Article 234: What Happens in Vegas...

July 23, 2011

High school basketball prospects hope that what happens in Vegas this weekend does not stay in Vegas as many of the NCAA coaching staffs are in Las Vegas to scout the talent. The three main events are Fab 48, Adidas 64, and Las Vegas Live. Northern California's talent did not disappoint as here is a summary of some of the talent out in the desert hot spot on Day 1.

Raymond Bowles 6-foot-4 W Modesto Christian (Lakeshow 16 Black) 2013: Bowles is a versatile player for Lakeshow Coach Stefen Tappin. Tappin stated that due to the lack of size, he is playing Bowles as his main post player for his team. But Bowles will likely be a slasher wing type who also is getting experience of playing the physical interior.

James O'Neal 6-foot-2 G Freedom (Lakeshow 16 Black) 2013: O'Neal was effective scoring from both the inside and outside. He had 23 points that included three 3-point shots. He was able to get into the lane and use his wingspan to elevate floaters. O'Neal projects to be someone who can score 20 points plus for his Freedom team.

McKenzie Moore 6-foot-7 PG College Park (Team 94) 2011: Oversized point guard who can do a little of everything. According to Team 94 Coach Phil Handy, Moore really is getting looks after the team's trip in South Carolina and West Virginia. Handy says schools from the ACC to the Big East have inquired. Moore is still verbally committed to St. Mary's. He plays in the mold of a Brian Shaw or Sean Livingston.

Devareaux Manley 6-foot-4 W Castlemont (Team 94) 2011: Manley also benefited from the trip to the east coast. According to Coach Handy, Kent State, New Hampshire, Mt St. Mary's, and Monmouth have inquired. He plays in the mold of a Caron Butler who has a solid mid-range shot and can post up smaller defenders.

Dakarai Allen 6-foot-5 W Sheldon (PHPS Elite) 2013: Allen paced his team with 18 points in their victory. Despite his wiry frame, Allen is rather fearless in taking the ball to the rim as he got fouled several times as he led the team with eight free throw attempts.

Daiveon Leverett 6-foot-5 W Weston Ranch (PHPS Elite) 2013: New addition to the PHPS Elite team. Leverett is ranked No. 20 in the 2013 NCP class. He is another lean, wing on this club team. He chipped in with 8 points.

Recruiting updates and other notes

Michael Best 6-foot-9 C Terra Linda (Lakeshow 17 Black): UC Irvine has offered.

Stephen Domingo 6-foot-6 W St. Ignatius (Dream Vision 16U): Recovering from a stress fracture and expects to be healthy in August.

Team Superstar 17: Fresno-based club includes Jesuit's Akachi Okugo, Deer Valley's Andre Mcphail, Kendall Smith, and Quincy Smith, and Sacramento's Darius Graham. Mcphail and Quincy Smith will likely attend La Jolla Prep in San Diego for one more year of seasoning.

Belmont Shore: This Long Beach based team has former NorCal prospect Ikenna Iroegbu (Oak Hill Academy 2013) and David Andoh (St. Mary's Berkeley 2012) on the roster. Iroegbu is above average in size as a point guard and has a burst in his step, but can be somewhat erratic at times. Andoh has good length and can play either inside or outside. Both scored 4 points each. Belmont Shore also features Arizona commits Eric Cooper (La Verne Lutheran 2013) and Grant Jerrett (La Verne Lutheran 2012). In addition, Maurice Kirby (Basha 2013) is headed for Arizona State and Katin Reinhardt (Mater Dei 2012) recently reneged on his commitment to USC.

Drew Gooden Soldiers: Drew Gooden himself was on the bench supporting his eponymously named team. Brandon Ashley started the game with three consecutive dunks and ended up with 12 points. Aaron Gordon was in the middle of the physical play as he added 14 points. Jabari Bird scored a very quiet 17 points in that he just did the fundamental things to get his points.

NCP 2012 Top 5 ranking: Andoh scored 4 points in his game. Soldiers' Richard Longrus and Langston Morris-Walker had 2 and 0 points respectively. The soon to be Findlay Prep (Nev.) players Dominic Artis and Ashley had 11 and 12 points respectively. Put a superstar amongst a group of superstars, and then that superstar may not shine as brightly as expected. This is analogous to reputable venture capital backed early stage startup employees in Silicon Valley - they each individually look rather mundane in the startup as everyone is a superstar. But put them in a government job or over-bloated large corporation and they will be as bright as a supernova. The point being is not to read too much in the performance of Andoh, Longrus, and Morris-Walker - especially as it was only one game. But when their senior year begins, they each will be the focal point of their respective teams and should not put up such dismal numbers as the senior leader of their teams.

Bishop Gorman: The Fab 48 Invitational bracket was held at Bishop Gorman in the middle of nowhere, which kind of describes anywhere in Las Vegas outside the Strip. The college coaches easily numbered over 200 and were standing room only at times. I would venture a guess that every member of the 31 conferences in Division I was represented by at least one coach. It is always interesting eavesdropping on coaches as they talk recruiting, last season's games, or just general basketball talk. It is also interesting observing the after effects of the offseason coaching carousel. For example, Paul Hewitt last year was in Georgia Tech garb but was in George Mason colors. Conversely, Jim Larranaga who left George Mason was there wearing bright orange and dark green of the University of Miami.

Day 1 Impressions: Hopefully, more of the college coaches will spread out in their scouting. Otherwise, the top heavy events and brackets will get all the exposure. On the one hand, basketball Darwinism would dictate that the winners get the spoils. On the other hand, that would beg the question: Why have three major events spread out over two dozen plus high schools where the college coaching staffs would not be able to adequately assess all the talent? More basketball does not necessarily mean good basketball. Plus, add on the logistics of driving around desert terrain that is dotted with the same pre-fab housing in triple digit temperatures.