Archive for July, 2009

The AAU Nationals have provided great games this morning and afternoon.  Kyrie Irving just finished playing the Boo Williams team that was loaded with all kinds of talent and athletic ability.  Irving struggled for most of the game not showing his true ability.  He was not involved very much at all and his team lost in a game that was never very close.  Kyrie did make a couple of moves that got the crowd up on there feet.  For Boo Williams, Justin Anderson had an excellent game in which he started out hitting a couple of deep 3’s and showed off his excellent leaping ability. Anderson has a solid game with deep deep range and he also showed an ability to really break down on defense as he would not let Irving get past even after a number of great moves by Irving.

In a game earlier today Doron Lamb played very well and showed an ability to hit free throws, which is not something that comes very often down here.  Lamb had a number of great moves and knocked down some big shots to help his team move forward in the tournament.  Some things that were noticeable to me while watching him play are his defensive intelligence and court vision.  He plays great team defense communicating with everyone and helping when his teammates are beat.

There are several more big games today as all of these players will be in action again tonight.

The brackets are taking shape and most of the favorites are making their way through the bracket.  This morning and afternoon will provide some great match ups.  My first stop will be Doron Lamb’s team followed by the All Ohio Red team featuring a number of D1 talents and then on to Kyrie Irving’s squad going up against a very talented Boo Williams team.

With man of the rumors swirling around these players down here and that UK is almost a “done deal” UK fans have a lot to be excited about.  However, I can tell you that most of these rumors are premature.  I have talked to people down here that will tell you without a doubt that most of these players recruitment is still open and there are more teams involved than most would lead you to believe.  Brandon Knight is not playing down here due to his injury but I can tell you that Austin Rivers is heavily recruiting him to go to Florida and it still remains a very large possibility.  Kyrie Irving from my take at this point is leaning towards IU but time will tell.  Doron Lamb really likes UK, but his recruitment is very much open to other schools such as Kansas.

Adreian Payne is a player that most people are saying will end up at UK, but don’t count on that yet as he is surrounded by a whole host of OSU commits.  Payne looks like the Calipari type player when you see him play.  He is very long and athletic and has good range on his shot.  Payne is one of the most athletic players down here in Orlando this week and he is definitely a fan favorite for UK fans.  Whenever he plays there are a whole host of UK hats and shirts viewing.

More to come later on the AAU Nationals.

So far today there have been some really good games down here.  We have seen Doron Lamb take over a game in the third quarter single handedly and Kyrie Irving have a solid game scoring most of his points by beating everyone down the court.  All Ohio Red has impressed everyone down here with their stellar play behind Jared Sullinger and Adreian Payne.

Doron Lamb who has been one of my favorite targets for UK over the last few months.  Lamb did struggle the first part of the game not being able to connect on any of his long shots.  He showcases a very smooth game with excellent shooting ability.  One very noticeable trait that he has is being able to know where his players are and helping them locate who they are matched up with.  Lamb seems to be an intelligent player with good I.Q.

Kyrie Irving also had a rough start to his game and just could not seem to get his outside shots to fall.  Unlike Lamb, Irving never got his outside shot going, but he did have at least 10 break away layups.  Irving has great court vision and he is an excellent floor general.  When Irving came out of the game it was very easy to see that the team did not run well at all.  Not only did Kyrie run the point but he also played shooting guard and even some post position.  With his speed, finishing ability and intelligence to run a team, he will be a great guard at any school that he attends.

More to come tomorrow on Tobias Harris and some other players.

Tuesday night ended the final games of Pool Play in the AAU National Tournament now it is time to start the tournament portion.  Most of the big players will be taking the court later today with Kyrie Irving playing at 3:35.  Kyrie looked very good yesterday in a loss to Will Barton’s Baltimore team.  Kyrie’s release is smooth and he has good speed up and down the court.  In attendance for that showdown was a whole host of coaches.  Coach K, Rick Pitino, Tom Crean, Jim Behiem and many others took in the action.  Irving’s team lost by 3 but it was a great game to watch.

Yesterday afternoon also provided me the opportunity to see Fab Melo live for the first time.  Melo was very impressive and his team was also very strong in a big win.  Melo was a lot of fun to watch as he finishes strong when needed and also shows the ability to finish with good solid moves away from the basket.  I am hoping to get the opportunity to see Melo go up against Jared Sullinger at some point.  Sullinger is rated higher than Melo but from what I have seen, Melo is the better of the two.  Sullinger has also been a higher rated player for a long time while Melo is just now getting on the radar of everyone.  My prediction for Melo is that he will be more of an impact player by the time it is all said and done.

More to come later today or tomorrow depending on how much time I have.

To all of the Lexmark guys, Larry says hi and he is enjoying the hot hot weather and the great games.

Last night and this morning have already provided some great games. Last night wrapped up the AAU Super Showcase and now all eyes are on the AAU National Tournament.

Last night I watched Michael Gilchrist in action again and was impressed with his smooth play. While he did not have the most of impressive games you can see the talent in his game. Gilchrist is still being tabbed as one of the top players for 2011 and UK is thought to be the leader for his services.

I have been keeping a close watch on Adreian Payne down here and I have been very impressed with what I have seen so far. Payne continues to show excellent athleticism providing highlights for everyone. Not only has he shown a tremendous ability to finish strong, but his shot has looked really good. He has been able to knock down shots with ease from anywhere on the court. Payne still has some learning to do as he seems to bring the ball down a lot on defensive rebounds allowing for the other team to take it away easily. On the opposite end of the court he grabs offensive rebounds and keeps the ball high and finishes strong. His teammate Jared Sullinger (Ohio State commit) has looked great and continued to show why he is rated as rivals.com #3 player. Sullinger seems to toy with anyone that has guarded him so far. With Payne and Sullinger playing for the All Ohio Red squad I expect them to make it pretty far.

Shortly, I will be getting my first live look at Fab Melo followed by Kyrie Irving and many others. I have been impressed with some names that you do not hear that often but you will probably start to hear more from down the road.

And for all of you UK fans who can’t stand the site of Duke players and staff, I was forced to sit behind Grant Hill, Wojo, JJ Reddick, Coach K and some others.

I will have more later today with an update on how UK targets and potential UK targets have looked.

Here is the footage from a UK pick up game, I really can’t say much as I am strapped for time but you can watch for yourself.

In Orlando, there are some great games going on this week.  The AAU Super Showcase is wrapping up tonight on ESPNU and should provide some great games.  This morning I took some time to watch the first games in the 17U’s Pool Play and saw some good talents.  Each1Teach1 minus Brandon Knight is a very solid team that will be hard for anyone to beat.  Team Texas Elite who provides some good talent looks very solid with Phil Pressey leading the way.

Tonight I am looking forward to seeing Adreian Payne in action again.  Payne has some great athletic ability and showed the ability to knock down the 3 as well.  Defensively he was not all that impressive the first couple of times watching him play but he has shown that he can definitely get the job done when he wants.  In warm ups he is a really fun player to watch as he can throw down just about any dunk you could ask.

There are a whole host of players that will be playing this week in Orlando so it should be a great opportunity to get some looks at the players that UK is looking.  Tune in tonight to ESPNU and you can catch some of the action.

The games in Las Vegas have offered some great moments and insight into the up and coming players for 2010.  Fab Melo is a name that is being discussed quite a bit.  Fab has not had much in the way of opponents that can really play with him down low but what is catching the eye of everyone there is his ability to get up and down the court.  Melo has also shown great moves, showing he deserves all of the recent publicity he has been receiving.

Probably the biggest name there right now is Josh Selby who is a big time recruit that everyone wants.  Selby has completely opened his recruitment up and will still consider UT but at this point it seems as if anyone is fair game.  Selby is a complete ball player and will be an immediate impact player for any school.  Reports earlier in the week have said that he is considering Memphis and UK but now it is very clear that he is open to more than just those two schools.  UCONN, Kansas and some other schools are in the mix as well.

The next stop after Vegas wraps up is Orlando!

There has been a buzz on the internet about the Jordan Crawford dunk on Lebron James for most of July.  Everyone has wanted to see it and it had even been a part of some discussions on ESPN’s PTI and some other shows as well.  Finally someone put up a video and it has circulated its way around the internet.  Here is the video and the Jordan Crawford interview about the dunk.

All eyes on the Big Three in Las Vegas to start the week as it will host the Adidas Super 64, Reebok Summer Championships and the Main Event.  This is a great set of events that will have the attention of all recruiting analysts and college coaches to start the week before everything moves to Orlando.  As far as UK goes there will be a lot of focus on their current targets most notably Joe Jackson, Fab Melo, Mychal Parker and CJ Leslie.  There are going to be many more there….so hope for some good reports to come out of those events regarding our top prospects.

Here is some information on all of the three Vegas events this week.

The Adidas Super 64….

Reebok Summer Championships….

Main Event….