Kale Abrahamson Shines in Lousiville

I'm not sure if anybody else was paying attention, but Kale Abrahamson, a 6'7 Junior from West Des Moines (Valley HS) IA, was quite impressive in Louisville. Although he did not shock you with above the rim type explosiveness, the kid put up big numbers the entire weekend. With that said, he may not not look like it but Abrahamson is deceptively athletic. Although I tried to dismiss his play as isolated success; every time I looked over he simply kept scoring the ball and making big time defensive plays. Abrhamson is skilled, has a high basketball IQ and he really understands the game. Keep an eye on this kid, he has high major written all over him!

Brain Bridgewater Dominates at Lucas Camp

Although I did not see him play on day 2 of the John Lucas Midwest Invitational Camp, Brian Bridgewater's stellar play on Saturday was, in this evaluator's opinion, enough to establish him as the top player at the event. Bridgewater, a 6'5 sophomore from Baton Rouge, (Episcopal HS) LA, was simply dominate on both ends of the floor the entire day. Not only did he consistently score around the basket with rim rattling dunks and a soft touch, Bridgewater tried to block everything he could get his hands. More often than not, he got his hands on some shots. Bridgewater has a big frame, is strong and is surprisingly quick and agile for his size. Although he is a bit undersized for his position, Bridgewater gets in done and could have a very bright future at the next level. I also have to show some more love to Cimmeon Bowers, a 6'7 sophomore from Milwaukee (Nicolet HS), WI. As he did when I saw him at Spiece Fieldhouse this summer (he was playing up against All-Ohio Red), he was virtually unstoppable. Super aggressive and strong is how I would describe Bowers, and he can really get you buckets when he gets on a role.

John Lucas Midwest Inivtational Camp-Day Two

Marcus Paige

As was the case on day one, the final day of the John Lucas Midwest Invitational Camp was brimming over with young talent, competitive play and juice match ups. On Sunday, in addition to some additional station work, there were 3 more sessions of games. Below is a list of players who caught our eyes on day two. Also, see the pictures of the top guys by visiting the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page. Also, click on the highlighted link to watch the Ty Kish mix tape.

Standout Performers:

Marcus Paige-6'0 PG (WI) (2012)
Kale Abrahamson-6'6 WF IA (2012)

Austin Colbert-6'9 PF NJ (2013)

Cimeon Bowers-6'7 PF WI (2012)

Mike Gesell-6'1 PG NE (2012)

Malik Newman-6'3 WG MS (2015)

Duane Wilson-6'2 WG WI (2013)

Justice Winslow-6'4 WF TX (2014)

Jalen Lindsey-6'6 WF TN (2014)

Jabari Parker-6'7 PF IL (2013)

Zach Peters-6'9 PF TX (2012)

James Blackmon-6'2 PG IN (2014)

Shai-Shai Matthews-5'10 PG VA (2013)

Justin Jenifer-5'6 PG MD (2015)

Amos "AJ" Harris 5'9 PG OH (2015)

Isaiah Austin-7'1 C TX (2012)

Zavier Turner-5'9 PG IN (2013)

Aquille Carr-5'6 PG MD (2013)

Justin Coleman-5'10 PG AL (2014)

Christian Cunningham 5'10 PG KY (2014)

Bryson Scott-6'2 PG IN (2013)

Other Players to Watch:

Cedric Barefield-5'10 PG CA (2015)

Johnnie Vassar-6'0 WG IL (2014)

Trey Guidry-6'5 WF TX (2012)

Jarvis Calhoun-6'0 WG AL (2014)

Trevon Bluiett-6'5 PF IN (2014)

Arroyo Edwards-6'4 WF WI (2012)

Alex Foster-6'7 PF IL (2015)

Isaiah Jones 5'8 PG OH (2015)

Tyler Herron-6'7 C OH (2014)

AJ Harris Shines at Lucas Camp

Of the roughly 10 Ohio players who attended the John Lucas Midwest Invitational Camp in Louisville, Kentucky over the weekend, no one performed better that Dayton's Amos "AJ" Harris, a 5'9 8th grader. Teamed up with Baltimore's Justin Jenifer, the backcourt duo represented a powerful one-two punch. Harris handles the ball well, has good speed and quickness, can catch and shoot, as well as shoot off the bounce. In addition, Harris has a nice looking pull-up jumper as his money shot. My first look at Harris was at last year's Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase where he logged in an impressive performance on his way to Top 10 honors. His game has continued to develop as evidenced by his standout performance in Louisville. It's safe to say, Harris is one of the top 8th graders in the state. Harris was not the only Buckeye putting in work, Isiah Jones (2015), a 5'8 point guard from Cincinnati, also had some highlights, as did Stedman Lowry (2013), a 6'3 WG from Cincinnati and Tyler Herron (2014), a 6'8 C from Cleveland. Other attendees included Nate Fowler, Dylan Lowry, Joey DeNardo, Craig Randell, Ryan Gabbard, and Brian Parker. With the abundance of talent in this state, hopefully next year Ohio can send more representatives to this outstanding event.

Justin Jenifer-The Real Deal

All to often we hear about the next great phenom who is destine for the pros, while simply biding his time in high school and a single season of college hoops. We also view home videos shot and edited by hopeful parents designed to show proof of their child's unlimited potential. Up until this past Sunday and my visit to the John Lucas Midwest Invitational Camp in Louisville, Kentucky, I suspected that the hype surrounding Justin Jenifer, a 5'6 8th grader from Baltimore, Maryland was just that, hype. Oh yea, I saw the 2006 Washington Post video clip of this reported phenom, and yes I was impressed with his early skill level and dedication to his craft, but not until I saw him play this weekend was I convinced of his talent. Trust me on this one, this kid can ball. Blessed with a superior skill package, great instincts for the game, and a healthy dose of competitiveness, Jenifer made a big statement in the Bluegrass State on Sunday. When he is not scoring the ball (he is very good at that), his vision and creativity are on full display as he finds open teammates for easy buckets. His advanced handle and collection of dribble moves allow him to routinely beat his man off the dribble on his way to the cup. Not only is his offensive game tight, his defense is solid as well. Hopefully this young man can keep his head on straight and continue to develop his game, because if he can, the kid has a bright future! Click on the link to check out Ty Kish's highlight video.

John Lucas Midwest Inivtational Camp-Day One

Although he and his organization are based out of Houston, Texas, John Lucas brought his basketball Resources machine to the Midwest and showed that his brand of tough nosed instruction and "keeping real" evaluations have national appeal. The John Lucas' Midwest Invitational Camp attracted 130 elite players from over 25 states and Canada to the state of the art Hoops facility located in suburban Louisville, Kentucky. Not only is there a great deal of talent participating in this 2-day camp, there are good number of national scouts and VIPs here to evaluate the players. Here watching the the campers are Hoop Scoop's Clark Francis, Scout's Evan Daniels, ESPN's Reggie Rankin, Slam Magazine's Rodger Bohn, Nike's Vince Baldwin and Ron Brisco, City League Hoop's Ty Kish, Hoopmixtape.com's John Cookman and a couple of local television stations and newspaper outlets. In terms of the format, the camp tipped of with opening comments for John Lucas himself, following by an informative talk from ESPN's Len Elmore. After 3 good hours of skill and drills station work, the first round of games began in the late afternoon, as each of the 12 teams played two games. The 10 Ohio kids attending the event included Tyler Herron, Isiah Jones, Dylan and Steadman Lowrey, Amos "AJ" Harris, Joey DeNardo, Brain Parker, Nate Fowler, Ryan Gabbard and Craig Randall. Some of the day one standouts are listed below. To see the pictures I took on day one of the event, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook Fan Page.

Day One Standouts:

Brian Bridgewater-6'7 PF LA (2013)

Cimeon Bower-6'7 PF WI (2012)

Austin Colbert 6'9 PF NJ (2013)

Jabari Parker-6'7 PF IL (2013)

Je'lon Hornbeak-6'4 WG TX (2012)

Shai-Shai Matthews-5'7 PG NY (2015)

Jaylen Reid-6'7 WF NC (2013)

Kale Abrahamson-6'7 WF IA (2012)

Isaiah Austin-7'1 C (TX) (2012)

Dylan Jones-6'7 WF (TX) (2013)

Jaylen Reid-6'7 WF (SC) (2013)

Duane Wilson-6'6 PG (WI) (2013)

Aquille Carr-5-6 PG (MD) (2013)

Chandler White-6'2 PG (IN) (2015)

Alex Foster-6'7 WF (IL) (2013)

Stedman Lowrey-6'3 WG (OH) (2013)

Will Ferguson-6'1 PG (VA) (2013)

Daelyn Franklin-5'8 PG (KY) (2015)

Brenton Scott-6'1 PG (IN) (2013)

Bryson Scott-6'2 PG (IN) (2013)