Post by Druce on Jul 19, 2014 11:01:56 GMT -6
The first annual TMBSL Draft Camp was held in Ames, IA away from the spotlight allowing in coming rookies to worry about basketball and if the continental breakfast had enough Wheaties to feed 20+ prospects before their workouts. Prospects were led through the meat market of many different measurements, including the usual suspects, height and weight, as well as body fat measurements and photos.
"I just wanted to get that stuff over with and start playing ball" said Sam Perkins, stand out from North Carolina, "I've never seen so much talent in one place aside from my visit to the Gold Club in Atlanta."
Players were then put through many different drills letting scouts assess them outside of game situations looking at their speed, agility, quickness, ball skills, shooting, vertical leap, among other attributes measured. Then the part of the weekend everyone was looking forward to, the players were teamed up with rotating teammates and scrimmaged each other, 20 minute scrimmages with each "team" that was put together. Prospects had an opportunity to play with many different teammates and play different styles based on the players that they were matched up against. Some prospects sat out this portion of the event, feeling as though it could only hurt them. Not participating were top players Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Sam Bowie. While many scouts and GMs in attendance were disappointed, it was also what they expected.
One player scouts raved about during the scrimmages was Jay Humphries. One scout said Humphries showed an ability to get to the basket and finish that he hadn't seen out of him in college, also saying he looked stronger. Champ Godbolt showed the range and shooting ability rarely seen from a seven footer, which didn't surprise anyone based on his scouting report, what was surprising was the touch Champ showed around the basket as well as a few post moves he added to his arsenal. Another post player who was expected to show his range was Tim McCormick, but against this level of competition McCormick struggled to find open looks outside of the paint and his shot looked visibly affected by bigger, longer defenders than he had met in most of his college games.
Otis Thorpe was tenacious on the defensive end and really stood out being a stopper in the post. He altered or blocked more shots than expected and scouts came away very impressed with his defense down low. Leon Wood came to play defensively as well. Previously thought to not have the basketball IQ or work ethic to be a good defender, Wood showed awareness and tenacity during the camp and proved he could one day become a serviceable wing defender. While he looked better defensively, Wood struggled to find his shot against this level of competition, he didn't look comfortable creating his own looks off the dribble, and his spot up game also lacked consistency.
TMBSL officials found the camp to be a success and hope to encourage more prospects to attend in the future, as well as getting the top tier players to play as well.
Grade Changes:
Champ Godbolt: Inside C- -> C, -1 inch
Cohn Irish: Rebounding D -> D+
Tim McCormick: Outside C -> C-
Jay Humphries: Inside C -> C+, Rebounding D -> D+
Leon Wood: Outside B -> B-, Defense C -> C+
Otis Thorpe: Handles C- -> D+, Defense B -> B+
Kevin Willis: +7 lbs
Terrance Stansbury: +5 lbs
Tony Campbell: +1 inch, Rebounding C -> C+
Sam Perkins: -1 inch, Handles D+ -> C-
"I just wanted to get that stuff over with and start playing ball" said Sam Perkins, stand out from North Carolina, "I've never seen so much talent in one place aside from my visit to the Gold Club in Atlanta."
Players were then put through many different drills letting scouts assess them outside of game situations looking at their speed, agility, quickness, ball skills, shooting, vertical leap, among other attributes measured. Then the part of the weekend everyone was looking forward to, the players were teamed up with rotating teammates and scrimmaged each other, 20 minute scrimmages with each "team" that was put together. Prospects had an opportunity to play with many different teammates and play different styles based on the players that they were matched up against. Some prospects sat out this portion of the event, feeling as though it could only hurt them. Not participating were top players Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Sam Bowie. While many scouts and GMs in attendance were disappointed, it was also what they expected.
One player scouts raved about during the scrimmages was Jay Humphries. One scout said Humphries showed an ability to get to the basket and finish that he hadn't seen out of him in college, also saying he looked stronger. Champ Godbolt showed the range and shooting ability rarely seen from a seven footer, which didn't surprise anyone based on his scouting report, what was surprising was the touch Champ showed around the basket as well as a few post moves he added to his arsenal. Another post player who was expected to show his range was Tim McCormick, but against this level of competition McCormick struggled to find open looks outside of the paint and his shot looked visibly affected by bigger, longer defenders than he had met in most of his college games.
Otis Thorpe was tenacious on the defensive end and really stood out being a stopper in the post. He altered or blocked more shots than expected and scouts came away very impressed with his defense down low. Leon Wood came to play defensively as well. Previously thought to not have the basketball IQ or work ethic to be a good defender, Wood showed awareness and tenacity during the camp and proved he could one day become a serviceable wing defender. While he looked better defensively, Wood struggled to find his shot against this level of competition, he didn't look comfortable creating his own looks off the dribble, and his spot up game also lacked consistency.
TMBSL officials found the camp to be a success and hope to encourage more prospects to attend in the future, as well as getting the top tier players to play as well.
Grade Changes:
Champ Godbolt: Inside C- -> C, -1 inch
Cohn Irish: Rebounding D -> D+
Tim McCormick: Outside C -> C-
Jay Humphries: Inside C -> C+, Rebounding D -> D+
Leon Wood: Outside B -> B-, Defense C -> C+
Otis Thorpe: Handles C- -> D+, Defense B -> B+
Kevin Willis: +7 lbs
Terrance Stansbury: +5 lbs
Tony Campbell: +1 inch, Rebounding C -> C+
Sam Perkins: -1 inch, Handles D+ -> C-
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