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Top 10 Recruits in July: Tobias Harris at #2
God, this kid has exploded.
Harris, Scout.com's No. 29 recruit for 2010, will be the big winner this summer. He trimmed down, exploded at the LeBron James Skills Academy and rocked it at the Peach Jam in Augusta, Ga.
Only Jared Sullinger beat him, but Sullinger was more of a known commodity than Tobias.
SLAM: The Rock Summer League Notes
SLAM has surprised me with their solid recruiting coverage lately. Today, they had an update on the DeMatha/Gonzaga game at Rock Summer League.
–Quinn Cook, 6-0 rising junior point guard, DeMatha: I last saw Cook, who just finished off an impressive stint with USA Basketball, in person as a freshman, and while I liked his potential I couldn’t get overly excited yet. Now it’s time to get excited, as the young man makes impeccable decisions with the ball in his hands, has in-the-gym range and possesses a combination of technically-sound and embarrass-you ballhandling ability.
–Mikael Hopkins, 6-8 rising junior post, DeMatha: If players were stocks, this would be the time to buy Hopkins, as his potential is turning into production right in front of observers’ eyes–always long, athletic and agile, he’s now a more authoritative rebounder and defensive presence, he finishes strong post moves with a flourish and he continues to expand his ball skills–in a recession-proof fashion.
–Victor Oladipo, 6-4 rising senior wing, DeMatha: Oladipo and the elder Grant are kinda like bookend wings (and regarded as similarly high-level players on the next level), except Oladipo is an inch or two shorter (but also has a slightly more compact and chiseled body type), a little less polished offensively, but also more of a high-energy player, a freakier athlete and prefers attacking the cup where Grant might take an outside J.
Tired of NJP? Well, how bout some KCC?
Yeah, MaxPreps only just got to the King City Classic, meaning it'll be at least a month before they get to the Peach Jam. Anyway:
Tobias Harris (6-9 PF/Long Island, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) – Leading their team past the eventual champions, Harris made plays in scrimmages at LeBron the days prior and kept it up here. He snuck up on everyone when he ran the floor for a follow jam, popped an open 3-pointer off a ball reversal, and fought inside for live balls with Leslie. It was an eye-opening few days for Harris, and it was no fluke when we glanced over to the other court on the final day and saw him giving Roscoe Smith problems as well.
Mike Gbinije (6-5 SG/Chester, Pa./Benedictine) – Not hard to recognize the guy that hits the three jumpers he takes in a shootout.
Justin Anderson (6-5 WF/Rockville, Md./Montrose Christian) – The young guy with big personality and all-world bounce flashed his lift when he took a high screen-roll and cradled it from just inside the elbow with one long stride for a jam on Alex Kirk. Defensively, he was energetic on the boards and hunting shot blocks.
Lattimore to cut his list next month
And with it the fantasy dies...
As for [Marcus] Lattimore, he is expected to trim his list to five next month. North Carolina, South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, Maryland, Clemson, Penn State and Rutgers are all in the mix for his services.
Recruiting Report: Weekend wrap
Yep, time to read Bracken's blog. Again.
Pat Stevens Countdown: Virginia at #68
The second ACC team in the countdown (Duke was the first, obviously) looks like UVA will have another down year.