CityLeagueHoops

Time 2021-01-02 15:04:48

Web Name: CityLeagueHoops

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USA Basketball will host over 80 athletes at their 2018 USA Basketball Men s Junior National Team October minicamp. Players from the classes of 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 are eligible to participate in this prestigious event. 14 members of this group have attended MSHTV Camp in the past 4 years.The Class of 2020 group will feature three former MSHTV Campers. Jaden Springer, Justin Lewis, and Adam Miller are the rising juniors who have been selected for this event. Zion Harmon and Terrence Clarke will take part in the mini camp, representing the Class of 2021. The largest group of alumni will come from the 2022 Class, which will feature Emoni Bates, Chris Livingston, Jaden Bradley, DeVontes Cobbs, Kamari Lands, Mark Mitchell, Jaylen Drane and Ty Rodgers. Keion Brooks is the lone 2019 MSHTV Camp alum who will take part in the mini camp.This will be the first time for many of the former MSHTV campers to make the journey to Colorado Springs, so it will be interesting to see who rises to the occasion. There is no setting like the United States Olympic Training Center, and there is no event that brings together this level of competition. Good luck to all of the former MSHTV Campers who will be attending USA mini camp. Mikey Williams and Elijah Fisher are the two names that everyone who is familiar with the class of 2023 will mention when discussing the country s top prospects. The eighth graders have been building their respective resumes over the past years, backing up their hype with big time performances at the nation s most important events. When two players separate themselves the way that Williams and Fisher have, the urge to make comparisons will undoubtedly arise.Elijah Fisher attacks every game with a relentless need to establish dominance. Mikey Williams is a smooth operator who feels the game out and exploits his competition s weaknesses. Their approach to the game couldn t be more different, but their goal is the same. Both Fisher and Williams have a burning desire to be the best. This is what makes them great competitors who have earned each other s respect.At the 2018 MSHTV Camp the two faced off in game play with national media recording every moment. In typical fashion, the Class of 2023 prospects fought hard to establish dominance. When the dust settled, iron had sharpened iron and the young competitors only respected each other s game more. You won t find two kids who want it more than Mikey and Elijah, which is why the deserve all the respect they get. Zion Cruz is a rising freshman from Trenton, New Jersey who is an amazing athlete with great court vision. The Class of 2022 prospect catches everyone s eye the second he touches the floor with his elite athleticism and eye popping ability to get off the ground. Cruz routinely pins opponents shots to the backboard and finishes everything on the break with highlight reel dunks.While it is easy to see that Zion is a great athlete, a closer look will show that he has the ability to be a big time player going forward. His athleticism and basketball instincts give him a chance to be an elite defender, capable of frustrating and shutting down opposing players. Cruz shot the ball very well throughout the weekend in North Carolina, both off the dribble and with his feet set. The New Jersey product distributed the ball with ease, making split second decisions look simple.Zion will undoubtedly be a popular player amongst basketball fans, but he has the ability to back up the hype if he develops his already impressive skill set.The Class of 2022 guard shut down the gym during the CP3 Dunk Contest, but what he did during drills and games will set him apart going forward. Zion Cruz showed that he was the cream of the crop playing against elite competition at the always top notch CP3 Camp, which bodes very well for his future. Sean Jones is a rising freshman from Columbus, Ohio who is set to have a big year at Gahanna Lincoln High School. The Class of 2022 prospect had a very impressive AAU season playing up on the Miller Factory 16U squad. Jones has long been known in the Midwest for his impressive ball handling skills, but recently he has been featured by many of the nation s top media outlets.The young floor general has been featured by SLAM, Hoop Diamonds, and Take My Talent after an electric showing at the 2018 MSHTV Camp. Jones went head to head with some of the nation s top players during an action packed weekend in Westfield, Indiana. While national media took note, the point guard from Ohio seized the moment and showed that he is as creative as any player in the country with the ball in his hands.After an impressive showing on the circuit, it is time for Jones to focus on his next challenge; being a high school point guard. While it s nothing new for Sean to play against older competition, scouts and fans will be watching to see how the frosh will react to the pressure of leading a program. If this coming season is anything like the past, Sean Jones will handle his business on the court with style, and remain quiet about his accomplishments off the court. Humble and focused, the way he has been since we first saw him. Kheni Briggs is a rising 8th grader from Kannapolis, North Carolina who had big time showings at two of the most prestigious camps in the country. Briggs was a scoring machine at MSHTV Camp in Westfield, Indiana where he used his body control to finish everything around the rim. At the CP3 National Middle School Combine, he once again dominated the competition on the offensive side of the ball.The Class of 2022 prospect is a willing passer who understands angles and how to pass opponents open. Many young players can pass the ball to a teammate, but Kheni s ability to see plays develop and pass the ball to where players will be makes him a special passer. The young North Carolina product has a smooth game and calm demeanor on the court, but he can mix it up inside when necessary. Briggs is a solid rebounder who uses his body to get good position inside.Another aspect of the 8th grader s game that is advanced is his finishing ability. Briggs can hang in the air and avoid defenders in a way that makes him nearly impossible to stop as he drives to the rim. There are 8th grader with more hype, but there are not many kids in the country that flat out produce on the court the way that Kheni Briggs does when he steps on the court. We got the chance to catch up with Ohio native Tyler Ulis during his pre-draft process. The Kentucky lead guard was training in LA with Don MacLean and the rest of the CAA guys. He showed off a great floater, smooth transition to the NBA three point line, and nice patience coming off of ball screens. Check out our interview with Tyler on what he is looking to work on in the pre-draft process, the criticism he is receiving, and how he s constantly defied the odds.CityLeagueHoops: What are you really looking to work on in the pre-draft process?Tyler Ulis: I m just trying to get stronger and work on my body. Just keep working on my game and break a few eating habits.CLH: Dating back to your days running with Ohio Basketball Club, everyone always told you that you were too small, yet you constantly have proved the doubters wrong. How have you done that?TU: I just love the game. I ve always had confidence in my game and this is something that I ve wanted to do my whole life. I m not going to let anyone outside of my family and my close friends tell me anything otherwise.CLH: What do you think that you re going to show NBA teams in workouts that you may not necessarily have had the chance to at Kentucky?TU: My skill set and leadership. For the most part, Cal let me show everything that I can do on the court. I just want to show that I can defend and my overall game.CLH: You re a guy that has always been known as a pretty solid on ball defender throughout your entire career. Does it get frustrating that everyone is questioning your defense now?TU: Nah, it doesn t bother me. I don t pay much attention to it. I have confidence in my game and I just try to go out there and play. During the BDA Sports Pro Day, we got the chance to get up with a guy that we ve been covering for quite some time. It was nearly seven years ago that we first saw 6-foot-11 forward Stefan Jankovic. Two prep schools and two colleges later, he now finds himself as an NBA prospect.Winning Big West Player of The Year this past season, Stef showed off how versatile of a power forward that he is at Hawaii. He was deadly in pick and pop play, can beat smaller defenders off of the bounce, and shot it well from deep. Having over 20 workouts by the time that it s over with, Stefan has a legit chance of hearing his name called in the second round of Thursday s Draft.Here is the full interview that we did with him:CityLeagueHoopsTV: With the way that things went down at Missouri and not receiving the playing time that you expected, did you ever get down on yourself about having to transfer?Stefan Jankovic: A little bit. I wish that it would have worked out at Mizzou. I have love for that place. I guess it just wasn t the place for me. It was a little bit frustrating for me having to think about transferring more than once, but everything was a little unsure there with the coaching staff, the NCAA stuff, and all that. It was frustrating, but I was at peace with the decision once I got to Hawaii. CLH: What do you think that you were able to do at Hawaii under Coach Ganot that they may not have necessarily seen at Mizzou?SJ: I d say using my versatility. At Missouri, I was basically just a shooter. At Hawaii, I was able to show my whole game. In high school, I wasn t known as a guy who just shot the ball. I mean, I could shoot, but I wouldn t even say that was a strong point of my game. Being at away just kind of turned me back to the Kiski days and I was free. I was just out there hooping and enjoying the game. At Hawaii and going through the transfer process, I just matured. I became a professional and just worked harder on my game. I always thought that I was a hard worker, but I increased that even more.CLH: You had a hell of a year this year, won conference player of the year, made the NCAA tourney, etc. You weren t really projected as being drafted, yet went all in on the NBA Draft. Did you ever consider a grad transfer? What made you decide to go all in with an agent?SJ: I felt like Hawaii gave me a second chance and I left it all out there. I wanted to respect Hawaii for giving me a second chance and for everything they ve done for me. I also felt that it was my time to enter the NBA Draft on a developmental side and that being a professional would be so much more productive for me than staying in college anywhere for another year. Just going up against all of these guys in the pre-draft process has gotten me so much better and I m not exactly a young guy. I have a lot of room for improvement still, which is why I completely committed to entering the NBA Draft.CLH: If you don t find yourself drafted next Thursday, would you be more willing to go overseas or fight your way through vet camp and the D-League?SJ: Obviously, I m going to fight and do whatever I have to do to make it to the league. I m going to do whatever a team wants me to do, whether it be go to the D-League or overseas. I don t read the mock drafts, so they don t really effect me. I know that I need to work on a lot of stuff defensively, so I m always open to doing whatever I need to do to improve my game. However, in these workouts, I haven t been outplayed and have showed teams that my skill level is there. CLH: How did playing alongside NBA guys such as Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Tyler Ennis, and Sim Bhullar SJ: That s been huge for me confidence wise. Also, talking to those guys through this process has really helped me. It s made me comfortable in these workouts doing competitive stuff because in the summers, I m playing one on one with Andrew Wiggins. He was the #1 pick in a pretty strong draft and Anthony Bennett was too. Just a couple of years ago, we were on the same team. CLH: What teams have you worked out for so far?SJ: Oh man, it s been a minute. Dallas and Milwaukee came to watch an individual workout. I went to LA, Dallas, then I had the pro day with all 30 teams. Then I worked out for Toronto twice, then New York, Celtics, the Nets, and 76ers. I ve got Sacramento, Indiana, and Detroit. I may have missed a few, though. Heading out to Impact Basketball in Las Vegas, we were able to get a look at St. Joe s swingman DeAndre Bembry. Having only seen him on film before, we were able to see the versatility that the 6-foot-6 senior brings to the table in multiple workouts.Here is our interview with him touching on his move to New Jersey, what he s working on, and where he s hearing that he ll be picked in the Draft.CityLeagueHoops: How did making the move from Charlotte to Jersey in high school help you?DeAndre Bembry: It helped me a lot. Jersey basketball is very exciting and there were a lot of good players when I moved there. St. Anthony s, of course St. Patrick s (where DeAndre attended), St. Benedict s. It was a lot better competition in Jersey.CLH: Did you make the move just for basketball?DB: No, not really. My Mom wanted to move back to Jersey because that s where she s originally from. She went up there for job reasons and we moved back in with my Grandfather at first just to get situated. CLH: You ve put yourself in the situation right now to where you will likely be an NBA player. What happened to your recruitment? How did high major schools miss out on you?DB: Coming up through middle school and early in high school, I played the four. Coming from Charlotte and not being known didn t help. I felt like I played pretty well in front of a lot of people, but I guess they didn t want to take a chance on me. After my freshman year, people started saying that I could play anywhere and I already had the confidence that I could.CLH: What will you show NBA teams in workouts that you may not have necessarily had the chance to at St. Joe s?DB: I felt like I pretty much got to show everything I have. If you just watched me off one game, you wouldn t see that. If you watched me more, you saw my all-around game. Coach put the ball in my hands, he let me play off of the ball, I played in the post, and I played point guard. I showed my all around game, but not a lot of people got to see my all around game.CLH: I got to see you in Vegas and you were impressive in drills. However, when you were playing live here, you were super impressive. Do you feel like you re more of a gamer when it s live 5-on-5?DB: 3-on-3 is more like a drill, but when it s live, you can really see my game. You get to flow more, you get to read and react more, and that s what I m all about. I like drills and I like to get better, but 5-on-5 is when you really get to show what you can do with the defense on you.CLH: You made some great reads today in pick and roll. Do you think you re going to be able to play some pick and roll in spots at the next level?DB: I played point guard at times and ran numerous amounts of pick and rolls. I m very comfortable running point guard, coming off making the right read, and potentially getting myself a shot. These last two or three years in college really helped me coming off of screens and playing read and react basketball.CLH: What are you hearing that your range is in the Draft?DB: I ve heard everything. I ve heard 15 and lower, even into the second round. It s all over. I just feel like things like this keep improving my stock. I m going to keep improving too, as I feel like I m a little underrated. While we were in Indianapolis checking out workouts, we stopped in to see Butler two-guard Kellen Dunham. Simply a lights out shooter, Dunham showed how easily he has been adjusting to the NBA three point line. Both off of the catch and on the move, the Indianapolis product showed why he will be making a strong case to land on an NBA roster.Here is a short interview with Kellen s trainer, Chris Thomas: CityLeagueHoops: What have you been working on with Kellen in the pre-draft process?Chris Thomas: His skill is his jumpshot. He s getting a lot of reps on the NBA three, the corner three, the transition three. We re hoping to find a situation where he can show that he is a catch and shoot skilled player. CLH: What do you think Kellen is going to show NBA teams that he didn t necessarily show at Butler? CT:Probably how well he can shoot. To Kellen s credit, he is the ultimate team player. He s a very positive type of kid and you re never going to know that he s pissed off. I feel that his last two years at Butler, they didn t really put him in a position to show his strength, which is catch and shoot. Jimmer, JJ and those guys usually get a couple of screens and for some reason, he didn t get that at Butler. Now he s back to that.CLH: What makes you believe that Kellen Dunham will land on a NBA roster?CT: He works. He s not a prima donna. The kid works harder than most to prove that he really loves basketball. He s willing to do whatever it takes to be a professional basketball player. Starting off our NBA Pre-Draft Tour, we made our way to Indianapolis to check out Wichita State point guard Fred VanVleet. The All-American was training with Chris Thomas of World Domination, a fellow native of Rockford, Illinois. VanVleet has overcame adversity for his entire career from having his father murdered as a child to constantly being told that he was ot big or athletic enough to make it. Firmly in the second round mix, he looks to continue to prove people wrong.Here s our interview with his trainer Thomas on what they re working on and why he thinks Fred has a spot in the league.CityLeagueHoops: What have you been working on with Fred in the pre-draft process?Chris Thomas: The biggest thing for me is his conditioning and athletic performance enhancement. One of his knocks is size and average athleticism, so if we can use these weeks to build up his strength, speed, agility, and quickness, he s going to present himself as a real good point guard. We re also working on his shooting with the NBA ball and from NBA distance.CLH: What do you think Fred is going to show NBA teams that he didn t necessarily show at Wichita State?CT: I think Fred was able to, by end his career, show the NBA types exactly what he s about. Now he ll be able to prove it. They say Wichita, they don t play anyone. They re mid major. Now all playing fields are equal and it s a matter of showing how he can compete. He ll prove his point.CLH: What makes you believe that Fred will be a successful NBA player?CT: He s beaten the odds all of his life. I m from the same hometown and it s a tough deal. It s the backyard of Chicago and is known for great point guards. All throchip on shoulder. He s proven his point and backed it up. What you see is what you get.

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