Marshall, Gilchrist Shine at NBPA Camp

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Kendall Marshall (Arlington, Va., Bishop O’Connell) was named Most Valuable Player and teammate Michael Gilchrist (Elizabeth, N.J., St Patrick) was named Most Promising Prospect as they led their team to the camp championship of the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp.

With a majority of the nation’s top talent in attendance, Marshall’s reputation as a true point guard was on full display. With the level of play so high, it will be hard to argue against him not being the top set-up guard in the country.

One of the few underclassmen selected for participation, Gilchrist, a rising junior, impacted games with his production at multiple positions on both ends of the floor.

It was fitting that Gilchrist and Jared Sullinger (Columbus, Ohio, Northland) led both their teams (the Rockets and the Hornets in sticking with the NBA theme) to the camp championship game. The two led their club teams - Team Final and All-Ohio Red - to the championship of the Boo Williams’ Invitational, the first big national event of the spring season that saw Sullinger and All-Ohio Red come out on top.

Through the spring, both teams have reached more championship games than any other with Gilchrist and Team Final reaching four (winning three) and Sullinger and All-Ohio Red reaching three (winning two).

The camp championship game was close throughout and 46-43 at the half in favor of the Rockets when Gilchrist brought down a defensive rebound and led the fast break where he hit Trey Zeigler (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) for an open 3-pointer.

The next trip down he had a block from behind on Sullinger, followed by a near steal when he jumped the passing lane for a deflection.

Marshall showed his defensive progress when he sent back a shot on a drive by Joe Jackson (Memphis, Tenn., White Station).

Offensively, Gilchrist confidently buried a 3-pointer from the wing as the defense sagged off him, having already been beaten to the rim for a pair of athletic finishes by the 6-foot-7 rising junior.

Marshall had a pair of pull-up jumpers in transition, a pair of baseline feeds to Crandall Head (Chicago, Ill., Crane) and Tarik Black (Memphis, Tenn., Ridgeway), and he lost the defense in a pick-and-roll the same way he had all weekend.

In a back-and-forth game that wasn’t decided until the final 16 seconds, Gilchrist and Marshall came out with the 79-74 victory.

CLASS OF 2010

Tarik Black (6-8 PF – Memphis, Tenn., Ridgeway - Rockets): With the game tied at 72 and under a minute remaining, the big man stuck an open 15-footer from the top of the key and then after a stop on the defensive end, he beat everyone down court for an open lay-up. Black’s big moments came when he was matched up with Jared Sullinger. He’s beginning to haunt him between this game and his play against him at April’s Real Deal in the Rock in Arkansas.

Trey Zeigler (6-5 SG – Mount Pleasant, Mich. - Rockets): The big finisher down the stretch with nine of the team’s last 13 fourth quarter points. He was aggressive on the baseline, getting to the rim and drawing a foul and then finishing with a dunk off a dish from Marshall. The next time down he drove to the cup with the defense asleep. The dagger was out of a timeout when he finished and was fouled on a home run pass off the inbound. Also hit a long jumper in rhythm before the half and a three right out of halftime for the rest of his 14 in the championship win. In the opening round, he was also big down the stretch after the team was up big and let the opponents back in it. He scored on two drives and was also at the end of a rebound-battle with a tip-in.

Casey Prather (6-5 SF – Jackson, Tenn., Northside – Rockets): The pro-step/Euro-step was his go-to move and nobody was stopping it in transition as he finished through traffic and against contact. At the start of the second quarter, he hooked up with Gilchrist for a nice sequence. Prather found the cutter for a hoop and then on a fast break he took the pass from Gilchrist and finished with some in-air adjustment at the rim. Scored the game-high 19 points.

Terrence Jones (6-8 PF – Portland, Ore., Jefferson - Rockets): In the opening round, he spent time both inside and out but was better near the rim with some impressive plays including a tough finish against the trees off a bad delivery to him. Converted what ended up being a putback of his own missed 3-pointer following an offensive rebounding battle that saw everyone mixing it up inside. Notable defensively was when he matched up with Tristan Thompson and took the chair out from him to force a travel.

Jared Sullinger (6-9 PF – Columbus, Ohio, Northland - Hornets): Made his mark to start the final as his team established him early while facing an aggressive defender in 6-9 James Johnson (San Diego, Calif., Morse).He’d score on a tip-in and come up with two putback finishes that put the pressure on Johnson and carried over to help Sullinger defensively when Johnson took an awkward turn-around on his lone post-up opportunity.The second half was more of a guards' game but Sullinger did his share rebounding with two tip-dunks and scored a hoop on Tarik Black’s try of fronting him in the post. Black would get the revenge though as he escaped Sullinger for those four big points in the final minute-and-a-half. Sullinger continues to rack up success, scoring 13 points in another trip to an event’s championship game. Committed to Ohio State.

Joe Jackson (6-0 CG – Memphis, Tenn., White Station – Hornets): The guy called on to score down 76-72. He got it done with a runner to the right side and 16.3 seconds left, but the game slipped after they lost the opportunity to foul or force a turnover when the home run pass connected. Knocked down his signature hanging pull-up jumper to start things off and hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Took Trey Ziegler to the rack going left on a fourth quarter drive en route to 13 points for one of the fastest players in the country.

Russell Byrd (6-7 SG – Fort Wayne, Ind., Blackhawk Christian – Hornets): Locked-in from 3-point range hitting for five of them and all 15 of his points. Hit his first at the end of the opening quarter and another to start the second where he sized up the defender and let it fly from the top of the key. At the midway point of the quarter, he had Ziegler on him and made him pay for biting on the jab. Right before the half, he knocked one down fading in the left corner on a designed baseline inbound play. The last came before the third quarter buzzer. He’s got great size and build and showed quick ball fakes to create just that split-second of separation he needs to get it off. Committed to Michigan State.

Mardracus Wade (6-2 SG – Memphis, Tenn., Mitchell Road - Hornets): Impressive when given the chance to create, starting the game by exploiting the switch in a pick and roll where he went to the basket. In the third he found a big on the baseline with a drive and dish and in the fourth he took to the basket a bigger perimeter defender in Casey Prather.

Patric Young (6-8 PF - Jacksonville, Fla., Paxon – Pistons): Big match-up with Adreian Payne and got the best of him. Long and powerful, he rebounded big in the first half highlighted by a dunk off an offensive board for his first points. The second half he made his statement and got deep position in the paint. On three instances, he scored on a quick strong hand hook, took down an offensive rebound and scored through contact, and bumped Payne then went through him for a dunk. Also had a nice recognition sequence where he and Will Barton played two-man, with Young passing out the double-team then coming up to screen for him, leading to a baseline finish for Barton. Played like he ‘gets it’ and already has a high motor, along with an improving skill set. Finished with 13 points in two-point opening round loss after leading team to No. 1 seed. Committed to Florida.

Noah Cottrill (6-3 PG – Beckley, W.Va., Mountain State Academy - Pistons): Quick guard with handle knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to start the game against chiseled rising junior point guard Derrick Wilson, one off the dribble and another where he used a screen to shake free. Committed to West Virginia.

Tobias Harris (6-9 PF – Long Island, N.Y., Half Hollows Hills West – Pistons): Brought a spark to start the game with a handful of offensive rebounds, a putback with his left-hand and a pair of run-outs for dunks. Despite losing, the team needed someone to create with their guards struggling down the stretch and he scored off a nice spin dribble going to the hoop. Finished with 21 points.

Reggie Bullock (6-7 SF – Kinston, N.C. – Jazz): Had team-high 20 points in victory over camp’s top seed. Showed his combination of size and shooting not just from deep here but when he scored from the wing going left on a runner as well as on a hard pull-up going the same way. He beat the defense in transition with the dribble and had a number of finishes on the break. Committed to North Carolina.

Adreian Payne (6-9 C – Dayton, Ohio, Jefferson – Jazz): In the opening round match-up with Patric Young, Payne came out with a block on him, another block on a drive by 6-8 combo forward C.J. Leslie, and a big pin to the glass from the weakside on a layup attempt by 6-3 guard Gary Franklin. He scored on a pick-and-roll with a slow gathering of the pass but a deep take-off for the dunk, and later wasn’t shy to shoot and hit an open 3-pointer.

Stacey Poole (6-4 SG – Jacksonville, Fla., Jackson – Jazz): Some fluid footwork got him space to knock down a pair of short jumpers as he showed off the work he’s put into his game that reflected with some big scoring outings here, posting 13 points in this playoff win. Playing intense and competing hard, an example was when he finished in transition then forced a steal with pressure on the inbound pass. Committed to Marquette.

Jelan Kendrick (6-6 PG – Atlanta, Ga., Westlake – Jazz): Long and lean point guard with size got in the lane and dished to Payne and Hairston for two separate hoops when the defense converged on him. Showed his ability to see and deliver over a defense when he drove and found a cutting Josh Hairston.

Josh Hairston (6-8 PF – Fredericksburg, Va., Courtland – Jazz): Big reason team won was thanks to players flying in from all over and beating opposition to the boards, and Hairston was a big part of that along with getting out and finishing ahead of the pack. Committed to Duke.

Brandon Knight (6-3 PG – Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Pine Crest – Cavs): Nobody in the country matches his burst to the hoop. Not even one of the better defending guards in Cory Joseph could keep him in front of him. He finished in transition with both hands, pressured the ball on defense into dead plays, and shot his usual big number of threes, knocking down a good percentage with selection his area to improve. Scored 18 points per game but team didn’t win a game all week.

Tobi Oyediji (6-8 PF – Houston, Texas, Bellaire - Cavs): Showed off some advanced post moves, an impressive feel and quickness on both ends. Defensively, he stepped up and blocked a jumper in the lane by Harrison Barnes, then had another weak-side block and threw the quick outlet pass. Offensively in the post, he beat Evan Anderson with a quick shot fake and step-through, hit a turnaround jumper to his right, and came flying in for a put-back dunk. Committed to Texas A&M.

Lenzelle Smith (6-4 PG – Zion, Ill., Benton - Cavs): Aggressive in the comeback attempt and playing through frustration on some easy misses, the fullback-type body showed his versatility with everything from leading the break, picking up defensively full-court, hitting a three-pointer off a pass from the post, and backing down 6-8 Shaquille Thomas for a score in the post. Committed to Ohio State.

Cory Joseph (6-3 PG – Henderson, Nev., Findlay Prep – Lakers): Crafty point guard showed big-times moves splitting pick-and-rolls several times and hitting pull-up jumpers from the elbows in both the half court and transition. Had the assignment of checking Brandon Knight and didn’t fare better than anyone else, although he did force one tie-up at the start of the game that gave his team a lift.

Harrison Barnes (6-6 SF – Ames, Iowa - Lakers): This was the game with the nation’s two top senior prospects in Barnes and Knight. He hit a corner 3-pointer to start, but his pull-up jumpers weren’t falling and he didn’t get to the rim as often. A violent flying swat off the backboard on a drive by Lenzelle Smith was the play that let everyone know he was still here to play.

J.T. Terrell (6-3 CG – Burlington, N.C., Cummings – Spurs): In an up-and-down game with not many stops, dropped passes, missed layups, and low on intensity being the last of the camp, Terrell had 17 points on crossovers for drives to the rim and converted a nice baseline floater on a designed play to free him up. Committed to Wake Forest.

Andre Dawkins (6-5 SG – Chesapeake, Va., Atlantic Shores Christian - Spurs): Matching his teammate Terrell with 17 points, Dawkins tried to up the intensity showing off his explosiveness with big dunks out in transition and some aggressive drives to the basket. Committed to Duke.

Nate Lubick (6-8 PF – Southborough, Mass., St. Mark’s - Celtics): Already having a nose for the ball, it was a light-work 20 points for him as he beat the opposing bigs who looked anemic. Committed to Georgetown.

Tyler Lamb (6-5 SG – Santa Ana, Calif., Mater Dei - Celtics): Three-point marksman and athletic driver hit a pair from deep and one pull-up going hard to his left, along with some hanging lay-ups. Committed to UCLA.

Jayvaughn Pinkston (6-6 CF – Brooklyn, N.Y., Bishop Loughlin - Magic): Bullied his way to the hoop on Gilchrist and Prather in the opening round loss and between some forced attempts to score, he was in the middle of all the rebounding battles.    

PLAYOFF SEEDINGS 1-8: Pistons vs. Jazz 4-5: Hornets vs. Lakers 3-6: Celtics vs. Hawks 2-7: Rockets vs. Magic 9-10: Spurs vs. Cavs

SEMIFINALS

HORNETS 77 – JAZZ 74 Hornets – Joe Jackson and Markel Starks had 14 points apiece, Jordan McRae 12, Jared Sullinger 10. Jazz – Reggie Bullock and Jelan Kendrick had 13 points each.  

ROCKETS 72 – HAWKS 56 Rockets – Mike Gilchrist had 15 points, Casey Prather 11 and Tarik Black 10. Hawks – Josh Selby had 13 points and Keith Appling 11.

OPENING ROUND

JAZZ 74 – PISTONS 72 Jazz – Reggie Bullock 20 points, Stacey Poole 13 and Josh Hairston 10. Pistons – Tobias Harris 21 points, Patric Young 14 and Gary Franklin 11.  

ROCKETS 63 – MAGIC 61 Rockets – Kendall Marshall and Trey Ziegler had 12 points a piece. Magic – Aaron Ross 11 points.  

HORNETS 65 – LAKERS 61 Hornets – Mychal Parker had 13 points, Jordan McCrae 11. Lakers – Doron Lamb had 14 points.  

HAWKS 87 – CELTICS 86 Hawks – Josh Selby 21 points, Baye Moussa-Keita 12, Geoffrey Allen 11. Celtics – Kyrie Irving and Nate Lubick each had 15 points, Tyler Lamb and Jason Morris 14 a piece.  

SPURS 73 – CAVS 65 Spurs – Andre Dawkins 18 points, Jarrell Eddie 14, Phil Pressey 11, JT Terrell 10. Cavs –LeBryan Nash 16 points and Rakeem Christmas 13.  

CONSOLATION

LAKERS 78 – CAVS 65 Lakers: Doron Lamb 16 points, Shaquille Thomas 11 and Perry Jones 10. Cavs: Brandon Knight 18 points, Jerian Grant 15 and Lenzelle Smith 13.  

SPURS 77 – CELTICS 63 Spurs: Andre Dawkins and JT Terrell scored 17 a piece. Eric Atkins and Jonathan Graham each had 10. Celtics: Nate Lubick 20 points.  

MAGIC 86 – PISTONS 83 Magic: Justin Coleman 22 points, Ray McCallum 17, Tristan Thompson 14, Carson Desrosiers 13. Pistons: Will Barton 19 points, Travis McKie 13, and scoring 12 a piece were Gary Franklin, Tobias Harris and Evan Anderson.