Anthony Davis Stakes His Claim And Then Some At NIKE Peach Jam 

July 14, 2010

8:15 A.M. CST

Both the Mac Irvin Fire and Mean Streets looked like different teams during the two games that each team played on the second day of the EYBL Finals at the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC.  The Fire looked sharp in their 59-49 morning victory over the Metro Hawks, and then ran into a stumbling block in the evening, falling 75-69 to the St. Louis Eagles.  For Mean Streets, it was the exact opposite, as they suffered a 60-54 defeat at the hands of Mike Gilchrist and Team Final in the morning before bouncing back to capture a 56-45 victory over the New Jersey Playaz in the evening.  In this recap we provide in-depth analysis from all of those contests.

We begin with the Mean Streets win over the Playaz, because as of now there is no bigger story.  Simply put, 6'10 class of 2011 center Anthony Davis from Perspective Charter in Chicago put on a performance for the ages.  In a game that had a big-time atmosphere written all over it, Davis put up a double-double, finishing with 24 points and 17 rebounds and totally dominating the contest from start to finish.  As far as we are concerned, Davis has not only proven that he is hands down the #1 prospect in Illinois from the 2011 class, but he can also make a case for being the best player in the nation. 

But our praise is not going to end there.  In our 25 years of scouting, we have never seen a player who has risen up and achieved national prominence as quickly as Davis has.  He affects the game every minute that he is on the floor, which was for the full 32 minutes versus the Playaz.  We will even take it a step further--as of now, Davis is one of the five best high school basketball prospects that we have ever seen come out of Chicago during our 25 years in the scouting business, a list which includes Kevin Garnett, Ben Wilson, Derrick Rose and Marcus Liberty.  As we have stated previously, we cannot get enough of Davis and with that in mind we want a copy of Perspective's schedule for the upcoming season, because we just might be at every game.

Turning back to the Fire, it was a total team effort in their win over the Metro Hawks, but the three players in particular who led the charge were 6'5 class of 2011 forward and University Of Louisville commit Wayne Blackshear, 5'6 class of 2011 point guard Derrick Randolph and 5'9 class of 2011 point guard Keifer Sykes.  Blackshear provided scoring when needed and also did his usual dirty work inside en route to 12 points and 8 rebounds.  In doing so, he once again confirmed his status as the #2 ranked player in Illinois in 2011 behind Davis.  Randolph and Sykes were both catalysts, with Sykes hitting some big shots down the stretch and Randolph turning in an outstanding defensive job, as he totalled 5 steals and was superb at putting pressure on the ball and igniting things in transition.

Unfortunately, the Fire appeared to lack that same chemistry in their loss to the Eagles.  In fact, the Eagles very much beat the Fire at their own game and absolutely pounded them on the glass, as they outrebounded them 45-26.  The Eagles were led by 6'3 class of 2011 shooting guard and University Of Florida commit Bradley Beal, who was spectacular as he finished with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.  For some reason, Randolph thought that his solid effort in the morning earned him the right to shoot the ball every time he touched it versus the Eagles.  While his stat line for the game actually doesn't look bad, it prevented the Fire from getting the ball to two of their primary weapons around the basket--6'8 class of 2011 forward Mike Shaw and 6'7 class of 2011 wing Sam Thompson.  Shaw only took two shots and while Thompson managed to take nine, the majority of them came toward the end of the game.

Despite their loss to the Eagles, we can unequivocally say that this Fire team is much better than the one that appeared at Peach Jam last year.  That is because the players on the current Fire squad are much more team-oriented and unselfish.  Not only that, but the primary objective has become winning over individual exposure.  That is why we think that the Fire reaching the final four at Peach Jam is not out of the question.

Other Notes  

... While Davis was undoubtedly at center stage last night, he also received ample support from both of the Mean Streets guards--6'3 class of 2011 combo guard Phil Greene from Julian High School in Chicago and 5'10 class of 2011 point guard Julius Brown from Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, IL.  We have always been big fans of Greene's game but wanted to see him against elite-level competition in order to get a better feel for his college level.  Having now done so, there is no question that Greene can hold his own against anybody.  Right now we see him as an upper level mid-major prospect who is pushing to be a high major.  He can play either guard spot, can hit shots from beyond the 3-point arc and has excellent quickness to the basket.  Brown is not a true point guard per se, as he is more of a scorer than a playmaker, but he makes the right decisions most of the time and will consistently bury shots if left unattended, and that is where he was most effective versus the Playaz.  Above everything else, Brown knows how to win, as evidenced by the fact that he also led Hillcrest to the Class 3A state championship this past season.  It is for these reasons that he is an ideal mid-major recruit.

... Moving over to the St. Louis Eagles, 6'3 class of 2011 wing Roosevelt Jones continues to show why he is an outstanding get for Brad Stevens and Butler University.  Jones consistently plays with a high level of energy, attacks the glass and scores with regularity around the basket.  And we all know that those type of players have always been successful at Butler. 

... 6'7 class of 2011 forward Josh Piper may play a bit soft at times, but he exhibits a strong face-up game, as he repeatedly makes shots along the baseline and in the lane and also finishes well on the break.  The bottom line is that there will always be spots at the D1 level for front court players with strong perimeter skills, and Piper certainly fits that mold.

... There may be no bigger hidden gem at the Peach Jam amongst Illinois-based prospects than 6'5 class of 2011 shooting guard Jerome Brown from Morgan Park High School in Chicago.  Brown is a fantastic shooter from beyond the arc and he relishes that role.  While he gets limited minutes for the Fire, he makes the most of his opportunites when he is on the floor.  Some may remember that Brown was huge in Morgan Park's run to the Chicago Public League championship this past February.  One high major coach at Peach Jam told us that if he had one more scholarship available in the 2011 that he would consider taking Brown.  What college level Brown ends up at could come down to how well he develops in other areas, particularly being able to put the ball on the floor, but there is no question that he is a player that is certainly worth being on college coaches' radars.

... Those who think that 6'5 class of 2011 forward Jamie Crockett will be nothing more than a role player at DePaul University might want to re-evaluate that assessment.  That is because in addition to displaying his high-flying athleticism, Crockett has begun to show considerable improvement in terms of diversifying his game, including being able to knock down open shots from the perimeter and handle the ball.  He is still not completely polished in those areas and as a result we still consider him a work in progress, but we certainly like his up side.

We will have another update which will focus on all of the recruiting news from Peach Jam later today, so we encourage everyone to continue to check back.

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