pump first report players

SoCalHoops Tournament News

Double Pump West Coast All-Stars Camp:
Player Report No. 1--(July 9, 1999)

Wow, we're really late getting this one out but we've been watching a lot of basketball, and also spending some unnecessary time with some law enforcement officials as a result of what occurred on the message forum a couple of days ago. But now that the matter is in the hands of those officials, we can get back to doing what it is we do, evaluate and write about the players. So here goes:

Biggest of the Big-Time Players at the Camp:

We had dinner last night with Mike Miller during a break in the action, and we've developed a difference of opinion over who is the top player at the camp. We think it's Jacob Chessman (6'-8" Sr. PF/C) from Provo, Utah, and he thinks it's any one of a number of other guys, including maybe Maruice Tyree (6'-8" Jr. PF) from Sacramento Jesuit, Cedric Barrow (6'-0" Sr. PG) from Sac Jesuit, or maybe even Dominic Ingerson (6'-2" Jr. SG) from Oakland McClymonds. Oh, and we don't want too forget about Casey Cook (6'-8" Sr. PF) from Sac El Camino. Actually any one of these guys could be among the top 5 in the camp, but we've got to go with Chessman for the best skilled and most athletic player among them. This guy is just a monster on the boards, runs the floor better than a lot of big men his size, in fact he can run it like a guard and push it on the break better than many of the top points in the camp.

Jacob's skills are actually reminiscent of Jason Kapono, in that he's a big, strong guard in a power forward's body. He rebounds like a maniac, has one of the best attitudes, and is just a great young man. He'll be at the second session also, so if you miss him the first time around, check him out next week. Oh, he's also got a 3.91 GPA, and his "real" sport (or so he told us) is baseball. That's right, he's a 6'-8" pitcher who can throw the ball 95 mph, and he may not be traveling to Vegas or any of the post-camp tournaments because right now he's slated to pitch at the Connie Mack World Series, but if the AAU coaches can convince him otherwise, maybe he'll be playing both sports. Jacob told us that he's interested in several schools, Utah, Pepperdine, Northwestern and Stanford, and he says he intends to play both baseball and basketball in college if he can. Big time player, and he gets our vote so far for player of the camp.

Of course there are some other big time guys too, including those mentioned above. Maurice Tyree has been pounding the boards and driving inside just about whenever he wants to, and this potential top D-I prospect is also scoring a lot. Cedric Barrow would probably look a little better to the college coaches if he were on a team which would showcase his talents, and really he should be at ABCD Camp, as should Jacoby Atako (6'-2" Sr. PG) from Santa Monica. Jacoby is playing with an energy and skill that we haven't seen from him in a while, and he's a big-time player who is so quick that it's just not funny. Last night, he and Lyman Edwards (5'-10" Sr. PG) from Venice who are on the same team, were lighting it up from inside and out, and Jacoby actually had 5 three pointers in a row on successive possessions. There are lots of college coaches at this session of the West Coast All Star Camp, but it's a shame that there aren't more high-majors here (they're mostly all at ABCD and Nike Camps), because Jacoby is putting on a great show.

Other player observations, some pretty brief at this point until we can do more detailed evaluations in the coming days:

Fowzi Abdelsamad (6-1" Sr. PG) Fairfax--Fowzi is a strong, solid point guard prospect, who has been playing well, pushing the ball, driving, dishing and penetrating. Very quick feet and hands, and he's bulked up a bit, perhaps from inactivity during the time he was recently injured. One of the better guards in the camp, at least a low D-I.

Brandon Carter (6'-0" Jr. G) Millbrook-- a solid athlete, who runs the floor well, pushes the ball on the break and defends. Good foot movement and moves well with and without the ball.

Zach Devine (6'-2" Sr. G/F) Chugiak--A scorer, will pull up for the j from 10'-15' out or can slash to the hole. Also a good rebounder. Probably not one of the top players in the camp, but a solid prospect at the two spot.

Douglas Means (6'-0' Sr. PG/SG) Kent Ridge--Solid, tough guard, with good court vision, excellent passer. Nice prospect at low D-I level, and definite D-II prospect.

Jesse Richardson (6'-2" So. SG/PG) Ketchikan--One of Bob Gottlieb's proteges from Alaska, very quick and skilled player. Shoots the ball well from inside or outside, runs, very quick and excellent hands. Nice lateral quickness and ability to run the team.

Darius Sanders (6'-5" So. PF) Dominguez--it's nice to see some of the Dominguez guys at this camp, and Darius is no exception. He's a strong, powerful force down in the blocks, moves well, and rebounds like a maniac. We've written tons about him already, and his game is only getting better over time.

Kyle Bailey (6'-2" Sr. PG) Lathrop--one of the better guards in the camp, and yet another Gottlieb protege', he's been powering through presses, pushing the ball very well, and he can score, mostly off layups because his outside shot hasn't been falling. Could actually be among the top 10 points in the camp. Very athletic, and he's always running, always pushing the ball. Explosive first step and great ability to change direction and tempo.

Romel Beck (6'-3" Sr. SG) Etiwanda-- a thin, agile and quick scorer, Romel has only one flaw and that is he seems to think that the college coaches only came out to watch him, the result being that whenever he touches the ball you can count on a shot going up. Actually, we'd bet he's going to be one of the top scorers in top Southern Section next season, and certainly one of the better rebounders in SoCal.

Jason Coleman (5'-11" Sr. SG/SF) Chico--very fast, tough guard, runs the break really well, but tends to overdribble a bit, which in this environment he can get away with. Goes to the rack on the break, doesn't dunk but probably could if he thought about it. A good prospect.

Michael Davis (6'-2" Sr. G/F) Banning--Probably one of Banning's top athletes, we saw him in Palm Springs two weeks ago, and he's still just as athletic as we remembered. A decent shot, tough defender, moves well with and without the ball. Very quick feet and hands, he's getting a lot of steals and blocking some shots too.

David Gale (5'-11" So. PG) Buckley--Solid, smooth style point guard, a pass-first type of player, who is alternating at the point with Kyle Bailey on the Kansas team. Shooting well, and pushing the ball on the break. Strength has improved, as has his ability to defend against stronger and bigger players. Good hands, excellent court vision, runs the floor, and is shooting well from outside or penetrating. Has had a couple of very good games.

Richard Cobbs (6'-5" Fr. SG/SF) Canyon Springs--Richard could just be the best incoming freshman on the West Coast right now, and that might even include others such as Harrison Schaen (6'-8" Fr. PF/C) who is not at this camp. Richard had 14 points in the first half yesterday to the delight of many college coaches, and he can hit from way out in NBA-land. He's a very deceptive player, because to look at him you'd think "slow" but he's really very quick. Great accuracy with a deadly shot, last night he also showed what he could do defensively, as he went up against Casey Cook and played him pretty much even, which was very impressive for a player 4 years younger than Casey.

Donyare Mayfield (5'-8" Sr. PG) Vista-- Donyare could just be the best player and certainly the best point guard to come out of San Diego in a while. He is lightning quick, a good decision-maker, and he runs the team well. Excellent vision, a real team leader, if it weren't for his size he'd be a top D-I prospect, and he might still be anyway after more colleges get a look at him in the next few weeks.

That's it for the first report. Gotta run. More later today.