HS Seniors
I will go with Jereme Richmond from Illinois. He is a 6'7 wing who can score, rebound, and is a great post defender. He is the 2 time Illinois Player of the Year and is headed to the Illini next year. He is definitely not a one and done player but it is nice to see the top talent in Illinois play for an in state team for a change.
first of all J-Rich is winnin the McDonald's dunk contest.....
Now as we go on
Best Now
1) Jared Sullinger
2) Brandon Knight
3) Kyrie Irving
4) Will Barton
5) Harrison Barnes
Best Prospects
1) Brandon Knight
2) Perry Jones
3) Will Barton
4) Jared Sullinger
5) Tristan Thompson
Two very different type of players are my favorites. First of all, former John Wall temmate CJ Leslie, a 6-9 combo forward with big time athleticism and also shooting and dribbling skills. Another player who is under the radar is floor general Kendall Marshall, not the most spectacular but get the job done at the end of the day.
When I saw Barnes play he looked overrated. He is by no means the hands down #1 player in the nation. You can make a case for several players this year. Any way here's my top 5
Best right now
1) Jared Sullinger
2) Brandon Knight
3) Will Barton
4) Harrison Barnes
5) Josh Selby
Others- Joe Jackson, Kyrie Irving, Tobias Harris, and CJ Leslie
Best prospects
1) Perry Jones
2) Brandon Knight
3) Will Barton
4) Harison Barnes
5) Jared Sullinger
Others- Josh Selby, Jelan Kendrick, CJ Leslie, and Tobis Harris.
oh yeah and how about Knight..everyone loves him so much so why on mocks he isn't best HS player or even best pg, as this site has him lower than Irving in 2011 and DX.com has Selby higher..
also what's you guys thoughts about some other still not mentioned..Enes Kanter? Joshua Smith?
Needs to lose about 20-30 pounds. He is a legit 6,10-6,11 and he is massive. He seems to have lost a little explosiveness, but he could easily regain it if he lost a little weight. Post moves are a work in progress. Pretty good passer out of the post and a really good teammate...Think of Dexter Pittman on Steroids and like 4-5 years younger lol.
Midwest scout...Didn't mean to come at you like that. But as prospects are concerned, how can you possibly have Tristian Thompson over Barnes? Thompson doesn't even have a position yet. Also, where is Josh Selby? He has a chance to be a top-5 to top-10 pick.
actually looks like there could be more lottery freshmen next year even than this year? No matter that i have heard that class isn't strong(because there isn't many come backs in college as for now)..Knight,Harrison,Perry,Enes,Irving,Smith,Sullinger,Leslie..all have talent just matters who will be good from day 1 in college to become 1&done
to predict those guys as one and done lottery picks when you don't know who's declaring yet.....many of the 2010 guys are either a) in need of some serious development (Perry Jones, Will Barton) or b) not really prototype NBA Players (Sullinger amongst others).....idk, Kentucky might surpass them with lottery picks alone....definitely in top 5 picks...
Look out for Jamail Jones who attended Greenforest Christian and then transferred to Montverde Academy for his Senior season. He's physically gifted for a HS senior and should be a great fit at Marquette next season. Athletic and a good shooter spotting up. He's sort of a sleeper prospect, but he's got the ability to be an NBA prospect in 2 years.
Also, Ryan Harrow should be a good fit for NC State, who hasn't had great guard play since Atsur and Julius Hodge were in the backcourt together. I think with PG Javier Gonzalez and Harrow in the backcourt, they could be similar to the backcourt Wake Forest had with Ish Smith and Jeff Teague, very explosive, fast and small. They should be one of the better backcourts in the ACC next year.
Wayne is a beast....he has already risen a good 10 spots since the summer already and he is easy top 10 by the time its all said and done....I see the Mac Irvin Fire play more than any other team in the summer and he was the star of a loaded team as a junior that included Jereme Richmond, Mike Shaw, Ahmad Starks, Reggie Smith, etc.....here is some video I got of him in Phoenix last summer....
Rodney Purvis I read he could be the next john Wall is that a valid comparison?
He got the size and the bounce from the clips I seen but not as quick what do you think of this kid.
I lie Knight to be the best pro out of the incoming frosh next year as well, but Barnes is going to be a higher pick. He will be given the keys to a Benz in UNC and he will have a pg that can get him the ball all day in Marshal.
Thats weird that guys are hating on Harrison Barnes, cuz I'm pretty sure there are guys on ESPN who also get paid to scout, who think the guy is gonna be pretty good. Some have even ventured to say he has a little Kobe Bryant in his game.
I have no idea how good Harrison Barnes is going to be, but when you are a top 5 prospect on basically every high school prospect website or NBA prospect website...I'm guessing its for good reason.
I'm not saying this midwestbballscout guy isnt legit, but I find it kinda annoying when someone comes on an NBA mock draft site praising himself and declaring himself better than everybody because "he goes and scouts these guys and gets paid to do it". I get paid to referee 4th grade girl basketball games...It doesnt make me a referee.
How about Cory Joseph? How good is he? Every time I hear or read about him, I hear nothing but high praise. It sounds like he's been tearing it up for Findlay. How does he project to college? or Beyond? Better then his brother?
is way better than his brother.....and I wasn't trying to act better than anyone....dude said I "call myself a midwest scout"....I say that I am....we have since kissed and made up....ESPN has the right to their opinion....Paul Biancardi is very knowledgable and he's a good guy....he's just wrong about Harrison Barnes....
Fair enough. If I seemed harsh I apologize. I enjoy reading your intel on these guys.
Is Barnes good enough to propel UNC into the tourney along with the other recruits they got coming in? How good is he really? Solid starter? All ACC type guy? Larry Drew type of guy (garbage)?
I'm curious about Joseph cuz I'm a gopher fan, is there a chance he goes to Minny? I thought I heard he might have already commited to UCONN...soft comittment.
we interviewed at a holiday tourney in Illinois and he gave a final 5 of Minnesota, UNLV, UCONN, Texas, and Nova but I got the impression that UConn or Nova pretty much had it.....I got the impression that Minn (his brother), UNLV (where Findlay Prep is), and Texas (where Tristan Thompson his teammate committed) were kind of token things to say to make people happy.....he gave the reasons why he liked each school and the only ones that he really for his future were Nova and UConn.....I didn't hear about his soft commit but I'm sure it may have something to do with waiting to see what Kemba Walker's plans are (kind of the same for Brandon Knight and Kentucky)....also have to take into consideration that he's from Canada and UConn is the closest school to his actual home by far.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeT7vllhESU (Corey Joseph Interview)
What I don't like about Barnes is that I don't think he's the superior athlete people say he is.....it seems like he is Michael when he's playing in Iowa against the corn farmers....when I saw him play AAU this summer they lost just about every game.....he put up numbers and the rest of his team was weak but they didn't just lose every game, they got KILLED....and it was against good teams but I just think that if your the best player in the country you should be able to compete with me and my 3 brothers on your team (yes, we all suck).....His motions seem almost robotic.....he's not moving around all fluid like Will Barton or even Tristan Thompson....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40XQ4OnqdN4 (Harrison Barnes interview at Peach Jam)
I think he can be an All-ACC player and a solid pro....I only have him ranked 5th or 6th or 7th or something.....I don't think its that hard to conceive that 6 guys in the country are better.....I also think he is more suited to play college than pro....
I forgot to give love to Mike Shaw.....his stock dropped this summer cuz he took the high road playing as an indian on a team full of chiefs....he really impressed me the way he defended and rebounded though....it seems that Louisville has pulled their offer to him in anticipation of Teague taking their last scholarship b/c he and Blackshear were supposed to be a package deal and Blackshear committed.....hopefully for their sake someone leaves early b/c he is good and a great kid.....the key for him is if he is hitting his outside shot cuz if he is he is deadly.....he seems to have lost it lately though (also a reason for his tumble in the rankings).....
midwestbbscout, when you look at a player what to you is the most important area. To me it is a guy's work ethic because everyone that is playing at a high level is very athletic and talented, but what separates the good to the greats is the amount of hard work put in. What are your thoughts??
Hard work is important for sure but I have to look at size and overall physical makeup first....especially for an NBA prospect....hard work becomes more important in recruiting but to play in the league you have to be big enough....obviously there are exceptions but Allen Iverson, Tiny Archibald only come along once in a generation....
I guess what I'm saying is that I can shoot from dawn til dusk every day and lift weights all night but I will still never sniff an NBA court at 5-8 160.....but a guy like Josh Smith (jthe Atlanta one...ust the first guy that comes to mind cuz I saw the Hawks play a few weeks ago) is the laziest, whiny player I've ever seen still can manage to be a borderline all-star.....
midwestbbscout I should have specified college, as in playing in a major conferece, rather than the NBA because that is true I happen to be 5-8 as well and if I did the same thing as what you said I would never be on an NBA court as well.
So where does hard work rank among looking at a prospective college player.
very high.....especially on the "just below blue chip" level....it is the most important time for development of a player....its not necessary to spend every free minute you have in the gym....I guess its more about having the will to get better....it may seem like a major pipe dream for most of us but the fact is there are a thousand spots for a player to play college ball and if someone doesn't want it then the next person will take it....
the biggest thing I look for in college players though basketball IQ.....so many guys have been ranked high out of HS but have no idea what is going on once they go against an actual game plan or what a game plan even is....
I agree about basketball IQ. You probably know this better than me, but I believe that now with the extreme pressure most college coaches experience that they want players who are ready physically and athletically when they lack that basketball IQ to be successful. Do you understand what I am saying?? Thanks.
its obvious that they do....and you are seeing the success of the mid-majors (not so much pressure) because of it....a lot of good players are slipping through the cracks.....a guy I am very familiar with is DJ Cooper from Chicago who came up big for Ohio this year....tiny little &$#%#&@! but he can ball....
By pressure more so from the administration. The AD's want winning all the time year in and year out that coaches have to get players who are ready/athletic enough to play rather than possessing a high basketball IQ to help the team win games. That's what I think Wall lacks most, and he may never develop a high IQ unless he gets a good coach in teh NBA.
So you're basing Barne's potential because his team got blown out? That makes sense. Nobody ever said he is an elite athlete, but he is a good one. Not a great one. Tell me this, why is this guy projected as the number 1 pick next year by SEVERAL mocks (including draftexpress)? Becuase he is downright talented and has an amazing work ethic. Something that cannot be measured. Talent and a good work ethic almost alwys mean success. Being flashy means nothing. Ask B-Roy.
And to your point...Tristian Thompson is overrated. Dude is nothing but a good jumper. Everytime I've seen him I've come away unimpressed. He really needs to find a position because he is a bad tweener.
Lastly, Perry Jones is a very unique prospect. But he is far from being NBA ready. He has a long way to go. Me and Quincey both agree on this one. When I watch him play, I see someone who has unique tools, but is trying to figure it out. He seems like a pf to me now. With the ability to play the sf positon...He will be a very high pick though. He has that high risk, high reward type of potential.
Little article on Barnes.
"For starters, he appears to be far more athletic than most analysts (including us) give him credit for, as he seems to be the type of player that doesn’t feel compelled to show off his explosiveness at all times, but still has all kinds of natural tools he can go to when needed. Barnes did a little bit of everything in the scrimmage we saw, playing very unselfishly, making shots from the perimeter, attacking the rim, weaving in and out of traffic, crashing the offensive glass, and making some excellent passes. Some of his finishes around the basket were extremely impressive, and he always looked calm and under control, refusing to get caught up in the playground type atmosphere that usually typifies these all-star events. His perimeter shot was a bit streaky, but this seems to be a part of his game that will develop into a great weapon for him in time. Barnes’ counterparts will be breathing down his neck all season long, but he seems to have the goods and then some to hold onto his status as the consensus top recruit in the country."
like I said, I don't think Barnes is awful.....he's just not number 1 that's all.....I like draftexpress they do an amazing job....and who knows, someone might pick Barnes number 1....I just think the team that does that will be sorry they didn't pick someone else down the road.....not Darko/Carmelo sorry or anything.....not Morrison/Rudy Gay sorry....just kind of like "man, we shoulda took Perry Jones" or something like that........
as for Tristan....he's not a tweener....he is a 4....
so with upcoming events like McDonald's, Jordan Classic, Nike Hoops Summit i would like to talk about HS seniors.
What is your favourites?WHo is the best now?Who do you like as nba prospects and as a "one&done" prospects and ect.