By Chris Stonebraker
MaxPreps.com
A crystal ball, tarot cards, or just plain old calling the psychic source are all ways people turn to in order to see the future. On June 22-24 scouts, media outlets, and high school basketball enthusiasts made their way to Alliant International University in San Diego, Calif., for a chance at using the closest future-seeing tool in sports next to Ms. Cleo, the adidas Phenom 150 Freshman & Sophomore Camp.
It's billed as the camp where the Top 150 rising freshman and sophomores gather to measure their skills against the country's best, receive top quality instruction from Joe Keller's highly-trained staff, and get the chance to raise their stock in the recruiting world with standout performances.
By the time the weekend was over, the adidas Phenom 150 Freshman and Sophomore Camp had accomplished all of the above. Up-and-comers like Desmond Simmons and Karl Cochran emerged as names to watch nationally. Simmons, a 6-7 soon-to-be sophomore from Oakland, was the camp's top-ranked player and All-Star game MVP, while Cochran's play earned him the nickname "Spyderman".
Despite names like Dwayne Polee, Jr., Ryan Boatwright, and DeShaun Thomas absent from the roster, the adidas Phenom 150 Freshman and Sophomore Camp still provided plenty of entertainment. There were intense matchups, like that between two of the top rising freshman big men in the camp - Aaron Brown and Aaron Ross - and spectacular performances, such as an eight-dunk feature put on by Upper Darby, Pa., sophomore Daniel Stewart.
Lastly, competitive grade games followed by an All-Star game took place where defense and quality of play were stressed over individual achievement.
Dave Taylor, a former assistant coach at the United States Air Force Academy, was charged with pushing the assembled group of highly-talented athletes. Taylor knows the importance of instilling in a strong work ethic and life lessons that will help camp attendees become better people as they go from teenagers to adults over these next few years.
The adidas Phenom 150 Freshman and Sophomore camp gave spectators a glimpse into the future of American basketball. The following players should be on your watch list as they were all All-Star selections at this year's camp:
Rising Freshmen
Juan'ya Green (6-3, Wing, Pennsylvania)
Jabari Brown (6-4, Forward, California)
Vaughn Gray (6-6, Wing, New Jersey)
John Johnson (6-1, Wing, Pennsylvania)
Cezar Guerrero (6-0, Point Guard, California)
Lamin Fulton (5-11, Point Guard, Pennsylvania)
George Marshall (5-10, Point Guard, Illinois)
Aaron Ross (6-7, Center, Arkansas)
Damien Griswold (6-5, Forward, Arkansas)
Mark Brown (6-4, Forward, Texas)
Jonathan Holton (6-6, Center, Florida)
Aaron Brown (6-7, Center, Pennsylvania)
William Wise (6-7, Forward, Pennsylvania)
Anthony Bowden (6-4, Forward, Washington)
Kendall Andrews (6-4, Center, California)
Ameen Tanksley (6-4, Center, Pennsylvania)
Anthony Harris (6-2, Wing, Virginia)
Shaiharea Scaife (6-3, Forward, Arkansas)
Karl Cochran (6-1, Point Guard, Georgia)
Charles Oliver (5-11, Wing, New Jersey)
Alternates:
Joey Gripper (6-1, Point Guard, Pennsylvania)
Christian Carin (5-11, Point Guard, California)
Tyler Greenspan (6-2, Forward, Florida)
Deion Houston (5-10, Point Guard, Texas)
Corbin Miller (6-2, Wing, Utah)
Rising Sophomores
Ahmad Starks (5-10, Point Guard, Illinois)
Desmond Irving (6-1, Point Guard, Pennsylvania)
Jordan Clarkson (6-1, Point Guard, Texas)
Torrell Candelaria (6-2, Point Guard, Pennsylvania)
Hakeem Harris (6-2, Guard, New Jersey)
Derrick Wilson (6-2, Wing, Alaska)
Tyreek Duren (6-2, Guard, Pennsylvania)
Kendall Williams (6-2, Guard, California)
Donte Himes (6-3, Wing, Texas)
Aaron Brown (6-4, Forward, New Jersey)
Dwight Williams (6-5, Forward, Florida)
Kazeem Olaniyan (6-5, Forward, Michigan)
Jason Morris (6-6, Wing, Georgia)
George Matthews (6-6, Forward, Arizona)
Adrian Rodgers (6-6, Center, Georgia)
Desmond Simmons (6-7, Center, California)
DeAndre Daniels (6-7, Center, Louisiana)
Daniel Stewart (6-7, Center, Pennsylvania)
Brandon Dawson (6-7, Center, Georgia)
Chad Calcaterra (6-10, Center, Minnesota)
Alternates
Jerry Harville (6-1, Wing, Nevada)
Josh Turner (6-6, Center, Connecticut)
Terrell Stoglin (6-1, Wing, Arizona)
Gregory Langston (6-3, Forward, Connecticut)
Kyle Travis (6-1, Guard, California)
Josh Selby (6-3, Wing, Maryland)
Notes: Troy Leaf of Foothills Christian (Calif.) displayed the touch that helped him average 25.2 points per game as a freshman, establishing himself as one of the camp's top shooters. Leaf drained 63 three-point attempts in 29 games last winter and had a season-high 45 points in just his fifth high school game.Ohio's Ryan Bass is a score-first point guard in the mold of Stephon Marbury. Bass can jump out of the gym and will make any team he plays on tough to stop when his passing skills catch up with his ability to fill it up.Oklahoma's Alex Miller challenged Leaf as the camp's top shooter and could develop into a big-time scorer as he learns to create his own shots.Indiana big man Anthony Springmann was listed at 6-5, but looked to be more in the range of 6-7. Springmann is already blessed with a strong frame and is very solid fundamentally.
