Latest, Recruiting

All Canada Prospect Camp Top Performers

Published by Ali Ahmed on August 1, 2011

PHASE1 Basketball hosted its 11th annual NCAA sanctioned All Canada Prospect Camp at Seneca College which ran from July 29th through July 30th. The camp’s purpose was to provide athletes with the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of a large audience of CIS, CCAA, and NCAA coaches. The first day of the camp included events such as the Combine Testing and NCAA video breakdown. The results from the testing would then be forwarded to each coach in attendance via email. The second day had all the players divided into teams of 9 or 10 to take part in several mini team games to see how they played as a team with little knowledge of each other. The PHASE1 staff would then deliberate on which players earned a spot in the Top 40 and Top 20 all star games which were played at the ending of Day 2.

Team Competition – Standouts

Tre Smith – Tre Smith was on a tear on the second day of the camp. His leadership and direction of the team was evident as he was vocally motivating and pushing his teammates to perform. Tre’s several highlight dunks and his unstoppable scoring touch definitely caught CROWN’s eyes and probably some of the coaches in attendance.

Anthony Pate – Anthony Pate displayed the facilitating and scoring touch that earned him some early strong interest. He was doing everything on the score sheet to help his team win. CROWN was lucky to have a first row view for most of his games and saw that he has become much more confident with his shot and was driving relentlessly in the lane.

Damion Rashford – At 6’5, Damion was shooting the lights out and had a handful of vicious dunks which caught most people off guard. I was surprised at how aggressive he was getting to the rim and finishing. Once he drove in, Damion was very hard to contain which is why he scored more than 10 points in each of the mini games I watched him play in. Pickering has definitely got a promising player to build around.

Kaza Keane – Kaza Keane was an assist machine during the camp, doing all sorts of under the leg passes and behind the back dishes. He proved to everyone attendance that his passing ability is remarkable but also that his scoring ability hasn’t been hindered either. His performance at the camp seems to be a preview of the what he plans to do at the National Championships on August 1st-6th.

Top 40 All Star Game

The Top 40 all star game featured notable names such as Kamar McKnight, Aaron Ariri and Bronson Fridal. The game was the first event of the all star festivities and spotlighted players that weren’t noticed as much in the mini team games. The game was a low scoring one with both teams playing lockdown defense and a slew of showtime blocks. The game concluded with the grey all stars coming on top with a 57-48 win over the green all stars. Juwan Grannon had 12 points for the green all stars while Joel Ndondo used his overwhelming height to rack in 9 points for the gray all stars.

Standouts

James Agyeman – James carried on his solid performance from the team mini games over to the Top 40 all star game. Joel Ndondo had a superb game for the grey all stars all thanks to this player and his great vision. His ability to run the offense and connect multiple times on the pick and roll showed why James was one of the true point guards at this camp. It’s only time before James gets much exposure but he definitely raised some eyebrows this weekend.

Kamar McKnight – Kamar McKnight made his debut in the camp on day 2 and started off with a great day. His combination of height and handles made him hard to defend since he was matched up with bigger and post-style players. Kamar’s ability to drive hard in the lane and spot up for open shots made him a nightmare for the opposing team. Once Kamar begins to connect on a couple shots, he can really go on a hot streak which is what happened this weekend.

Joel Ndondo – This 6’8 forward was a beast inside during the game. His height made the opposing team second guess when they were going to drive in for layups and regret it when they did. He had at least 5 or more vicious blocks and finished the game with a solid 9 points. If Joel can play alongside a great point guard with vision like James Agyeman, he can be a tremendous player on the post with a huge defensive upside.

Top 20 Game All Star Game

Shortly after the Top 40 all stars were announced, the Top 20 all stars took a seat on the bleachers for a breather and to catch the Top 40 all star game. From analyzing the bleachers I could already see that this game featured most of the big names at the camp. Players like Tre Smith, Kaza Keane, Jamar Ergas, and Jayln Pennie were some of the notable players watching from the bleachers as the Top 40 all stars took the floor. The game was close from the start as each team traded buckets and leads like wildfire. We got some heavy production from players we don’t hear much about like 6’1 point guard Rashawn Browne from Eastern Commerce who was running the fastbreak smoothly and dishing dimes. Tre Smith hit a couple of three pointers down the stretch to bring his black jersey all stars to striking distance. The game had a thrilling finish as the black jerseys defeated the white jerseys 86-84 with high scoring from Damion Rashford (18 pts) and Jayln Pennie (9 pts).

Standouts

Rashawn Browne – Although he looked like the smallest player on his team, he was playing like he was at least 6’6. Rashawn was contesting for rebounds, carving up the defense with his agile moves and throwing out dimes in all sorts of directions. His speed and leaping ability definitely helped him get to the rim easier and run the fast break faster than anyone. Rashawn has definitely made his way on the CROWN radar.

Damion Rashford – Damion Rashford continued to impress has he maintained his rough aggressive approach over to the Top 20 all star game. He had a fairly easy time making his way to the rim with his hard drives and maneuvers. His great game was capped off by a monstrous dunk off the baseline midway in the second quarter. Most defenders had a tough time defending this powerhouse and it was clearly evident. Damion got a bit tired towards the end but that’s after putting up 18 points against the Top 20 all stars and wrecking the mini team games earlier in the day.

Henry Tan – When you think Henry Tan you probably think about him as a teammate of Andrew Wiggins but he’s slowly creeping up the rankings of many people. The 6’0 PG of Vaughan S.S. has become a versatile player who uses his agility and speed to catch defenders off balance and his excellent vision to feed players. Throughout the Top 20 game, Henry showcased his talent as he outran most of his matchups and finished on several breakaway layups. If Henry can bulk up a few pounds and maintain his speed and offensive talent set, we could very well be seeing one of the top upcoming PGs of the class of 2013.

Jalyn Pennie – One of the highly touted names to attend the camp this weekend was 6’7 forward Jayln Pennie. As soon as I walked in the gym I could see that Jayln was already putting in heavy work in the mini team games with overpowering dunks and strong finishes. I was just astonished at how much hops Jayln had as he soared for put backs and rebounds. In the Top 20 game Jayln showed no mercy as he compiled 4-5 highlight worthy dunks right in front of the panel of college coaches who were watching off to the side. With Iowa being one of the latest colleges to follow Jalyn, I could see that list becoming greater and greater.

Ammanuel Diressa – When I think back to one player who could shoot the lights out at any given moment, I think Ammanuel. He put on a shooting clinic over the weekend camp as he was lighting up the scoreboard time after time. The great part was that he didn’t ‘overshoot’ the ball and drove in at times where he needed to get to the line. His long physique helped grab a couple boards in the Top 20 game but his shooting touch definitely didn’t go unnoticed. This 6’3 guard out of Eastern Commerce is definitely one to watch in the future as his exposure rises.

Readers Rating: