Cincinnati Recruiting, Connecticut Recruiting, Georgetown Recruiting, Providence Recruiting, Ron Bailey, Villanova Recruiting, West Virginia Recruiting

NBA TOP 100 CAMP REVIEW (PART I)

by RON BAILEY

June 22, 2009 – The National Basketball Association Players Association Top 100 Camp has concluded, and for Big East partisans an opportunity to receive a bounty of information on high school-aged players that could possibly land in that conference was afforded; It’s well established that arguably the best basketball conference in America’s member institutions recruit nationally, and as such many Top 100 players are being courted by them. It’s also well known that web sites such as NBE Basketball Report and i95Ballerz.com are at the forefront of covering that recruiting.

To that end, following are evaluations of several Top 100 players being pursued by Big East colleges. The reach of the B-East (Big East) has never been broader.

Adreian Payne – 6′9″, 215 pound, Class of 2010 center, Dayton, OH – A raw, talented player, Payne blocks shots and finishes around the rim with finesse and power. He noted West Virginia and Cincinnati are recruiting him, along with “The Dayton and Ohio Schools” – Dayton, Ohio State, Xavier, Akron – plus Michigan State, Kentucky and others.

Presently, Payne can be considered a ball of clay ready for molding. An anecdote bears that out: During a rest break on Friday, Payne took to a practice court back court with NBA player Michael Ruffin, a known frontcourt banger. Their work centered on the somewhat svelte Payne receiving contact in the post, then initiating his post move, in this case a drop step.

Increasingly Payne seemed to be getting the hang of things, with keeping his center of gravity low, a point of emphasis by Ruffin. When asked if he’d previously worked on that or in this fashion, Payne said “No, not really. Usually I work out with my high school coaches about a half hour after practice, but never like this”.

Increased post-oriented fundamental development will serve Payne well.

Gary Franklin, Jr. – 6′2″, 185 pounds, Class of 2010 point guard, Santa Ana, CA – Previously committed to USC, Franklin has decided to re-open his commitment, as he father, Gary Sr., noted “Washington, UConn, Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas A&M, Arizona, Utah”, and others, including USC were all possible destinations.

Gary Jr., a guard that can shoot, drive, and pass – the latter many times occurring during NBAPA Top 100 play within the paint in stunning fashion – said, “Right now I’m looking for a college with a coach that’s going to allow the point guard to get up and down and make decisions”, when asked for his future school’s basketball criteria. “And even when he (the guard) makes mistakes, he’ll be able to let him learn from those decisions. And pretty much play my game”.

In terms of the Huskies, Franklin opined “They’ve always had a successful program in terms of point guards. The coach (Jim Calhoun) also likes point guards that can score”.

Franklin should likely work on finishing at the rim, particularly in traffic, going forward.

At the Top 100, Franklin, who recalled dropping “About 16 points a game and five assist” in high school (Mater Dei), accounted for 10.2 points each contest, good enough for 24th on the event’s scoring leader board.

Mike Gbinije – 6′6″, 190 pounds, Class of 2011 swingman, Chesterfield, VA – Voted NBAPA Top 100 Most Promising Player, Gbinije dropped 13 points a game, placing him seventh on the Top 100’s final scoring list. Mike did his work in a myriad of ways, including finishing on the break, attacking the rim and smoothly dropping jumpers, as is his wont.

In terms of his development needs, Gbinije needs to amp his intensity at times, fine tune open court/left hand ball handling, and develop an aspect of his game that will stand out at any level – he’s good at everything, but possibly needs to excel at something.

Frank Gbinije, Mike’s dad, shared his son is being recruited by “Georgetown, Texas, UVA, Virginia Tech, and Florida”, most if not all of which called him June 15th, the first day college coaches can call the homes of perspective Class of 2011 recruits, per NCAA guidelines. Mike also unofficially visited Maryland several weeks ago. Other colleges will be evaluated.

The younger Gbinije is transferring from Christ Church to Benedictine, both Richmond-area schools.

Jerian Grant – 6′3″, 175 pounds, Class of 2010 guard, Bowie, MD – After a junior year at DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) that saw him gain confidence, Grant has parlayed that into a stellar travel team season, and solid Top 100 showing.

Jerian, who scored 15 points in his last camp game, and displayed his fluid game throughout, shooting and driving to the cup. Grant, who has relatively long arms, is also a decent defender. Becoming stronger and learning to use his off (left) hand more when dribbling are paramount for Grant, whose brother Jerai is a forward at Clemson, and father, Harvey, was an NBA professional for 11 years, playing with four league franchises.

In terms of recruitment, Providence and Villanova are interested – the Friars have long coveted Grant, while Miami, Oklahoma, and Florida State are also in play. Interesting tidbit; his father finished college at Oklahoma, playing in the 1988 NCAA title game.