DePaul University Team Camp A Huge Success--Several High Major Prospects Turn In Quality Performances

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

June 23, 2010

7:00 P.M. CST

The first rendition of the DePaul University Team Camp was a rousing success and as far as we are concerned it certainly lived up to all of the pre-camp buildup and hype.  New Blue Demons head coach Oliver Purnell, his entire staff and all DePaul basketball fans who were in attendance have to be extremely pleased with how well-received the camp was amongst all of the participating players and coaches and the positive vibes that are now circulating as a result.

Illinois Prep Bulls-eye was on hand for both days of action and needless to say there are plenty of quality performances as well as other highlights that are worth noting.  The following is the most complete and thorough analysis that you will find anywhere regarding everything that we took in at A.T.T.A.C.K. Athletics over the past two days.

What About Orr?

We have long said that Orr is ready to take the next step en route to becoming one of the elite teams in the Chicago Public League next season and they may have done just that by capturing the tournament championship, defeating Hyde Park in the final.  6'6 class of 2011 forward and University Of Illinois commit Mycheal Henry, 6'1 class of 2011 guard Macari Brooks (more on that in a moment) and 6'0 class of 2012 point guard C.J. Jones were all key components in Orr's march to the title.  At the present time Orr is right there with Whitney Young, Simeon and Morgan Park as being among the top teams in the Public League heading into next season and could end up making a huge statement by the time March Madness rolls around.

Anthony Davis--Believe It!!

There was no bigger highlight for us at the DePaul team camp than finally getting the opportunity to see 6'10 class of 2011 center Anthony Davis from Perspective Charter in Chicago in action.  We watched Davis play two games--versus Benet Academy and 6'10 center and University Of Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky on the first day and versus Farragut on the second day.  Davis did not play in all of his team's contests because he was suffering from a knee injury that he aggravated after participating at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA.  In all due respect, Davis probably shouldn't have even been on the floor for the Farragut contest, as he was not at 100 percent and had trouble in terms of being able to run the floor, yet he gutted it out. 

Once again, anyone who follows our work on a regular basis knows that we rarely make conclusive statements based on only one or two games but when it comes to Davis we believe that it is a no-brainer:  he is HANDS DOWN the #1 player in Illinois from the class of 2011 and as far as college prospects in that class go, we don't mean any disrespect to Wayne Blackshear or anyone else, but there isn't another player who is even close to him.  Simply put, in our 25 years in the scouting business, we have NEVER seen another player who has come so far so quickly.  While Davis is projected as a center, he can actually play any position on the floor.  There is absolutely no weakness in his offensive game whatsoever.  He handles the ball as well as most any natural point guard, has range that extends well beyond the three-point arc, can put the ball on the floor and consistently beat defenders to the basket, and he is an outstanding passer from the top of the key and from the wings.  While he could still probably stand to get stronger, Davis is more than capable of scoring over defenders with his back to the basket.  Defensively, he repeatedly blocks and alters shots due to his enormous length and outstanding athleticism. 

Simply put, Davis is the best big man that the city of Chicago has seen since Kevin Garnett and has a chance to go down as one of the best in the history of Illinois high school basketball.  Offensively, we see his game as being a cross between Tracy McGrady and the late, great Ben Wilson of Simeon fame, although Davis is taller than both.  Defensively, he is reminiscient of Garnett in many aspects.  We cannot get enough of watching Davis play and we don't care where it is or who the opponent is--we want to see him at every possible opportunity!

Camp MVPs

Based on performance throughout the entire course of the DePaul team camp we are going with co-MVPS in 6'6 Mycheal Henry from Orr and 6'7 Mike Shaw from De LaSalle Institute in Chicago.  Henry played even stronger as the camp wore on and by the time the tournament rolled around proved to be a virtually unstoppable force.  As has been the case for the entire past year, Henry once again did a tremendous job of utilizing his high-flying athleticism as well as his outstanding ability to pull up and drill jumpers from 3-point land.  Henry is undoubtedly as versatile as any wing prospect in the state from 2011.  He is unquestionably among the top five prospects in Illinois from that class and the argument could certainly be made that he is in the top three.  With that being said, we see Henry being an ideal fit for the University Of Illinois due to his skill set and the type of offensive system that head coach Bruce Weber employs.

Shaw was the only player from among the Illinois contingent that attended the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp that played in every one of his team's games, as 6'6 class of 2011 wing Sam Thompson from Whitney Young only participated in one contest, while 6'5 class of 2011 forward Wayne Blackshear sat out the entire camp.  We believe that there is something to be said about that.  While other analysts tend to emphasize style over substance, Shaw brings his lunch bucket every day, which is why he will automatically move up a few spots in our rankings.  As we have previously indicated, Shaw is now going to war consistently and is playing much more like a true 4 man as opposed to trying to be a 3 man who would continuously settle for fadeaway jumpers offensively (as he did in the past). 

The work ethics of both Henry and Shaw are as strong as any other prospects in Illinois and it is also worth mentioning that they are super young men off the court.  Just a couple more reasons why their futures are extremely bright.

Stock-Raiser: Bruce Barron

Although we have always been fans of 6'3 class of 2011 Bruce Barron from Brehm Prep in Carbondale, IL, we admit that up until now we have seen him as an ideal mid-major recruit.  That is no longer the case, as Barron has proven that he can play at the high major level and then some.  Barron was spectacular when we watched him on the first day in pool play and had he not sustained an injury which forced him to miss the tournament on the second day, he could have very well been in the running for camp MVP honors. 

Barron is the most physical point guard in Illinois.  His strong upper body enables him to consistently get to the rack.  In addition, he is a most solid ball handler and passer who makes good decisions and rarely turns the ball over.  He has the makings of being a lock-down defender, as he is a master at being able to body up opponents, put pressure on the ball and score points off of turnovers.  Barron's one area of weakness may still be his perimeter shooting, but he plays on a team which does not require him to take a high number of jumpers.  He has a high basketball I.Q. and knows how to win.  It is therefore no surprise that a number of high majors, including Oklahoma State, DePaul, Marquette and Purdue are in the mix.

Best Athlete

In the early going we considered going with Macari Brooks, but by the time the DePaul team camp had concluded we came away saying that the best athlete in attendance was 6'5 forward Jamie Crockett from Crete-Monee, DePaul's first commitment from the 2011 class.  Crockett is as exciting a finisher as any player in the state. He catches virtually everything that is thrown his way his high-wire act is simply a highlight film.  There is still work to be done in terms of developing his perimeter game, but we believe that Crockett can overcome a lot at the next level because of how hard he plays.  Let's put it this way--Crockett is far more than just a blip on the radar when it comes to his ability to compete in the Big East.

Kaminsky Holds His Own

While many of the highly anticipated individual head-to-head matchups that we previewed failed to materialize on account of various players opting to sit out,  one that did come to fruition and was definitely everything that it was billed up to be was Davis going up against 6'10 class of 2011 center and University Of Wisconsin commit Frank Kaminsky from Benet Academy in Lisle, IL.  Although Davis was outstanding, Kaminsky more than held his own and gave Davis all that he could handle.  Kaminsky did a great job of taking Davis inside and scoring in the post in addition to consistently running the floor and finishing on the break.  When one considers that Benet was playing without star point guard David Sobolewski, who will be out for a couple of weeks with a fractured elbow, it makes Kaminsky's effort even more impressive.  As far as we are concerned, it should erase any doubts that Badger fans or anyone else for that matter may have had about Kaminksy's ability to play at the Big Ten level.

Possible Transfers?

Getting back to Macari Brooks, rumors began surfacing prior to the camp that he was going to transfer to Orr, and sure enough Brooks played for them throughout the event.  Other sources have told us that there is no way that Brooks' transfer will ever go through, which makes things all the more interesting seeing as though he has left Brehm Prep after transferring there from Rich South High School in Richton Park, IL.  Does this mean that Brooks could end up sitting out the entire upcoming season?  At this point, who knows?

In addition to Brooks, 6'1 class of 2012 point guard Michael Orris, who is a definite D1 prospect, was playing for Crete-Monee at the DePaul team camp.  Orris played his first two high school seasons at Palatine High School in Palatine, IL.  We wish to emphasize that as of now absolutely nothing is official with regard to a possible Orris transfer.  However, when one considers the fact that the number of high school basketball transfers are once again reaching a fever pitch in the Chicago area, the situations involving both Brooks and Orris are ones that are worth paying close attention to.

Hidden Gems

Among the hidden gems who came to the forefront at the DePaul team camp were 6'6 class of 2011 forward Aqui Shareef from Hyde Park, 6'8 class of 2011 forward Greg Mays from Crete-Monee, 5'9 class of 2011 point guard Keifer Sykes from Marshall High School in Chicago and 6'6 class of 2012 forward Rayshaun Stimage from Farragut Career Academy in Chicago.

Shareef has a good combination of strength and athleticism. He has great hands which enable him to be a strong finisher in transition,is a force on the glass and an effective mid-range scorer. To top everything off, Shareef plays hard from start to finish and with a high level of energy. Based on what we have seen, he would be an ideal recruit for any school in the Horizon League or program at a similar level.

Mays is a bit of a late bloomer who is just beginning to receive attention. He is long and also has excellent mobility that allows him to cover considerable ground defensively and run the floor extremely well. While he is still developing at the offensive end, Mays showed that he can be a low post presence as he positions himself well on the boards and scores consistently around the basket. College coaches may not be sleeping on him much longer.

Sykes is yet another prototypical point guard from Chicago's west side, as he brings jet-like speed and considerable toughness to the table. He is a leader on the floor, does a tremendous job of pushing the ball up the floor and consistently shoots the 3-ball with accuracy.

We first introduced Stimage as a prospect to watch last winter after seeing him at the Derrick Rose/Bullz Foundation Shootout at Curie High School. Although a bit undersized as a power forward, Stimage is tough to contain on the block on account of his strength and because of how hard he works. He has great rebounding instincts, is physical and also has a nice shooting touch in the paint area. He is going to eventually have to show a face up game, and if he succeeds in doing that, his stock could elevate even further.

Kudos To Kirksey

Donnie Kirksey has done an outstanding job since taking over as the head coach at Hyde Park and we believe that in many ways his accomplishments have been taken for granted. Hyde Park reached the sectional round of the class 4A state tournament two years ago and since that time Kirksey has put his program in a position where they are poised to remain among the upper-echelon teams in the Chicago Public League for quite some time. All of his kids play hard and are most respectful both on and off the court. And to top everything off, there is a good degree of talent on hand at Hyde Park as well. His current team features at least two D1 caliber prospects in Shareef and 5'9 class of 2012 point guard Treyshawn Jones, whose game resembles that of Hyde Park's class of 2010 point guard and University Of Houston signee Fabyon Harris in many ways.

And Finally...

A special thanks goes out to the entire DePaul coaching staff as well as Brandon Bailey and Andy Farrell for reaching out to us with their hospitality and for putting together a loaded field which made the DePaul team camp an absolute must-see. We have a strong feeling that in a little over a month from now, we will be saying that the camp was our favorite summer event to cover.

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We welcome comments regarding this story or any other entry published by Illinois Prep Bulls-eye. They can be made by e-mailing us at royandharv@ilprepbullseye.com

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