by Alex Schwartz

While at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp from Thursday to Saturday, I had a chance to catch up with a number of talented prospects, most of whom were uncommitted. For those players' school lists, check out my Day One, Day Two, and Day Three articles, which also have other information, such as the top performers. Here, I will post half of the interviews that I did with committed players at the camp. Here I will write about the ballers committed to Pac-10 and SEC schools, and soon I'll post an article on the other four committed players I talked to.

Josh Selby ’10, Lake Clifton (MD), Tennessee
The leading scorer at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp, Josh Selby is a scoring point guard who sees himself as "a one" at the next level. Despite that, Bruce Peal and Co. have continued to pursue other point guards in the class of 2010, and Aaron Craft was committed to UT at one point before de-committing and pledging to Ohio State, while Joe Jackson is another high priority. Nonetheless, Selby said he is "not at all" bothered by that. Josh, who spent most of his junior year at DeMatha (MD) before transferring to Lake Clifton (MD), informed me that he does plan to stay at the Baltimore school. Before pledging to the Volunteers, Selby stated that he heavily considered Louisville, UCLA, and Memphis. “[They have a] great coaching staff, [there is a] real family environment, the appearance was real cool, the teachers help you out once you get there, and I could just see myself being real successful there and having fun,” remarked the athletic floor general on how he ended up choosing the SEC school. Although Selby feels that he has to work on "everything," adding, "I can always develop," Selby knows what the strongest point of his game is. “My heart, I have a lot of heart. I [am not] afraid of anything.”

Desmond Simmons, Salesian (CA), Washington
Despite not being one of the biggest names at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp, Desmond Simmons had a great showing in Charlottesville, and is a great get for the Huskies. “I liked [Head] Coach [Lorenzo] Romar a lot. . . . I like the way they play, I think it fits me well, [as it is] . . . very defensive-minded [and they] get up and down the court. . . . The program speaks for itself [and] . . . I felt like it could be my home for the next four years,” stated Simmons on how he picked UW. Before taking his name off the board, Desmond also considered St. Mary’s, Oregon State, Cal. He did tell me that he wanted to not only stay on the West Coast, but also wanted to play in the Pac-10. What is one word Simmons would use to sum up his game? “I guess you could say one word would be energetic. . . . Something along the lines of playing hard.”

Patric Young ’10, Paxon School for Advanced Students (FL), Florida
Receiving the nickname Dwight Howard from fellow campers while at the event, Patric Young was one of the most intimidating physical specimens in attendance. Young lists "post moves and hustling" as the strongest points of his game and "dribbling, ball handling" as his weakest aspect. How did Patric decide on the recent two-time NCAA champs? “I thought it was the best fit for me because [Head Coach Billy] Donovan  is doing a great job getting big guys into the League, and I think he can get me there too.” Young informed me that his other finalists were Florida State, Clemson, and Miami, but added that he would have continued to wait it out, had he not taken his name off the board. Young specifically stated, “When Coach [John] Calipari went to Kentucky, if he would have found interest in me, I would have liked it there too [if I hadn’t committed yet].” Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the move came too late and Young is a future Gator.

Gary Franklin ’10, Mater Dei (CA), USC
When I interviewed Franklin on Friday night, he stated, “Right now I’m still committed. I haven’t had the chance to sit down and talk to my dad. When we do that, I’ll decide.” Since then, reports indicate that the talented point guard has de-committed upon the Trojans hiring Kevin O'Neill as their new head coach. When I had asked him if he as going to wait and see who the new coach was, he replied, “Yeah, I’m going to see who they bring in as a coach. It’s still an ideal place to go because it’s close to home.” Gary, who lives about 10 minutes from USC, originally planned to talk to his dad “The 27^th [of June] through the 5^th [of July], before making a decision, but clearly that has changed. Before committing to SC, Franklin said he also considered, Cal, Arizona, Stanford, Utah, and Baylor, adding, “Since then I’ve picked up more, like Oklahoma, UConn, . . . and Washington.” Gary's AAU teammate with California Supreme, Dwayne Polee '10 of Westchester (CA), was another player committed to USC, so I asked if Polee's decision would impact his. “Not really. He’s talking to me about it. He said his decision is based on my decision. [It’s] not that I would mind going to school with him.” I then inquired if Dwayne would do whatever he did, and Franklin responded, “Pretty much [based off what I do].” Thus, it seems that the defending Pac-10 champs are about to lose another recruit.

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