Jakoby Atako (LA Rockfish)
(scouting report by annonymous)
Another sophomore/junior who alternates with Lakey. Atako went
to Spiece and Russell went to the North Carolina tournament. Also
can play.
(scouting report by annonymous)
Shea Anderson (6'5, Long Beach, CA - LA Rockfish)
(scouting report by annonymous)
Good mid range shooter, solid defender and aggressive on
offense. Can get the offensive rebounds.
(scouting report by annonymous)
Carlton Baker (6'6, PF, East Chicago, IN - Spiece North 17)
(scouting report by Dallas)
Body - Long arms, Skinny legs around 6'6" thin as a rail.
His legs look like pencils, but they sure have springs!
Play - One of the first things I noticed was his tenacity around
the bucket. He stayed after it on both offense and defense, many
times coming away with a board out of pure hustle. He is pretty
quick with the dribble and getting up and down off the floor
going after rebounds. He has a very high release on his shot
making it difficult to block, showed good hands inside. He
blocked a few shots when guys took it inside on him. He can use
his left hand and tries to dunk when he takes it to the basket.
He did miss one wide open dunk against the 76's from Kansas City.
He showed some good help defense, waiting until the last second
to rotate over to help a beaten teammate. Nice player, he was
(the Man) against No Excuses. He has a very good short jumper
and turnaround jumper. He has very good spring in his legs. Good
Player.
Drawbacks - Skinny, needs some more muscle. He seemed to run out
of gas at the end of the day. He seemed to get overpowered on
the low block late in the tournament by Kareem Rush. Definitely
a top 200 kid.
Question - Why is nobody recruiting this guy? He is one of the
top 5 forwards in the state of Indiana and you never hear about
him. Grades? Well he is qualified, at least according to a very
close source. Carlton is a very good player and he bears
watching in the coming year.
(scouting report by Dallas)
(scouting report by Peegs)
Athlete supreme who can really sky and is very active as
well. OK mid range shot, did not show long jumper. Was player
of the game in Spiece North's victory over No-Excuses. Very
skinny kid with toothpick legs right now. Occasionally argued
with officials and didn't hustle back on defense. Learned at the
tournament that his HS Coach recently said he has qualified and
he is really a good kid despite some past discipline problems.
Blocked some shots and had a lot of tip in tries on the offensive
boards. High major talent.
(scouting report by Peegs)
(scouting report by Richards)
Carlton Baker's nickname is "Oodie", but "Showtime" might
be more appropriate. Baker is a 6'6, thin, small forward who lacks
the perimeter game to be a wing forward in college. Add two inches
to his frame or a consistent outside threat, and I think any
scout would be tempted to call him a Top20 player. Baker is
aggressive and intense, can rebound very well, and has a nice
shot out to 15. He runs like a rabbit, and can do it most of the
game. Baker has a nice turnaround jumper with a high release.
In two games this weekend, Baker was throwing down highlight
reel dunks in the later portion of the game, taking advantage
of his worn out defenders. Keep in mind that the Spiece players
average only around 16 minutes a game on the floor. Can dunk with
either hand, frequently giving the crowd on the endline a little
stare-down when he throws one in. He has a real good basketball
mind and can take over a game at a moments notice. Tends to
score in spurts. He averaged 27 points in a little over 15 minutes
in Merrillville on May 23. Although a little goofy, he has a great
personality and will be a crowd favorite in college. Gets my vote
for the most entertaining kid in the state. High major, with the
potential to be an elite player. He has some work to do to get
there however.
(scouting report by Richards)
Rafael Berumen (6'8, Simi Valley, CA - LA Rockfish)
(scouting report by annonymous)
Runs the floor great for a big man, can dunk over whole
teams, got some good moves from 15 feet in and can hit the 3.
(scouting report by annonymous)
(scouting report by Dallas)
Body - Tall and lanky. Around 6'8" strong legs, looks like he could carry
some more weight with ease. Jumps average.
Play - After talking to a few players who played against the L.A.
Rockfish team I had to go check out Rafael. I didn't get to see him play
much, but he can shoot from 20 feet and make it look easy. I had not
heard of the kid, but he has some game. He seems to be able to handle
the ball pretty well and is deceptive as an athlete. Most of the
opposition thought he was the best player on the Rockfish team,
considering who played on the team, that is a major statement. This
guy is top 150 or so and may be a big time sleeper come this fall. Of
course after this summer he probably won't be a sleeper any longer.
(scouting report by Dallas)
(scouting report by Richards)
The kid that most impressed me on LA Rockfish was Beruman. I had no idea
he could hit the three off the break, with such a fluid motion. Looked
at times to have problems working around in the offense, but he has the
body and the shot to be a valuable weapon. Originally thought he might
be too thin, but I was told he had lost some weight and it improved his
game. His offensive game and versatility make him a hard match for all
but the multi-dimensional of power forwards. Just a great, versatile
player with a host of good skills. High major recruit.
(scouting report by Richards)
Martin Brothers (6'8, PF, Indianapolis, IN - Spiece North 17)
(scouting report by Dallas)
Body- 6'6" maybe 6'6" 1/2 , long arms, skinny but has some
shoulders which could carry some weight and some skinny legs.
After making sure it was Martin Brothers I was indeed watching,
I was a bit disappointed in his play. He has long arms and showed
a nice turnaround jumper from the baseline. He went weak to the
goal a few times and had it put back at him. In another game he
looked better on the defensive end, blocking a shot and helping
on defense. His big attributes are his long arms and timing, he
may improve as the year goes by.
Weakness - He needs to get stronger and play tougher down low. He
also needs to improve his ball handling if he wants to play the
wing position. He looked shaky in the open court. Needs to be more
aggressive. Having said that, I still would put him in the top
200 players.
(scouting report by Dallas)
(scouting report by Peegs)
Looked to be a legitimate 6'8 with long arms. This lefty is
still very skinny and gets pushed around underneath. Good shot
blocker and finishes well in the open court. Did not show agility
or creative moves in the post. With strength could be a nice player
but that may be a couple years down the road. Mid major to high
major talent.
(scouting report by Peegs)
Keyon Cooley (6'6, Long Beach, CA - LA Rockfish)
(scouting report by annonymous)
Can play 3 positions 3, 2, and 1. Handles the ball well
and is a good shooter.
(scouting report by annonymous)
Terry Collins (6'1, Fort Wayne, IN - Spiece Believers 16)
(scouting report by Peegs)
This junior to be from Fort Wayne has already been scouted by
IU and Purdue. He is a short shooting guard who is a great athlete
and pretty strong for his young age. Besides a good stroke he showed
some creativity underneath in the short time I saw him on Saturday.
His Spiece team was in the juniors division and I believe made it a
couple rounds into the tourney. He never did help out bringing the
ball up the court or do much point guard work so I question his
handling ability but it may have been he was needed elsewhere. Mid
major prospect at this point.
(scouting report by Peegs)
Mark Farris (6'7, 175 lbs, WF, Indianapolis Pike, IN - Indy Metros Gold)
(scouting report by annonymous)
Yet another newcomer to the game of basketball. In this, his 2nd
year of organized basketball, Farris started for the 4A state champs
in Indiana. He can score from anywhere on the floor, but his strength
is going to the basket and finishing at the rim, where his 38"
vertical usually raises him above his defenders. Long arms and quick
jumping help him as an effective offensive rebounder as well.
His strength hurts him defensively, as he tends to get broken down,
and he does tend to rely a bit much on his athleticism. Again,
however, he is also a victim of inexperience. He also is a very
good ball defender, and his concentration does cost him some off the
ball. I look for that to improve greatly over the next month.
(scouting report by annonymous)
Jason Gardner (5'10, Indianapolis, IN - No Excuses)
(scouting report by Dallas)
Body- around 5'11", put together pretty good. Has strong legs, can really
get off the floor.
Jason is pretty much as billed, he is one of the top point guards in the
country, but he may not be the top point guard. The reason I say that is
simple, Jason can score and is a better scoring guard than distributor.
He is super quick with big time hops and handle. He has a very nice
looking jump shot, he explodes off the floor and has great rotation on his
shot. He tries to keep everyone involved and plays hard most of the time.
This kid went to his SAT test, hit the road and came in at the last minute
to play against Spiece North. He can really motor and pressures the ball on
defense. I think Jason is probably a top 20 player, he doesn't have any
glaring weakness. His only real problem might be a big guard posting him
up. I would take the kid anytime. Contrary to rumors, he did not get out
played by Shantay Legans. If anything, first hand reports had Super
Sophomore Brody Boyd outplaying both!
(scouting report by Dallas)
(scouting report by Peegs)
Looks like more of a scoring point guard. Doesn't turn your head with
great passes like you would expect from the nation's top ranked point
guard. In the game against Spiece North he came on in the second half with
a lot of short and mid-range jumpers that he created off the dribble. At
least twice showed an Isiah Thomas like ability down low to put up a good
soft double pump shot just before he hits the floor. Still looked very
short, may not even be 5'10. Played very hard and is a strong kid which
helps him finish and that added to his quickness makes him tough on defense
as well. He is not a top 10 player as rated by the gurus but still probably
one of the top 5-10 or so point guards nationally.
(scouting report by Peegs)
(scouting report by Richards)
I saw two different sides of Jason Gardner this weekend. Reviewing
tape from the No Excuses/Rockfish game, Gardner didn't play much
like the best point guard prospect in the nation. What makes him so
good is his ability to do it all. He can hit from the outside, or he
can blow past you and put up a one-handed scoop shot under the basket. He can
also thread the ball through the toughest defense. But in the first
game, there was little of that. He did end up with 8 points against
good defense from Rockfish's Shantay Legans, but there wasn't anything
from the perimeter from him. He was able to drive to the basket, but
I wondered why he didn't do it more. Had a couple of freethrows.
Things changed a bit during the second game against Salt Lake City,
a very solid team packed with smart players who play good defense.
Gardner showed more. He was more intense, and more vocal with his
teammates. Led No Excuses from the perimeter with 12 points, plus
added another 10 from inside the arc. Protected the ball well on
drives, but didn't get many calls on the drive. One hard shoulder
sent him to the floor on his butt. He smacked the floor, as if to
get the refs attention, then jumped up and hustled back down the
court. The focus and intensity returned in the second game, but it
wasn't until the third game that Gardner played like the
all-american he is. In the third game, it was fellow guard Gavin
Groninger who poured in the bombs from the perimeter, leaving Jason
to do what he does best...drive and finish. You better foul him hard
if he gets to the lane, because the ball has a better than average
chance of going in. Six of his 17 points were from the line. His move
is a good combination of power and finesse, sparked by a lethal
first step. He has a nice ability to float and get the ball off.
Usually coaches try to break a kid of the habit of jumping into the
air and making decisions, but Gardner is really good at it. Can
easily hit the shot on the way down due to his great leaping ability,
or bullet a pass to a teammate. Great ballhandler and crisp (although
not a flashy) passer. Defensively bothered at times by the
double-team of Kenny Lowe and Austin Parkinson in the press. Game 3
showed a fearless quality that had been missing on Friday. Still
looks to be better at scoring than dishing, which might get him more
time at the 2-guard on a team with a decent backup point.
(scouting report by Richards)
Gavin Groninger (6'4, Plainfield, IN - No Excuses)
(scouting report by Dallas)
Body- Put together very well, he is much stronger than most kids
at his position. Strong upper and lower body. Good springs. Gavin may
have surprised me more than any other player and Spiece. I watched him
play 3 times and can see why IU and MSU have offered him scholarships.
He is a wing off guard who can handle the ball and shoot from way out!
He doesn't shoot the typical set shot so many players his age shoots,
he sets some major lift. Even on his long jumpers, he gets way off the
floor. If he is left open, the shot is going in. He may be the most
dangerous jump shooter in the state, it looks like everything is going
in. He can drive to his left or right, he finishes strong and had a very
impressive drive to his left. This is a dude with tude, he doesn't back
down from anyone, he seems to relish the challenge of big time basketball.
He reminds me of Luke Recker and Dane Fife, he may be a better athlete
than Dane. Gavin made some drives around people to finish, this was
impressive. he just needs to make some better decisions, he had a few
drives where he would have been better pulling up. Overall this kid looks
very good and I would not hesitate to put him in the top 100!
(scouting report by Dallas)
(scouting report by Peegs)
Shooter deluxe who seems to have a great time out there. A very good
athlete who uses a good vertical to get his shot off rather easily.
Showed he had decent ball handling skills as well and should be able to
help bring the ball up the court at the next level. Looked for the outside
shot more than the drive but did have a pretty drive against Spiece North
finishing it with a great left hand layup. Lots to talk a bit on the court
and got a little too emotional against the Memphis Sounds and drew a
technical. But it didn't seem to bother him one bit. Sometimes made some
bad decisions with the ball and he needs to learn to get shots off the ball
but that is hard in these type of games. High major talent.
OldGoldFreePress.com is organized & maintained by a group of college sports reporters with the help of Purdue sports fans everywhere. OldGoldFreePress.com is an independent and unofficial Purdue (+ Big Ten Conference/NCAA) sports news site that is not affiliated with Purdue University, the Big Ten Conference, the NCAA and/or any university athletic program.