This past weekend in Gainesville, the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) held its first-ever NCAA-Certified Team Camp. It went as smoothly as possible for a first time event. A vast number of college coaches from around the country attended and no doubt Session II, held next weekend at the same location, the Alachua County Sports Complex, will have even more high-level teams and colleges in attendance. We’ll have reports the remainder of this week highlighting some of the better performers from Session I.
Isaiah Brown, Orlando Christian Prep: The 6’4 rising senior and Gator commit played very well in front of his future college coaches and some of his teammates. He continuously attacked the basket in both transition and against set defenses, scoring in traffic with some creative finishes. Brown’s outside shot was dropping, which made him all the more difficult to defend. An active and disruptive defender, he was quick to help and rotate, communicate with teammates, and rebounded well, often pushing the ball up the floor to start the transition game.
Trey Murray, Wesley Chapel: The 6’2 rising scorer clearly demonstrated why he led the state in scoring last season at 27 ppg. He ran the floor for easy scores and displayed the ability to slice thru set defenses and score thru contact in a crowd at the basket. Murray created a lot of “and one” opportunities for himself and completed most of them. He shot the ball well on both sides of the three-point line and his range extends past the college-level distance. A respectable ball-handler, Murray got the ball quickly to open shooters when his forays to the rim were cut off.
Pat Johnson, Fort Myers Gateway Charter: The 6’8 rising junior played maybe a quarter of the game we watched against an overmatched opponent in the last session of games on Sunday, but his abilities clearly stood out. He got some easy points simply by sprinting the floor in transition. Johnson seemingly cleaned up everything around the rim on offense, converting putbacks at a high rate. He also finished off lobs and passes coming off ball-screen action going to the basket. Defensively, he shut down penetration and changed the trajectory of several shots.
Elyjah Freeman, Wellington: The 6’6 rising senior continues to have a breakout “off-season” as he showcased a wide variety of skills this weekend. A long and lithe athlete, he scored well around the basket with excellent body control and touch in a variety of ways: lobs, putbacks, transition, and grabbing 50/50 balls in his offensive area. Freeman also scored on a couple of straight-line drives and knocked down some open perimeter jumpers to round out his offensive game. He covers a lot of ground quickly on defense and anticipates the passing lanes well. With his length, speed, and quickness, Freeman is able to defend multiple positions.
Isaiah Medina, Lakeland Kathleen: A 7’0 rising senior, Medina has only been playing organized basketball for two years according to his coaches and it’s clear he has made great strides in a short amount of time. A bit on the thin side but a good run/jump athlete, Medina has good timing to block shots and does a good job of controlling his rebounding area and corralling missed shots in a crowd. Not surprisingly, his defense is ahead of his offense at this time. However, he did show an ability to score inside with basic post moves if not defended physically and isn’t a bad ball-handler/shooter out on the perimeter. As he fills out and gains strength, Medina will be better equipped to handle the physical pounding of college basketball.
Chris Arias, Jacksonville Providence: A 6’6 rising senior already committed to hometown Jacksonville University, Arias is a big point guard that plays under control. He handled the ball well against various forms of pressure this weekend and did a good job of getting it to teammates for easy scoring opportunities. Arias shot the ball well from the perimeter and his effective range extends to the college three-point line. A good athlete, he proved to be fast with the ball in transition, quickly converting opponent’s turnovers into points. Arias gets a lot of tips and deflections with his long reach, active hands, and quick feet.
Tim Winkler, Bradenton IMG Blue: A 6’8 rising sophomore, Winkler’s potential is palpable but he is also reasonably productive as well. He has very good size, length and bounce for a young prospect. Winkler has gotten stronger over the past few months as shown by his improved ability to score around the basket in traffic as well as come away with rebounds in a crowd. He showed an ability to score on one to two dribble drives from the high post and short corner areas. Winkler is clearly working toward becoming a wing or mismatch “4” at the next level as he demonstrated better ball-handling and shooting form than we had previously seen.
Javian Jones, West Palm Beach The King’s Academy: A 6’2 rising junior, Jones was arguably the most impressive “new name” to us this weekend. He consistently got into the paint to create havoc for the defense, creating openings to get the ball to teammates for quality shots. Jones doesn’t mess around with a lot of in-place dribbling; he is quick to make a change of direction/pace move and head to the basket. Jones connected at a high rate on floaters and mid-range pull-up jumpers. The form and fundamentals of his jumper are solid so it is only a matter of time that his three-ball becomes more consistent. He has very good instincts and court vision at the point guard spot.
Carlos Santana, Miami Belen Jesuit: A 5’9 rising senior, Santana thrives in the pass-and-cut, ball movement offense that Belen employs so effectively. Small but smart, Santana is a dangerous shooter from the perimeter, has a plan to distribute or score when driving to the basket, and handles the ball well vs. defensive pressure. He works hard on the defensive end to harass opposing ball-handlers and to be in the right position to cut off passing lanes, help on drives, and take charges.
Andrew Powell, Gainesville Oak Hall: A 6’4 rising senior, there may have been no better three-point shooter this past weekend. He was 5-6 in the game we took in, and according to coaches that was his lowest output of the weekend in terms of number of shots attempted from behind the arc. Powell has great shot preparedness, quickly catching on balance and rhythm with zero wasted motion. He does a good job of coming off pin-down screens or through elevator screens ready to shoot the ball. Powell has a solid frame, is a willing rebounder, and continues to work on his overall athleticism. If Powell can show that he can get and make those same shots against better athletes, as well as defend them, his recruiting profile will elevate.