Derozan dominates at Main Event
LAS VEGAS -- The third day of action at the Main Event in Las Vegas produced another day of blowouts and one-sided matchups as pool play came to a conclusion. The higher-seeded teams all cruised to easy wins in preparation for bracket play. Many of the much-anticipated showdowns between good teams and individual stars will take place in the next couple of days. A few players did have performances worthy of mention in the last day of pool play.
• 6-5 SG/SF USC recruit Demar Derozan (Compton, Calif.) delivered the most dominant performance of the day. Derozan displayed his immense athletic ability on a number of drives to the basket that resulted in resounding dunks. He has the ability to change the course of a game with his explosive athleticism. Derozan scored in a variety of ways, but he needs to improve his shot selection as well as his ball-handling. He also needs to increase his intensity level on defense. Though very good now, Derozan has a huge amount of upside and room for development.
• 6-9 C Keith Gallon (Houston, Texas.) continues to struggle with giving maximum effort, especially on the defensive end. He has an enormous amount of physical tools, but he needs to improve his focus on the defensive end if he wants to reach his potential
• 6-1 PG Jordan Theodore (Paterson, N.J.) has very good ball-handling skills and quickness. He has a deadly perimeter jump shot that extends well beyond three-point land. Theodore also possesses good court vision and passing skills.
• 6-9 Dan Jennings (Brooklyn, N.Y.) provides a dominating physical presence on the inside. He uses his thick body to establish great position on the low-block and goes up with authority whenever he receives the ball in the post. He also contests and alters shots on defense when he does not block a shot attempt.
• 6-4 SG/SF Roberto Nelson (Santa Barbara, Calif.) has an effective shooting touch from the perimeter, which he demonstrated by hitting a number of jump shots. He also has great leaping ability and athleticism.
• 6-9 rising junior Jordan Morgan (Detroit, Mich.) runs the floor very well for a big man. He also attacks the offensive glass aggressively, using his strength and surprisingly decent leaping ability to snare offensive rebounds.
• 6-5 SG/SF Robert Wilson (Garfield Heights, Ohio) has god athletic ability and leaping ability. He is a consistent shooter form the outside and can hit the mid-range pull-up jumper.
• 6-1 G Vinnie Breckenridge (Towson, Md.) possesses a very smooth release on his jumper. He nailed threes with ease throughout the game.
• Washington-commit 5-8 PG Isaiah Thomas (South Kent, Conn.), one of the best players of the day, displayed his impressive skills in a one-sided win for his Friends of Hoop Seattle squad. Thomas displayed his shooting touch by connecting on a number of jumpers well beyond three-point territory. His quickness and ball-handling ability makes him nearly impossible to contain in the open court. Thomas also has good court vision, spotting open teammates easily. Thomas will further his development if continues to look to create scoring opportunities for his teammates.
• Class of 2009 prospect 6-9 C Keith Gallon (Houston, Texas) has a chance to develop into a dominating interior force. He looks just as comfortable operating in the mid-post with turn-and-face moves as he does working on the low block. He has good quickness and footwork for a player of his size. If he increases his intensity on defense and improves his conditioning, Gallon could become a special player.
• Class of 2009 prospect LSU-recruit PG 5-10 Tommy Mason-Griffin (Houston, Texas) has a great deal of talent and explosion. He has the ability to create shots off the dribble for himself, but needs to do a better job of distributing the ball to teammates.
• 6-4 SG/SF Eric Avant (Olathe, Kan.) is an emerging talent who has the ability to develop into a very good player. He has the quickness and athleticism to get to the basket and finish effectively. He also will step outside and connect from 3-point range, though he needs to improve in this area. He lists Colorado State and Loyola (Chicago) as two of the schools currently interested in him.
• 6-3 SG Gerald Armelin (Sulphur, La.) creates offense extremely well off the dribble. He can score in a number of ways and has good athleticism. Armelin has the potential to become to become a nice player.
• 6-2 G Santa-Clara bound Kevin Foster (Katy, Texas) exhibited his deft-shooting touch, but better shot selection will only enhance his play.
• 6-1 PG Troy Alexander (Highland Park, Texas) has the pass first mentality that coaches covet in point guards. He constantly makes the extra pass, putting teammates in position to convert.
Antonio Williams is a recruiting coordinator for Scouts Inc.
