Reebok All-American Camp- All Star Game Reviews

I had the opportunity yesterday to go with Paddy Da Pounder to the Reebok All-American Camp final day All-Star games at Philadelphia University in East Falls, PA and it was nothing short of spectacular. There were two All-Star games last night, one for the class of 2010 All-Stars, and another for the class of 2009 All-Stars. In this column I will break down for you each of the Villanova recruits/prospects that participated in the both games as well as note the non-Villanova recruits who made an impression on me.

But before I start, I would like to mention that there were quite a few big name head coaches there last night to watch their respective recruits. When the Pounder and I arrived we immediately seated ourselves directly behind Florida head coach Billy Donovan who within moments scurried away to the front row to sit next to his buddy, Texas head coach Rick Barnes, so they could discuss mutual recruits such as all-everything guard Kenny Boynton from the class of 2009 (see my discussion on Boynton below). Other coaches of note that attending last night’s all-star game included Bill Self (Kansas), Bobby Huggins (West Virginia), Lorenzo Romar (Washington), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee) and Phil Martelli (St. Joes). Jay Wright did not attend but Villanova assistant coach Brett Gunning attended on his behalf.

Class of 2010

Tony Chenault, PG: Neumann-Goretti H.S. (PA) Ht: 6'1" Wt: 170

Philadelphia’s own Tony Chenault from Neumann-Goretti, whom Villanova is known to have some interest in, didn’t start and played only sparingly in the 2010 All-Star game but from what I can tell, Chenault appears to be a power point guard who isn’t incredibly quick but is very efficient and always in control with the ball. He has enough strength inside to draw contact at the basket and has great court vision as well which was exemplified by the many times he was able to find the open man on the wing or underneath. To that end, he has a good upside and should continue to get better. He is definitely a high major point guard.

Joe Jackson, PG: White Station H.S. (TN) Ht: 5'11" Wt: 160

Although on the 2010 All-Star game roster, speedy point guard Joe Jackson from White Station H.S. in Memphis Tennessee, whom is known to be linked to Villanova in terms of recruiting, did not play in last night’s all-star game for undisclosed reasons.

Patrick Young, PF: Paxon School For Advanced Studies (FL) Ht: 6'8" Wt: 210 Chenault and Jackson were the only two class of 2010 players on the 2010 all-star roster known to be linked to Villanova’s recruiting but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this kid in my synopsis of last night’s game. Where do I start. Well, he’s a beast. He is a freak athletically and was all over the glass, both offensively and defensively. He had numerous put backs, and quite a few thunderous dunks. In addition to being an incredible athlete, he runs the floor well and even has a very good handle for a big man as he lead the break a few times and was able to find the open man on the run. He has a pro body right now. The reason why I think we aren’t hearing an awful lot about him as being a big time high major recruit for the 2010 class is that he is incredibly raw at this point and will need quite a bit of development in terms of establishing better footwork and simply becoming a basketball player in general. But trust me, this kid will end up in a high major conference somewhere and, if he develops, will turn out to be an terrific collegiate player. I know that Florida State and Virginia Tech are known to have interest in Young but after this camp and last night’s game, they will no longer be able to pluck this diamond out of the rough. Jay Wright, can you hear me? Recruit this kid…PLEASE.

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