We headed up to The Villages to check out some of the action at The Villages Summer Stampede, a team camp that was attended by college coaches from a variety of levels.  While our time was limited, we did see several players that caught our attention.

Jacob Pleyer, Gainesville The Rock School: A 6’3 rising senior originally from Michigan, Pleyer stood out with his ability to consistently make perimeter shots on either side of the three-point line.  He has excellent shot mechanics, a quick release, and is always shot ready in terms of body balance and foot work.  Pleyer appears comfortable playing either guard spot, handles and passes the ball well and showed that he can drive and finish if the perimeter shot is taken away.

Braylon Moore, Lecanto: The 6’0 rising senior has high-level speed and quickness with the basketball, a deadly accurate perimeter shot, and a certain toughness about him.  The lefty is especially dangerous off the catch, whether in transition, pass-outs from driving teammates, or simply if the defense plays too far off.  Moore can get to the basket quickly and score before defensive help arrives.  He is quick to bounce up and knock down free throws if fouled on his drives.  Moore is a very quick defender with fast hands and feet.

Trae Armstrong, Wildwood: The 6’2 rising senior provided energy at both ends of the floor and was an offensive catalyst for several of Wildwood’s runs in a morning game we took in.  Armstrong doesn’t really have an offensive position.  Should he get the ball, rather via the pass, grabbing a defensive rebound, or securing a turnover, Armstrong is quick to attack the defense and/or basket.  He isn’t a head-down, zero-vision driver; Armstrong is looking to make the right shot vs. pass decision at every opportunity.  He connected on a couple of perimeter shots to keep the defense honest and put in time in the rebounding department.

Daniel Smith, Groveland South Lake: A 6’4 rising senior, Smith’s role is to set screens, chase rebounds, and protect the basket.  He did all three of those things well when we watched.  Smith caught several tough passes when rolling to the basket after setting screens, scoring on many of those.  He also was quick to the basketball coming off the rim, many times grabbing a rebound out of his area.  Smith showed a nice touch in traffic on his putbacks.  He rotated quickly on defense to stop penetration on several occasions and wasn’t prone to head and ball fakes, staying on the ground to bottle up opponents.

Jared Thompson, The Villages Charter: The 6’2 rising senior was elevated to “first option” status with a couple of more well-known teammates unavailable for the morning game.  This gave Thompson more of a chance to showcase his smooth athleticism and sound overall game.  He initiated offense, got teammates involved, showcased an effortless yet effective three-point shot and was the point of defensive attack.  Thompson reads and reacts well in ball-screen action, gets to and scores at the basket in traffic, and generally makes good pass vs. shot reads on the move.  He uses his length and quickness well on defense, covers a lot of ground quickly, and is disruptive in the passing lanes.

Ethan Bevis, The Villages Charter: The 6’5 rising senior has the chance to be a hot commodity after Team Camp evaluations conclude at the end of June.  Bevis is a good athlete that is quick off the floor to snatch rebounds at either end or finish above the basket.  His shot extends to the arc, he’s quick to get ahead of the defense in transition and score.  Bevis is a solid rebounder, heady with the ball in his hands, and gives great effort at both ends of the court for the entire contest.

Antwain Tennell, South Sumter: A 6’0 rising junior, Tennell is a gifted passer and ball-handler.  His court vision, knowledge of where both teammates and opponents are on the court, and ability to deliver the right pass at the right time is not something that can be taught.  Tennell has a lot of experience playing with and against older competition and more often than not, takes a deferring role.  In this setting, he showed a more developed offensive game, scoring with forays to the basket and knocking down some perimeter jump shots for balance.  Tennell is still in the processing of strengthening and solidifying his body but is still plenty quick and strong to get past defenders.

Brady Kearns, Rockledge: A 6’7 rising junior, Kearns has grown quite a bit in the last year-plus since we saw him as a freshman, both physically and skill-wise.  He is solidly built, doesn’t shy away from contact, and shows glimpses of versatility at the offensive end.  He made some good passes to cutters out of both the high and low post, knocked down some open perimeter shots, and completed a couple of “and one” opportunities.  Kearns’ athleticism will improve as he continues to physically mature.  His older brother plays at The Naval Academy, and it wouldn’t surprise if Brady plays at that level in a couple of years.

Dwayne Foreman, III, Groveland South Lake: A 5’11 rising junior, Foreman is creative in his ability to put points on the board.  He will knock down three-pointers if the defense backs off but may be at his best when he uses his quickness and ball-skills to get defenders off balance and/or out of position to head to the rim.  Foreman finishes well with either hand, scores through contact, and is reliable from the foul line.  If his path to the hoop is cut off, he generally finds the open teammate for an uncontested shot.

Bryce Hoffert, Windermere: A 6’6 rising junior who may not be done growing, Hoffert demonstrates a good basketball IQ.  If he gets the ball in the post he is alert for cutters and open perimeter shooters.  If he has the advantage down low he has some basic post moves with which to score.  When out on the perimeter, Hoffert takes care of the basketball and doesn’t’ try to do things he is not yet capable of.  He rebounds the ball well and is quick to outlet the ball to start the break.  Hoffert plays hard on the defensive end and works to chase down loose balls of any variety.  There is some fundamental work to be done on his perimeter shot but that should come relatively quickly.