After seeing over 50 teams and close to 30 games over five days in and around Las Vegas, MaxPreps rolls out its list of standouts from the adidas Super 64, Reebok Summer Championships and Vision Sports Main Event.
We missed out on a fourth event, StarVision Sports’ Center Stage which also ran July 22-26 and featured powerhouse programs like Seattle’s Rotary Style Select. I-5 Elite of Portland, Ore., captured the tournament title behind the play of Terrence Jones. Center Stage will be on the calendar for next year.
With so many teams and players spread over the city, it’s impossible to see everybody. This list of 12 includes only players we saw during the week (see complete list of teams below, as well as the star-studded list of college coaches spotted);
Tracy Abrams, Mac Irvin Fire/Mount Carmel
Photo by Chris Stonebraker
Abrams is already committed to Bruce Weber’s Fighting Illini and plays with a fire and passion that any college would love. The rising junior can handle the ball or work off of it with equal effectiveness. On the defensive end, Abrams is active in trying to disrupt the passing lanes and create open-court opportunities.
Ben Bartoldus (6-2, G, Sr.), Granite State Jayhawks/Proctor Academy (Hillsboro, N.H.)
Bartoldus turned in the most impressive half of basketball we saw all week with a 21-point explosion in the first half against a Jeverik Nelson-led Hollis Price Elite squad out of New Orleans. His play sparked an upset win and possibly a whole new list of suitors. “The first half, you could really take that film and send it out to anybody because he was that good,” Granite State Jayhawks head coach Mark Dunham said. Bartoldus finished with 30 points in the game.
Myles Davis (6-1, G, Jr.), Playaz/St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.)
This was a major coming-out party for Davis. He was the Reebok event’s fourth-leading scorer at 23.3 points per game, including 25 against eventual tournament champion Team Detroit. Kentucky, Marist, Penn State, Pittsburgh, St. Joseph’s, Virginia and Wake Forest are all checking in.
Joe Jackson (6-0, G, Sr.), Memphis Magic Elite/White Station (Memphis, Tenn.)
No surprise here, Jackson earned tournament MVP honors after leading Memphis Magic Elite to the adidas Super 64 tournament title. Even with a talented surrounding cast that included Tarik Black, Jelan Kendrick and rising junior star Adonis Thomas, it was Jackson that carried the Magic over the final two days, averaging 26 points per game Saturday and Sunday.
Myck Kabongo (6-2, G, Jr.), Grassroots Canada Elite/St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, N.J.)
Slightly overshadowed entering the event by teammates Cory Joseph, Dwight Powell and Tristan Thompson, Kabongo was as good – if not better – than that trio for the powerhouse Canadian squad in Vegas. Longhorn fans are going to love Kabongo.
Ray McCallum (6-2, G, Sr.), Team Detroit/Detroit Country Day (Detroit, Mich.)
Can’t say enough about McCallum’s play in leading Team Detroit to the Reebok title. There was no need for a tournament MVP to be formally named because everybody who spent time at Foothill High School in Henderson knew it was McCallum. He averaged just 10.3 points per game, but constantly created looks for talented teammates Trey Zeigler (16.4 points per game), Walter Pitchford (9.8 points per game), and Dominique Ferguson (9.5 points per game). He did step up the scoring with 19 in the semifinals against California Supreme Elite and shot nearly 80 percent from the line over eight games.
Quincy Miller (6-9, F, Jr.), D-One Sports/Quality Education Academy (Raleigh, N.C.)
Miller, just a rising junior, put more coaches in the stands than just about any prospect in Las Vegas during the week. On nights when his shots are falling, Miller is going to look like one of the best players in the country. He averaged 18.4 points per game in leading D-One Sports to the Reebok title game and turned in a 29-point, 10-rebound effort against Houston’s Franchize All-Stars in the semis. He knocked down eight triples during the tournament and shot over 70 percent from the charity stripe. As one of the few bigs on the North Carolina team’s roster, he embraced the role of providing a defensive presence in the paint and was successful at swatting or altering shots. Very nice week for Miller.
Jayvaughn Pinkston (6-6, W/F, Sr.), New Heights/Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Pinkston makes opponents wish they were somewhere else. Just ask Grassroots Canada Elite, who had won 14 straight in the adidas Super 64 before Pinkston helped knock them out with 19 points Saturday afternoon. The Bishop Loughlin rising senior is a fit 250-plus pounds and played on the wing for the Big Apple squad. He beats defenders up, manhandles taller, would-be rebounders on the glass and is an intimidating young man on the floor.
Terrell Stoglin (6-1, G, Sr.), Pump-N-Run Elite/Santa Rita (Tucson, Ariz.)
Saw Stoglin just once, but the Arizona guard kept Pump-N-Run Elite in the game against Grassroots Canada with big threes and competent ballhandling against unrelenting pressure in pool play. The Maryland verbal is more combo guard than true point, but his scoring comes within the flow of the game and he does look to set up teammates.
Phil Taylor (5-10, G, Sr.), Worldwide Renegades/Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)
Ironic that Taylor is headed to Florida International to play for Isiah Thomas, because watching him Sunday was a little reminiscent of watching the University of Washington’s Isaiah Thomas in high school. It’s not just the height (or lack thereof). Both have a hunger to score and will force the issue. Sometimes they even find an open teammate in the process of trying to put the ball in the basket (kidding...sort of). Taylor’s verbal is a huge coup for Isiah Thomas.
Adonis Thomas (6-6, W, Jr.), Memphis Magic Elite/Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.)
Thomas is a no-brainer elite prospect in the 2011 class and could inch toward the top of the list with continued improvement. His unselfish play as the “young guy” for the Memphis Magic helped the star-studded cast of the adidas Super 64 championship team click just enough to go all the way.
Okaro White (6-9, F, Sr.), Nike Team Florida/Clearwater (Clearwater, Fla.)
Tucked away at the Main Event, which didn’t draw nearly the quality of teams as the adidas and Reebok events, White – a Florida State verbal – had a nice showing Friday and has the skills and athleticism to eventually be a quality face-up four man at the next level. Against the Danny Granger Hurricanes, White defended all over the floor and was efficient in the high post role on the other end. White probably won’t ever be a big scorer, but with his length, athleticism and unselfishness, he does a lot of things to help a team win.
Terrence Jones, I-5 Elite/Porland Jefferson
File photo by Nicholas Koza
It was a big weekend for Portland, Ore., teams. Not only did Terrence Jones and I-5 Elite capture the Center Stage tournament title, but a U12 squad from the Rose City also took top honors in the Main Event. Connecting the dots between the two, the U12 squad featured the son of I-5 Elite head coach Pat Strickland. … Looking for travel circuit success that will translate to next winter’s high school scene? The Georgia-based Southern Kings captured the adidas Super 64 U16 title behind the play of three teammates – all rising juniors – at Alpharetta’s Milton High School. Guards Dai-Jon Parker and Shannon Scott, as well as 6-8 forward Julian Royal, could make the Eagles a preseason top 25 team nationally next year.
Teams we saw: Boise Flite White (Boise, Idaho), Branch West (Orange, Calif.), California Supreme Elite (Inglewood, Calif.), Canada Grassroots Elite (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), C.J. Miles All-Stars (Dallas, Texas), Centex Shooters (Austin, Texas), Compton Magic Black (Corona, Calif.), D1E Derrick Rose All-Stars (Chicago, Ill.), D-Harris Superstars (Milwaukee, Wis.), D-One Sports (Louisburg, N.C.), Dakota Schoolers (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Danny Granger Hurricanes (N.M.), DC Assault (Laurel, Md.), Derek Smith All-Stars (Louisville, Ky.), Donyell 1 (Reading, Pa.), Fieldhouse Elite Team ID (Ind.), Franchize All-Stars (Houston, Texas), Gateway Basketball Club (St. Louis, Mo.), Granite State Jayhawks (N.H.), Hollis Price Elite (New Orleans, La.), Houston Northwest Cougars (Houston, Texas), Houston Superstars (Houston, Texas), Houston Swoosh Select Black (Houston, Texas), I Can All-Stars (Los Angeles, Calif.), Indiana Elite Fox (Bloomington, Ind.), KC Premiere Elite (Kansas City, Mo.), Las Vegas Prospects (Las Vegas, Nev.), Mac Irvin Fire (Chicago, Ill.), MBA Elite (Jackson, Miss.), Memphis Magic Elite (Memphis, Tenn.), Michigan Mustangs (Oak Park, Mich.), Minnesota Pump-N-Run (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Net Gain Sports (Golden Valley, Minn.), New Heights (Bronx, N.Y.), New York Panthers (Baldwin, N.Y.), Nike Team Florida (Fla.), Northwest Houston Tigers (Cypress, Texas), Northwest Panthers (Tacoma, Wash.), Playaz Basketball Club (Paterson, N.J.), Pump-N-Run Elite (Westwood, Calif.), Southern California All-Stars Red (Cerritos, Calif.), Team A.C.C.E.S.S. (Federal Way, Wash.), Team Detroit (Detroit, Mich.), Team Philly Blue (Philadelphia, Pa.), Terry Porter Elite (Wis.), Texas Bluechips Navy (Dallas, Texas), Urban DFW Elite Varsity (Dallas, Texas), Waco Basketball (Waco, Texas), Worldwide Renegades (Atlanta, Ga.).
Head coaches in the crowd: Steve Alford (New Mexico), Rich Barnes (Texas), John Beilein (Michigan), Randy Bennett (St. Mary’s), Mike Bray (Notre Dame), Jim Calhoun (Connecticut), Jeff Capel (Oklahoma), Johnny Dawkins (Stanford), Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), Matt Doherty (Southern Methodist), Cameron Dollar (Seattle), Billy Donovan (Florida), Homer Drew (Valparaiso), Scott Drew (Baylor), Travis Ford (Oklahoma State), Anthony Grant (Alabama), Frank Haith (Miami), Leonard Hamilton (Florida State), Darrin Horn (South Carolina), Ben Howland (UCLA), Trent Johnson (LSU), Pat Knight (Texas Tech), Lon Kruger (Nevada-Las Vegas), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Phil Martelli (St. Joseph’s), Frank Martin (Kansas State), Ray McCallum (Detroit), Sean Miller (Arizona), Josh Pastner (Memphis), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee), John Pelphrey (Arkansas), Craig Robinson (Oregon State), Herb Sendek (Arizona State), Tubby Smith (Minnesota), Rick Stansbury (Mississippi State), Isiah Thomas (Florida International), John Thompson III (Georgetown), Buzz Williams (Marquette), Gary Williams (Maryland) and Ernie Zeigler (Central Michigan).
