright is a good-looking 2-guard prospect at around 6-4 with several early offers. He's a confident Class of 2014 shooter and scorer who was selected for the Top 30 contest.
Kevin Zabo, Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.): A native of Montreal, Zabo was impressive getting his from the point guard position as well as running the show and setting up teammates – something that shouldn't be taken for granted in the camp setting. He will be a junior next year at Montrose Christian.
Top 30 Cream of the Crop selectionsWhite Squad – Solomon Poole, Conner Frankamp,
Billy Garrett Jr., Stanley Johnson, Dakarai Allen,
Jaron Hopkins, Brandon Austin,
Kendal Harris,
Isaac Hamilton,
Kevon Looney,
Vincent Hunter, Christian Wood,
Zena Edosomwan,
Michael Young,
Johnathan Williams III,
Karviar ShepherdBlue Squad – Ikenna Iroegbu, Zach LaVine,
Isaiah Briscoe,
Anton Gill,
Tyler Dorsey, Namon Wright, Wayne Selden,
Shaqquan Aaron,
Daniel Hamilton,
Stephen Domingo, Jordan Bell, Jarrell Martin, Ben Simmons, Jermaine Lawrence,
Roschon Prince, Cliff Alexander
Top 30 Cream of the Crop selections gather for a photo following Sunday's finale.
Photo by Nick Koza