Vegas Roundup: Stoglin, Jones Impress

What with the insane amount of AAU action going on this weekend, it's only natural for there to be a ton of stuff on the action in Vegas. Instead of bogging down the MM with it, all the linkage will be displayed in a separate post, here. So check the early storylines:

Stoglin Impressing: The most important storyline, you've known Stoglin has been doing well, but someone other than MaxPreps finally recognized it. Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News calls Stoglin one of "Three Names to Remember" from the open session:

After hitting three times from 3-point range in the first half against the loaded Grassroots Canada team, Stoglin had trouble finding room to launch more jumpers for Pump N Run Elite. But he scored 17, played superb defense against top-25 prospect Cory Joseph and ran the point as Pump N Run rallied from a double-digit deficit before losing by a basket.

Committed to Maryland, Stoglin insists he's a point guard. He doesn't have the same elusiveness as the best at that position, but Gary Williams' flex offense makes it less necessary.

"I felt like that would be the best place for me to go," Stoglin said. "I like the way they play. I like the enthusiasm Coach Williams brings to the team. I like how they run, how they play hard."

Could he be poised to grab a fourth star? It wouldn't surprise me.

Jones Making Up Ground On Tobias: So, Tobias Harris might've grabbed the #1 PF spot after his dominating performance at Nike Peach Jam. Well, Terrence Jones isn't going quietly.

Jones had a productive day in a 58 point blow out win against a disinterested D-One squad. Playing with some competitive zeal, Jones put up 27 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and four assists in a little over 20 minutes of playing time. He set the tone early with his defensive rebounding, instinctual passing and accurate three-point shooting. Also impressive was his defensive work. When matched up on Quincy Miller, Jones gave him fits with his superior strength and length, blocking several of his shots. Right now Jones and Tobias Harris are in a race towards the top of the power forward rankings.

Can't you feel the excitement in the air? When was the last time two Maryland targets were fighting for the #1 spot in their position? Great feeling. Rivals wasn't the only one, either:

He swatted shots twice in eyeball-to-eyeball confrontations with Miller down low, grabbed rebounds and scored 23 points, operating just as effectively from the 3-point arc as he did in the low post.

The aspect of his performance that was most impressive, though, was his ball-handling and passing ability - which are of the caliber that he'll probably be a point forward in the mold of a Lamar Odom or Scotty Pippen in college.

Washington, Arizona, Oklahoma, Florida, Connecticut and Maryland are among those, apparently, in the hunt for his services.

Like I said, great feeling from that. That said, there's always something to temper your excitement (from the Rivals link above):

Terrence Jones is wide open and has a plethora of schools recruiting him, but he did name Kentucky, Arizona, Duke, North Carolina, Connecticut and Oklahoma as the six schools at the top of his list. Duke and North Carolina are the only schools recruiting Jones who have not yet offered.

No, there's no Maryland in there. We learned from Tobias Harris that sometimes recruits say different things to different people, or forget things. As such, you can't say we're out of it right away. After all, he was in the other list. It's not conclusive, but it's not a good sign.

UPDATE: ESPN threw their hat in the ring with a roundup as well. Guess who their standout player was? Yep:

Jones showed why he is considered one of the elite level players in the country. He is a unique player with a versatile game and a lengthy frame. The strong lefty loves to dominate the ball and can execute a number of different skills. He can drain the 3-point shot, take defenders off the dribble and is a solid passer. He uses his strong frame to finish off the dribble, but he isn't a big-time athlete (not overly quick). He uses the pump fake and jab step very well to get to the rim and has a nice floater. However, at the next level, Jones will need to learn to play the game without the ball. He has a tendency to force the issue off the dribble, and if he doesn't have the ball, he just stands around. Overall though, Jones is a major talent and is a nightmare matchup because of his unique skill set.

More after the jump.

Memphis Getting Involved With Roscoe Smith? It's possible (via Memphis Commercial-Appeal):

I think the Tigers were there just as much to see 6-8 swingman Roscoe Smith as they were Selby. Smith, ranked 24th by Rivals.com, has really long arms and gets in the middle of everything. He's also got nice skills at his size, so he's definitely a big-time prospect from Baltimore. Tigers assistant Jack Murphy has an NBA connection to someone close to Smith, so Memphis will definitely be involved.

I talked to Smith, who didn't appear to be in any hurry to narrow things down. "Right now I'm just having fun," he said. "All the coaches, they're still calling me. I still have all the offers, so i'm just having fun right now. It's a choice but at the same time it's kind of hard trying to find that right spot. I've been talking to coach Pastner, but I'm just having fun right now."

Let me just say, I've never heard this before, not once. That's not to say that Memphis can't be involved, but the guy sounds like he's reaching a bit with it. That said, it's a bit scary to know that Pastner and Co. are involved. Does anyone know if Roscoe and Will Barton are tight? If they're friends, Memphis could be a possibility.

Hey, Mychal Parker's Still There Too: If Maryland's going to land another top tier recruit, it'll probably be Parker. And he's not slouching. He's dropped 19 in back to back days, first against Eric Gordon All-Stars, then against 2008 runner-up Compton Black Magic (that's a very scary team name). He's led the Ohio Basketball Club (Q: why is someone from Charlottesville playing in Ohio?) to a bracket berth.