Joseph Toye continues busy stretch at Pangos All-American Camp

LONG BEACH, Calif. – If any of the nearly 120 participants in this weekend's Pangos All-American Camp had good reason to pass on the golden opportunity and spend a few days at home relaxing, it would be rising junior wing Joseph Toye of Whitney Young (Chicago).

After helping the nationally-ranked Dolphins go 27-4 over the winter against one of the nation's toughest schedules, the 6-foot-6 wing embarked on an extensive spring club circuit schedule with the Illinois Celtics and Nike-sponsored Meanstreets.

Toye simultaneously managed to compete for the Whitney Young track and field team, taking seventh place in the triple jump in last weekend's Illinois Class 3A state meet with a mark of 45-09.5 (his personal best is 46-9). He also reached the state meet in the high jump and is an accomplished long jumper.

Toye has drummed up new interest from college basketball programs this spring, landing recent offers from Creighton and Providence.



So why continue the grind?

"The chance to come to a prestigious camp and compete against some of the top players in the country," Toye said.

Such is the allure of the Pangos All-American Camp, which runs through Sunday afternoon at Cabrillo High School and has featured stars like Harrison Barnes, Brad Beal, Anthony Davis, James Harden, Brandon Jennings and John Wall over the years.

Toye's stock should continue to rise this weekend and beyond. He possesses all the athleticism one would expect of a track and field star, footwork fine-tuned by playing soccer (his father Matthew came to the United States from Nigeria in 1980 and pushed his son toward the pitch as a youth) and a soft shooting touch.

Pangos Friday night news and notes

* Wade Baldwin made a cross-country journey to attend Pangos and hit the floor in attack mode. The 6-3 guard showed there is a whole lot more on the roster at St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.) than just Kentucky commitment Karl Towns. "All my teammates, coaches and family all said, 'Rep New Jersey and give it your best showing.' This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. This is my first time at Pangos and I want to show everybody that I'm the best player in the country." Georgia  Tech, Minnesota, Penn State, Stanford and Virginia Tech are the biggest players in his recruitment.

* MaxPreps Freshman All-American Thon Maker, a near-7-footer by way of Sudan and Australia who we detailed in this story last August, made the trip to Southern California. There was nothing particularly notable about his showing Friday night, but a conversation with mentor Edward Smith did produce this nugget: Thon will be joined at Carlisle School (Martinsville, Va.) next fall by younger brother Matur, who will be a freshman and is already 6-9.



* Speaking of 2017 prospects, there is only one at Pangos and he is impressive. From San Diego by way of The Bahamas, 6-9 DeAndre Ayton has received considerable attention in recent months and it was easy to see why. He looks the part of elite recruit already and was fluid running the floor and dunking in drills.

* Stanley Johnson arrived a bit late and wearing a USC jacket, for those who like to read into that kind of minutiae. Former Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) teammate Katin Reinhardt announced he was transferring from UNLV to USC this week and new Trojan head coach Andy Enfield seems to have picked up some early momentum on the recruiting trail. It may be a long shot, but landing Johnson – MaxPreps.com's National Junior of the Year – would be a massive coup for the former Florida Gulf Coast coach.

The late arrival didn't seem to hinder Johnson's performance. He pumped in a game-high 20 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists in a win over a team that featured Jalen Lindsey and Stephen Zimmerman.

* Leland Green is not scared. The Class of 2016 guard from Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) served notice that he won't be backing down to more experienced and well-known campers this weekend at Pangos. He was a flat-out pest Friday night and made things happen despite being bypassed a bit in his team's offensive sets.

Check back Saturday night for more from the Pangos All-American Camp