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By Joshua Motenko, Head Scout

Las Vegas, Nevada

The 2009 AAUs have kicked off and to the displeasure of many, a number of the nation’s top players will not be here. #1 rising senior Harrison Barnes is absent. Another highly rated rising senior Brandon Knight is out with a broken foot. A number of players are in Orlando at the Nike event, not to mention the current senior class is considered to be a down year, meaning this year’s AAUs is shaping up to be a bit of a dissapointment. But who knows, a number of players are sure to jump up and stand out as we attempt to search for as much potential NBA talent as possible over the next 4 days.

California Supreme (CA) vs.
DC Assault

The boys from California played
well together, led by Keala King, an unselfish do-it-all senior forward,
and Jamaal Franklin, a thin yet bouncy 6-5 senior swingman who plays
above the rim. Franklin stood out above his teammates because
of his aggressive play and smart decisions. He didn’t show the
ability to take over this game, but neither did Duke commit Joshua Hairston,
the promising senior from Montrose Christian Academy in DC. Both
teams fought hard and played team ball, a rarity at any AAU tournament.

Texas Blue Chips (TX) vs. New
Heights (NY)

This Texas squad is lead by
6’6” junior forward Adrian Crump. Adrian was very full of
himself today, displaying his incredible leaping ability in warm-ups
with one spectacular dunk after another. However, in the actual
game, after one make his jump shot looked like a slingshot – and wasn’t
consistent. He did have to be guarded by New Heights’ best player,
Jayvaughn Pinkston, a hulking senior forward who appeared to be a quality
all-around player, because Crump simply was the most athletic player
on the floor. In Crump’s favor, he is a junior, so he could
become a legit NBA prospect with the right coaching. However,
his cocky attitude shows lack of discipline and his disinterest in being
aggressive without the ball shows that right now, he just doesn’t
‘get it.’

Compton Magic (CA) vs. SYF
Players (IN)

The Memphis Magic team was
lead by 6’6” swingman Bryce Jones from Inglewood, CA. Jones
has a complete offensive game and understands how to play team ball
even when he knows he’s the best player on the court. He keeps
the ball very low on the dribble, and has a good handle, and an aggressive
nature about him. His jump shot has a high arc on it, and his
long wingspan allows him to get it off over close defenders. He
shies away from contact at times and has a slight frame, but he makes
up for it by creating off the dribble and finding teammates in position
to score, especially when cutting to the basket. He likes the
crossover dribble, but isn’t limited to that move. His movements
are actually very compact when attacking the basket — something that
college coaches should take a second look at.

Memphis Magic (TN) vs. Seattle
Rotary (WA)

The highlight of the day was
watching Tony Wroten’s Seattle Rotary team go up against a very tough
Memphis Magic squad. Memphis was lead by highly acclaimed 6’7”
guard Jalen Kendreick. Jalen protects the ball well, and likes
to cuff it when getting into the lane. He’s got a soft touch
on his jumper and can pull of off the dribble well. He has a very
reliable and diverse offensive game, but didn’t show the ability to
really take over and put his team on his skinny shoulders. This
is a concern for him going forward. He had help from Adonis Thomas,
a rough and athletic 6’6” forward with a nose for the ball, and
Joe Jackson, a lightning quick and very steady 6’0” PG. Despite
Jackson’s size, his ability to run a team and make the right decisions
coupled with his athleticism and ball handling skills make him very
intriguing. However, Wroten stole the show.

Wroten often elected to pass
off to his teammates, especially 6’9” Center Joshua Smith, who showed
a soft touch around the basket and used his bulk well. Wroten
showed a great eye for the court overall though, finding all teammates
with creative skip passes, helping out on the offensive boards, scooping
up loose balls, playing hounding defense and being a general terror.
He picked his spots and came down the lane with one spectacularly angry
tomahawk jam off a feed from the baseline that gave media, coaches,
and fellow players pause. Wroten’s most notable ability, however,
is his ability to change directions and show great body control.
Physically he is very quick to adjust, whether he’s trying to rise
up for a rebound or when attacking the basket. He simply is on
another level than the other kids at this tournament. The Seattle
Rotary should be renamed ‘the Wrotary,’ after their star player.

Grassroots Canada vs. Belmont
Shore (CA)

This game was pretty disappointing
as a stacked 15-man Canadian team sponsored by adidas were unable to
blow out an 8 player Belmont squad (three of which were underclassman).
Several notable players were underwhelming including Tristan Thompson
and Myck Kabongo. Thompson came out looking disinterested and
appeared to have put on weight. His skill level doesn’t seem
to have improved much from last year either. As fluid and mobile
as he is, he’s still painfully lacking a position. Thompson
is committed to Texas, and has his one more year to get his game together.

Myck Kabongo, another Texas
recruit, was active and showed his length and quickness and made some
plays in the open floor. But he wasn’t as impressive as we would
have liked. His playing time was limited to the amount of quality
players on this team, with substitutions often happening five at a time.
So it was difficult to get a read on this team. NBADraft.net will
keep you updated, as there are several big names on this squad, including
point guard Corey Joseph, who didn’t play.

For Belmont, the only bright
spot was a slender junior forward by the name of
DeAndre Daniels. The 6-8 forward likes to face up and attack the
basket off the dribble. He has a good stroke on his jump shot
and good range to boot. He used a nice fall away jumper after
a couple dribbles into the paint, putting nice touch on it off the glass.
Despite his rail thin frame and concaved shoulders, Daniels is a potential
player to keep an eye on because of his length and athleticism, especially
considering he has two more years left at Taft high school.

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