by Alex Schwartz

As I previously mentioned, this weekend I was in North Carolina for the 2010 Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, one of the top AAU events each spring. The event was primarily held at the University of North Carolina in addition to Duke University, though some other sites held games too.

I have already posted my Bob Gibbons TOC- Day One Rundown and will not be providing my thoughts, notes, and information from day two of the event. Due to the amount of games on Saturday—I saw nine of the 10 game sets—I will be breaking up my coverage into two parts, the morning/afternoon and the evening/night. This recap is of the of the first half of Saturday's action.

I was at UNC for the first few sets of games on the 29th. I arrived at the Dean Dome for the second time slot, which was at 9:45am, and split my attention between all three U16 games being played, Long Island Lightning vs. CP3 All-Stars (NC), NC Gaters- Blue vs. Pennsylvania Playaz, and Indiana Elite/Team Indiana vs. Eric Gordon Central Stars (IN). At 11:00am I went over to UNC's Carmichael Arena to watch a U17 game between NC Gaters East and Pump 'N' Run (CA). For the 12:15pm set I was back at the Dean Dome for U17 games, where I primarily concentrated on the New York Panthers vs. Belmont Shore (CA), yet also did watch Smyrna Stars (GA) vs. Dream Vision California as well as Team Alabama vs. DC Assault. In the final morning/afternoon set, which was U15 games, I primarily watched a contest between Team Melo (MD) and Atlanta Celtics while also viewing some of the Team Takeover Canda vs. New York Gauchos affair.

While those were the games that had my main focus during each time slot, since there were three courts in the Dean Dome, I did watch parts of other games and glance over at the action on other courts as it took place. In addition to evaluating players, I spoke with numerous ballers for school lists/recruiting updates. I interviewed players from both games that I was primarily focused on and from those that took place on the other courts also.

School Lists/Recruiting Updates

Norvel Pelle ’11, Price (CA), Belmont Shore: the whole Pac-10 (Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, and Washington State), Texas, UConn, UTEP, Miami, Maryland, UNLV, “and some other schools”
                          Offers: All
                          Favorites: None
                          Notes- Pelle said that location is not, but explained what he is looking for in a school. “Just to get me better and to move me on to the next level,” he said. On who he compares his game to, Pelle remarked, “More like a Kevin Durant and KG [Kevin Garnett] mix with a little bit of Norvel Pelle.” To read the full article that I wrote on Pelle for InsideTheU.com, click Here.

Quinn Cook ’11, DeMatha (MD), DC Assault: Villanova, Georgetown, Rutgers, UCLA, Arizona, Wake Forest, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Washington, St. John’s, “and a few more”
                         Offers: All except North Carolina
                         Favorites: None
                         Notes- To read the full article that I wrote on Cook for RedStormReport.com, click Here. To read the full article that I wrote on Cook for TurtleSportsReport.com, click Here.

Jay Rome ’11, Valdosta (GA), Smyrna Stars: Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Clemson, and Tennessee for football are his “top five it’s narrowed down to” and for basketball it is “pretty much all five of those schools, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, and there’s a few others”
                      Offers: All five football finalists
                      Favorites: None
                      Notes- Arguably the best tight end in the country for football, Rome is considering playing basketball in college as well. “That’s actually something I’m looking into,” he said, later adding, “all five [of the finalists] have told me I would have the opportunity to play basketball too.” Rome said that he “likes both pretty much the same” amount and plans on going to one of his five football finalists, even though some other schools are recruiting him for hoops. “I’m gonna try to take all five of my official visits, but I talked to the Clemson football coach and he said the basketball coach said next time I’m on campus I should see him. He said when we pass through on the way back to Georgia we, my team, can get a tour,” Rome said.

DeAndre Daniels ’11, Taft (CA), Belmont Shore, Texas
Daniels talked about how he decided on Texas. “It has always been my dream school,” he said. “Since I was little I always wanted to go there and the style of play, like how they used Kevin Durant, and I have a similar game, do anything you need me to do.” Daniels listed Kentucky, Arizona State, Tennessee, USC, UCLA, Gonzaga, Washington, Wake Forest, and more as the other schools he considered.
Daniels is going to be a fifth year senior year next year and will “find out Tuesday” if he will be eligible to play at Taft next year. Should he be deemed ineligible, he will not be back at Taft. “No, my plan would be probably ending up going to prep school,” Daniels said.
This weekend, Daniels was playing with an injured wrist. “I broke it before, but I re-hurt it last night [Friday]. That’s why it’s hurting me.”

Cezar Guerrero ’11, St. John Bosco (CA), Belmont Shore: UNLV, USC, UTEP, Auburn, Arizona, Washington State, Washington, Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona State, Colorado, Marquette, and Maryland
                              Offers: “I really don’t know because I didn’t play [high school ball] this year because I broke my collarbone and I transferred back to my old school [and was thus ineligible].”
                              Favorites: “All of them are favorites to tell you the truth. I’m keeping my options open.”

Hanner Perea ’12, United Faith Christian Academy (NC), Indiana Elite/Team Indiana 16s: Indiana, Baylor, Tennessee, and Alabama
                            Offers: Indiana and Baylor
                            Favorites: Indiana and Baylor
                            Notes- Perea is from Colombia and said he has been in America for two years, but been playing basketball since he was 12 (he is 17 now).

Jeremy Hollowell ’12, Lawrence Central (IN), Eric Gordon Central Stars 16s: Indiana, Ohio State, Illinois, Tennessee, Louisville, Xavier, Cincinnati, Iowa, Florida, and Indiana State
                                 Offers: All except Louisville and Florida
                                 Favorites: None
                                 Note- On when he plans to commit, Hollowell said, “Probably next year when the AAU circuit is over, but maybe before then if I feel good about it.”

Jordan Goodman ’12, Progressive Christian (MD), DC Assault: Kentucky, Rutgers, Maryland, Georgetown, Florida, South Florida, UNLV, and West Virginia
                                 Offers: Kentucky, Rutgers, Maryland, Georgetown, and West Virginia
                                 Favorites: see Notes below
                                 Notes- When first asked about his list, Goodman, who confirmed he is now in the class of 2012, replied, “None right now, I’m just finishing the circuit. It’s in the air right now, but for real, it may end up being Rutgers [where I go].” Goodman, who recently decommitted from Georgetown when Assistant Coach David Cox left for Rutgers, said of the Hoyas, “It’s a possibility [I still go there], but not really.”

Nkereuwem Okoro ’12, St. Raymond’s (NY), Long Island Lightning 16s: St. John’s, Hofstra, Iowa State, Kentucky, UConn, Pitt, Villanova, Arizona, USC, Washington, Virginia, and Virginia Tech
                                    Offers: St. John’s, Hofstra, and Iowa State
                                    Favorites: None
                                    Note- To read the full article that I wrote on Okoro and Ryan Arcidiacono for VUSports.com, click Here.

Grant Jerrett ’12, La Verne Lutheran (CA), Belmont Shore: UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State, Oregon State, Cal, Arizona, Arizona State, UNLV, Fresno State, and Gonzaga
                           Offers: UCLA, USC, Washington, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State, Fresno State, and Gonzaga
                           Favorites: “I like them all.”
                           Note- Jerrett said that “late junior year” is when he plans to commit.

Kenny Kaminski ’12, Medina (OH), Indiana Elite/Team Indiana 16s: Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona State, and Xavier
                                Offers: Michigan State, Ohio State, and Indiana
                                Favorites: “Right now I really like Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State. There is nothing not to like about those three schools.”
                               Notes- “I’m trying to get out to Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona State, and Xavier over the summer,” Kaminski said. While he also plays football, he plans to play basketball in college. “That [playing basketball] is my goal, but if I can’t play in the NBA or one of the other leagues I wanna do one more year [of football],” he said, confirming that it would be similar to what Greg Paulus did.

Daniel Dingle ’12, St. Raymond’s (NY), Long Island Lightning 16s: See the full article that I wrote on Dingle, Devin Brooks, Kareem Canty, Dingle and two others for NYChoops.net right Here.

Madison Jones ’12, Ravenscroft School (NC), CP3 All-Stars 16s: Wake Forest, Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Old Dominion, Richmond, and Elon “are the main ones”
                              Offers: None
                              Favorites: “Probably Wake Forest, Georgetown, and Tennessee. Georgetown is number for right now.”

Aquille Carr ’13, Patterson (MD), Team Melo 15s: Wake Forest, USC, Villanova, Kentucky, Memphis, Virginia Tech, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Delaware State, and UMass
                          Offers: Wake Forest, USC, Villanova, Kentucky, Memphis, Virginia Tech, Texas, and Texas Tech are the offers claimed by the freshman guard
                         Favorites: None
                         Notes- Carr is only about 5’6, but explained how he uses that to his advantage. “Big people don’t want to bend low, so I try to run around them, get them tired.” Carr had almost 40 points in an 86-80 loss in a game against top five outgoing senior Kansas-bound Josh Selby ’10 and Lake Clifton (MD) this past season. “It was fun. It was a tough game. I felt like everything was falling,” Carr said of the game. To read the full article I wrote Carr and Bhullar that I wrote for NBE Basketball Report, click Here.

Tanveer Bhullar ’13, Kiski School (PA), Team Takeover Canada 15s: Penn State, Pitt, Maryland, LSU, Stanford, USC, and West Virginia were the ones he could remember
                               Offers: None
                               Favorites: “Right now West Virginia, but I’m trying to look for a school that has a history with big men, such as Georgetown, UConn, and Pitt.”
                               Note- To see the article on Carr and Bhullar that I wrote for NBE Basketball Report, click Here.

Devin Davis ’13, Warren Central (IN), Eric Gordon All-Stars 15s: Purdue, Indiana, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Xavier, Ohio State, Michigan State, and other he could not remember
                          Offers: Purdue and Indiana
                          Favorites: “I really haven’t thought about it.”

Player Notes

Norvel Pelle was extremely impressive in his team's victory over the NY Panthers. The 6'9 power forward has great length and is a superb player at both ends of the floor. He is active around the hoop, which allows to be be both an effective interior scorer on offense and shot blocker on defense. Pelle also rebounds the ball well and is one of the top bigs in the class of 2011.

I only saw bits and pieces of Quinn Cook and DC Assault's blowout win over Team Alabama, but the 6'0 point guard seemed to be solid, but not quite at his finest. A floor general with a great feel for the game when the ball is in his hands, Cook can find teammates and also create for himself.

I did not get to see Jay Rome play all that much, but it is clear just from looking at him why he is so highly regarded on the football field. Rome checks in at 6'7 and a chiseled 240-pounds. While slightly undersized if he is to play power forward at the high-major level if he opts to play hoops too, Rome des seem to have a passion for both sports.

DeAndre Daniels was easily one of the most impressive players that I saw all weekend. A legitimate 6'8 forward, Daniels is a true threat both inside and out. He has a great length for a three and can also play the four considering how good of a rebounder he is. While he did not really shoot the ball when I watched him, others have written and said that he was knocking down threes during the weekend, which would make him even that much more lethal. Daniels has a great athletic ability and has a chance to be an absolute stud at the next level and should fit in well at his future school, Texas.

Cezar Guerrero was the man behind the high-powered offense attack for Belmont Shore, as he was the leader of the leader from the point guard spot. Guerrero, who stands 6'0, is a crafty guard with some flair for the dramatic who can both find the open man and also score the ball.

Hanner Perea is clearly one of the best players in the class of 2012 on a national level. The 6'8 power forward was too much for teams to handle on the U16 level, both offensively and defensively. While his team lost to in-state rival Eric Gordon Central Stars, Perea was one of the main reasons it was even remotely close. With a sturdy frame and long arms, Perea is a terror down low defensively, blocking shots and grabbing rebounds, something he also does well at the other end. The big man, who plays all out, also does a good job of finding the bottom of the net and getting to the line.

Jeremy Hollowell, a 6'7 small forward, had a nice game in his team's win. While he is not the type of guy who will wow you, he gets the job done. He has nice height for a 3, though he is not overly long. Possessing a quality jumpshot from the midrange, Hollowell is a threat to score with the ball in his hands.

Jordan Goodman has a nice skill set for a player standing 6'9. While he is more of a 4 at this point, Goodman showed an ability to put the ball on the deck and take it to the cup, and if he continues to improve on that it make him hard for anyone to stop. A solid rebounder, Goodman does need some work on his finishing ability as he missed a handful of shots around the hole.

For more on the play of 6'4 wing Nkereuwem Okoro and 6'6 power forward Daniel Dingle, as well as other, see the article that I wrote for NYChoops.net—a different on than the one linked above—right Here.

Playing on a team with mostly prospects mostly a class above him, 6'8 power forward Grant Jerrett was a standout anyway. He has solid footwork in the post, uses his body well, and does a good job of putting the ball in the hoop around the cup. Jerrett was one of the better 2012 players at the event and is a future high-major player.

Kenny Kaminski is considered a quality shooter, but the 6'7 forward really did not step out much in this one to show that. He was more of an interior player, and one who played extremely hard at that. Kaminski does a good job on the offensive glass, but needs to round out his game more.

Madison Jones is not one of the most highly regarded players on his squad, but the 6'2 point guard can really play, despite his slim stature at 160-pounds. Jones gets the hoop quite well, has a solid handle, and is also a good distributor. He looked to be a player deserving of mid-major looks at the least.

If there was a player who had a better single game performance this weekend then Aquille Carr did in his team's victory over the Atlanta Celtics, I sure did not see it. Checking in at 5'6, 150-pounds, Carr is one of those rare players who uses his height to make him an absolute star. He is creative with the rock, has a great athletic ability, gets to the rim with ease, scores, draws fouls, and can shoot the three. Despite his size, Carr is going to be a high-major player in the class of 2013 down the road. See the aforementioned article on Carr for more information.

Maybe the biggest player in the class of 2013, Tanveer Bhullar stands 7'2 and weighs 240-pounds. While he has a lot of work to do, his size alone makes him a player for high-major programs to monitor, as they are already doing. For more on Bhullar, who has a 7'4 brother in the class of 2012 named Sim, see the aforementioned article.

I did not get a chance to see Devin Davis play all much—though ex-Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown did see him play while watching his son Elijah Brown '13, who with Ohio Basketball Club, the team Davis' squad was playing—but the forward has the look of a quality player. At 6'5, 187-pounds, he has great length, especially for a player his age and he possesses a frame that could add a lot of weight too. Watch out for him the next few years.

Now, for some guys that I did not talk to on Saturday morning/afternoon, but did see play for at least a bit:

Reggie Dillard '12 of the CP3 All-Stars 16s was not even the best player at Dudley (NC) this past season, as North Carolina-bound PJ Hairston '11 was on the team, but with Hairston transferring, expect Dillard to have a big junior year. The 6'4 shooring guard is a spectacular player and has a great frame for a young player, and that helps him to be a lockdown defender. He can also shoot a bit, but his offensive bread and butter is getting to the cup.

Braxton Obgueze '12 of United Faith Christian Academy (NC) had a nice showing for the CP3 All-Stars U16 squad. An undersized point guard at 5'11, he is also thin at a 170-pounds, but Obgueze can really play. He has solid athletic ability, finds the open man, and gets to the hole.

Another player from the CP3 All-Stars 16s who was impressive was 6'8 center Abdul Kasim '12 out of Mt. Zion Christian Academy (NC), the alma mater of Tracy McGrady. Possessing great size for a player in the sophomore class, Kasim also has a quality frame to go along with it. He runs the floor well and will likely end up playing high-major basketball.

The player who truly broke out the most on a national level at the 2010 Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions it was 6'4 guard Ryan Arcidiacono '12 of Neshaminy (PA). Running with the Pennsylvania Playaz 16s, Arcidiacono had a great weekend. A great, shifty scorer who can drain the long-range three and also get to the bucket, Arcidiacono is going to be a high-major recruit. Though he does need to work a bit on distribution, that is partly due to the fact that he is the lone star on his team and has to have the ball in his hands a lot. For more on Arcidiacono, read the aforementioned article on he and Nkereuwem Okoro.

Indiana Elite/Team Indiana's U16 squad lost by about 10 to fellow Hoosier State team, Eric Gordon Central Stars, but D'Vauntes Smith Rivera '12 was outstanding in defeat. A strong, well-built 6'3, 210-pound shooting guard out of North Central (IN), DSR as he is known, was great for his team. His midrange game is superb and he has a quality handle, which allows him to take it strong to the cup as well. DSR is one of the too players nationally in the class of 2012.

A big reason why the Eric Gordon Central Stars 16s won that game was 6'1 shooting guard DJ Balentine '12 of Kokomo (IN). Although he is undersized for a two-guard, Balentine is a consistently terrific outside shooter. He may need to develop more of a point guard's game if he does not grow, but there is no doubting Balentine's scoring ability from deep.

Playing in the U17 division with Pump 'N' Run was unsigned senior Ryan Watkins '10 of Reseda (CA). A big body at 6'8, 225-pounds, the center does need to get himself into a bit better shape, but once he does, he could be a nice player at the low-major level. He works hard in the paint, rebounds, and can score the ball.

I did not get to see all that much of 6'8 power forward Ibrahima Djimde '11 of Progressive Christian (MD), but the DC Assault 17s big man looks like a player. He is long, has a nice frame, and can score the ball in the post. He is definitely a player I would like to watch again to get a feel for what level player he is.

His squad, Team Alabama, got crushed by DC Assault in a U17 contest, but 6'10 center Willy Kouassi '11 of Central Park (AL) might have been the most impressive player on the floor. At 6'10, 220-pounds, Kouassi has a high-major body and his game fits the bill too. He is an above-average athlete, and while he is still somewhat raw, Kouassi is a tremendous rebounder and can also score in the post.

Note- the top photo is of DeAndre Daniels and is from http://www.slamonline.com/; the second and fourth photos (Goodman and Arcidiacono) are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/; and the third photo (Carr) is from http://www.baltimoresun.com/