60 of the top 7th and 8th grade players
John Lucas, played in the NBA for 14 years. In 1976, John was first pick to the Houston Rockets. Thereafter, he coached 3 NBA teams. John's son, John Jr. also played in the NBA for 4 years. The 3rd annual John Lucas (international middle school combine) Nike Camp in Houston Texas was a blast and had to be the best in the Midwest for 2010. Some of the top athletes traveled near and far from states such as DC, GA, OK, LA, OH, NC, KY, TN, WI, MD, NY, TX & IN. A player even came from the Bahamas! Kelly Oubre (TX) 6'2 the guard picks his spots well and has a nice stroke of the ball. Joe Burton (TX) 6'3 has a power game. He's able to put the rock on the floor which makes him "scary good". Burton also has a 28.8 vertical. Tyler Ulis (OH) 5'5 point guard has good ability to run a team, he wasted no time beating his man with quick crossovers. Also, Tyler used his shoulders to prevent defenders from cutting his lane. Jalen Lindsey (TN) 6'1 runs the floor and is fluid in his movement. He makes it look easy. Lindsey runs the floor well and is improving his back to the basket game. Alonzo Trier (TX) 5'10, has good offensive skills and scores the ball very well. He grew a few inches and toned up. Trier played 2 guard and went to work whenever he got the rock. He goes to the basket with either hand and uses a combination of dribbles before releasing a wet jump shot. One of the top performers was Kejuan Johnson (GA), he's just too big. This ATL 6'5 kid is 13 years old and a human dunking machine. It's virtually impossible to stop him on this level. He's a 7th grader who's used to playing several grades up. Kejuan thrives off playing aggressive especially on his way to the rim. Nicholas Thomas (TX) 5'11 is a 2 guard who can shoot the open shot and used his wide frame to get easy points in the paint. He won MVP at the Dallas Texas Phenom camp. Thomas plays tight defense and he can lock down his man. Christian Sanders (TX) 6'2 was a high flying athlete who occasionally slam dunked in traffic. I call it self- distinction or player- separation. How many 8th graders do you know dunk in traffic? Sanders is a pure scorer that doesn't mind playing team basketball. James Blackmon (IN) 5'10 isn't just good, he's a great decision maker. James played calm under pressure and displayed consistent 3 point shooting ability. Blackmond oozes with confidence, you can see it in his demeanor. Dakari Johnson (KY) 6'8 and 240 lbs was a beast in the paint and feels comfortable playing in his big shoes. Dakari is a major prospect with the NYC Gauchos program. Johnson got the job done, when he dribbled through defenders and made difficult finishes. Austin Grandstaff 6'3 (TX) made efforts to prove he has the goods. Austin made tough shots in the paint and made defenders pay for sleeping on him. Against all odds there was no turning back for Grandstaff. Jerron, Austin, Mavin and Christian on the same team was too much. Davis Jackson (KY) 6'7 is an energetic big man, he upset defenders battling to get loose balls, put backs and rebounds. Davis made several vertical dunks with defenders standing right in front of him. When Jackson gets his defender up in the air, he'll usually finish with an up-and- under hand lay up. Mavin Saunders (Bahamas) 6'5 intimidated defenders with his deisal physique. He posed a threat for opponents hoping to deter him with their court presence. Mavin's muscle mass allowed him to create mismatches. Saunders constantly exercised his strength by sacraficing himself to get buckets. The clash between Saunders and KeJuan was verocious. Imagine a close cage fight; the real test of heart. Jonathan Carson (WI) 6'3 has soft hands around the basket and a nice feel for the game. 'Jon Jon' plays light on his feet for a big man, he moves with finesse. Carson's very familiar with the camp life. James Cunningham (KY) 5'10 ran the show for his squad with shovel passes. James was able to protect the ball from defenders in the final seconds of 4th quarter to win the game. Trey Dilworth (TX) 6'4 has a good body and is a shooting guard on the rise. He made several dunks. Dilworth has a mid-range game as well as perimeter shot. Jerron Love 7th grade (NY) 5'6 was very impressive on both ends of the floor. Clark Francis (Hoop scoop) once wrote in 2008 "We have high praise for Jerron Love because his defense was one of the best at Jr. All-American Camp". Well, at John Lucas's camp Jerron was considered the best ball handler! The talented floor general called pick-n-roll plays to get his teammates involve and used screens to go on shooting sprees. He drained a long 3 pointer that made the gym erupt. Justice Winslow (TX) 6'4 is a talented player with a great upside. He's good around the glass and gets rebounds. Winslow has nice size and is very athletic. Justice plays unselfish and displayed good court vision.
