[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Hello all from Portland, sorry I have not been providing my usual daily updates. Will have a longer version tomorrow, just wanted to give some general thoughts for those who wanted to know what was happening at the Hoop Summit. So far, their have been 4 practices and the team looks really talented. Think even more so than last year from top to bottom, though I also believe the US team will be much of the same (they start two a days tomorrow/Friday).

So, here are a few thoughts on each based on what I have seen in these sessions:

• [Player: Andrew Wiggins]: People, think that Andrew has officially hit that 6-8 barrier many have been so dying to see him hit. Throw in the 7 foot wingspan, those are LeBron dimensions. Just saying. Well, he may not be LeBron, but damn if he is not insanely athletic. He also seemed exhausted, though he kicked it more into gear today and had a SICK throwdown (see video I will put below from Ty Kish of CityLeagueHoops)
• [Player: Joel Embiid]: Beast athlete. Raw as sashimi. Literally throws down when he dunks. Problem is, he falls for pump fakes, likes to shoot 3’s and has little concept of how to establish post position. Will be a foul/turnover machine early on as well. My favorite comment from a scout, after he actually made a three (followed by a miss and a ridiculous 20 foot step back, which he also missed), "Yeah, you made a 3. Now get your big @ss in the post!" Think he was saying what everyone is thinking. Also think someone literally told him to stop today. So much potential, moves really well and monster athlete. Self should turn him around and help, just expect him to be brought along slowly.
• [Player: Karl Towns]: Have to say, he has really impressed me. Not nearly the athlete Embiid is, nor is he is strong as Jaiteh. Much more skilled than both, has a soft jumper and is at least working on a post game, though he is mostly face-up right now. Very vocal, very engaged and has been supportive. Think he was either coached really well how to act in these situations or what is just as likely, is a damn smart kid. Has kept floating on the perimeter to a minimum and seems to be working on the right things. Will hopefully be able to get an interview with him, just want to say he is indeed a baller with some definite upside. He may not be 7-foot, even though he was measured as such (Embiid is easily an inch taller, maybe more and I am not sure if that makes him 7-1, though Towns seems about same height as Jaiteh), still should not matter much. Has center size, think that is more than likely his future position even with the long range ability.
• [Player: Sergey Karasev]: Assassin. Just strokes J’s and is a very smart/skilled player. Expect he will keep his name in the draft, could go late 1st round possibly. Has been bothered by size/athleticism at times, but also best shooter by far on this team.
• [Player: Livio Jean Charles]: Another pro who has been pretty damn impressive. Lots of chase down blocks, measured at 6-9 with a 7-2.5 wingspan, which seems legit. Kind of in between forward spots without the strength to play 4 or the ball skills to play 3, though is a nice slasher and should be a big match-up problem in this game. Another guy to keep an eye on for this years draft if he should enter, though seems to be a role player down the road (which is not a bad thing)
• [Player: Dennis Schroeder]: Crazy quick, skinny right now and is repped by UNC/German national team legend Ademola Okulaja. Best PG here right now as far as purely running a team and can penetrate. Do not know if he is first rounder due to how slight he is, just know I like him and he has been a pesky on ball defender. Should probably get the start.
• [Player: Dante Exum]: Measured 6-6, again seems pretty legit. Has been running point as well, though seems like more of a combo down the line. Another guy with solid athleticism, though again will need to bulk up down the line (though he is only 17). Has struggled shooting from distance and needs to focus on taking the same stroke every time. Lots of upside as a 2014 HS prospect and he gets to the line quite a bit, has a penchant for attacking the paint. Should join some lucky team in the NCAA for a year or two.
• [Player: Nikola Ivanovic]: Smart, seems like a good leader (barked at Embiid today, for good reason, and seemed to really get him, lol). Has been the next most consistent outside threat beyond Karasev. Not a major standout athletically and more of a 2 than a point man, still definitely more talented than a few of the guards on last years team.
• [Player: Tomas Dimsa]: Missed the first day and still getting into the swing of things. Picked up his shooting a bit and can really run the floor. Not incredibly long, though he did measure at 6-6 and seems to be a likely SG down the line. Can be flashy and exciting, should be a fan favorite in Europe with some NBA possiblity with more seasoning.
• [Player: Mouhammadou Jaiteh]: Think most people just call him "Mam". Huge kid, defined, hard to believe he is 18. Best rebounder here by a mile. Hustles. Anthony Bennett doppleganger. Could be a nice back-up big down the line. Not a lot of lift, limited offensively, just will crash the boards and take up space.
• [Player: Gabriel Deck]: Only kid with a translator. Someone told me he was called "Scola Jr". Hard to see why, other than both of them being Argentinian. Not bad, just does not really stand out much and is an undersized 4. I know he did really well for Argentina’s U17 team, just do not really see the NBA in his future unless he grows or improves his skill set drastically.

So, hope you dig the little breakdown and will have more for you soon. In the meanwhile, here are some tight videos from my new buddy Ty Kish and CityLeagueHoops. 

 Scrimmage highlights. Yes, the Andrew Wiggins spin dunk was SICK!:

Karl Towns and Andrew Wiggins end of practice shooting contest. It was pretty damn cool. I know he cuts, but they did not miss in between it:

Some nice Wiggins being Wiggins:

Karl Towns first day highlights. If you look closely, I am sitting near John Hollinger and jotting down notes quite often in the background, lol:

[FreelanceScoutParticipant]

Great post as always, keep it coming…

[HuRRiCaNeS324Participant]

Is the hoop summit going to be televised?

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Yeah, I believe ESPN2 is showing it and the game is Saturday at 4 PST/7 EST.

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

Hey Mikey V..

Why is that alot of the prospects like Spencer Dinwiddie,Jordan Bachynski,Alec Brown and Grant Jerrett have Ineligible on their profiles?

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Seems like he is absolutely coming back to Colorado. He really struggled in that last tournament game and has some things I believe he wants to work on to improve his game. My guess is he could improve his draft stock significantly for 2014. Bachynski and Brown have yet to enter, though I think both end up coming back to school. Would be the smart thing to do.

As for Jerrett, I of course thought he was going to come back to school. Just changed him to be draft eligible. You average 5.2 ppg on 41% FG shooting, even while shooting the same from 3, don’t care if you are 6-10, just does really not scream "one-and-done". Word was that he did not get along with Brandon Ashley, had some issues with Sean Miller and was weary of a crowded front court. One might think transferring is the better option.

Well, those are my reasons, sorry if that upsets your current Mock Draft with those other 3 guys. Just think the right move for all 3 is coming back to school. Plus with Brown’s father coming out in support of Brian Wardle, one could see that as a sign of being alright. Guess we will see what happens by April 28th. 

[BigMac12111Participant]

Pretty stupid to compare a player just off a couple plays, but he reminds me of Drazen Petrovic for some reason. Don’t know why though. Guess it’s the confidence/stroke he has on his jumpers and the fact that they always look like they’re going in when it goes off his hand. I’m very intrigued by him.

Great post and thanks for the breakdown. That little 3-Point contest was pretty cool lol

[pohani komaracParticipant]

Things I noticed in highlights how euro kids look just like those in USA in those “city hoops” clips

Most of people when watched Karasev clips taped from his games in europe didn’t like him

Funny how much proper angles and proper editing make kids look like Jordan clones. Glad now people relized how good Karasev is

[omphalosParticipant]

I was speaking with Adris Deleon about Karl Towns via twitter and he’s very high on him.

Admittedly, Deleon isn’t particularly objective, but I’ll be watching him with a bit more interest after hearing that from someone who has seen him up close.

[seniokasParticipant]

Could you please tell me little bit more about Tomas Dimsa, anything that stuck to your mind. As a lithuanian I’m very interested in how he looks compared to top prospects in the world. He obviously lacks strenght right now and doesn’t not have a very good frame, above average athlete and can shoot it. How his first step looks out there against other good athletes ? Could you see him being 2nd round pick next or the very next year ? He looks to have size as a shooting guard at 6’6, athletism and shooting ability. ?

[JoeWolf1]

Guys like Embiid are really going to showcase how much impact Danny Manning had as an assitant coach. He was a miracle worker for the Morris twins, Robinson and Withey, and although I have no doubt Embiid will leave Lawrence a much better player than he is now, guys like he and Jamari Traylor are going to test how much Manning had to do with the success of developing bigs.

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

Anyone else notice that in alot of Wiggins games,he only seems to be giving a 70% effort at times and just going thru the motions without giving much effort…..Yet he still plays better than other players and have impressive stats? So just imagine if he gave 100% every time..

I havent seen Dennis Schoeder in many mocks, but after this HOOPS SUMMITT you will….He could become this yer’s sleeper..I’m eager to see him matchup against the Harrison twin….

[XYRYXParticipant]

Thank you very much MikeD for posting this!

Really good and helpful comments on the prospects listed above.

As a german I still don’t know what to think about Schröder. He is part of a new generation of talents over here and gets a lot of good press. He plays professional basketball for a VERY long time now and is a pro already. I think talent and upside wise he is at the bottom of all the guys you will see there but maybe the most ready one from all at thsi point. Has a nice shot and is an underrated defender. Still don’t think he will be an impact player at any point of his career but definetly good to have someone from here representing our country. Hope he can provide some good minutes as the main point guard on this team.

Great article anyway!!!

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