Summer is Over, Decisions Abound, and Grades are Presented
Ivan McDowell, Southeast/Mid-South, Editor
August 3, 2007 - Now that the grind of summer hoops is over for the elite players in high school basketball, it’s time to take a look at who did their thing and who left a little to be desired. I gave no one an F, but there were C’s and D’s to go along with A’s and B’s. All of this is opinion of course.
Bawa Muniri, 6’10 C, Alabama Lasers- Bawa had just returned from a trip to his homeland Ghana a week prior to the Peach Jam, so the rust was expected. Not practicing with his teammates clearly showed, as he was a step off on both ends of the floor. Muniri is a strong kid in the upper body, but is too often pushed around on the blocks by smaller post players who use their leverage to get underneath him and root him out of the paint. Added strength is a necessity if he is to progress into the high major recruit he was projected to be two seasons ago. He does run the floor well, rebounds, blocks shots and also shows a willingness to learn, while being extremely coachable. At Peach Jam, Muniri didn’t catch the ball well and didn’t provide enough scoring to help the Lasers to victories (they were winless). Still, the potential is there and high majors like Auburn, Alabama, UConn and UAB are monitoring. GRADE: D
Frankie Sullivan, 6’1 CG, Alabama Lasers- Sullivan seemed to get frustrated a little due to his teams’ lack of winning. At the Memorial Day Classic, he tried to do too much, but showed an innate ability to hit tough, clutch shots when his team needed it. During Peach Jam, Frankie was a little more under control and found his teammates on occasion. He must continue to develop his point skills for the next level, while also working on his perimeter jumper. Right now he is a slasher that gets to the cup using his strength and athleticism. Auburn, Alabama, UAB, Middle Tennessee, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are all in the mix. Sullivan says he’ll take his time and discuss with his parents. GRADE: C+
Josh Crittle, 6’8 PF, Mean Streets- Big Josh is a lot like Greg Echinique from the Metro Hawks, in that he also plays along side a top 30 center. Echinique was robin to Samardo Samuels’ batman. And so was Crittle to Mike Dunigan. That’s not to say Crittle didn’t do damage; he was just overshadowed. Crittle has a good footwork and finishes everything around the basket. Still limited in his post skill set, Josh gets most of his points the old fashioned way. He must continue to work on conditioning and moves, but he should be a nice get for schools looking for a complimentary player. He does a lot of things to help his team win. Marquette, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, and Virginia have all offered. GRADE: B
Anthony Jones, 6’10 SF/PF, Houston Hoops- Jones can shoot the basketball. Unfortunately, that seems like all he wants to do. He needs to continue to develop his handle, if he wants to stay out on the wing. I would love to see him get in the post more and take advantage of his, length and athleticism. He is very long and blocks shots on the regular. Anthony is very good, but should be a top 10 player and inexplicably isn’t. He just doesn’t do enough on both ends to dominate. Texas is his leader, with Baylor and Texas A&M also in his top three. He says he’ll decide in the spring. GRADE: B+
Ralph Sampson, III, 6’10 PF/C, Georgia Stars- ‘Baby Ralph’, as our i95ballerz.com publisher Ron Bailey likes to call him, played well in spurts when I saw him earlier this month in North Augusta. He looked overwhelmed at times when matching up with teams of equal size, but superior strength. To be honest, the potential is there, but he did little more than provide his Georgia Stars team with size and length. He was clearly overmatched when facing 6’8, 240-pound JaMychal Green of the Alabama Challenge, or the Meanstreets frontline of Michael Dunigan (6’10, 250, Oregon commit) and Josh Crittle (6’8, 260). Sampson, who is not 7’0 or even 6’11, as I’ve seen him listed as, is still a work in progress, looking lost at times during the game, but high majors such as Minnesota, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Auburn and Cal are still actively recruiting him due to his potential. GRADE: C-
Kemba Walker, 5’11 PG, NY Gauchos- Like the rest of his Gauchos teammates, Walker is a winner. He just wins. On the court, he is a tough nosed, grinder on both ends. Offensively, Kemba gets to the hole with regularity on everybody! He finishes well and I think his play starts with his mentality. I spoke with one coach who said the Gauchos intimidate you when they walk in the gym, bringing a NY swagger - Walker is the leader. Recently committed to UConn, Kemba must continue to hit the open jumper and play under control. I didn’t see a better point this summer. Definitely a Big East-style point guard. GRADE: A+
Jordan Theodore, 5’11, CG, NY Gauchos- A lot like Walker, but a better defensive player. Jordan hangs his hat on his defense. There is a hunger inside of Theodore that shuts people down. He told me modestly that he still wasn’t very good and can play better. Also like Walker, consistency on his jumper and playing under control are musts to succeed at the next level. He is another tough, Big East-style point guard. Has committed to Seton Hall. GRADE: A-
Andre Young, 5’8 PG, Georgia Blazers- Young’s stock has sky rocketed over the course of the summer and rightfully so. Andre is a scoring point, who really shoots the three well. If you play up on him he’ll blow by off the dribble. Physically strong, smart and always under control, Young’s biggest deficiency is his stature. If he were 2-3 inches taller he’d be a top 30 point guard. As it stands he’s receiving mostly mid-major looks with a few biggies like Florida State, Auburn and Wichita State offering schollies. Young will narrow his list in the fall. GRADE: A