 |
| R. Conway, D. Morton, J. Bradley, E. Fisher & S. Bogues |
As we suspected late Friday night, the level of talent
that attended Bill Francis’ All-American Middle School American games carried
over to Mike Melton’s Basketball
Spotlight Future Phenom Camp in District Heights, MD on Saturday and
Sunday. Also as expected, many of the
stars from the All-American game ended up being standout performers at the
camp. One such player was Ryan Conway (6’0/combo guard/2021/MD),
who totally dominated on Saturday. As he
has done at many elite events over the past couple of years (see video), Conway
scored the rock at a high level. With
his size, strength and ball skills, Conway easily gets to and finishes at the
cup. That’s not all, as Conway can also
stroke it from deep or stop on a dime for the mid-range pull-up Jumper. For his efforts, Conway was named 2021 Camp MVP.
He did not receive MVP honors on Sunday, but the same
standout performance that led to Dee
Morton’s (6’0/WF/2022/GA) MVP selection on Friday was on full display on
Saturday and Sunday. Morton’s football-ready size, frame and strength, coupled
with an elite skill set makes him a monster to defend. Too big and strong for many guards, Morton is
adept at powering his way to basket where he is absorbs contact and finishes. We’re not sure if he currently appears on any
national lists, but he should! We have to give props to Jaden Bradley (5’11/PG/2020/NC), the 2022 Camp MVP, who did his
thing as well. Bradley has good length, athleticism, is super smooth and can
also shoot it from beyond the arc. As we
watched him play this past weekend, Bradley made it look easy. We have already
featured Elijah Fisher (6’1/PF/2023/CN)
in an earlier article, but his dominant performance over the weekend deserves a
second mention. The kid has the talent
to be really special one day!
 |
| E. Bates, C. Whitt, C. Livingston, D. Harris & C. Furst |
Speaking of young talented prospects, Smaritine “Fatman” Bogues
(5’0/PG/2023/MD) is still one of the top young guards in the country in his
class. Because he has shed some of the
baby fat since the last time we saw him, we almost didn’t recognize him, but as
he carved up the defense, ran his team like a general and still managed to
score, we eventually figured out who he was. We’ve seen Bogues at our Buckeye
Prep Elite Showcases in the past, so we know the kid can go, but it’s clear
from what we saw this past weekend that Bogues has not fallen off. Bogues still
has the rock on a string, is quick and is tough as nails. Bogues is a dynamic PG
who is highly skilled with an elite motor.
In terms of potential, we’re not sure anyone has more
upside than Emoni Bates
(6’5/WF/2022/MI). If the kid does not grow another inch, but adds bulk to his
thin frame, he has a chance to be special. Quite often we mention young players
as simple prospects with future potential; however, Bates can be productive as
well. For his size and current skill
set, Bates projects as a future star. In terms of guards, one of the best in
the class of 2021 is Carter Whitt
(5’9/PG/2021/NC). Whitt has consistently
excelled at elite events across the country. In fact, he logged in standout
performances at the Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase and Middle School Hoops TV
events last year, and he did it again this past weekend. Whitt has an elite skill set and a high
basketball IQ. Not only does he know
what he’s doing, he does it with a little flair, the likes of former NBA standout
Jason Williams (see video). Whitt can
create his own shot, or breakdown the defense and create an easy bucket for a
teammate. He also has great court vision
and is a willing passer.
We also were happy to see Ohio’s own Chris Livingston (5’10/WF/2022/OH) do his thing in DC. Livingston, one of the top players in the
country, demonstrated why so many people are impressed with his game. What we
link most about Livingston’s game is his non-stop motor and energy level on
both sides of the ball. Of course he can
score the ball, mostly on drives to the cup, but he defends at an elite level
and plays hard. Livingston has good
length, long arms and the body type that suggest he has a lot more growing to
do. We would not be surprised to see
Livingston at a high-major college program in a few years. While we are on the
topic of Ohio kids with national reputations, we have to point out that Noah Peeples (5’10/PF/2021/OH) followed
up his MVP performance on Friday with an impressive outing at the camp. At the end of the day, Peeples is a workhorse
who does his damage around the basket.
Strong and determined, Peeples craves contact and converts. Stay tuned for Part two of our event
coverage.
No comments:
Post a Comment