AMC Report-Out of State Players
BLOOMINGTON- The adidas May Classic took place May 13th through May 15th. It is a great event annually and this year was no different. Some of the top programs that attended the event were Indiana Elite, Eric Gordon All-Stars, Meanstreets, Wisconsin Playground Warriors, Michigan Mustangs, and Derrick Rose.
Here is a look at some of the top players that play outside of Indiana.
Mitch McGary 6’11 PF Brewster Academy (NH) 2012
The former Chesterton player has had a huge spring. McGary is #15 on Scout.com’s new 2012 player rankings. This is nothing new in our eyes. Back in June of 2009, we had McGary ranked 3rd overall in the 2011 class behind Marquis Teague and Michael Chandler. He was ahead of Branden Dawson and Cody Zeller.
McGary makes incredible plays for a player of 6’10” or 6’11” like going coast to coast after grabbing a rebound in traffic. When he is in-shape he plays with a motor and energy that you don’t see from big men. The downside is that enthusiasm sometimes gets him in trouble when he tries to make a special play instead of making the easy play. He will force a long outlet pass or he will try to dribble two defenders…things like that.
Derek Willis 6’8 PF Bullitt East (KY) 2013
This weekend was our first look at Willis and we walked away very impressed. The look was not as long as it could have been because he injured his back during a game Saturday. That injury forced him to sit more than he would have before finally calling it a weekend early on Sunday.
Willis is more of a small forward than a power forward. The thing that makes him special though is the fact that is good inside, but even better outside. His shooting stroke is pure from 21’ and maybe more. It is a quick, consistent shot. His ability to move and put the ball on the floor is going to draw some comparisons with Robbie Hummel. They are different players though. Willis is not bringing the ball up the court and setting the offense up yet like Hummel would do in high school. Willis does have the quickness that Hummel did though.
J.P. Tokoto 6’6 SF Menomonee (WI) 2012
I see a lot of highlight tapes of players on YouTube. Then, when you see them in games none of that athleticism comes out. Tokoto is just as athletic in games as he is in highlight tapes. If you would like to see some of his dunks, go here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpCGgqokeDU.
Tokoto’s athleticism is definitely his strength along with his length. He showed that he was a very good defender against Gary Harris’ D3 Pride team. I’ve heard that shooting is a weak spot for him. Although, he shot the ball pretty well from the field in the game I saw, he did struggle from the line. He’s going to be perfect in the fast paced style at North Carolina.
Sam Dekker 6’7 SF Sheboygan Lutheran (WI) 2012
The Wisconsin-commit is a poor man’s version of Tokoto. Long and very athletic, Dekker was able to get a couple of big-time dunks against D3 Pride as well. I didn’t focus on Dekker during the game very much so I can’t breakdown his game more than saying he is a different player than Wisconsin usually gets.
Denzel Valentine 6’5 SG Sexton (MI) 2012
I didn’t know Valentine was a Michigan State-commit until near the end of the game. Although Valentine led the Michigan Mustangs back from a large 20+ point deficit, I wasn’t impressed with Valentine. He just didn’t seem overly athletic to me especially in terms of quickness. First impressions can be wrong though and he is obviously very good if he is going to Michigan State.
Chris Harrison-Docks 6’0 PG Okemos (MI) 2012
Harrison-Docks was very quiet in his game against SYF. He does over dribble at times and his outside shooting is streaky. His form is good though so he should improve in that area in college.
Markus Crider 6’5 SF Wayne (OH) 2011
The former Providence signee is now playing with SYF. The athletic wing is still looking for a new place to attend in the fall. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch-up with him in order to see what his options were at this point.
Drake Harris 6’4 SG Grand Rapids Christian (MI) 2014
I tweeted Saturday that Harris is the best 2014 guard prospect that I have seen so far. That would include players like James Blackmon, Jr. and JaQuan Lyle. What separates Harris is his athleticism. Blackmon and Lyle are not explosive athletes. They are both good athletes but nothing like Harris. Blackmon is a better shooter than Harris, but Harris is no slouch. Then Lyle is a better passer/ball handler but again Harris can handle his own. HM prospect.
Tyler Ulis 5’7 PG Marian Catholic (IL) 2014
Ulis has really impressed me this spring. I never saw him before the Nike Showdown at Merrillville. He can do it all on the offensive end…shoot it, handle, pass, and get to the basket. His height is definitely a drawback though. I’m not sure if he is going to grow or not.
Ryan Badowski 6’2 PG Brunswick (OH) 2014
Badowski plays for Team CBIZ and he caught my eye because he is a pure shooter. Off the dribble, off the catch, over people it doesn’t matter. A point guard that is a lights out shooter is always a nice weapon. He looks to be a pretty good athlete as well at least in terms of quickness.
Maverick Morgan 6’10” C Springboro (OH) 2013
Morgan had a tough match-up with Derek Willis. Willis played on the perimeter and Morgan is not suited to guard away from the basket right now. What Morgan can do is bang on the block. He is massive for a sophomore that is 6’10”. He moves pretty well but he isn’t ready to get into a defensive stance and keep a good offensive player in front of him yet.
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