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http://insider.espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/basketball/mens/story/_/id/9257993/most-impressive-basketball-recruits-april-aau-circuit?addata=2009_insdr_mod_ncb_xxx_xxx

[Lawbe015Participant]

If you’ve been following along for the past several weeks, you already know that the spring — and April in particular — is an important time on the recruiting trail and on the AAU circuit. With plenty of events and a pair of open evaluation weekends, April offers a chance for elite players to establish their position and rising prospects to improve their stock.

So with a week to download everything we learned during the busy month and before we get deeper into May and the all-important summer months, we asked our RecruitingNation basketball experts to weigh in on the best players they saw during April.

Who impressed you the most on the travel team circuit during April?

[+] Enlarge
Chris Williams/Icon SMI
Tyus Jones continues to prove why he’s the No. 1 point guard in the 2014 class.
Dave Telep: I’m torn between top-10 juniors Tyus Jones (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley) and Cliff Alexander (Chicago/Curie). Alexander is so much more physically imposing than his peers that it’s like being around Shaq when he enters a room. OK, maybe not Shaq, but you get the idea. No one messes with Alexander, and the big man is playing with a purpose. However, the guy who has impressed me the most has been Jones. The point guard’s ability to be a star while bringing his teammates along for the ride is impressive, and I think he’s the most unique player in the 2014 class simply because of his approach to the game. I’m not saying he’s Chris Paul, but he has that type of effect on the rest of the guys. That ability to make your teammates better is a skill — not just an intangible — and we need to give him proper credit for it. There isn’t another high school guard I’d want running my team. We’re going to talk about a lot of recruits for the No. 1 spot in 2014, but I’m not convinced there is a more important player in the class, and I know there’s not another one like him. Did I mention he has also captained two gold-medal-winning teams for USA Basketball? Yeah, he’s special.

Paul Biancardi: I’ll go with 2014 shooting guard Robert Johnson (Richmond, Va./Benedictine). I love his approach to the game as he hardly ever forces the action. He makes the simple play, not the fancy one, which enhances his effectiveness on every possession. Johnson has no problem making jumpers from any spot on the floor, including beyond the arc, and when he gets crowded he will drive and either score or find an open teammate. What really stood out was his poise. When his team has the lead, he plays with composure, values the ball and doesn’t get rattled. Defensively he will guard his man while looking to help his teammates. Johnson is simply a productive all-around guard who gets the job done. His recruiting is now starting to reflect his play with a growing list that includes VCU, Old Dominion, Maryland, Wake Forest, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, James Madison and Richmond.

Reggie Rankin: I have witnessed some very impressive performances so far this spring on the travel team circuit, such as fast-rising 6-foot-11 junior big man Myles Turner (Euless, Texas/Trinity), who was terrific at the RCS Sports Spring Ice Breaker and the NY2LA Sports Spring Extravaganza. But ultimately I was most impressed with the development of 6-8 power forward Dante Buford (Jacksonville, Fla./Arlington Country Day), who I watched compete hard during multiple games at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions and who also reportedly played well at the adidas VIP Exclusive Run. Buford is one of the most explosive leapers in the Class of 2014. He excels in transition and is an electric above-the-rim finisher on the break or on any clear paths to the basket in the half-court set. He rebounds at rim level in and out of his area and is a good on-ball shot-blocker who will not hesitate to come to the rescue from the weak side. Buford is an underrated shot-maker as well. He can hit the trail 3 and baseline jumper with time and space, which is an area he has greatly improved. Buford has been excellent each time I have seen him and his improvement has been evident. His list includes offers from South Carolina, Indiana, Southern California, Miami (Fla.) and Cincinnati, with the list rapidly growing.

[+] Enlarge
Courtesy of Kelly Kline/Under Armour
Rashad Vaughn (right), a top-10 recruit in the 2014 class, might be the most college-ready prospect in the country.
Joel Francisco: At first I was going to stick out West and go with fast-rising 6-4 junior small forward Trey Kell (San Diego/St. Augustine), who should begin popping up on every top-100 list due to his scoring prowess and savvy. Freshman point guard Lonzo Ball (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills) also received some consideration thanks to his lethal combination of length, savvy and skill. However, after witnessing top-10 junior Rashad Vaughn (Minneapolis/Robbinsdale Cooper) at the first session of the Nike EYBL, it was tough not to give him the nod. To keep it simple, although he isn’t the most explosive, he is the most college-ready prospect I’ve seen.

Adam Finkelstein: From a potential standpoint, nobody stood out more to me than 2015 small forward Derrick Jones (Philadelphia/Archbishop Carroll). He’s still more prospect than player at this point, but he has all the tools to grow into a really special player down the road. He’s long, left-handed and incredibly athletic. While he’s still physically immature and in need of a significant amount of upper-body strength, he’s already playing high above the rim and is the best lob catcher I’ve seen so far this spring. Although he isn’t overly skilled yet, he’s shown a nice learning curve in terms of his improvement from a year ago — and given all of his other tools, that’s quite a lot to be excited about moving forward. With two years left in his high school career, Jones has a chance to develop into a truly unique weapon on both ends of the floor.

Mike LaPlante: The most impressive player I evaluated during the April live period was 6-9 junior power forward Kevon Looney (Milwaukee/Hamilton). He utilizes a unique combination of size, skill and athleticism that only a few of the elite players possess. His knack for rebounding and blocking shots, along with his ability to score on the low block or play facing up, allows him to dominate on both ends of the floor. He also showed an ability to bounce back from a subpar performance to lead his team to the championship of the Gulf Coast Hoop Fest. Although I would have loved to have seen him go head-to-head against No. 11 junior Leron Black (Memphis, Tenn./White Station), who was out with an injury that weekend, Looney solidified why he is considered a top-10 player in the 2014 class.

[Lawbe015Participant]

If you’ve been following along for the past several weeks, you already know that the spring — and April in particular — is an important time on the recruiting trail and on the AAU circuit. With plenty of events and a pair of open evaluation weekends, April offers a chance for elite players to establish their position and rising prospects to improve their stock.

So with a week to download everything we learned during the busy month and before we get deeper into May and the all-important summer months, we asked our RecruitingNation basketball experts to weigh in on the best players they saw during April.

Who impressed you the most on the travel team circuit during April?

[+] Enlarge
Chris Williams/Icon SMI
Tyus Jones continues to prove why he’s the No. 1 point guard in the 2014 class.
Dave Telep: I’m torn between top-10 juniors Tyus Jones (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley) and Cliff Alexander (Chicago/Curie). Alexander is so much more physically imposing than his peers that it’s like being around Shaq when he enters a room. OK, maybe not Shaq, but you get the idea. No one messes with Alexander, and the big man is playing with a purpose. However, the guy who has impressed me the most has been Jones. The point guard’s ability to be a star while bringing his teammates along for the ride is impressive, and I think he’s the most unique player in the 2014 class simply because of his approach to the game. I’m not saying he’s Chris Paul, but he has that type of effect on the rest of the guys. That ability to make your teammates better is a skill — not just an intangible — and we need to give him proper credit for it. There isn’t another high school guard I’d want running my team. We’re going to talk about a lot of recruits for the No. 1 spot in 2014, but I’m not convinced there is a more important player in the class, and I know there’s not another one like him. Did I mention he has also captained two gold-medal-winning teams for USA Basketball? Yeah, he’s special.

Paul Biancardi: I’ll go with 2014 shooting guard Robert Johnson (Richmond, Va./Benedictine). I love his approach to the game as he hardly ever forces the action. He makes the simple play, not the fancy one, which enhances his effectiveness on every possession. Johnson has no problem making jumpers from any spot on the floor, including beyond the arc, and when he gets crowded he will drive and either score or find an open teammate. What really stood out was his poise. When his team has the lead, he plays with composure, values the ball and doesn’t get rattled. Defensively he will guard his man while looking to help his teammates. Johnson is simply a productive all-around guard who gets the job done. His recruiting is now starting to reflect his play with a growing list that includes VCU, Old Dominion, Maryland, Wake Forest, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, James Madison and Richmond.

Reggie Rankin: I have witnessed some very impressive performances so far this spring on the travel team circuit, such as fast-rising 6-foot-11 junior big man Myles Turner (Euless, Texas/Trinity), who was terrific at the RCS Sports Spring Ice Breaker and the NY2LA Sports Spring Extravaganza. But ultimately I was most impressed with the development of 6-8 power forward Dante Buford (Jacksonville, Fla./Arlington Country Day), who I watched compete hard during multiple games at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions and who also reportedly played well at the adidas VIP Exclusive Run. Buford is one of the most explosive leapers in the Class of 2014. He excels in transition and is an electric above-the-rim finisher on the break or on any clear paths to the basket in the half-court set. He rebounds at rim level in and out of his area and is a good on-ball shot-blocker who will not hesitate to come to the rescue from the weak side. Buford is an underrated shot-maker as well. He can hit the trail 3 and baseline jumper with time and space, which is an area he has greatly improved. Buford has been excellent each time I have seen him and his improvement has been evident. His list includes offers from South Carolina, Indiana, Southern California, Miami (Fla.) and Cincinnati, with the list rapidly growing.

[+] Enlarge
Courtesy of Kelly Kline/Under Armour
Rashad Vaughn (right), a top-10 recruit in the 2014 class, might be the most college-ready prospect in the country.
Joel Francisco: At first I was going to stick out West and go with fast-rising 6-4 junior small forward Trey Kell (San Diego/St. Augustine), who should begin popping up on every top-100 list due to his scoring prowess and savvy. Freshman point guard Lonzo Ball (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills) also received some consideration thanks to his lethal combination of length, savvy and skill. However, after witnessing top-10 junior Rashad Vaughn (Minneapolis/Robbinsdale Cooper) at the first session of the Nike EYBL, it was tough not to give him the nod. To keep it simple, although he isn’t the most explosive, he is the most college-ready prospect I’ve seen.

Adam Finkelstein: From a potential standpoint, nobody stood out more to me than 2015 small forward Derrick Jones (Philadelphia/Archbishop Carroll). He’s still more prospect than player at this point, but he has all the tools to grow into a really special player down the road. He’s long, left-handed and incredibly athletic. While he’s still physically immature and in need of a significant amount of upper-body strength, he’s already playing high above the rim and is the best lob catcher I’ve seen so far this spring. Although he isn’t overly skilled yet, he’s shown a nice learning curve in terms of his improvement from a year ago — and given all of his other tools, that’s quite a lot to be excited about moving forward. With two years left in his high school career, Jones has a chance to develop into a truly unique weapon on both ends of the floor.

Mike LaPlante: The most impressive player I evaluated during the April live period was 6-9 junior power forward Kevon Looney (Milwaukee/Hamilton). He utilizes a unique combination of size, skill and athleticism that only a few of the elite players possess. His knack for rebounding and blocking shots, along with his ability to score on the low block or play facing up, allows him to dominate on both ends of the floor. He also showed an ability to bounce back from a subpar performance to lead his team to the championship of the Gulf Coast Hoop Fest. Although I would have loved to have seen him go head-to-head against No. 11 junior Leron Black (Memphis, Tenn./White Station), who was out with an injury that weekend, Looney solidified why he is considered a top-10 player in the 2014 class.

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