Andre Brown 6-9 220lbs. BF/C Chicago (IL) St. Leo--top 25 player. Reviews on Brown's perfomance at Nike: a 6'9", 220-pound post player out of Chicago, IL, was one of the most impressive low post talents at the Nike All-America Camp. Brown provides a nice blend of physical strength and athleticism to seemingly do all you'd ask for out of your four man. Brown is a force on the block as he uses his big hands and soft touch to score on a variety of low post moves. Brown is also able to step out and effectively hit the fifteen footer. Andre is a terrific defensive player as he is, in the perfect mold you'd want out of a strong rebounder. Brown is a really hard worker who really opened a lot of eyes this week. I would have to believe that Andre Brown will have a choice of where he'd like to play in college. Andre likes Depaul, LOUISVILLE, Arizona, Kansas, Florida State, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Clemson, and others. Brown pic 1 Brown pic 2 Brown pic 3 Brown pic 4 Brown Video
Modibo Diarra 6-9 222lbs. C Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame--top 75 player. Diarra is one of the nations best shotblockers! He has the body to physically play college basketball. He is a project on the offensive end, but still has teams like Kentucky, LOUISVILLE, Kansas, Clemson, North Carolina State and others recruiting him. Comments on Diarra's play at Nike Camp from SMW: an imposing 6'8, 222-pound big man out of Fitchburg, MA used his 7'4 wingspan to block and alter countless shots at the Nike All-America Camp. Diarra, a physical imposing, raw big man, ran the floor extremely well for a man of his size. After establishing position on the block, Diarra showed tremendous touch with both of his huge hands. Diarra is a raw offensive player who looked to be learning how to face the basket and be efficient with the ball away from the block. On the defensive end, the skill is all there. Diarra is a tremendous rebounder who blocks shots, as I said before. Diarra reminded me a little bit of Nazr Mohammed a year or so into his development. He's got a lot of raw skills that lead you to believe he can be a really, really good player down the line. I would believe that a number of national programs will focus a lot of attention on Modibo Diarra.
Johnnie Gilbert 6-7 210lbs BF Minneapolis (MN) Henry--top 100 player. Athletic big man that would fit in nicely in the UL system. Comments on Gilber at the Nike All-American Camp: an undersized 6'7, 208-pound four man out of Minneapolis seemed to be a terrific rebounder. Although Gilbert has the ability to do all the athletic things he showed a very shoddy touch from fifteen feet. Gilbert concentrates on doing things around the basket as he defends players that are bigger than he. Gilbert will get out in the open floor and handles the ball a little bit but he didn't show many signs of being able to play the three spot to me. Even though a lot of schools seem to be interested in Gilbert, I don't see him as the type of player that would correctly fit into a motion offense. A good fit for an athletic team that plays full court and doesn't have defined positions. Gilbert has stated that he wants to visit Iowa, LOUISVILLE, and Marquette before school starts. Gilbert averaged 16 points and 15 rebounds last season. Gilbert pic 1
Reo Logan 6-10 215lbs. C/BF Country Club Hills (IL) Hillcrest--top 75 player. Another sweener! Logan needs to gain another 10-20 pounds if he wants to play physical inside. But still has alot of talent. Logan can play all three front court positions. Illinois, LOUISVILLE, DePaul, Syracuse, Arizona,Indiana, Kentucky are on his list.
Demetrius Smith 6-3 185lbs. PG/WG Hogansville (GA) Callaway--top 25 player. Averaged 23 points and 7 assists in his Junior season at Callaway High. Smith, who is the nephew of the late Derek Smith is considering Texas, Uconn, Villanova, LOUISVILLE, Clemson, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Smith pic 1 Smith pic 2
Nick Smith 7-0 225lbs. C Valrico (FL)--top 100 player. Smith was orginally born in Louisville, Kentucky, and still has relatives in Louisville. Smith admits that he would love to come to Louisville. Nick is also looking at Penn State, Indiana, Florida, Florida State, Syracuse, Villanova, Notre Dame, and Stanford. Smith possess a nice shot for a guy his size. Comments on Smith from Nike Camp: a timid 7'0, 223-pounder out of Valrico, FL, was one of the better face-up shooting players coming through the big men stations. Smith, who has failed to add strength to go along with his height, seemed to be pushed around on the block an awful lot this week and almost seemed scared to meet the athletic challenge that many of the other big men brought to the table. Nick Smith could probably be best described as a fragile tenderfoot who seemed like he had understanding of what was going on but was really overmatched with physical strength. Smith is certainly 7'0 tall, but if he can't add muscle or a little confidence to his game he may not be able to contribute much past the mid-major level. If you run a motion offense, Smith could be a decent player to take a look at though. N. Smith pic
Mac Wilkinson 6-8 BF 230lbs. Louisville (KY) Ballard--top 150 player. Related to former UL center, Felton Spencer. Wilkinson attend the Nike All American camp, and here are some thoughts on how well he played: was another of my big favorites this week. Wilkinson, a 6'7, 228-pound power forward out of Louisville, grabbed my attention with his hard work and understanding during big men stations. Mac, who reminded me of former Tulsa star Michael Ruffin, is former Louisville star and NBA veteran Felton Spencer's nephew and definitely showed that he has been listening to advice that he has received in the past. Wilkinson showed that he has tremendous footwork and terrific touch out to fifteen feet. He is a hard worker on both ends of the floor that will bang, rebound, and set screens to help the team get a win. Although he may turn out to be a role player he will certainly be his coach's most indispensable player. Look for Wilkinson if you're a mid-major program or a major program looking for a do-it all big man. LOUISVILLE is near the top of his list, but Kentucky, Syracuse, Umass, Clemson, Xavier, Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Florida, and Texas are all on his list. Mac has already visted UofL, UK and Clemson. Wilkinson video
Other Seniors that the Cardinals are said to be recruiting:
J.C. Mathis 6-9 220lbs. C New York (NY)--top 200 player
Cedric Knight 6-6 200lbs. WF Louisville (KY) Ballard--top 200 player.
Luke Whitehead 6-5 WF San Francisco (CA) St. Ignatius--top 50 player.
Zach Randolph 6-9 275lbs. BF/C Marion (IN) High--top 10 player.
Brandon Brooks 6'1" 175lbs. PG Oregon (OR) High--top 125 player.
Ricky Paulding 6'5" 200lbs. WF Detriot (MI) High--top 50 player.
Carlos Hurt 6'2" 180lbs. PG/WG Alief (TX) Alief-Elsik--top 25 player. Hurts play this summer has earned him some recognition as one of the top players in Junior class. A lot of scouts love his first step and his cross-over. Carlos has relatives that live in Louisville. And LOUISVILLE is his favorite, followed by Houston, Cincinnati, and Texas. Here are some comments on Hurt's play at Nike: a well put-together 6'1, 180 lb. junior combo guard out of Houston, has a nice left-handed touch from beyond the arc. Although on first glance Carlos looks like a small two guard, as the week went on he showed he has the quickness and ball-handling skills to play the role of lead guard. Hurt uses his quickness to get into the lane, especially in transition, and uses his upper body strength to score after contact. When he's going good, he's a terrific scorer, yet he seemed to know when to back off and distribute a little. Carlos is mainly a scorer and doesn't really provide a lot of the intangibles but he is a prime-time talent for a junior-to-be and should be recruited by the schools in top-notch Div. I programs. Hurt pic
Tony Key 6'10" 265lbs. C Russellville (KY) Russellville High--top 50 player. According to reports in a recent AAU game, Key out played Brandon Bender in a scrimage. Key is a force to be reckoned with downlow (265lbs!!) Doesn't run the court well, but does block shots and scores at will in the paint. The two schools mentioned with Key the most are North Carolina and LOUISIVLLE.
Dajuan Wagner 6'2" 190lbs. PG/WG Camden (NJ) Camden High-- #1 Junior prospect in America! As most people know, Dajuan is former UofL great Milt Wagner's son. Dajuan is a scoring machine, and can score at will! Hopefully he can keep the Camden Concetion alive by signing with Louisville, as did current UL star Nate Johnson, as well a host of other Camden natives including Milt. Wagner still has a Virginia, Kentucky, Connecticut, and North Carolina on his short list, but UL is the favorite. Here are some thought on Dajuan at Nike Camp: a 6'1 junior guard out of Camden, NJ, continues to prove he can score whenever he wants to going toward the basket. Unfortunately Dajuan, the son of Milt Wagner, has listened a little too much about how good he is and forgets that he has teammates on the floor. It's not too far-fetched to say that Wagner shoots the ball whenever he touches it, something that alienated his talented camp team, which won very few games. Wagner settles for the deep perimeter shot too much, especially when his shot isn't falling. Although he has a few negatives, Dajuan always gives you a stretch of brilliance where he makes a few shots in a row and all of the sudden he's everywhere. If he would play as well as he can throughout the game the rumors about him being able to go pro out of high school wouldn't be far off. But after seeing him play on a number of occasions I know I wouldn't want to put up with his act. That fact might limit his college choice a little but he will basically be able to choose where he'd like to go. Many believe he will play for the University of Louisville if he attends college. Wagner Pic 1 Wagner Pic 2 Wagner Pic 3 Wagner Video
Recruiting Links
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Insider's Report
Ron Briscoe's Recruiting Site
Recruiting Beat
West Coast Hoops
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