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King James Classic: Player Evals

Darius Miller 6’6 Jr. SF D1 Greyhounds

Miller had Coach Cox (Kentucky), Coach Donovan (Florida) and Coach Huggins (WVU) among others watching his every move.  He’s got a solid frame to go with excellent vertical athleticism, long arms, and an impressive skill set.  He’s a good shooter from outside and midrange but he is most dangerous attacking the rim.  Miller outplayed Al-Farouq Aminu (a top-5 Jr.) in the championship game.  He still plays in spurts and will dominate one half and fade in the other and he doesn’t appear to have the killer instinct that a guy like Delvon Roe has, but Miller has proved himself a top-20 caliber player.

Drazen Zlovaric 6’9 Jr. F CAPS All-Stars

6’9 combo forward from Serbia has an excellent skill set and a nice touch.  Can create off-the-dribble and finishes at the hoop.  Texas, UCLA, USC, Georgia and DePaul are among the schools courting this top-50 prospect.

Lavonte Dority 5’10 Fr. PG CAPS All-Stars

He’s only a freshman but he was an impact player while playing in the 17U division.  He’s got a strong frame and gets into the lane and can finish and draw the foul.  Dority is one of the top freshmen guards in Illinois.

Shelvin Mack 6’3 Jr. PG D1 Greyhounds

Mack showed us a lot more playing with the Greyhounds than he had during the high school season.  This well built point guard was a big part of the Greyhound’s run to the championship game and he had a 17-point performance in the semis.  In our last Kentucky rankings we had him 10th in the state but he is better than that.

William Buford 6’4 Jr. SG D1 Greyhounds OHIO STATE

Buford had the best scoring game of any junior at the event.  He is a little on the skinny side but that doesn’t keep him from getting his points.  He hits from deep, creates off the dribble and finishes tough lay-ins.  20 point performances were the norm in Akron and he got his points effortlessly.  He’s the same level recruit as Dequan Cook was for the Buckeyes.

Javari Williams 6’5 Sr. GF Grassroots Canada Elite Blue

Williams was by far the best under-the-radar prospect that we saw in Akron.  He is a freak athlete with a strong build that gets to the lane and plays above-the-rim.  Williams said that he doesn’t have any scholarship offers but coaches that were lucky enough to see him play left the gym feeling like they hit the jackpot (USC and St. John’s are just two of those schools).  The phenom from Canada  that says he loves USC, Kentucky and Florida, but he is considering reclassifying and going to prep school next season.

Delvon Roe 6’7 Jr. CF King of the Court MICHIGAN STATE

The top-5 junior lived up to his rep as he was the top forward at the event.  Roe was unstoppable near the basket where he used quick spin moves and explosive finishes.  The southpaw has a perimeter game too and can handle and create off the dribble, but he still needs to improve his jumper.  He’s not very long, but makes up for it with his athleticism and he is a solid defender and rebounder.  Roe is one of the elite players in the country.

Kenny Frease 6’11 Jr. C King of the Court XAVIER

Frease proved himself as one of the top centers in the nation and at a solid 6’11, 250 pounds, he has the size to go with a polished inside game.  He is a potential future All-League player in the Atlantic 10. 

Terrell Pryor 6’6 Jr. GF Team Adidas

Pryor is the nation’s top football prospect but he plans to play both sports at the next level.  The last time we saw him play was in December and he was obviously still rusty then because he was an entirely different player at this event.  Pryor ran the point for Team Adidas and handled the ball well, got to the rim at will and was one of the best passers in the tournament- although he was too unselfish at times.  The world-class athlete was one of the most dominating players we saw and he was at his best in a matchup against Devin Ebanks and finished with 35 points in that contest.  A lot of people think that his future is in football, but at 6’6 and skilled enough to play the 1-2-or-3, he is a legit top-25 (and rising) hoops prospect.  Pryor said that he is wide-open in his recruitment, but he is expected to pick a football school (Think: USC, Texas, Ohio State, etc.).

Todd Thomas 6’4 So. SF Todd Thomas

We’d still like to see more of this sophomore, but Thomas made a strong impression on us with his strong frame, athleticism and ability to finish in traffic. 

Kenny Boynton 6’2 So. CG Team Breakdown

Boynton’s 35 point performance against King of the Court was one of the best performances we’ve seen all year and it validated his top-5 ranking nationally in the loaded 2009 class.  Boynton has drawn comparisons to Chris Lofton with his unconscious shooting, but he is a better athlete and is a more versatile scorer than Lofton.  He loves the big game and is one of the best pure scorers and clutch shooters in the country.  The verdict is still out on whether he can play the point or not, but that’s not really his game.  Boynton is a big-time scorer and that’s what we see his role as being on the next level.

-Nathan McCauley, nathan@hoopsreport.com