by Alex Schwartz

The first day of games at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp on the campus of the University of Virginia was quite a whirl. With around 100 high-major Division I players in the same arena, there are always big-time players and matchups on display. The camp, which actually has 108 kids, splits the ballers up into 10 teams, and they play two games a day. A well-organized and well-run event, it was easy to know who was playing where and just who was who. Throughout the day I was using the Northstar Basketball Twitter page to keep you all updated on the action, and I will be doing the same thing on Friday and Saturday. If you want information on how the games went, you can check that out. In this article I will be posting school lists/recruiting updates, top performers, and notes. Have a look:

School Lists/Recruiting Updates (and Miscellaneous Info)

Harrison Barnes ’10, Ames (IA): Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, Stanford, TCU, UCLA, Minnesota, Florida, Iowa State, Kentucky
                                        Offers: All
                                        Favorites: “At this point, they’re all even.”
                                        Notes- When I asked Barnes which coaches he has the best relationships with, he replied, “I’ve been in contact with some more than others, so those would probably be [Duke Head] Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski], [North Carolina Head Coach] Roy Williams, [Kansas Head] Coach [Bill] Self, [and Iowa State Head] Coach [Geoff] McDermott.” Harrison informed me that plans to commit “sometimes after [taking] official visits.” Some people call the Hawkeye State wing the best player in America. What is that like for him? “It’s a humbling experience and quite an honor. You have a chip on your shoulder . . . to prove you are number one.”

Dominique Ferguson ’10, Lawrence North (IN): Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Indiana, Wake Forest, Arizona, UCLA, Duke, and Kentucky
                                                   Offers: Tennessee, Wake Forest, Arizona, and Kentucky
                                                   Favorites: None
                                                   Note- Regarding whether or not he is still really considering Kentucky, where he was previously committed, Ferguson said, “I mean, they’re still on my list. I still have them in mind.”

Cory Joseph ’10, Findlay Prep (NV): Memphis, Texas, Minnesota, UNLV, Syracuse, Villanova, Texas A&M, Kansas, Ohio State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Louisville

                                Offers: Memphis, Texas, Minnesota, UNLV, Villanova, Texas A&M, Kansas, Ohio State, and Louisville
                                  Favorites: None
                                  Note- Joseph said, “At the end of this summer I’m cutting down my list,” adding that he wanted to take care of some visits, talk to his parents, and work on the SAT.

Fab Melo ’10, Sagemont School (FL): Louisville, Syracuse, Florida State, Miami, and Florida
                           Offers: All
                           Favorites: None
                           Note- Melo, who is originally from Brazil, has been in the US for a year, and has been playing ball for about four years, said that thsoe are really the only school he is considering, though he mentioned that other schools such as Duke and UCLA have shown interest.

CJ Leslie ’10, Word of God Academy (NC): Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Maryland, North Carolina State, and Michigan State
                         Offers: All
                         Favorites: None
                         Notes- Leslie mentioned that there were other schools recruiting him that he could not think of. Regarding NCSU, which he was previously committed to, CJ said, “Yeah, they’re still in it.” When I asked him if location was a factor, he responded, “I just want to go to the school that best fits me, and wherever that school is, [that] is where I’m going to be.”

Adreian Payne ’10, Jefferson (OH): Virginia, Xavier, Cincinnati, Ohio State, West Virginia, Dayton, Memphis, Michigan, Maryland, Michigan State, Akron, and Kentucky
                                     Offers: Xavier, Cincinnati, Ohio State, West Virginia, Dayton, Maryland, Michigan State, Akron, and Kentucky
                                     Favorites: None
                                     Note- Payne, who mentioned that there are other schools recruiting him that he could not think of, stated that the fact that three of his AAU teammates with All-Ohio Red are committed to Ohio State and one is committed to Dayton will not influence him, regarding wanting to play with them at the next level.

Ray McCallum ’10, Detroit Country Day School (MI): Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA, Kentucky, Memphis, LSU, Florida, Arizona, Duke, Detroit, Michigan, and Michigan State
                                      Offers: Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA, Memphis, LSU, Florida, Arizona, Detroit, Michigan, and Michigan State
                                      Favorites: “No, not really. [I am] open to everybody. Everybody is about the same right now.”
                                      Note- McCallum’s father is the head coach at Detroit, and here is what he said about whether or not he would seriously consider going there: “He’s taught me everything I know and he knows my game the best, so it’s a possibility, but I’ve always wanted to play high-major [ball, and] I’m a high-major player. . . . I don’t really want to play mid-major.”

Terrence Jones ’10, Jefferson (OR): Oklahoma, Indiana, Florida, Maryland, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Cal, Marquette, Georgetown, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, and Kansas
                                       Offers: Oklahoma, Indiana, Florida, Maryland, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Cal, Marquette, and Georgetown
                                       Favorites: “I plan on having favorites and narrowing [my list] down after this summer, so I can see who’s serious and what they’re systems are about.”
                                       Note- Jones listed seven of the 10 schools in the Pac-10 (all but Stanford, USC, and UCLA), so I asked him if playing in the Pac-10 is something he wants to do, and he replied, “I’m not really concerned with the conference, just what is best for me and [who] can get me better.”

Shaq Thomas ’10, Mountain State Academy (WV): Syracuse, West Virginia, Florida, Clemson, St. John’s, Rutgers, and Oklahoma State
                                    Offers: Syracuse and West Virginia (Thomas said he thinks Florida is “about to” offer)
                                    Favorites: “No, not really. I’m just worried about my academics right now.”
                                    Notes- Thomas, who said that those are the seven main schools recruiting him, is unsure of what high school he will be at next year. “I may go back to Montclair [in NJ], or a prep school, because it would have to be a prep school because I’m going to have to be 201 because of my credits.” Thomas mentioned NIA Prep (NJ) and Hargrave Military Academy (VA) as two prep schools he was considering, adding that he “might end up going to school with” Playaz AAU teammate Isaiah Epps, a Pitt-commit. Thomas said that there is just a 25% chance that he will go to Montclair, and told me that the reclassification is because of credit transfers and such, as he attended three high school this past school year.

Alex Kirk ’10, Los Alamos (NM): New Mexico, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, Arizona State, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and Maryland
                          Offers: New Mexico, Texas Tech, USC, Cal, Oregon State, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, and Maryland
                          Favorites: “Not really. New Mexico [has] been there the longest, so I’ve known about them for a long time, and I live right there, but [I have] no direct favorites.”
                         Note- Kirk, who lives about two hours from UNM, said he has a GPA of about 3.3 or 3.4.

Justin Coleman ’10, Henrico (VA): Florida, Memphis, Indiana, Maryland, Marquette, and Xavier
                                       Offers: “I haven’t gotten any offers yet because I only played like half the [high school] season.”
                                        Favorites: None
                                        Note- Coleman, who let me know that these are his top six, said, “I’m still waiting for North Carolina [to get involved].”

Richard Solomon ’10, Price (CA): Arizona, Arizona State, Washington State, Oregon State, Cal, Texas, Boston College, Michigan, Minnesota, and Stanford
                                          Offers: Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, and Boston College
                                          Favorites: Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, Texas, and Boston College

PJ Hairston ’11, Dudley (NC): North Carolina, Wake Forest, Florida, Memphis, Georgetown, Maryland, Boston College, Indiana, and Arizona
                                Offers: Wake Forest, Florida, Memphis, and Arizona
                                Favorites: “Not really. I’m just going to take my time. I’m not going to rush anything. . . . I still have two more years [and] . . . I’m just going to go little by little.”
                                Notes- Regarding whether location will be a factor in his decision, Hairston said, “Not really. I’m going to try to stay as close to home as possible, but if I have to go away, it’s not a problem, [as] . . . I should be old enough and mature enough.” When I asked him what it feels like to be one of the few players in his class at the prestigious camp, PJ remarked, “It’s real good. It just shows me what I’ll be going through next year if I make it to this camp [again]. This is the competition [that] I’ll be playing [against] at [the] LeBron [James Skills Academy], and I play up in AAU, [so] it’s nothing new, just more exposure.”

Angelo Chol ’11, Hoover (CA): Washington, Arizona State, UCLA, Georgia Tech, UConn, and Creighton

                                 Offers: Washington, Arizona State, and UCLA
                                 Favorite: Washington (Chol’s reasoning was the following: “I have a good relationship with the [Head] Coach, [Lorenzo] Romar.”)
                                 Note- Chol, who is originally from Sudan and has been in America for about nine years, tried out for the USA Development Team, but did not make it the cut due to a citizenship question. He said he had been here on a green card and he applied for citizenship too late to play. Chol said, “Oh yeah, [I was] for sure [disappointed]. I wanted to go.”

Isaiah Epps '10, Plainfield (NJ), Pitt: Epps will be ineligible in the NJSIAA next year and thus is transferring. “It’s Hargrave [Military Academy in VA] and National Christian [Academy in MD],” stated the future Panther. He added, “I’m still undecided.”

Elite Performers
Brandon Knight ’10, Pine Crest (FL), Cavs
Nate Lubick ’10, St. Mark’s (MA), Georgetown, Celtics
Josh Selby ’10, Lake Clifton (MD), Tennessee, Hawks
Desmond Simmons ’10, Salesian (CA), Washington, Hawks
Joe Jackson ’10, White Station (TN), Hornets
Jelan Kendrick ’10, Westlake (GA), Jazz
Stacey Poole ’10, Jackson (FL), Jazz
Justin Coleman ’10, Henrico (VA), Magic
Will Barton ’10, Lake Clifton (MD), Memphis, Pistons
Noah Cottrill ’10, Mountain State Academy (WV), West Virginia, Pistons
Michael Gbinije ’10, Benedictine (VA), Pistons
Patric Young ’10, Paxon School (FL), Florida, Pistons
Michael Gilchrist ’11, St. Patrick’s (NJ), Rockets
Casey Prather ’10, Northside (TN), Rockets
Andre Dawkins ’10, Atlantic Shores Christian (VA), Duke, Spurs
Fab Melo ’10, Sagemont School (FL), Spurs
JT Terrell ’10, Cummings (NC), Wake Forest, Spurs

Other Standouts
Rakeem Christmas ’11, North Catholic (PA), Cavs
Daniel Bejarano ’10, Phoenix North (AZ), Texas, Celtics
Tyler Lamb ’10, Mater Dei (CA), UCLA, Celtics
Keith Appling ’10, Pershing (MI), Michigan State, Hawks
Jared Sullinger ’10, Northland (OH), Ohio State, Hornets
Mardracus Wade ’10, Mitchell Road (TN), Hornets
Reggie Bullock ’10, Kinston (NC), North Carolina, Jazz
Josh Hairston ’10, Courtland (VA), Duke, Jazz
Harrison Barnes ’10, Ames (IA), Lakers
Doron Lamb ’10, Oak Hill Academy (VA), Lakers
Evan Smotrycz ’10, New Hampton Prep (NH), Michigan, Lakers
Carson Desrosiers ’10, Central Catholic (MA), Magic
Tristan Thompson ’10, Findlay Prep (NV), Texas, Magic
Gary Franklin ’10, Mater Dei (CA), USC, Pistons
Travis McKie ’10, John Marshall (VA), Wake Forest, Pistons
Tarik Black ’10, Ridgeway (TN), Rockets
Jayvaughn Pinkston ’10, Bishop Loughlin (NY), Rockets
Terrence Jones ’10, Jefferson (OR), Rockets

Notes
-Florida State-commit Ian Miller ’10 of United Faith Christian Academy (NC), who is on the Rockets, did not play in the second game due to an ankle injury.Illinois-pledge Meyers Leonard ’10 of Robinson (IL), who is on the Hawks, missed the second game because of the flu.
- Tobias Harris ’10 of Half Hollow Hills West (NY) and Jayvaughn Pinkston ’10 of Bishop Loughlin (NY) were both late arrivals and missed the first set of games.
- The following players were invited to the camp, but were unable to attend: Luke Cothron ’10 of Flora MacDonald Academy (NC), Texas-commit Myck Kabongo ’11 of St. Benedict’s (NJ), Wayne Blackshear ’11 of Morgan Park (IL), Ohio State-bound DeShaun Thomas ’10 of Bishop Leurs (IN), Florida-pledge Austin Rivers ’11 of Winter Park (FL), Trae Golden ’10 of McEachern (GA), and North Carolina State-commit Ryan Harrow '10 of Walton (GA).
-The following players were not on the original list of invitees, but are now participating in the camp: Jerian Gant ’10 of DeMatha (MD), Brian Richardson ’10 of Greenfield (NC), Mardracus Wade ’10 of Mitchell Road (TN), Notre Dame-bound Eric Atkins ’10 of Mount St. Joseph (MD), Trevor Releford ’10 of Bishop Meige (KS), Richard Solomon ’10 of Price (CA), Alex Rossi ’10 of New Trier (IL), Derrick Wilson ’11 of Hotchkiss School (CT), Geoffrey Allen ’10 of Crenshaw (CA), Jabrille Williams ’10 of KLHT (CT), Jabarie Parker ’13 of Simeon (IL), Kellen McCormick ’11 of Notre Dame (MI), Khalid McCaskill ’10 of Phillips Academy (NY), and Marquis Marshall (information unknown).

Note- all photos are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/