2011 Las Vegas AAUs: Day 1By: ipowers

By Ian Powers

Andre Drummond 6’10" 260, St. Thomas Moore, Middletown, CT, C, 2012- Drummond started the day off with a matchup against fellow 2012 big man 7’0" Isaiah Austin. It was a rematch of their matchup at the Pangos Camp in June, and the result was the same. Drummond was dominant around the basket finishing everything with power dunks. He was aggressive from start to finish and displayed all of the skills that make him such a highly touted prospect. He threw two beautiful behind the back passes and a couple more out of the double team that led to easy baskets for his teammates. He even showed solid touch and clutch play knocking down a dramatic game winning turnaround 7 foot jumpshot as the clock ran down. He finished the day silencing many of his critics with two impressive 21 point games against two of the 2012 class’ highly rated bigs. When he is motivated, he is head and shoulders above any big in this class.

Brandon Ashley 6’9", 220, Findlay Prep, Dublin, CA, PF, 2012 – Ashley continued his great summer play with another strong outing today. He got out and ran the floor for easy baskets including 3 dunks to start the game. He faced his man up and scored off a smooth spin that has come to be one of his signature moves. He recently narrowed his list down to seven schools and every one was represented in the gym today.

Jordan Adams 6’5", 215,  Oak Hill Academy, Lawrenceville, GA, SG, 2012 – The UCLA commit was impressive in his morning game in front of his future coach Ben Howland. He had the long ball working and made practically everything he took (5 threes in the first half and 2 in the second, with 39 pts). He won’t pass the look test and he won’t have great combine numbers, but boy can he stroke it. He has confidence in his jumper and will let it go from anywhere when he’s feeling it. He showed a decent game off the dribble, but his calling card is as a shooter. Should be a guy that can help UCLA spread the floor for years to come.

Damien Wilson, 6’6" 190, Oak Hill Academy, Douglassville, GA, SF, 2012 – Wilson was impressive as well in the Celtics morning game. He showed off his athleticism, knocked down a few jumpers, scored in transition and a little off the bounce. Overall it was a good effort for the Memphis recruit and Josh Pastner should be very pleased with this young man. He needs to add strength and refine his jumpshot to get it more consistent, but he is an athlete that will be a good contributor for the Tigers.

Shabazz Muhammad, 6’5" 215, Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas, NV, SG, 2012- Muhammad got off to somewhat of a slow start this morning. The majority of his baskets came in transition and at the rim on dump offs. The second half was a different story. He knocked a couple of 3’s and everything got rolling from there. He scored in every way possible and brought his team back from a halftime deficit to win a close one against the Atlanta Celtics. He finished with 38 pts and was nothing short of spectacular. He scores at all three levels and can carry a team when he gets it going. He and Drummond have separated themselves from the rest of the pack in 2012.

Shaq Goodwin, 6’8", 240, SW Dekalb, Decatur, GA, PF, 2012 – Goodwin was very active inside and showed why he’s one of the premier big men in the class. He had some athletic finishes around the rim and flashed a nice step back jumper off the face up. He rebounds in and out of his area and runs the floor well. He always seems to give a solid effort every time out and today was no different.

Kris Dunn, 6’4", 185, Wilbraham and Monson, Oakdale, CT, PG, 2012 – Dunn is quickly establishing himself as one of the top Point Guards in this class. He was great setting up teammates and causing problems on the defensive end of the floor. He uses his long arms to get deflections and plays the passing lanes well, which leads to steals and easy run outs. He is not a speed merchant but he is crafty and can get in the lane when he needs to. He’s also competitive and is a leader on the floor.