Final Gym Rats Recap

Better late than never, here is the final recap of last Saturday night's Gym Rats Midnight Madness event at Cherry Hill East High School in New Jersey. The final two players we are going to take a closer look at are Patterson Catholic's 6'7 Kyle Anderson and the "youtube sensation" Cesar Guerrero.

Kyle Anderson(Class of 2012, undecided, pictured above): Anderson is considered by most to be one of the most intriguing and promising sophomores in the country. It's very difficult to label Anderson as a guard or a small forward or to really put a label on him at all. He is simply a tremendously talented basketball player. Although only a sophomore, Anderson displayed a calm and understanding of the game well beyond his years. At 6'7, he could project as a lead guard at the next level, a 2, or a small forward. He showed great court vision, a reliable jumpshot, and good athleticism. Anderson played on the USA Basketball Men's Developmental Team earlier this summer. As he continues to grow, both physically and skill-wise, Anderson is likely to become one of the more hotly recruited players on the East Coast. His understanding of the game and selflessness were almost easily overlooked in a game like this, but the fact that we could notice shows you just how much potential he has.

Cesar Guerrero (Class of 2011, undecided): If there is a basic polar opposite to Anderson, Guerrero is it. That is not to say at all that he doesn't have talent. He does. And plenty of it. As smooth and fluid and relaxed as Anderson is on the court, Cesar is up-tempo and flashy. Standing right around 6 foot, Cesar is basically a human highlight reel. He played in the event last year so his no-look passes and dynamic dribbling were no surprise at all. Cesar has terrific court vision and makes every pass, at the least, very entertaining to watch. He also played surprisingly good defense in this game, which is possible due to his competitive nature and quickness. The only question that colleges are likely to have is whether he can temper the And 1 style to his game for a college setting. He was one of the most entertaining players on the court and one that can electrify a crowd. He was introduced on Saturday as a "youtube sensation" because of his highlights online. For those interested, there's a link below to check them out.

Guerrero Youtube Highlights

Photo Above Courtesy of SNY

Gym Rats Recap Part Two

In today's recap of Saturday's Gym Rats Midnight Madness event, we will take a look at two of the elite, national level prospects that participated. Those prospects, who won co-MVP honors for the respective teams, are Syracuse commit Fab Melo and Mississippi product LaQuinton Ross.

Fab Melo-(Class of 2010, Syracuse commit, pictured above): Boy does Boehheim have a good one here. The main question I had after watching Melo play on Saturday was one that I also had after watching Aaric Murray at Gym Rats last year. How many years of college ball will he play? Melo is a massive human being, listed by most of the recruiting sites as a 7 footer weighing around 260 or 270 pounds. Despite being that size, Melo was able to get himself up and down the court easily with the quick guards. While he certainly did display a post-up game, the thing that jumped out to me most was his soft touch in the 15-18 foot range. Going up against Malcolm Gilbert, Melo was able to take him both inside and outside. After getting jammed all over in the opening minutes of the game by Gilbert (see yesterday's article), Fab waited for the right moment to get him back. And in the second half he did with a put-back dunk over Gilbert. In addition to that dunk, Melo also had some impressively athletic blocks on the defensive end. He finished the game as the second leading scorer on his team behind Tony Chenault. His game, at least here, did not appear to be a flashy one, but more of a finesse game. It is a game that should transition beautifully to the college level and beyond. And beyond his basketball talent, Melo played the game with a refreshing attitude. A smile was plastered to his face throughout the game. During halftime, he let one of the younger kids from an earlier game throw him an alley-oop pass. Melo is absolutely a player that Syracuse fans can look forward to greeting on campus. Even if it is for only a year or two.

LaQuinton Ross- (Class of 2011, undecided): This was my third time seeing Ross in the past two years. When I first saw him two years ago, I couldn't believe that he wasn't a rising senior. I couldn't believe there was a better player in his class. Then when I saw him this past summer I noticed a significant drop-off in his game. Well, Ross looked back to his old self on Saturday as he led all scorers breaking the 40 point mark. Those 40 points came in about 20 minutes of play too. Ross is a tough match-up for opponents because, for being 6'7 or so, he is a terrific perimeter shooter. His 3-point and mid-range jumpers are probably his strongest suit. In this game, Ross' jumper was falling with ease. He also played point guard for much of his time out on the court, which is an interesting development. I'm not sure if he plans on truly being a 1 in college, but he looks more than capable of playing the 2. 6'7 shooting guards with his range are special.

Check back tomorrow for write-ups on Kyle Anderson and Cezar Guerrero.

Gym Rats Recap Part One

Last night many top players from not only the Philadelphia area, but the country, descended upon Cherry Hill East High School for the annual Gym Rats Midnight Madness event. Hawk Hill Hardwood was on site to check out some of the big names participating. In this first installment, we will talk the Philly area products. Tomorrow we will report on some of the national names such as Syracuse commit Fab Melo, Cezar Guerrero, LaQuinton Ross, and North Jersey super-soph Kyle Anderson.

Malcolm Gilbert (Class of 2011, undecided, picture above): When you first look at Malcolm, the first thing that you notice, beside his height, is his ridiculous wingspan. Malcolm stands a legitimate 6'10 with what looks like some room to grow. In the All American game Gilbert faced a daunting task- guarding one of the top 3 centers in the whole 2010 class in Fab Melo. Melo is a 7 footer with an offensive repertoire that has NBA written all over it. With that being said, Malcolm did a very respectable job. In the opening minutes of the game, Malcolm had a highlight reel dunk over Melo that sent the building into an uproar. He finished the game with roughly 18 points, all of which came on dunks. Malcolm runs the floor very well and is basically a goalie around the basket. He has athleticism that allows him to react quickly on both the offensive and defensive ends. While Malcolm, at this point, does not appear to have great hands, he is an extremely talented defensive player who has the tools to become a more-than-adequate offensive player. One of the biggest needs in the 2011 class for the Hawks is a talented center. Malcolm Gilbert certainly fits that bill and is receiving interest from the Hawks. It should be an interesting recruitment to follow. Malcolm was co-MVP for the Red Team alongside LaQuinton Ross.

Tony Chenault-(Class of 2010, Wake Forest): Tony won MVP honors at last year's Midnight Madness event, and from the get-go appeared determined to repeat. And repeat he did. Tony and Fab Melo were co-MVP's for the White Team. Although Tony has dropped significantly in the national rankings over the past couple years, when his jumper is falling like it was tonight, he is still a legitimate, big-time high major talent. Tony not only led the Red Team in scoring with around 28 points, but he did so efficiently. I didn't keep track of shots taken and shots made, but Tony was certainly making many more than he was missing. At one point in the first half, he absolutely took it to Memphis high school junior Bobby Parks Jr. Parks, a talented player in his own respect, looked like he wanted no part of Tony. On 5 or 6 straight possessions, Tony either took Parks off the dribble to the basket or pulled up and shot over him. Again, when Tony is on like he was tonight, he is a very dangerous player. And one that is certainly capable of contributing in the ACC.

Shaq Duncan- (Class of 2010, Niagara): This was the second time I've seen Duncan, and from what I can tell, he is a significant signing for Niagara. Standing around 6'8, Duncan is as thin as he is athletic. As he continues to put weight on, there is no reason to think he can't be a major factor in the MAAC. Duncan runs the floor very well and did not look at all out of place on the court with many top 100 players. Most of his points came off of dunks, but the same could be said for nearly every players in this run-and-gun style of play. A style of play where layups were met with groans from the crowd. While he may not quite live up to either of his namesakes, Niagara fans should be excited about this signing and the 4 years of basketball that you'll get out of him.

Savon Goodman- (Class of 2012, Undecided): When I arrived at Cherry Hill East and first looked at the rosters, this is one of the names that instantly jumped out at me. Goodman is generally considered one of the best prospects on the East Coast in the Class of 2012. About 4 minutes into his first game I could understand why. Goodman, who played in both the Junior All-American Game and the All-American game, won MVP honors in the Junior game. Savon is in that 6'4-6'6 range and only a sophomore, so there is time for him to grow. The first things about his game that you notice is his athleticism and general understanding of the game. He plays with a very calm and level-headed demeanor, just like his Academy of the New Church teammate Malcolm Gilbert (talk about a scary frontcourt when you have both of those guys alongside top 5 junior Roc Christmas). He showed an above-average handle, and ability to take the ball hard to the basket, and great athleticism. In this particular game, his jump-shot wasn't falling, but I know that is supposed to be one of his assets. He was dominant in the Junior All-American game with his jump shot a little off. The thought of him with a jump shot is scary for anyone that has to go up against ANC this year.


A couple other quick notes:

Roc Christmas was in the house but not playing. I don't know if he was scheduled to play and hurt or just there to watch his high school teammates Malcolm Gilbert and Savon Goodman.

Former SJU assistant coach and current New Jersey Nets assistant Doug Overton was there since his son was playing in one of the afternoon games.

Recruiting Open Period Begins; Gym Rats Update

The fall contact period for recruiting began on Wednesday and runs until October 5th. What does that mean exactly? During this month, coaches are permitted to visit prospective seniors. During this time, coaches are not allowed to watch tournaments or nonscholastic events. This fall contact period also differs from the spring contact period. In the spring, coaches can have contact with junior and senior prospects.

Staying with that theme, right here in Philadelphia, Drexel got a verbal from Trenton Catholic guard Frantz Massenat. Massenat is part of a dynamic backcourt at Trenton Catholic that includes fellow senior Dondre Whitmore and junior Khalid Lewis El. Massenat is a solid guard and also a terrific student. Princeton, Rider, and Boston University were among the other schools that he was considering.

I spoke with Rick Barrett of Gym Rats Midnight Madness and got a few of the names of those participating in the event on September 26th. 2010 Syracuse commit Fab Melo is one of the big names. 2011 bigman Rakeem Christmas and 2012 wing Shabazz Muhammad are other elite level talents expected to participate. Christmas' teammate at Academy of the New Church, Malcolm Gilbert, is another name that Barrett mentioned. A more complete list should be released next week