Purdue had its annual "elite" camp on Saturday. It attracted many of the top 2017, 2018 and 2019 talent in the Midwest. There were not many surprises but there were plenty of standouts. Here is a free look at the prospects on hand.

Carte'Are Gordon Dominant

If there was an award for most outstanding player of the camp, it would have been 2018 post Carte'Are Gordon. It was fitting that he played on Caleb "Biggie" Swanigan's team during the scrimmages. Gordon has been compared to Swanigan by some. He was unstoppable on Saturday as he normally is. Gordon led the break after bringing down rebounds like he normally does. He has suprisingly light feet for how big of player he is at 6-foot-7+. He attacked from the perimeter more than I have seen him do in the past and he had great success. He was aggressive throughout the camp without forcing things to the point of turnovers. 

It came as no surprise that Purdue offered Care'Are Gordon after the camp. He also has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, St. Louis and UNLV. Gordon is one of the top players in the 2018 class.

Robby Carmody Receives Offer

Carmody shined at the Crossroads Invitational in June. He played really well with Ohio Basketball Club in July. He kept it going at the Purdue camp. Carmody is a 6-foot-3 shooting guard with a sweet stroke from the outside and the athleticism to score off the dribble. It looks like he could add another inch or more as his father is still taller than he is.

Carmody received an offer from Purdue after the camp. He has also been offered by Cincinnati, Duquesne, Penn State and Xavier. He is a 2018 prospect to watch out of Mars, Pennsylvania. 

Herro vs. Henry Match-Up Entertained

One of my favorite match-ups of the camp was Wisconsin's Tyler Herro against Aaron Henry from Indianapolis. Herro is a smooth guard that is known as a shooter. Henry had his outside stroke working against Herro in the final game of the day. They were taking turns knocking down shots for their respective teams. It was really fun to watch.

McCabe's Passing Impresses

Another Wisconsin player that turned heads was 2018 point guard Jordan McCabe. He is a highlight waiting to happen. McCabe passes the ball flair well seeing the floor at an incredible level for his grade level. His game is very mature at his age. He moves without the ball like a guy in the 30 and over league. McCabe is also a good outside shooter but he did not have his best day shooting the ball at the camp. 

DePaul, Missouri and West Virginia have already offered McCabe.

2019 Talent In Fort Wayne

The talent in Fort Wayne continues to grow with players like Keion Brooks and Sydney Curry. Brooks is a 6-foot-7 combo forward at this point. Curry is a physically dominant 6-foot-5. Brooks will play at North High School while Curry is at Bishop Luers.

Brooks is a long and athletic prospect. He is still growing rapidly and is very thin at this point. That does not hurt his ability to play above the rim. Brooks also has the skill to take players off the dribble. Once his body fills out, he should become an outstanding athlete.

Curry is a beast to handle inside. He has a combination of size, strength and athleticism that is rare to see in a player as he begins his high school career. It is difficult for players in his class to challenge him around the rim. 

Many things can transpire over the course of a high school career but Keion Brooks and Sydney Curry look to have an extremely bright future with basketball.

Ohio Standouts

The Purdue camp attracted many upcoming talents from the state of Ohio. Darius Bazley was a new face for me and he looks to have a ton of potential. He is in the 6-foot-6 range as he begins his sophomore year. The lefty showed that he could get to the basket off the dribble from the perimeter as well as knock down mid-range shots when he was left open. Bazley is very thin right now but he has the physical tools to develop into a very good player from the 2018 class.

2018 wing Justin Ahrens seems to be cut from the same mold of his brother, Kyle Ahrens. Justin is a 6-foot-4 wing with a good frame and solid athleticism. He finishes above the rim with ease. He is a prospect to keep an eye on.

Another 2018 standout from the Buckeye state that I am high on is Dwayne Cohill. He is an explosive at 6-foot-1, 6-foot-2. He made the Top 40 all-star game at the camp.

2017 slasher Cliff Snow from Middletown had a productive day. He was best in transition and off the dribble. Snow did a great job of finishing once he reached the paint. He was one of the surprises of the day. Snow should be on the radar of low to mid-major schools.

Caleb McConnell, Sincere Carry and L'Christian Smith were also Ohio natives at the camp and performed well.

Austin Reaves

One of the players that traveled the most distance to get to the camp was Austin Reaves of Cedar Ridge, Arkansas. Reaves performed well at the camp. Reaves is a 6-4, 6-5 guard with solid athleticism. He showed really good coordination on a few plays including a tough catch and finish on a bullet pass from close range. I did not see a ton of Reaves throughout the camp but he was solid whenever I did observe him. Reaves looked like a low to mid-major prospect in my short observation time.

Point Guards

Courtney Ramey and Jordan McCabe led the standouts from the lead guard position. Ramey is a true 6-foot-2 now with all the qualities of an elite point guard. His length and quickness causes problems on both ends of the floor. He does whatever it takes to win and his teams usually do exactly that. He was impressive at the camp.

Indiana point guards were well represented at the camp. Kobe Webster, Robert Phinisee, Michael Ertel, Antwaan Cushingberry, Jaylen Minnett and Cobie Dillard were in attendance. Phinisee played really well. His athleticism was displayed in transition. He also knocked down shots from the outside. Phinisee has a chance to develop into a special point guard in the 2018 class.

I'm surprised more schools are not recruiting Michael Ertel. The Mt. Vernon point guard gets the job done each time he steps on the floor. He is an excellent shooter. Ertel needs to continue to add muscle to his frame and keep his aggressiveness high on the offensive end, but he is a solid low to mid-major prospect. He has no offers at this point.

Posts

There are always plenty of big bodies roaming the campus of Purdue with Isaac Haas and AJ Hammons on the team. There even more massive human beings on the campus thanks to camp. 2019 Wisconsin native Nobal Days and 2017 Illinois prospect Christian Negron headlined the group. Days enters high school at a true 6-foot-8, possibly 6-9. He is more than a big body though. He has tremendous passing skills although he will force passes. His touch in the lane is good and his athleticism continues to increase as he starts to get stronger. Days has a very high ceiling.

Negron is at a different stage in his career. He already has high major offers from the likes of Illinois and Iowa. He is a fantastic athlete that lives off of offensive rebounds. His motor is always going at 100%. 

One of the new faces to me was Jaron Faulds of Holt High School in Michigan. He was impressive with the way he ran the floor and finished at 6-foot-9, 6-foot-10. Faulds was powerful around the basket. He was best in transition and on the offensive glass. Faulds showed decent touch on his mid-range jumper when he had time as well. He currently has offers from Central Michigan, Cornell, Kent State, Oakland and Toledo.

Owen Hamilton, Jaron Faulds, Gavin Bizeau, Ra Kpedi, John Michael Mulloy and Jason Taylor were other notable post players at the camp.

More Notes

2017: Jalen Adaway continues to develop well. He is possibly the best athlete in Indiana's 2017 class. His college level and production will be determined by how far his skill set develops. It is showing the right progression to this point. Sasha Stefanovic shot the ball well. The Crown Point prospect was fresh off a trip to the East Coast to visit Ivy League schools. He looks poised for a big junior season. Trevor Lakes, Alex King, Josiah Wallce and Cooper Neese were all on hand. Neese shot the shot the ball well in my limited viewing of him.

2018: Kevin Easley converted a couple game-winning shots during the scrimmages. That led to his selection to the Top 20 all-star game. Cathedral's Jarron Coleman made the Top 20 all-star game. Robin Duncan, Deavion Washington, Tony Hopkins, Eric Hunter, Damezi Anderson, Shamar Dillard and Musa Jallow all had their moments during the camp. Hopkins has flown under the radar to his point but he has the tools to be a special player down the road.