Five Who Were the Jam at Peach Jam
Ivan McDowell
Southeast/Mid-South Editor
After spending considerable time at the Nike Peach Jam last weekend, talent guru extrodinaire Ivan McDowell developed his top five player listing, with an evaluation of each.
Eric Gordon, who played for an Indiana-based AAU/travel team earlier on the circuit, is rumored to have decommitted from Illinois. That instantly makes him one of the most sought after players in the class of 2007.
1) Eric Gordon, 6’3”, MeanStreets Express- Eric Gordon led the camp in scoring, averaging 25.3 points per game. My evaluation of him is that he was dynamite. He was clearly the best player at the camp. Gordon gets to the hole at will, and jumps out the gym. Not a pure shooter, but when hot he's unstoppable. The impressive thing about him is that if his jumper isn't falling, he'll concentrate on the other points of his game, especially defense. He has the ability to play lock down defense. Eric literally took over games on the offensive end.
With MeanStreets, he played with Derrick Rose, himself a top 10 talent. In my opinion, Gordon is the top player in the class, but again I haven't seen most of the guys. Rose is ranked 2 or 3, while Gordon is 5 or 6. Gordon is better, but a 2-3 (shooting guard-small forward), while Rose is a 1-2 (point guard-shooting guard).
Gordon is also strong and finishes everything around the rim, using his body to shield defenders or just dunking on kids. Committed to Illinois, but I was told he decommitted and is now open.
With a pro-like build, impressive skills, and considerable heart, Derrick Rose has been the object of speculation he will opt to play in Europe for a year, as opposed to college, before declaring for the NBA.
2) Derrick Rose, 6’3” G, MeanStreets Express - Is as smooth as they come. A big point by college standards, Rose has the ability to play any style – he can be a true point and get everyone involved, yet he can also take a game over with either his dribble penetration or his jump shot. Rose uses his strength to get into the lane against smaller defenders, while using his yo-yo like handle and quick first step to blow by bigger guards.
The knock on Rose from people I talked to was his tendency to disappear when its time to take the big shot. He put that falsehood to rest at Peach Jam, as on day three, Rose crossed over Team Final guard and the top player in 2008, Tyreke Evans, at the top of the key, pulled up in the lane and nailed a 15 footer as time expired to propel his MeanStreets Express team into the semifinals. The team eventually won the tournament.
Rose didn't lead his team in scoring, but overall was 2nd in assists (6.2 per game), tied for 1st in FT pct.(85.7) and finished in the top 10 in steals(8), during the camp.