casey526

SoCalHoops High School & Prep Report

Casey Jacobsen A Top 5 At Reebok/Bob
Gibbons TOC--(May 26, 1998)

As we said before, we weren't at the Gibbons Tourney in North Carolina. No siree, we were in Newport Beach, California watching some real underclassmen (i.e, 15U and 14U) hoops at the YBOA Western Region qualifying tourney. But that's another story. We did get some pretty good information though on the tournament and some of the players from various sources. Here's what we know:

Sunday, May 24, was Championship Game day for the Reebok/Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. There were also a number of consolation games played as well. Based on overall play, a number of recruiting experts at the games ranked the top 5 players: Among them was Glendora's Casey Jacobsen. Casey currently plays for Belmont Shore and the Southern California All-Stars/ARC team. Here's what Hulan Pickett, who was there had to say about Casey's play this weekend, ranked as his No. 5 player:

Casey Jacobson - Jacobson, a 6'6", 200 lb., wing player from Glendora High School in Glendora, CA averaged 25.0 ppg, with a high of 33, and shot 79% from the FT line. Jacobson is a definite Top 10 player with a great shooting touch who describes himself as a Jeff Sheppard (this year's Final Four MVP from Kentucky) type. NC State is among his final choices along with Kentucky and Utah, but it looks like Duke and Stanford are the leaders at this point. Pickett stated that Casey did mention the construction of the ESA and the fact that State is a program on the rise as primary factors in his interest in the Pack.

Of course, consider the source of this report, as Hulan writes for www.wolfpack.com and if you want to see his other reports of the tournament, then check them out. Personally, we think that Casey will end up at Stanford, which would not only be a perfect basketball situation for him, it would be an unbeatable academic environment, although UCLA should figure prominently as well.

Hulan Picket also ranked a number of other players from this weekend, and here are his thoughts:

1. Joe Forte - His DC Stars team fell to the Atlanta Celtics by a score of 83-72 in the championship game of the 17 and under "A" Bracket, but the loss was through no fault of Forte's, as he continued his strong Tournament play with 34 points, en route to the overall Tournament MVP award. According to Pickett, the Celtics caught fire from 3-pt range about 8 minutes into the 2nd half breaking open a close game, and shooting better than anyone had seen them to date, and the Stars went into a mini-drought which sealed their fate. Earlier in the day, Forte had scored 20 points in leading the Stars to a 56-36 victory over the Tim Thomas Playaz (the game was called with 4.5 minutes to go due to the 20 point rule in the last 5 minutes of play), and scored 36 points as the Stars defeated a team from Houston 58-56. Forte scored every way imaginable: from the arc, in transition, stick-backs, dunks. He also played great defense, getting numerous steals and blocks and rebounded well. Forte averaged an incredible 36 points per game for the Tourney, the highest average in the history of the Bob Gibbons Tournament, and had a high game of 43. He also shot 75% from the free throw line. As reported earlier, Joe's top college choices are NC State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Duke, and UNC-CH.

2. Adam Harrington - Adam, who will be playing for NC State next year, continued his offensive fireworks, following up his 50 point game yesterday with 41 point and 20 point outbursts today, in leading his Granite State Raiders to the championship of the "B" Bracket of the 17 and under teams. Harrington was the second leading scorer in the Tourney with an average of 29 points per game, shooting 90% from the line on 57 of 63 attempts. Adam had a high game of 50 points. According to Pickett, Harrington showed all his skills as he once drove the baseline and dunked two-handed, and also lit it up from behind the arc. Pickett states that Adam gets such great elevation on his jumper, that he can literally just shoot over defenders, and does not have to rely on screens to get his shot away. He turned his ankle near the end of the 41 point game, and that likely limited his play somewhat in the following game. Hulan also reports that Adam is a much better ball-handler than he is given credit for, and would by no means be a liability at the point.

3. Kenny Satterfield - Kenny, a 6'2", 170 lb. point guard from Rice High School in New York City, was the biggest surprise of the Tournament, with a scoring average of 27.3 ppg for the New York Ravens. Satterfield, who was not rated among the Top 100 players nationally coming into the tournament, will easily move into the Top 50, and if his level of play continues throughout the summer camps, he will likely enter the fall ranked among the Top 25 nationally. Kenny had a high game of 31, while shooting 73% from the line. According to Pickett, he was the most impressive point guard at the Tourney, and he stated during an interview that he is looking for a college that offers the chance to play immediately, makes the the 3-pointer an integral part of its offense, and playes in a top conference. Kenny lists NC State and Texas as his top two schools at this point, with UVA, Pitt, Villanova, and Florida State also making the cut.

4. Jason Williams - Williams is a 6'2", 192 lb. point guard out of St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, NJ. Williams averaged 26.7 ppg with a high of 35. According to Pickett, Jason is an outstanding combo-guard, who is very skilled offensively. NC State is drawing some interest from Jason.

5. Casey Jacobson - Jacobson, a 6'6", 200 lb., wing player from Glendora High School in Glendora, CA averaged 25.0 ppg, with a high of 33, and shot 79% from the FT line. Jacobson is a definite Top 10 player with a great shooting touch who describes himself as a Jeff Sheppard (this year's Final Four MVP from Kentucky) type. NC State is among his final choices along with Kentucky and Utah, but it looks like Duke and Stanford are the leaders at this point. Pickett stated that Casey did mention the construction of the ESA and the fact that State is a program on the rise as primary factors in his interest in the Pack.

Other Notable Players:

Tony Robertson was profiled in the report for Days One and Two. According to Pickett, Tony averaged under 12 ppg, but a lot had to do with the way he was utilized by his team, the Tim Thomas Playaz. Tony saw limited playing time, and when he did, he rarely found himself handling the ball. Nevertheless, Pickett said Tony's play was not disappointing given the limitations placed on him by his team, and he remains one of the top PG's in the rising senior class. Following his final game today, Tony made his unofficial visit to the NC State campus prior to catching his flight back to Rhode Island.

Matt Carroll was also profiled in the earlier report. Pickett states that Carroll had a very disappointing tournament, averaging only around 10 ppg, and is certainly capable of much better play, as he has demonstrated in the past. NC State may be the team to beat for Carroll.

Jonathon Bender, a 6'11", 195 lb., forward from Picayune HS in Picayune, MS averaged 14.5 ppg, and shot 78% from the line. NC State has been mentioned with him, but is probably not the leader at this point. A host of SEC schools are also vying for his services.

Donnell Harvey is a 6'7", 215 lb PF from Randolph-Clay HS in Cuthbert, GA who averaged 12 ppg with a high of 24. According to Hulan, Harvey is a great rebounder and defender, but needs some polish on his offensive game. He started out strong at the Tournament of Champions, but his overall play tailed off the final couple of days.

Travis Watson is a 6'7", 245 lb., PF out of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, VA. Travis averaged 16 ppg with a high of 23. He has some interest in attending NC State.

Majestic Mapp, a 6'2", 180 lb. PG out of St. Raymond HS in Bronx, NY, has to win the "best name" award hands down. But Mapp was more than a catchy name, as he teamed with Kenny Satterfield on the New York Ravens and averaged 16 ppg himself.