Rashad Vaughn (left), Stanley Johnson (middle) and Emmanuel Mudiay (right) were honored with most outstanding player honors at the conclusion of the Pangos All-American Camp.
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 FIVEStanley Johnson, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.): We detailed the 6-foot-6 power guard
here yesterday following his selection as most outstanding player. He also made our Pangos top five last year.
Emmanuel Mudiay, Prime Prep (Dallas): 247Sports.com's No. 1 player in the 2014 class, Mudiay didn't seem to have a huge sense of urgency about his game over the weekend but perhaps that was just him making it look easy. He pumped in a game-high 23 points in the camp finale on 9 of 13 shooting from the field to go along with six assists and five rebounds.
Rashad Vaughn, Huntington Prep (W.Va.): The five-star shooting guard is one of the top pure scorers in high school basketball and did nothing to hurt that reputation in Long Beach. He scored a team-high 19 points in the Cream of the Crop Top 25 game and got good looks at the bucket whenever he pleased.
Chris McCullough, Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.): Reminiscent of Florida Gator signee Chris Walker in that his prototype physique leaves you looking for a bit more at times. The 6-foot-9 power forward tallied 16 points in the COC Top 25 game but incredibly wasn't credited with a single rebound. He turned in the play of the day, however, by snapping off an improbable alley-oop pass for two points. As impressive physically as any prospect in the 2014 contingent, he is a great fit for Syracuse, the school he committed to last November.
Thon Maker
Photo by Nick Koza
The 7-footer is rapidly developing into something much more than just a tantalizing prospect. Maker, a rising sophomore by way of Sudan and Australia, is working hard to diversify his game and become effective on the offensive end playing from the elbow and wing – the ultimate 'finesse four' if you will. He left onlookers at Cabrillo High School shaking their heads in disbelief repeatedly with blocked shots, baseline jumpers, hustle plays and near-constant activity. He didn't always come away a clear winner in head-to-head matchups with other elite bigs (
Stephen Zimmerman among them), but he made life tough on opponents with his length and quick hands. He even had success on multiple occasions putting the ball between his legs in traffic to get to the bucket. It's scary to think where this kid could be in three years.
ON THE RISEWade Baldwin, St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.): An athletic, attacking guard we detailed in Friday night story. Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Penn State, Stanford and Virginia Tech are in the mix for his services.
Casey Benson, Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.): He arrived late after taking the SAT but was always in control at the point guard spot once he took the floor. He's an unshakeable ballhandler who exploits pressure and always finds the right man. This weekend marked his second attempt at the SAT, as he is trying to secure a score that would allow him to attend a prestigious academic institution – like, say, Stanford. The Cardinal may be in good position if he can make that happen. Benson says Oregon, Creighton, Saint Mary's, Boise State, New Mexico and Nebraska are also involved. He will be joined at Corona del Sol next season by another camper that made a big impact, 6-8 forward
Connor MacDougall.
Carlton Bragg, Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland): The intriguing 6-9 Class of 2015 forward can protect the rim and has five-star prospect written all over him.
Isaiah Briscoe
File photo by Vincent Carchietta
The 2015 guard is adept at absorbing contact and getting to the rim, often finishing with grace that belies his linebacker build. There were whispers around the gym that he may be on the move next fall.
Tyler Dorsey, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.): There is a bit of a hyper-active nature to his game that generally results in productivity and positive things for his team. The rising junior guard had 15 points and six assists in the camp finale and wasn't afraid to take it to the big names at Pangos.
Leon Gilmore III, Manvel (Texas): Among the camp's top scorers, the 6-7 wing solidified himself as a rising name in the 2014 class. 247Sports reports plenty of attractive offers already and had him installed as the No. 62 overall 2014 prospect, but he was a bit of a revelation for those who hadn't seen him on the West Coast.
Leland Green, Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.): Fresh off winning a state title as a freshman under head coach Reggie Morris Jr., the 6-2 guard was fearless at Pangos and will have the eye of scouts and analysts over the next four years. He didn't put up big numbers at Redondo and wasn't a bulk scorer at Pangos, but Green came to compete, and didn't blink against the more established upperclassmen in attendance.
Daniel Hamilton, St. John Bosco: From the famous Hamilton family of basketball, the soft-spoken, 6-7 guard goes about things quietly but usually finishes with a big stat line. That was the case in the Cream of Crop Top 25 game where he tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Michael Humphrey, Sunnyslope (Phoenix): A year ago the 6-9 forward saw the quarterback position on the gridiron as his ticket to a college scholarship. After growing nearly four inches in the last 12 months, he has become a very intriguing stretch four prospect. He has Ivy League-type grades and Columbia has already offered. Arizona State, Portland, Portland State, Tulsa, Rice and Utah State are all showing interest. He still plans on playing football this fall and should be a sight to see under center.
Terry Larrier, Phelps (Malvern, Pa.): He made plays and knocked down jumpers all weekend. At 6-8 he looks like he is taking steps toward developing into a legitimate small forward prospect.
Rex Pflueger, Mater Dei: He should be a great sidekick to Johnson next season at Mater Dei. Earned a spot in the Cream of Crop Top 50 game and along with aforementioned Benson, absolutely took over for a stretch. Hit from the 3-point arc consistently throughout the weekend and is an excellent athlete.
Chris Sandifer, Serra (Gardena, Calif.): One of the camp's top scorers, Sandifer drew much positive attention during his junior campaign at Serra and showed at Pangos that he can fill it up against national competition as well.
Omar Sherman/Elijah Thomas, Prime Prep: This will be a beastly post combination at Prime Prep next season and they have previous experience playing together on the club circuit. Both are big, burly 6-8 forwards with Sherman in the 2014 class and Thomas a Top 10 prospect in 2015 by 247Sports. Thomas reports too many offers to list at this point and is in the preliminary stages of what should be a heated recruitment.
Thomas Welsh, Loyola (Los Angeles): The 6-11 rising senior has worked hard to improve his game. Though he doesn't possess the athletic pop that many covet, he's mobile enough to be effective and goes end-to-end well. Welsh is being overlooked a bit as a top 2014 prospect and is capable of being a solid contributor for just about any college program in the country.
