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Adidas May Classic: Top Performers

Dominique Ferguson (6’8”, PF, 2010, Chicago Express)– Ferguson showed with his play at AMC why scouts are calling him a potential future lottery pick.  The big guy was unstoppable around the basket this weekend where his tenacity is second-to-none.  He posterized his defender on more than one occasion and was equally impressive on the other end of the court where he was quick to throw a soft shot attempt back into the stands.  We were also impressed with the way he consistently knocked down his midrange shot attempts all weekend.  He posted a double-double in every game he played.  If Ferguson continues his improvement, expect his high school, Lawrence North (Indianapolis), to be in the hunt for a national championship the next couple of years.  There is no-doubt that the University of Kentucky has locked-up a good one with this guy.

Mason Plumlee (6’11”, PF, 2009, Indiana Elite One) – Indiana Elite is one of the top programs in the nation this AAU season, thanks in large part to the play of this future Blue Devil.  At AMC, Plumlee showed-off his whole arsenal. He scored with hook-shots, dunks, three-pointers, you name it. He has a lot of skill for a player 6’11”, and we were especially impressed with his ball-handling ability.  He has a lot of the traits that make Kyle Singler so good.  If Plumlee continues his outstanding play into the summer look for Indiana Elite to have a real shot of cutting down the nets at the Adidas Super 64 in late July.

Tracy Abrams (6’1”, PG, 2011, Chicago Express)- Every year there is a guard that comes out of nowhere and blows-up on a national level (think Jon Wall), and in the class of 2011 it looks like that player could be Tracy Abrams.  The last time HoopsReport.com saw Abrams play was last June at the Fab Frosh All-American Camp when we said that he is one of the best young players in Illinois.  After watching him this weekend, we’re not only convinced that he’s one of the best young players in Illinois, we think he’s one of the best young players in America.  Playing with the 17U Chicago Express, Abrams was often times the most impressive player on the floor, even though he was usually the youngest.  He got around defenders at will, showed off a nice jumper and made good decisions.  We spoke to two people that coached Derrick Rose in high school, Luther Topps and Reggie Rose (Derrick’s brother), and they both said that they see a lot of the same attributes in Tracy that they saw in Derrick at the same stage.  And like Derrick Rose, we expect Abrams to be a McDonald’s All-American when his time comes… and when that happens remember you heard the name first at HoopsReport.com.

Jordan Crawford (5’7”, PG, 2009, Shining Stars-Price)- This diminutive guard stole the show this weekend while putting his team on his back and helping them to wins over some of the elite teams in the country.  Against the M33M Ballers, Crawford scored 38 points, dished out 8 assists and came up with five steals while helping his team to the upset.  He orchestrated the game like a true quarterback.  In the next round against the monstrous front line of the SoCal All-Stars (who’s roster sports several high D1 prospects), Crawford stood out as the best player on the court.  Crawford will likely be overlooked at the high-major level because of his size, but mid-majors that understand that there have been a number of smallish point guards that have made a huge splash on the college level should check this guy out while he’s still available.

Maurice Sutton (6’11”, C-PF, 2008, Indiana Elite LNO) - Sutton showed this weekend why he is one of the most sought-after big men left in the class of 2008. Sutton played with a passion that I haven’t seen in a while. He was a factor in every game he played and dominated at both ends of the floor. His offensive arsenal was impressive as he scored with both hands with both finesse and power moves. The knock on Sutton was that he was soft and didn’t always played hard, but it seems like he has gotten past that and is ready to take his game to next level. He will be a welcomed asse at whatever school he decides on.
 
Colt Ryan (6-foot-4, SG, 2009, Indiana Elite One) - This sharpshooter showed why he has leaped from being a mid-level to a major prospect. He is one of the best shooters we’ve seen on the AAU circuit this spring. He has now expanded his game by driving to the basket more and occasional dishing out dimes. He also was putting noticeably more effort on the defensive side of the ball than he has in the past.