Each year, 150 of the top high school basketball players troughout
the country receive an invitation to the prestigous Reebok ABCD
Invitational Basketball Camp, which takes place July 4-9 in New
Jersey. In the past, the process of selecting participants was
limited, for the most part, to members of shoe company sponsored
teams. However, Reebok Grassroots Basketball has now created the
Next Factors Spotlight Training Camps, a two-day audition open to
all, which is making its way across the country in 12 cities with
the goal of identifying unknown talent.
This past weekend, the Next Factors Camp convened at Sacramento
High School with over 80 participants from throughout Northern and
Central California. Sac High was a logical choice for the event
considering the school's best all-time player, Kevin Johnson, a
former NBA great with the Phoenix Suns, was an unknown prospect
out of high school, who went on to have a great career at Cal and
then the NBA.
"This was brought to Sacramento so that the undiscovered
basketball player could get discovered," said Chris Rivers,
Director of Reebok Grassroots Basketball. "The Sacramento area has
always been considered the step-sister to the Bay Area within the
basketball community, but it has produced a lot of talented
players. I did not want to miss out on the next Ryan Anderson or
Kevin Galloway."
One player from among the Next Factors field was selected to
participate in the ABCD Camp, while five underclassmen received
invites to Camp Next, a mini-version of ABCD, which takes place
June 23-25 in New Jersey.
"As many ranking and recruiting services that are now around the
country, there are still kids that feel they have been overlooked
or feel they have not had their true talent assessed," continued
Rivers.
Players were selected based on a combination of skill level and
athleticism by a panel of six evaluators, which included high
school, junior college and basketball talent evaluators.
"This was a great opportunity for players," said Brian Hamilton,
head of Play Hard Play Smart, a Reebok affiliated club team. "Kids
can play their way into camps. Whereas in the past, club teams had
all of the pull."
Here is a list of the participants who received invitations to
ABCD Camp and Camp Next, as well as others who were seriously
considered based on their performance.
Invited to ABCD Camp:
Armon Johnson, 6-3 Jr. G, Oakland High - Look up the word
"shooting guard" in the dictionary and you will find a picture of
Johnson, who has a solid handle and can score from anywhere on the
floor. A lefty with a solid stroke, Johnson looked under control
at all times, and his play, demeanor and feel for the game were so
far ahead of his peers, he was a unanimous pick by the evaluators
despite the fact he only participated on Sunday.
Invited to Camp Next:
Armond Armstead, 6-5 So. CF, Pleasant Valley - Armstead's play
was consistent the entire weekend. A wide body, who knows how to
push his weight around, Armstead was effective in the paint
scoring down low. He also has the ability to hit the mid-range
jumper and he has a non-stop motor. Armstead has a nose for the
ball as he either grabbed the rebound himself or kept the ball in
play.
Collin Chiverton, 6-5 So. WF, Mitty - Standing at 6-foot-5,
Chiverton is a lanky scoring guard who can shoot the ball from
deep. Over the two days, he hit threes, attacked the basket off
the dribble and made the game look easy. He was the most
impressive underclassman at the event, and a unanimous selection.
Brenton Thomas, 6-3 So. WF, Monte Vista - Thomas is an
athletic guard who played like the Energizer Bunny with abandon
the entire weekend. He kept playing and playing and playing... On
the defensive end, he swarmed on defenders and he is a very good
shot-blocker for his size. Offensively, besides a nice pull-up
jumper, his skills are somewhat raw and in need of refinement.
However, his tremendous athleticism allows him to make plays that
others cannot.
Lucas Devenny, 6-7 Fr. Post, Piner High - Devenny is a
6-foot-7 wide body in the mold of a Greg Osterstag. He is a young
"big" who knows how to use his body on the court. He was very
assertive during the drills and productive in games. Devenny is
not a prolific scorer, but he is active, rebounds the ball well
and makes his presence felt when he is on the court.
Nate Garth, 6-1 Jr. PG, Capital Christian - Garth is a
heady play-maker who has a nice feel for the game. He separated
himself from the rest of the field with his solid passing and good
decision-making. When he tried to attack the rim, Garth was
flustered on occasion, but he was able to regroup to hit several
three-point shots from way behind the arc.
Drake Uu, 6-4 So. SG, Rio Americano - A bouncy scoring
guard who knocked down open jumpers and whose play was very solid
over the weekend.
Players who received serious consideration to ABCD:
Jamelle Barrett, 5-10 Sr. PG, Foothill High/Prep School -
Barrett is an exciting guard who makes plays. He has a knack for
getting to the basket and drawing the defense to setup easy scores
either for himself or his teammates. At times, he looked as if he
was playing out of control, but more often than not, Barrett's
playmaking ended with a solid result.
Terrence Jennings, 6-11 Sr. Post, Capital Christian/Prep School
- Standing at close to 7-foot, Jennings is an athletic freak, who
can run as fast as a guard and jump high. He dunked in traffic,
blocked shots and made his presence felt. However, his play was
inconsistent. At times, he was content to be a 6-foot-11 guard and
play on the perimeter. Nevertheless, Jennings is a very good
prospect who will be headed to prep school at the end of the
summer.
Kareem Nitoto, 6-3 Jr. CG, San Leandro High - Nitoto is a
scoring athletic combo guard who is very good at taking defenders
off the dribble and getting to the rim. He also attacks the gaps
to make plays and a tough hardnosed defender, who is very good at
using his body to get physical with opponents. He was probably the
second best junior guard at the camp besides Johnson, who was
selected to go to ABCD camp.
Players who received serious consideration to Camp Next:
Gabe Strong, 6-4 So. WF, Oakland Tech - An athletic wing,
Strong is bouncy and he plays above the rim. He is also a very
strong rebounder on both ends of the court. On the offensive end,
he struggled with his jump shot and his ability to create.
Nevertheless, he was one of the top underclassmen at the camp.
John Williams, 6-6 So. WF, Berkeley High - Williams has the
ability to play point forward in the open court, similar to Lamar
Odom. Displaying his versatility, he also slid down to the block
on occasion to rebound and score in the post. A very good-looking
prospect who played well over the weekend.
Jarrett Cunningham, 6-2 Fr. CG San Leandro High -
Cunningham is a very good-looking prospect who can play either
guard position. Playing on the same team as Armani Johnson, he
tended to defer on the offensive end, but when he did take
initiative, he drove to the basket, made plays and impressed the
evaluators with his play.
Others Players of Note:
Alim Moore Jr., 6-1 Fr. PG, St. Mary's (Berkeley) - Moore is a
rangy guard who is a very good ballhandler. He got to the basket,
made nice pinpoint passes to teammates for easy scores and he
played with composure, in a camp setting typically not conducive
to unselfish play.
Chris Webber, 5-10 So. PG, Leigh - Webber is a pass first
guard, who uses his ability as a passer to help others get easy
shots. He drew praise for his play from the various coaches at the
camp.
Edric Egberuare, 6-2 So. SG, Prospect - Egerberuare is a
very good-looking guard who can shoot the jumper or use his
athleticism to stretch out and get to the basket. He plays with a
motor and makes plays.
Kelly Kaigler, 6-2 So. SG, Oak Grove - An athletic and
rangy guard, who drove to the basket with passion. Kaigler plays
hard and it showed as he competed whenever he stepped out on the
court.
Ian Salter, 6-8 So. Post, Marin Catholic - Salter was an
active big man, who played hard and put the ball in play every
time he touched it. With some Kurt Rambis in him, Salter is tough,
plays non-stop and while you wonder what he is doing at times, it
usually turns into something productive.
