Originally Posted by
tommy
Mods - I know there are threads for both 2014 and 2015 recruiting, but because my post and subject matter deal with both 2014 and 2015 recruits, I started this thread. I didn't think it would fit well in either of the existing threads since it discusses kids in both classes.
So I know a lot of you guys may not care so much about the specifics of some of the Duke recruits' games, at least until they commit, but I know some do. I went to today's (Saturday) session of the Nike EYBL, which consists of 40 of the top AAU teams in the nation playing four games over three days, specifically to watch the Duke targets, and thought I'd give my impressions if anyone cares. I'll be back for most of tomorrow's session as well, and will file another report tomorrow night, hopefully. I missed Friday night's session, so the most I'll see any of the kids play is three of their four games, and because there's so much action going on at the same time, it's impossible for one person to see everything he or she would like.
Before discussing the players, I have to say it's a pretty amazing scene. In addition to 8 games being played simultaneously by almost all the top high school talent in the nation, you have all the top college coaches in the country there, under one roof, most with assistants too, and they're all just sitting next to each other in the first or second row of a little set of bleachers, chatting amiably with each other or with various assorted other people, meandering over to check out another game, wandering back, and just hanging out. You're sitting here watching these games and all the coaches are, like, right there next to you or right directly in front of you, such that you can overhear or eavesdrop on conversations, see what they're doing, even what they're writing down in their notes. And you can see who's friendly with who, who not so much, who's watching who, all that kind of thing. Interesting. While I was there today, just off the top of my head I saw the following coaches in attendance: K, Wojo, Roy, Steve Robinson, Gottfried, Leonard Hamilton, Tony Bennett, and Jeff Bzdelik from the ACC. Then, Calipari and Orlando Antigua from UK, Jim Boeheim, Tom Izzo, Bill Self, John Beilein, Tom Crean, Jamie Dixon, Frank Haith, Mark Few, Tubby Smith, Steve Alford, Johnny Dawkins, Chris Collins, Frank Martin, Bruce Weber, Shaka Smart, Sean Miller, Josh Pastner, Mike Brey, Richard Pitino, Lorenzo Romar, Tommy Amaker, and a ton more. Other than at the Final Four, I don't know where else you'd ever see all those guys under one roof. Only major guys I didn't see there were Thad Matta, John Thompson III, Billy Donovan, Rick Pitino, Brad Stevens, Buzz Williams, Bo Ryan, Jim Larranaga, and that's all I can think of.
OK so the players. First of all, it was disappointing but a number of kids I really wanted to see didn't play. Jahlil Okafor is out with a sprained ankle Trey Lyles didn't play with the Indy Speice squad, not sure why. 2016 Harry Giles was not running with CP3 -- I think he was at another tournament. 2015 Malachi Richardson didn't play for Team Final -- "lower extremity injury." Had to laugh at that description, as I thought we'd heard the last of that oh-so-vague description. I wanted to see his Team Final teammate Tyus Battle (2016) play too, but he wasn't on the roster for this weekend. And 2015 Mickey Mitchell, who I'm not sure Duke is even still recruiting, was not on the Texas Titans roster. Not sure -- may still be recovering from his ACL injury. Kavon Looney's team was not involved in this tournament. But even without these kids, there was plenty to see from kids Duke is interested in.
I saw Devin Booker play almost two full games. He's a legit 6'4" shooting guard out of Mississippi, good size and frame. He's athletic, moves fluidly with and without the ball, and jumps pretty well. He's hampered in that his Alabama Challenge team isn't very good, but he doesn't get down when his teammates make a bad play. I like that. In the first game today, his handle was kind of loose, causing him to make several early turnovers, and he ended the game with six turnovers. He's a shooting guard but has to handle it a lot on this team because he's the best ballhandler they have, probably. He is quick enough and his handle is good enough, though, that he can get into the lane. And he is a willing passer, definitely. But make no mistake about it, this kid is a lights out shooter. While he doesn't force shots, he is not afraid to shoot with a man in his face, from distance, whether it be catch-and-shoot or off the dribble. And when he gets one up, he is nails. Very impressive shooter. In his first game he went 6 for 11 for 14 points. I don't have his stats for his second game, but I'm sure he had more than 14.
I was a bit concerned about him defensively. He plays his man tightly, right in his shirt, and projects intensity. But even though he is trying to apply pressure and lock down his man, and even though he is athletic and moves well, his man repeatedly beat him into the lane. I think this is more a matter of technique rather than physical limitation, though. He'll need some work to improve the results he's getting defensively, but like I say, he has the tools and (apparently) the desire to be a good defensive player.
What really bothered me, though, was that Duke did not have a coach at Booker's first game. I actually didn't see any Duke coaches at any of the early games, which started at 9:30 AM. I know Duke's banquet was Friday night, but still. Why was the banquet Friday night if the coaches needed to be in LA on Saturday morning? All those other coaches got here. I'm assuming there was a good reason, or at least I hope there was, because just being there, giving face time, showing these kids that you care enough -- that's big in recruiting. Where were we? Not there. Instead, Calipari, Izzo, Roy, Enfield, Fox, Haith and others were there watching this game up close and personal. Now some of them may have been there for other kids, not Booker, but some were definitely there for Booker. Kids notice.
K and Wojo were there front and center for Booker's second game, along with Izzo, Roy (now in a light blue sweater vest; oy) Beilien, Haith, Fox of Georgia and Stallings of Vanderbilt. K stayed the whole time but Wojo left midway through the first half. Paging Jeff Capel. Where was he all day today?
Calipari did leave Booker's first game partway through to go over and watch Stanley Johnson, out of Mater Dei, playing with the Oakland Soldiers. I did too, and watched him again later in the day. Again, Duke was not at Stanley's early game at all, and wasn't there for the beginning of his second game either, though like I said Wojo did go over midway through the first half and watched the rest of the game. Before Wojo did that, I was starting to think that Duke is not in the mix so much for Johnson, backing off of him, because they weren't even watching him in that second game either, but I guess maybe we still are hanging around. But Steve Alford and Sean Miller were sure there for Johnson. Both games.
And I have to say, Johnson is a beast. He's a well-muscled 6'6", and very athletic. He is just a man out there; he's a guy that when you watch him play for five minutes you say to yourself, "I'd go to war with that guy." He's rangy, strong, can handle for a SF, takes it very strong to the hole. His Oakland Soldiers team lost two tough games today, and Stanley did have a chance to save them in the second one. He got fouled on a 3 when they were down 3 with ten seconds to go. He missed the first, then made the other two, and when the opponent made only 1 of 2 at the other end, Johnson got the ball at his own end with about 4 seconds to play, drove the length of the court but had to take an off balance, contested reverse-type shot for the tie that just wasn't going to go. Too bad. In any event, I would love to see us be on Johnson's for-real short list. Especially with the new teams coming into the ACC, we're going to have to be physically tougher, and Johnson combines real skills with length and toughness. Pretty good combination.
I had a scheduling glitch and didn't realize that Justise Winslow and his Houston Hoops squad was playing at the time they were playing. So I missed his first game, when he scored 17 points on 7 of 9 shooting. I also had to leave before his night game tonight, but heard he played very well again. I'll be sure to catch him tomorrow.
Speaking of guys not getting watched by the Duke staff, at all, there was Theo Pinson, running with CP3. I just have to believe there's some distance between Duke and Pinson, or at least more distance than there used to be. But Theo is very talented. He'll be a good or even a very good player in college, and I still think he'd be a really good get for Duke. He's a legit 6'6" , a lanky, long, rangy wing. Very athletic, jumps well, gets up and down, and has a variety of moves to get himself to the hoop. One thing I definitely noticed is that Pinson talks a lot of smack out on the court, in particular on defense. You can tell he loves the game, but with all the pressure on him right now, all the directions he's being pulled, it's almost like being on the floor is his escape or his sanctuary. But I'm not a psychologist and I don't know Theo, so what do I know? He had 19 and 6 in his opener. Tom Crean -- who nobody else even talks to -- was there front and center. Others watching this game included Steve Robinson, Frank Martin, Lorenzo Romar, Mark Few, John Beilein, and Andy Enfield. Again, with the exception of Crean and Robinson, those other guys could've been there to watch other prospects.
Now, to go to a happier place, let's talk about Tyus Jones. If he becomes a Blue Devil, I predict there will be much man-love for him on these boards. I just really, really like what I see from this kid. I know that he is a very humble, down to earth kid, not into the bling and the handlers and the attention and all the rest of it. He's a regular kid. But that game of his. Wow. He is very, very smooth with the ball. His head is always up and his handle is excellent; he gets into the lane with ease against any defender, his passes have a "snap" to them that just seems different than a lot of other kids. Another thing I like about him -- a lot -- is that he doesn't feel the need to make the spectacular play all the time. He is content to make the simple, easy pass if it is the right pass, as it often is. He sets up his teammates and gives it up to them willingly. Not a selfish bone in his body.
And when necessary, he can score. His outside shot is solid, and he controls the ball so well that he can get into the lane easily too, and he scored several times in the lane over much bigger players. He sees the floor very well, both on the drive-and-kick and when he is squeezing a pass into a tight spot inside. When you watch this kid play, it's funny because at the same time he is smooth and making just solid pass after solid pass, right play after right play, you also find yourself saying "sweet pass!" an awful lot.
Unfortunately, Tyus' Howard Pulley team played zone for most of the game, so I couldn't tell much about Tyus on defense. It wasn't the most aggressive zone I've ever seen, let's just put it that way.
In the first game I saw him play in, he had 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 6 assists, with just one turnover. (He had 11 assists in his game Friday night that I didn't see.) Taking in this game, along with Coach K, were Mike Brey and Tony Bennett (both of whom chatted with K almost the whole game) plus Izzo, Richard Pitino, Scott Drew, Fred Hoiberg, Johnny D, Chris Collins, and then Bill Self got there towards the end.
Tyus' Howard Pulley team played Boo Williams in that first game, and Boo Williams has a very interesting prospect that Duke may be interested in. Thon Maker is a 2016 kid who originally comes from Sudan, by way of Australia. He's 7 feet tall and maybe 200-210 pounds. Very thin. But extremely long, very very long arms, and he is athletic. He is a real eraser back there. He doesn't have strong moves to the hoop yet, but his shooting form is pretty good for a kid with that kind of frame. He did hit a couple of J's from the free throw line, and I hate to say it but he looked just like Gorgui Dieng in doing it. Big thing with him though is his ability to block and alter shots. He had 14 and 9 in the game I saw, along with two blocks, but he had six blocks on Friday night. Gotta keep an eye on this guy.
Another kid to watch is Elijah Thomas, a 2015 PF out of Texas, playing with Team Texas. He's 6'9" and the body is big. Still has some baby fat to lose, though I understand he's already lost about 30 pounds. Broad shouldered and strong, so once he tightens up, look out. He's a lefty and has some very good moves inside for a young player. I saw a little lefty jump hook, and I saw him take it strong to the hoop off the dribble several times He passes out of the double smartly. His shooting form is not great; awkward at the line because his feet are almost touching each other. This, of course, can be fixed. But the kid battles hard and he has talent. It's hard to tell, of course, but his demeanor on the court was that of a nice guy. Hopefully not too nice, cuz you want some "killer" in there too. Again, with the changes in the conference, we're going to need some big guys with round shoulders. Like this one.
Thomas had a strong game against Joel Berry's E1T1 squad when I was watching, and then in a late game after I left I heard he played very, very well against Cliff Alexander, the 2014 center who is huge and very talented, playing for Jahlil Okafor's MacIrvin Fire squad. (Alexander, in his earlier game, had been a man among boys.) In Thomas' game that I saw against E1T1, again no Duke presence there, but Bill Self, Tubby and Steve Robinson were right there.
Now, to the not so good. Grayson Allen. I don't know how to say this, so I'll just say it. The kid was not impressive. At all. First of all, they list him at 6'5". He's not even close. He's maybe 6'4" but I wouldn't be surprised if he's more like 6'3" or so. OK, whatever. But in his first game -- with K in the front row -- the opponent went right at him on defense, and Allen couldn't compete. He was too late going for a steal, he got outjumped by a smaller man for a ball in the air in the lane, leading to an and-one, and he was beaten to the hoop off the dribble a number of times. He just doesn't have good lateral quickness. And this is AAU ball, not high major college, folks.
On offense, his handle was OK, but he's supposed to be a shooter. In the first half he only got up three shots, all 3 pointers. The first two clanged off the side of the rim badly, and the third was an airball. Pfffft. He had a nice dish in transition, but really the kid was just no factor in the game, finishing with 4 points on 2-6 shooting, 1 rebound, and 2 assists. To cap it off, he made a really bad defensive play at the end. Allen was pressing Rashad Vaughan (bigtime player, by the way) fullcourt with like 20 seconds to go as Vaughan was trying to get open for a pass to then bring it up. Vaughan gave him a little shove, not too heavy, but it just knocked Allen to the floor, freeing Vaughan to then go long for an easy long pass and uncontested layup to clinch the game. Again, oy.
In addition to K and Wojo, other coaches watching this display included Johnny D, Richard Pitino (who looks 16 years old), Frank Martin, Few, Bzdelik, Bennett, Roy, and Fox. Richard Pitino, by the way, walked right past K as K was sitting in the front row before the game started and didn't even acknowledge K's presence. Most of these coaches are friendly or at least make the effort to appear friendly and collegial. Not Pitino the younger. Hatin' that guy already.
I watched a little of Allen's second game -- again in front of K -- while I was watching Elijah Thomas, sort of standing between the two courts. More of the same, really, from Allen. His coach was doing a lot of offense for defense substituting involving Allen, taking him out down the stretch for defensive purposes. Which I didn't understand, since he wasn't doing anything offensively either. The other thing that bugged me about Allen was his facial expressions and body language. Very flat, unemotional, like he didn't even want to be out there. Sometimes it almost looked like he wanted to cry. Folks: the second coming of J.J. Redick, this is not.
Listen, Coach K and his staff have forgotten more about the game of basketball than I will ever know, but I don't know how they could've been watching Grayson Allen today and not said to themselves, "what were we thinking when we offered this kid?" I was sure wondering that. I hope he doesn't grab that scholarship offer, because I don't think we can win with him. Even if he can shoot better than he did today, he's a liability in pretty much every other area. Maybe he was sick, maybe his girlfriend broke up with him or his dog died or maybe something else was going on for him. I'm willing to be open to those possibilities. But if this is the player that he is, I really can't understand Duke's interest in him.
When you compare him to the other 2014 SG that Duke watched today, that being Devin Booker, well, there is no comparison. Booker is stronger, he's a far better athlete, his handle is better, his shot (at least today) was way, way better. Booker struggled defensively today, but so did Allen, and it's just obvious that the raw material that there is to work with with Booker is just better than the raw material they'd have to work with with Allen. Again, I sure hope there was a great reason why we weren't front and center Friday night and Saturday morning for Booker, and why we seem to be moving away from a guy like Theo Pinson and towards a guy like Grayson Allen, because to me -- and I'm just a fan, but one who has played and watched a lot of basketball over the last 30 years -- Allen is not in their league.
OK that's it for now. I'll try to write something up after tomorrow's action. Hope you guys have found this interesting or informative, even a little.