Thoughts on AAU Super Showcase Terp Targets: Harris, Cooney, Gbinije

The AAU Super Showcase was, much to my delight, televised on ESPNU this weekend, and a Terp target was in basically every game on TV. I'm not an expert - that's why I am not currently employed by Rivals - but there's a decent chance you won't see writeups on these guys from Rivals, newspapers, NBE, etc. In case you don't, my thoughts - based on only a few games, mind you, so they aren't wholly accurate - are below.

First off, though, is big win for Team Takeover, who took the tournament. Takeover has very, very quickly become the team to beat, without one legitimate star on their entire team. If they haven't already unseated DC Assault as DMV basketball king, they will soon. That's good news for Terp fans everywhere - Assault and Maryland have a less-than-stellar relationship.

On to the wrapups:

Tobias Harris: Harris was very, very impressive - unless the staff feels very strongly about their chances with Terrence Jones, he has to be the #1 target right now. He's not extremely quick or strong, but can do everything. He played every position on the floor against Team Final, and was competent in all of them. His outside shot fell, he did good enough in the post, and was very difficult to stay in front of when driving the lane. One of the most impressive things about him was his court vision - he always seems to be looking upcourt, which is huge for someone who gets as many rebounds as he does, simply for the outlet passing ability - and ballhandling. His rebounding was another pleasant surprise, as he more than held his own. He had a double-double and 20+ points, and was the standout performer against a team with the #1 player in all of HS, some would say. He still looked a little big, but that's improving. Probably the best player still on the board for Maryland.

Check the rest after the jump.

Trevor Cooney: I described him as a rich man's Eric Hayes on Twitter, and that's no knock on Hayes. Cooney is a shooter's shooter - he's never afraid to throw up a shot and has textbook form. In the first game, the shot didn't always fall, but he had it popping in the second game. Even what the shot didn't fall, he found ways to get involved, driving the lane now and again and throwing up a nice floater, or getting to the hoop for a layup. His all-around game is coming along nicely - defense was servicable (though it was difficult to tell exactly how servicable with the 3-2 zone), and his passing is just below a point guard level. He's still a shooting specialist, but a very good one with a developing all-around game. If Maryland's really not recruiting Quinn Cook, Cooney and Gbinije should be #1 and #1a for 2011.

Michael Gbinije: Gbinije was a bit enigmatic. His first half was very good - 10+ points - but he seemed to disappear throughout the second half. He's generally unimpressive without the ball; he tends to just kind of float around, rather than running around constantly, like his teammates Victor Oladipo and Jerian Grant did. That said, he was great with the ball in his hands. You can tell he's confident when handling the rock, and had no problem  throwing up quick shots, which fell more often than not. He didn't get nearly enough touches for my taste. You can see all the talent is there, though, and it's just a matter of time before he explodes.

JD Weatherspoon: Really didn't get much PT in the All-Ohio Red/CP3 game. I can only remember him once, and he didn't do much of notice. Of course, with all those annoying coach cut-ins, it was impossible to really cue in on a guy.

Jonathan Graham: Wasn't too bad, but he still needs some polish. He didn't seem as comfortable as you'd like him to be with the ball in his hands, but he grabbed a few rebounds and hustled. Like I said earlier, he'd be a great 4th or 5th commit here, and I'd have no problems taking him in that role.

Notes on former Terp targets committed elsewhere: Taran Buie is clutch, and very good, but not better than Terrence Ross - they're probably on the same level, Ross may be slightly better (Terp-colored glasses, possibly). Will Regan is a good all-around player (and rocked the arm sleeve), and will be a solid player in the ACC, but probably not an All-ACC player. Will Barton is unexplainable - so good at getting to the basket, but every time he goes up I think he's going to break something. His arms are the thinnest arms this side of Madonna. At one point, Lowell Galindo (the PBP guy) said something along the lines of "How can Austin Rivers top 'Will the Thrill'?" Of course, he was talking nicknames, but apparently Paul Biancardi (the color guy) didn't get it. His response was "What, you mean 'Will the Guy Thin As a Piece of Spaghetti'?" Doesn't have quite the same catch, but we appreciate the attempt, Paul.

So, there you have it. Have at it.