Under Armour All-America Camp
The Under Armour All America Basketball Camp took place July 18th-21st in Philadelphia. Elite high school basketball players from around the country assembled at Philadelphia University and participated in one of the best invitational basketball camps around. Under Armour has made great strides in locking down some of the best players because they sponsor some of the best AAU teams in the country. At the All America camp players came to show college coaches, scouts and media alike that they were the best players in the country and well deserving of full scholarships to top division one programs.
In the crowd I ran into a few notable coaches such as Rick Patino of Louisville, Tubby Smith of Memphis, and Chris Mullin of St. John’s just to name a few. Past NBA players with children at the camp also were littered throughout the crowd. Ex-NBA players like Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jamal Mashburn watched closely as their offspring competed in the camp. NBA minds everywhere you look. Everybody evaluating talent and talking basketball. There’s no place I would rather have been.
I got the opportunity to interview a few of the players and it seems as if the UA camp was a major success. All of the players who I caught up with were thrilled at the opportunity to be chosen for such a prestigious event and marveled at the chance to play alongside such an exclusive group of athletes. Instructors at the camp are great teachers and evaluators of the game. NBA Analyst Tim Legler and NCAA basketball analyst Jay Bilas were two of the more notable guys who gave the campers much needed guidance and support as they embarked on a professional career in basketball. Some of the notable players that I had the pleasure to run into were Jordan McCabe, Jahvon Quinerly, Moses Brown, Scottie Lewis , Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Eric Dixon, and Naz Reid. All of these guys are highly touted High School basketball players who are all highly recruited by division 1 programs around the country.
All Things Hoops Standout Players:
Jordan McCabe: Jordan is a rising senior out of Kaukauna, WI. A very intelligent player who runs the point guard position the way it’s supposed to be played. He can get his team involved as well as take it upon himself to score. He takes pride in being competitive on both ends of the floor and will be suiting up for Bob Huggins and the West Virginia Mountaineers next fall. When asked what set West Virginia aside from the rest of the schools who were recruiting him McCabe replied that “coach Huggins was as real as it gets and as soon as (he) met Huggins (he) knew that he wanted to play for him”. McCabe chose West Virginia over seven other finalists: UW-Milwaukee, UW-Green Bay, Wisconsin, Marquette, Missouri, Minnesota and DePaul. Jordan even discussed his take on social media and how he felt about it helping or hurting a players basketball career. He is a very bright and intelligent young man. I can’t wait to see how he holds up athletically at the collegiate level. (Click on Photo for Jordan McCabe Camp Highlight reel courtesy of CourtsideFilms.com)
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Moses Brown: Now 7’1, Moses is a Center out of New York City’s Arch Bishop Malloy HS. He has developed nicely over the last few years and is now the No. 6 ranked High School basketball player in the country. At his size, Brown has good length, mobility, hands and touch. Because of his size, length and instincts, Brown is a good rim protector and there’s value in his defensive presence. Brown said he’d like to be a one-and-done and that pretty much everybody in the country is in pursuit of his talents. Brown isn’t leaning towards any school in particular and has no idea when he’ll narrow his focus on a college decision. He enjoys these kind of camps with his peers and working hard every day to get better. There is no doubt that you will see Brown at a top program after his senior year but which program that is remains to be seen. Every time I’ve seen Moses play he has gotten better from the previous time. He is showing confidence demanding the ball on the block and developing a nice jump hook. His potential is through the roof.
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Scottie Lewis: The 6’5 SG/SF out of the Ranney School in NJ has been on a tear lately and has been on everybody’s radar. He is a very humble kid who loves the game and wants to win wherever he is playing. He’s heading into his Junior year and is a very intelligent kid. A high flyer on the court you can see him and is partner in crime Bryan Antoine causing havoc on opposing schools in NJ. A natural born leader, Lewis leads by example on the court. He is a very emotional player and pours his heart into every minute on the court. He is getting recruited by some big programs including Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, Florida, Seton Hall, Villanova and California to name a few. He looks to go to a program where he will be able to build is strength and get an opportunity to step in and contribute right away. He is a great character guy and will go far with his dream. (Click on Photo for Scotty Lewis Camp Highlight reel courtesy of CourtsideFilms.com)
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Jahvon Quinerly (Class of 2018): Jahvon was arguably the best floor general at the camp. He brings a professionalism that is unmatched to each and every game that he plays. The rising senior from Hudson Catholic in NJ knows how to play the game the right way. He knows when how to distribute the ball and get his team involved and also knows when to take the initiative and make things happen for himself. He never takes a play off and is very crafty around the rim when finishing. He has plenty of schools recruiting him but have trimmed his list down to 7 schools. UCLA, Seton Hall, Stanford, Kansas, Virginia, Arizona and Villanova are the finalist in the Quinerly sweepstakes. Great kid with no ceiling on his potential! I look forward to watching him tear defenses to shreds wherever he ends up going to school.
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Cassius Stanley (Class of 2019): A standout out of Harvard Westlake High School in Los Angeles, California, Cassius has been making a name for himself on the UA circuit. The 6’5 Shooting Guard holds offers from about 10 schools with UCLA, Arizona, Texas, Gonzaga and Arizona being the standouts. He is a tremendous athlete who flies to the rim with ease and can finish around the rim. He compares his game to Russell Westbrook and Demar Derozan. He is a bright kid who can really play at a high level and most certainly contribute right away at the program that he chooses. Cassius excelled at UA All-America Camp this year and had a few highlight plays that he made look way too easy. ESPN currently has Cassius ranked the No. 16 prospect in the class of 2019 but Cassius says his rank will be going up soon. I believe him!
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Honorable Mention
Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Class of 2020), Eric Dixon (Class of 2019), Bryan Antoine (Class of 2019), Keyshawn Embery (Class of 2018), Elijah Weaver (Class of 2018), Anthony Edwards (Class of 2020) Jyare Davis (Class of 2020), Precious Achiuwa (Class of 2019), Eric Ayala (Class of 2018), Seth Lundy (Class of 2019), Anfernee Simons (Class of 2018), and Jaden Springer (Class of 2020).