Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp 2011

By Marcus Shockley

This year’s elite guard camp, organized by Chris Paul and Position Sports, featured several big college names in addition to top flight high school players. Here’s some notes from the 2011 camp:

High School Players

Shawn Lester (SG/SF, 6’3″, 2012) Bigger and stronger than a year ago, has good length and athleticism.

Rodney Purvis (PG, 6’4″, 2012) Now looks like his body is ready for college, explosive off of the dribble.

Bronson Koenig (PG, 6’2″, 2013) Has possibly the best looking shot of all of the high school players attending the camp. Needs strength, but is fluid and poised with the ball.

Tyler Lewis (PG, 5’11”, 2012) Flashy. Can handle the ball in traffic with ease and is able to get his shot off consistently.

Codi Miller-McIntyre (PG, 6’2″, 2012) Strong guard, runs the offense effectively and can score effectively. A guard to watch.

Marcus Bryan (SF/PF, 6’7″, 2013) Very fluid and with a shooting guard handle.

Elite 80 Recap & Carolina Challenge Recap 2011

The past weekend saw two significant events in the state of North Carolina, the Carolina Challege and the ScoutsFocus Elite 80.

The Carolina Challenge is held in Raleigh and ESPN has a write up here.

The Elite 80 Spring Showcase took place over the past weekend and there’s a full write up on the top players here.

There are several potential ACC targets playing in these events.

Devin Coleman Commits to Clemson

Brian Snow of Scout.com is reporting that Devin Coleman (SG, 6’3″, 2011) has committed to the Clemson Tigers. Coleman has seen his stock and interest rise over his senior season but decided to play for the Tigers in the ACC instead of some of the schools closer to his home state of Pennsylvania. Coleman also had offers from Delaware, Drexel, La Salle, St. Joseph’s, Temple and St. Bonaventure.

Gerald Henderson talks UNC vs. Duke

The biggest rivalry in college basketball kicks up again this week, and to start things off, here’s a few comments from former Duke star Gerald Henderson on the rivalry:
UNC Duke Rivalry

Clemson Lands Small Forward

Clemson has landed Kevin McDaniels (SF, 6’5″, 2011), a player from Birmingham, AL, and who committed to the Tigers just a few days after receiving an offer.

It was no secret that McDaniels favored Clemson, after his visit he said as much and said the visit had been the best so far. This is the third commitment for Clemson head coach Brad Brownell in the 2011 class.

Troy Williams Basketball Interview

BasketballElite.com has an interview with Troy Williams (SF, 6’7″, 2013), who has interest from Virginia, Virginia Tech and Georgetown. Williams is the nephew of Boo Williams, and he talks about what he’s working on his own game and what he thinks he will be able to bring to a college team.

Anthony Fields to Wake Forest

Anthony Fields (PG, 6’1″, 2011) has committed to Wake Forest. Anthony is currently playing at Quality Education Academy, which, like Wake Forest, is located in Winston-Salem, NC. Fields chose Wake Forest over offers from Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan. He’ll be expected to shore up the depleted point guard spot, which lost Ish Smith last season to graduation and the NBA, and lost this year’s incoming PG Tony Chennault to a broken foot.

Greg McClinton, ACC Basketball Target

Here’s some video of ACC target Greg McClinton (SG/SF, 6’6″, 2013), a high-flying player who has offers from Virginia Tech, Miami and Xavier, and is also considering Wake Forest. Watch what he does at the 1:10 mark. Wow.

Triad Pro Am Highlights 2010

We’ve discussed the Triad Pro-Am in previous years, a summer league that features a lot of the Wake Forest incoming players and some other area college players. This year featured several new Wake players, including J.T. Terrell and Travis McKie, along with guys who just finished up their careers at Wake such as L.D. Williams.

Here’s some video highlights of this year’s summer league:

Austin Rivers: A Player We’d Like To See In the ACC

It seemed like Austin Rivers was destined to stay near his home in Florida.

After he committed to the in-state Florida Gators, it seemed like a done deal. The Gators would get one of the best point guards in the 2011 class, Austin would stay close to home (Gainesville is relatively close to Winter Park, FL) and everything seemed settled.

But as Rivers continued to improve, he began to consider that he may have committed too early, and after mulling it over, eventually de-committed from the Gators and decided to weigh other offers. He still is considering Florida as a high possibility, but the full court press from other schools such as UNC and Duke is now in full effect.

Rivers, whose father is the famed ex-Atlanta Hawks PG, Doc Rivers, knows all about the world of basketball from his father’s current job as coach of the Boston Celtics, and an older brother who plays for Indiana:

“[Doc Rivers’] four kids like the idea of having a father who coaches in the NBA. Spencer loves shooting baskets at TD Garden before games. Austin Rivers is accustomed to seeing his father at a lot of his Winter Park High School games and fully understood that he had other responsibilities. Jeremiah Rivers will be a redshirt senior guard at Indiana.”

So where will Austin Rivers end up? Right now it’s still up in the air, but he is a special talent that we’d love to see in the ACC.