by Alex Schwartz

It’s that time of year again! No, not holiday time or spring break, but better . . . it’s the July Evaluation period! The Hoop Group kicked off its annual Hoop Group Elite Camp (formerly Eastern Invitational) yesterday, and although Division I coaches were not yet allowed to attend the camp, the players were there in numbers. With over 600 campers, there is a nice blend of the big-time stars, mid and low-major recruits, DII/DIII players, and the unknowns looking to garner some college interest. With a group of coaches that includes former NBA players Acie Earl and Lari Ketner, along with Bishop McNamara (MD) Head Coach Marty Keithline, the players will not only be getting exposure, but great instruction in a competitive atmosphere. Here is a look at some of the most high-profile players and biggest recruits who will be in attendance this week:

Antonio Barton ’10, Notre Dame Prep (MA), Memphis
Melsahn Basabe ’10, St. Mark’s (MA)
Theo Boyomo ’10, Kent School (CT)
Eli Carter ’10, St. Anthony’s (NJ)
Shaq Duncan ’10, Frankford (PA)
Derrick Gordon ’11, St. Patrick’s (NJ), Western Kentucky
Winston Graham ’10, Lee Academy (ME)
Parish Grant ’09, Imhotep Charter (PA)
Jamir Hanner ’10, Southern (PA)
Tyler Harris ’11, Half Hollow Hills West (NY)
DJ Irving ’10, Archbishop Carroll (PA)
Deon Jones ’11, undecided
Frantz Massenat ’10, Trenton Catholic (NJ)
Khalil Murphy ’09, APEX Academies (NJ)
Shawn Oakman ’11, Penn Wood (PA)
Chase Plummer ’10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Shane Southwell ’10, Rice (NY)
Danny Stewart ’10, Neumann-Goretti (PA)
Bernard Sullivan ’11, North Mecklenburg (NC)
Ameen Tanksley ’11, Imhotep Charter (PA)
Aishon White ’10, NIA Prep (NJ)
DeShaun Wiggins ’10, Wings Academy (NY)
Corey Wright ’10, Marianapolis Prep (CT)

The players were split up into tryout teams today so that coaches could get a feel for them. The draft was then held this past evening after the player evaluations were conducted during the scrimmages during the day. A number of players that I watched—I, unfortunately, did not get to see all of the teams in action, but I caught many of them—stood out as elite performers on the day.

Zaahir Allen ’10, Penn Wood (PA)
Kelvin Amayo ’11, NIA Prep (NJ)
Dwaun Anderson ’11, Suttons Bay (MI)
Darion Atkins ’11, Landon School (MD)
Ike Azotam ’10, Marianapolis Prep (CT)
Melsahn Basabe ’10, St. Mark’s (MA)
Duffy Barrett ’10, Holy Ghost Prep School (PA)
Mark Bevacqua ’10, Blair Academy (NJ)
Jamere Briggs ’10, Timber Creek (NJ)
Dan Brooks ’10, Catholic Memorial (MA)
Jonathan Brown ’10, St. Thomas More (CT)
Montray Clemons ’10, Poly (MD)
Austin Colbert ’13, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Josh Colbett ’10, Parkville (MD)
Devante Cutler ’09, Boys & Girls (NY)
Anthony Gaffney ’11, The Pennington School (NJ)
Nate Gause ’11, Poughkeepsie (NY)
Chris Gebhart ’10, Cherry Hill West (NJ)
Derrick Gordon ’11, St. Patrick’s (NJ), Western Kentucky
Cameron Gunter ’10, Ridley (PA)
Miles Grier ’10, Druid Hills (GA)
Kristofer Hassell ’11, Pennsbury (PA)
Ky Howard ’11, The Shipley School (PA)
Al-Shabazz Jabetah ’10, Milton Hershey (PA)
JP Koury ’10, Christian Brothers Academy (NJ)
Jesse Krasna ’10, Pennsbury (PA)
Matthew Lee ’10, Westtown School (PA)
Frantz Massenat ’10, Trenton Catholic (NJ)
Emmanuel Matlock ’10, Solebury School (PA)
Lucas Mickens ’09, Central Catholic (PA)
Khalil Murphy ’09, APEX Academies (NJ)
Jack O’Neill ’10, North Catholic (PA)
Mike Poole ’10, St. Benedict’s (NJ)
Marco Porcher-Jimin ’10, Oak Hill Academy (VA)
Connor Poston ’10, Hatboro Horsham (PA)
Latif Rivers ’10, Avon Old Farms (CT)
Soutiri Sapnas ’10, Marple Newtown (PA)
Reginald Sims ’10, Friendly (MD)
Brett Stewart ’10, Solebury School (PA)
G khalid Straker ’11, St. Francis Prep (NY)
Immanuel Thomas ’11, Xaverian (NY)
Malcolm Thomas ’11, Owings Mills (MD)
Blake Vedder ’09, Impact Basketball Academy (NV)
Reynaldo Walters ’10, Cardozo (NY)
Kerry Weldon ’10, St. Agnes HS for Boys (NY)

Of these players, a few truly stood as the best of the best on this particular day. Latif Rivers and Ike Azotam were on the same tryout team, and in their first session they were downright dominant. Rivers, who will be doing a post-graduate year after graduating from Elizabeth (NJ), knocked down three after three after three, and also showed a nice smoothness to his game. Azotam got to the hole with ease, combining stellar athletic ability and a high basketball IQ with a good frame. One player who has yet to find a home for 2009, Devante Cutler, is using Hoop Group Elite Camp as a chance to get his name out there to college coaches. If he plays the way he did today over the next three days, Cutler has a good shot at earning a spot at the collegiate level this upcoming season. A competitive and quick point guard, Cutler was one of the players who truly stood out as giving it 100% on the court, and he also scored in bunches and distributed the rock. Khalil Murphy is another high school graduate who has yet to firm up his plans for the upcoming year. One of the top players in camp, Murphy used his large frame and deceptive athletic ability to create shots around the rim and score in traffic. The biggest surprise of the day may have been a player from one of the smallest towns represented. Dwaun Anderson hails from a mere speck on the map of Michigan, but he is showing people here in the Keystone State that he can flat-out ball. Called “the most exciting player in camp” by a few people, Anderson was continuously dunking the basketball, be it off an alley-oop or right on an unsuspecting defender, repeatedly drawing roars from the crowd.

Tonight after the completion of all the tryout scrimmages were the NBA East and NBA West drafts. I had the opportunity to sit in on the NBA East draft, and wrote down the top five picks at each position. The centers were the first players to be drafted, and Naofall Folahan ’10 of Notre Dame Prep (MA) was the first one off the board. Shaq Duncan ’10 of Frankford (PA) went number two, and then came Melsahn Basabe ’10 from St. Mark’s (MA) and Shawn Oakman ’11 of Penn Wood (PA). Theo Boyomo ’10 of Kent School (CT) rounded out the top five.

The point guards were the next players to be selected, and it was an in-state baller in DJ Irving ’10 of Archbishop Carroll (PA) who was the top choice. Elijah Matthews ’10 of St. Mary’s Ryken (MD) followed him, and then came Parish Grant ’09 of Imhotep Charter (PA). Winston Graham ’10 of Lee Academy (ME) came in at number four and Corey Wright ’10 of Marianapolis Prep (CT) went fifth.

The small forward position was the third group to be chosen. It was Ryley Beaumont ’10 of Mount St. Joseph’s (MD) who had his name called first, followed up by Durrand Johnson ’10 of Parkville (MD), Shane Southwell ’10 of Rice (NY), probably the most highly-regarded player in camp went third, and then came Deon Jones ’11 and Deshawn Murphy ’10 from Hyde School (CT).

The power forwards were up next, and another Keystone State baller, Danny Stewart of Neumann-Goretti (PA), went first. David Samuels ’10 of Blessed Sacrament (NY) went second, Raheem May-Thompson ’10 out of Towson Catholic (MD) was picked third, Khalil Murphy ’09 of APEX Academies (NJ) was taken fourth, and Da’Mon Brooks ’10 Hopewell (NC) went fifth.

The final players to be drafted were the shooting guards, and it was Matt Miller ’10 from Mount St. Joseph (MD) who led the way. Western Kentucky-commit Derrick Gordon ’11 of St. Patrick’s (NJ) went second and Juan’ya Green from Archbishop Caroll (PA) came in at number three. Dominque Raney ’11 from Putnam City (OK) went fourth and Kelvin Amayo ’11 out of NIA Prep (NJ) was taken fifth.

During the course of the day I had the opportunity to catch up with a few players and get school lists.

Latif Rivers ’10, Avon Old Farms (CT): St. Peter’s, New Hampshire, and Maine
                              Offers: All
                              Favorite: St. Peter’s
                              Dream School: Wake Forest

Chris Gebhart ’10, Cherry Hill West (NJ): Boston University, UMBC, Hartford, Binghamton, Stony Brook, Davidson, and Vermont
                                     Offers: None
                                     Favorites: “UMBC and BU. I haven’t been to Vermont yet, [but] I think I’ll like that too.”
                                     Dream School: Wake Forest

Cameron Gunter ’10, Ridley (PA): UPenn, Columbia, Siena, Northeastern, Holy Cross, West Chester (DII), Lafayette, and Rider
                                          Offers: West Chester
                                          Favorite: “I’m liking UPenn. I’m kind of deep in discussion [with them]. We went over financial aid and stuff.”
                                          Dream School: “Not really. I’m more [looking] for the education. I’m trying to get into a good school.”

Melsahn Basabe ’10, St. Mark’s (MA): Siena, Stanford, Boston University, Northeastern, Hawaii, St. John’s, George Washington, Pitt, Wake Forest, Fairfield, Rhode Island, Fordham, Bucknell, UPenn, and Old Dominion
                                           Offers: Fairfield, Rhode Island, and Fordham
                                           Favorites: “Not really right now because my recruiting is coming up to a new level.”
                                           Dream School: “A Big East school that fits my style of play or a really good academic school in a high-major conference.”

Dwaun Anderson ’11, Suttons Bay (MI): Michigan State, Michigan, Central Michigan, Utah, Dayton, and Oakland
                                           Offers: Central Michigan and Utah
                                           Favorites: “I’m still open.”
                                           Dream School: Michigan State

Today should feature even more great action here at Albright College, the new home of The Hoop Group Elite Camp! Daily recaps will be posted right here and on The Hoop Group's website, and you can also follow it on Twitter through TheHoopGroup and NorthstarBball. Be sure to stay tuned!

For more from The Hoop Group, the leader in grassroots basketball events, check out http://hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/index.php.