Hoop Group Elite Camp, July 7

This article was originally written on July 7.

READING, Pa. – The Hoop Group Elite Camp Session I continued on Tuesday, with plenty of talented players putting on impressive performances. The player pool was watered-down because of the other tournaments and camps going on around the country – Reebok U All-American Camp, Lebron James Skills Academy, adidas It Takes 5IVE Classic – but that does not take away from the dozens of quality prospects in attendance. With all-star nominations on the line and a multitude of coaches watching closely, the games were more hotly-contested and intense.

Here are some evaluations of many of the more talented players in attendance:

Naofall Folahan, 6-10, Notre Dame Prep (Mass.): The first center drafted at the camp, Folahan could very well end up being the best player at the camp. Extremely tall and long, Folahan is very athletic and finished two alley-oops in impressive fashion. He can run the floor well and has good hands. He has decent post moves and showed off a turnaround jumper. Folahan also showed a nice free-throw touch and had a couple of outstanding blocks. On the other hand, he needs to finish better.

Kareem Thomas, 5-11, Christ the King (N.Y.): Although Thomas does not seem much time playing behind Corey Edwards at CTK, he was impressive in Reading. He is very quick and an adept dribbler who can get past defenders. Thomas has an excellent pull-up jumper and is a steady floor general. He has a smooth game and is a very solid passer. Thomas can also finish with both hands once he gets to the rim.

Matt Miller, 6-3, Mount St. Joseph’s (Md.): An impressive shooter, Miller showed deep range and got hot early on from beyond the three-point line. He has decent handle as well. However, he failed to box out a couple of times and also was beaten defensively.

Mustafa Jones, 6-0, Neumann-Goretti (Pa.): Another excellent shooter, Jones showed a better off-the-dribble game than we’ve seen from him previously. He has a quick dribble and can create his own shot. Jones also moves very well without the ball, looking to get free for shots.

Khalid Lewis-El, 6-2, Trenton Catholic (N.J.): Lewis-El didn’t get much of an opportunity to show all of his skills, but he had solid handle and made a couple of nice passes. He was not overly aggressive and was out of control on his one fast break attempt.

Dwaun Anderson, 6-3, Sutton’s Bay (Mich.): The athletic lefty reportedly showed his explosiveness on Sunday, but he looked a step slow on Tuesday. He was beaten defensively and was out-hustled to a loose ball. Offensively, he took it well to the basket and finished strong at the rim. Furthermore, he posted up well for a guard. He was not as aggressive as we would have liked to see, though.

Daniel Stewart, 6-6, Neumann-Goretti (Pa.): Did not see as much running and dunking as we did at the Hoop Group Showcase in Neptune, N.J. last week, but he did show off a good face-up game – something he needs to develop to be effective at the next level. He beat defenders off the dribble and finished with contact.

Vaughn Allen, 6-7, TBD: One of the best offensive rebounders I’ve seen this summer, Allen had several second chance points to keep himself involved and active throughout the game. He is very athletic and is hungry for the ball – on multiple occasions, he leaped over and around defenders to get rebounds. Allen runs the floor very well and can finish around the basket. He also has a pretty good handle and shields the ball well when driving to the rim.

Austin Colbert, 6-8, St. Patrick’s (N.J.): A very long and athletic forward, Colbert is going to get better as he matures and gets older. Still, he is a good rebounder and shot-blocker who can also dribble the ball a bit. Colbert also runs the floor well.

Eli Carter, 6-1, St. Anthony (N.J.): At the Rumble in the Bronx, Carter lit up Team NJABC for Sports University, but he did not have the same sort of impact here. He did have a nice pull-up in transition and a crafty drive to the basket, but he did not get much of a chance to do anything else.

Jayon James, 6-6, TBD: The versatile Paterson product is undecided on where he will be headed next year, but hopefully he is more consistent than he was today. As always, he handled the ball very well for his size, and showed off his point guard skills. However, he forced too many shots and did not pass the ball enough. James turned it over too often when driving to the basket. On the positive side, he boxed out well and got offensive rebounds and put-backs.

Theo Boyomo, 6-8, Kent School (Conn.): Boyomo was impressive in the chances he had today. He showed several nice post moves, including back-to-back jump hooks in the early going. He did not show if he could go over his right shoulder as well, but he was effective turning to the left. He also had a nice face-up jumper and a good up-and-under finish at the rim.

Deon Jones, 6-4, TBD: The brother of Virginia’s Jeff Jones, Deon has a good all-around game. He plays – and looks – bigger than 6-4, as he blocks shots and rebounds well around the rim. Furthermore, he can handle the ball and had a nice drive and dish to an open teammate. Jones also ran the floor well.

Shaq Duncan, 6-8, Frankford (Pa.): Duncan was one of the more impressive players today, as he completely dominated the intriguing 7-3 Blake Vedder. He is a face-up big man who can drive to the basket and had several nice reverse lay-ups, using the rim as a shield against Vedder. He runs the floor very well and can catch the ball and finish at the basket. Duncan has a mid-range jumper and is not afraid to take defenders off the dribble. Defensively, he was solid and he also rebounded well.

Blake Vedder, 7-3, Impact Basketball Academy (Nev.): One of the more interesting prospects at the camp, Vedder struggled against the much quicker and more athletic Shaq Duncan. He was constantly beat for baskets, and did not take advantage of his edge in size. However, he does do a good job of keeping the ball up and made a nice pass to an open cutter. Vedder needs to learn how to use his size better, at both ends of the floor.

Coaching Notes:

- Division-I schools represented on Tuesday (and some Monday that I forgot to mention) included: Georgetown, St. John’s, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Boston College, Virginia, Memphis, Temple, Rhode Island, Old Dominion, Drexel, St. Bonaventure, St. Peter’s, Lafayette, Albany, Northeastern, Iona, Coppin State, Davidson, UMBC, Rider, Duquesne, Loyola (Md.), Hampton, Mount St. Mary’s, Central Connecticut State, New Mexico State, Holy Cross, American, Vermont, James Madison, Boston University, NJIT, La Salle, Towson, Penn, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Charleston, LIU, George Washington, Elon, Liberty, Lehigh, Howard, Columbia, New Hampshire, Army and VMI.

Recruiting Notes:

- Malik Thomas: Seton Hall, Drexel, Niagara, Hofstra, Siena, Quinnipiac
- Visited Seton Hall recently, enjoyed his trip, met with Bobby Gonzalez and several of the players
- Plans to visit Drexel in August