Pt. 8 Hoop Group FAA camp outstanding players:
Clarence Obiajulu 6’7” ’21 Concordia Preparatory School MD – There were several kids here that you could use the term raw to define them and clearly Obiajulu was one of them. Highly athletic and bouncy he ran the court well looking to make an impact with his leaping ability to score points at the rim. In the semifinal loss he was active in the paint looking for scoring opportunities and rebounds on both ends. He has solid lift in getting missed shots and he’s developing some technique boxing out to aid in the cause. He appeared to catch the ball in traffic well and on several occasions made a nice but awkward move to the basket. Handling the rock was an issue in a crowd and something he’ll have to work at and his passing skill was fine for the short dump offs he used during the game I viewed. He was good on the defensive end using his lanky frame to limit the opponents inside guys touches and showed good timing to block shots in the paint. While he is raw his upside looks promising and he is certainly athletic enough to turn peoples heads down the road.
Dasonte Bowen 6’2” ’22 Worcester Academy MA – This young man grew on me as that semifinal game progressed and he was really good in the second half of a game that came down to the final few possessions. He was super smooth going to the basket throughout most of this game with a crafty handle and good hesitation moves to get to the basket and his body control even when bumped was sensational as he dropped in floaters over taller defenders or got to the hole for layups. His jump shot was equally smooth with nice form even though he didn’t shoot many. He complimented his backcourt teammates well by showing off some nifty passing skills and he seemingly had no problem sharing the ball either. From the defensive side of the ball he proved to be a capable defender with a good nose for the ball and was a competent rebounder from the guard position. I came away impressed with his overall game and I’m sure that he’ll have the same effect on college coaches when they venture out to see his team play this season.
Cameron Tongue 6’6” ’21 Medfield Sr. HS MA – Talk about a physical player and Tongue would immediately come to mind as he went into that semifinal game prepared to put a licking on Franck Kepnang pun intended. He is strong in the low post with a huge upper body and he tried to impose his will on Kepnang thru much of the contest. They got tied up together on multiple occasions during the game and at times it got physical between the two but it stayed competitive. He was surprisingly mobile for his girth which you could mistake for a DT in football and he could carve out space to rebound as well as anyone in camp. While not a prodigious leaper he still got up for a couple monster throwdowns and he was agile enough to make moves going to the hole for interior scores. He was a decent passer and even showed an ability to put it on the floor when driving to the rack. Defensively he plays physical in the low post using his body to limit his opponents mobility but he on the few instances where he was caught in the open floor he had trouble keeping contact with his man. He is an intriguing prospect and it will be interesting to watch his development in the coming years.
Rodriguez Gayle 6’4” ’22 Niagara Falls HS NY – He may have been the unsung hero on the title winning team here at FAA with Terrence Clarke hitting the GW shot in 3rd OT and John Camden banging in treys and Franck Kepnang controlling the glass it might be easy to forget Gayle but he played his part as well in the semi and the final earning him a spot in the Top 20 game. He is a really good shooter and showed off his velvety smooth jumper in all three camp games I watched hitting them at all three levels. He was solid getting to the rim with a slashing drive to knock home some layups and his pull up in the midrange was effective as well. He proved to be a reliable passer too getting the ball to open shooters or cutting teammates with enough space for them to create an opportunity and his handle was extremely good for a young player. He was clutch from the FT line as he went to the stripe near the end of the semi and coolly hit a one & one then did it again in the second OT in the title tilt. He also proved to be quite valuable on defense getting several steals while helping to cause numerous turnovers. While he is a bit thin and could use some added weight and strength he at least battled for rebounds on both ends. He has a ton of upside any way you slice it and he should definitely be a player to keep an eye on moving forward.
Carlos Alexander 6’1” ’21 St. Frances Academy MD – If I had to pick a mad dribbler award Alexander would be the winner hands down. In the two camp games I observed he proved to be a virtual Curly Neal of Harlem Globetrotters fame with his wizardry handling the ball. I saw him go through three guys at one point and all kidding aside it looked like the Keystone Kops trying to separate him from the basketball. Now when I saw him at the LaSalle University team camp he was more reserved in his ball handling but you could see his handle was exquisite. He got where he wanted to here and was effective in drawing defenders to him and threading passes to his teammates for scoring opportunities. While he sometimes missed his target with ill advised dishes his head was in the right place for what he wanted to do it’s his execution that was lacking. He didn’t wow me with his outside shot as he was often shooting it on the move causing some bad misses among the ones he buried. His ability to squeeze into tight spots or use change of direction dribble drive moves to attack the basket were his bread and butter and he scored most of his points that way in the games I watched. He was also a solid defender using his quickness to abscond the ball from opposing players while also causing hurried and poor decisions that resulted in numerous turnovers. In a more contained setting he probably doesn’t over dribble and attempt to make unlikely plays but he is a competitor who won a spot in the Top 20 game and coaches value that spunk.
Chance Westry 6’3” ’22 Trinity HS PA – On a team with Zion Harmon it was easy to get touches if you could work your way into open spaces as that guy will find you and Westry did just that in the two games I watched. He moved well without the ball setting himself up for catch and shoot jumpers that he knocked down at a good clip. He hit them from the midrange to the arc with a smooth and nuanced form and an easy release. He showed a decent handle to maneuver on the perimeter and also was able to penetrate the lane for dribble drive layups. His passing game was ok but he did throw a couple that were not sharp enough and they wound up as turnovers on his part. He managed to grab a few rebounds along the way but was generally in a position to receive an outlet pass after a miss which may have been by design. he engaged himself on the defensive end and while not showing lockdown potential was able to patrol the passing lanes to pick off a few off target dishes as well as to keep his man in front of him which is half the battle. He’s got a ways to go but the journey should be fun when he arrives.