adidas It Takes 5ive Classic: Day One Recap
Jordan Sibert
By Evan Daniels
Recruiting Analyst
Posted Jul 6, 2008
CINCINNATI, Ohio - The first day of the July evaluation period started off with a bang, as a host of prospects put up big efforts at the adidas It Takes 5ive Classic, held on the University of Cincinnati's campus.
Rhys Murphy, SF/PF, Chicago Elite - The new team under the Indiana Elite umbrella showed up with some talent and among the guys on their roster was this talented combo forward from Australia. He's apparently only been in the states for a week and is qualified for 2008, but planning to prep. He's an above average athlete with a good-looking stroke out to 22-feet. Murphy sure turned some heads in his first contest, especially when he crammed on a defender on a fast break.
Middleton Shows Off Stroke
Khris Middleton, SF, Carolina Celtics - The 6-foot-6 Texas A&M commit got his July started off on the right foot, by draining at least six three-pointers in an 8 a.m. game Sunday morning. Middleton, who has a long, lean frame, has an effortless stroke and deep range on his shot. Despite not putting the ball on the deck very often, he was still effective and managed to knock down a few shots from mid-range.
Matt Kavanaugh, PF, All-Ohio Force - No one expected All-Ohio Force to knock off Texas Select and the Atlanta Celtics, but they did just that due to big efforts by Kavanough. The Dayton commit plays very hard and muscled up with the competition when he got the chance. He gets up and down the floor and finishes well around the rim. Brian Gregory had to have been a happy camper as he watched Kavanough throughout the day.
Terrence Shannon, PF, Atlanta Celtics - As hard as Kavanough played today, it'd be tough to say anyone played harder than Shannon did for the Celtics. The 6-foot-7 forward mixes it up inside, rebounds the ball very well and scores it from 15-feet and in. He especially attacked the offensive glass and punked out the opposition for loose balls. Not even a busted nose could hold him down, as he returned in the second half after catching an elbow to the face.
Jordan Sibert, SG, All-Ohio Red 16's - Not many players raised their stock as much as Sibert did on day one of the evaluation period. The 6-foot-4 guard did a little of everything in All-Ohio's comeback win against the Carolina Raptors, as he finished with 22 points. He buried a trio of threes, showed he could handle and finish with both hands and attacked the rim, especially in the open court.
Lavonte Dority, PG, Chicago Elite - The 6-foot point guard out of Chicago (Ill.) Foreman played pretty well for Elite, especially considering it was the first time the team had played together. Dority ran the show pretty well and looked to create for his teammates. He's quick and has a strong frame, that he uses especially well going to the basket. He's certainly not a finished product, but has a chance to be a pretty solid player down the road.
Jelan Kendrick, Playmaker, Hoop Planet - It's tough to pick a position for Kendrick, so we've opted to refer to his as a "playmaker." He likes to have the ball in his hands and creates well for his teammates. On Hoop Planet, he's relied on to score and he can certainly do that. He got majority his points by attacking the basket, but he also hit a few pull-up jumpers.
Josh Smith, C, Seattle Rotary Select - The 2010 class is full of quality post prospects, at least at the top, and Josh Smith is right there with the best of them. He's got a huge frame and stands 6-foot-9, 275-pounds. He's got a nice set of hands, creates space inside and can score around the tin. Word is that he shot over 75-percent from the field during the high school season, and that's not a surprise, as he takes high percentage shots and gets a lot of tip opportunities.
McRae Had A Big Day One
Jordan McRae, SF, Atlanta Celtics 16's - Going out and dropping 35 in your first game and 19 in your second, certainly qualifies for a good day of work. That's exactly what this Midway (Ga.) Liberty County standout did. At 6-foot-5, he's got a long, wiry frame and is a high level athlete. McRae buried a few deep jumpers, but did most of his work by scoring at the rim or dropping in floaters on the baseline.
David Williams, SF, Atlanta Celtics 16's - In our first glance, Williams showed some potential. He's got good size for the wing spot (6-foot-7) and he showed a nice handle, especially pushing the break. Although McRae stole the show, Williams is a prospect to keep an eye on.
Terone Johnson, PG, Indiana Elite LNO - The Indianapolis (Ind.) North Central standout did a little of everything for LNO in their contest against the Florida Rams. At 6-foot-2, he can run the team, but is also a capable scorer, as he finished with ease at the rim and knocked down a few pull-up three-pointers.
Justin Jackson, PF, Florida Rams 16's - We just took a quick peak at Jackson, out of Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie, and he was getting it down in the 16's division. The 6-foot-8 forward is equipped with a strong frame and is a capable shot blocker. He also showed a few moves on the block, including a spin to right handed finish.
Marshall Plumlee, PF, Indiana Elite 15's - The younger brother of Miles and Mason, had a pretty big game in a loss to All-Ohio in an evening game. He's already a legit 6-foot-9 and plays extremely hard. He's long, gets up and down the floor with ease and has a high skill level. In the second half he managed to record a few plus one's, but it was the spin move with a left hand finish that really caught our eye.
Christian Kirk, PF, KC Pump N' Run 15's - Although we only got to see KC Pump N' Run play for a half, Kirk did enough to earn some attention. The 6-foot-7 forward is solid athlete with a nice skill set. He scored it around the rim and even showed a nice jump hook move on the block.
After having a big game in front of a bunch of coaches, Jordan Sibert listed Wake Forest, West Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio State, Miami (Ohio), Miami (Fla.), Xavier and Butler. He said both the Miami schools, Xavier and Butler have offered.
Kenny Manigault has a long list of schools. He said that Wichita State is the only school to offer. He's also hearing from Georgia Tech, Florida State, Richmond, Virginia, VCU, James Madison, NC State and Stanford.
Teronne Johnson holds a scholarship offer from Butler. Louisville, Indiana, Kentucky, Purdue and Miami have also shown interest.
David Williams, of Jacksonville (Fla.) First Coast, said he's heard from Florida State, South Carolina, Clemson and Florida.
Jordan McRae said he's already heard from Oklahoma, Miami, Florida, Kentucky, Auburn, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee.
There were a ton of college coaches in Cincinnati on Sunday and no team drew a bigger crowd than the Atlanta Celtics. During their first game Seth Greeberg, Sean Miller, Frank Martin, Rick Pitino, Sidney Lowe and Tom Crean all showed up. Assistants from Florida, Kentucky, UMass, Memphis, Tennessee and Ohio State also made appearances.
My boy J shutting it down down here in Cincy. I just said a week ago for everyone to watch out for the kid. I think he is going to be a 5 star by thetime it is all said and done. He is simply a freaky athlete and a terrific talent right now. Hopefully Mick can keep him here in Cincy.
Will Open It Up, Take Post-Grad Year
by Dave Telep of Scout.com, July 6, 2008 at 11:43pm ET
Chris Braswell Profile
Chris Braswell will be at Hargrave Military Academy next season as a post-graduate player, multiple sources confirmed on Sunday.
The 6-foot-8 1/2 power forward has also opted to re-open his recruiting process and is no longer a lock for the Georgetown Hoyas.
Braswell was a Scout.com Top 100 prospect in the Class of 2008.
This one is for Allenxis. Losing him would hurt but it wouldn't be the end of the world.