We saw all of the Duke targets or players that Duke is recruiting in the 2012 class and one in the 2013 class that were available in Charlottesville. Here is a brief scouting report on those players.
Rasheed Suliamon: Suliamon who is pictured above started slowly but came on strong at the camp. He is an excellent shooter who is best at catch and shoot. His handle is good, to the point he can play the point if necessary. He is excellent in the open court and is very unselfish. He also gets his teammates involved ,even in a disjointed situation like a camp of this sort. He drives to the basket very well and is a triple threat when he has the ball. He is a good not great athlete that will excel in Duke's system. He has been compared favorably to Daniel Ewing, but he is already a better shooter than Ewing. Suliamon really impressed me with his attitude. He is tough and doesn't defer to anyone on the court. He wants to win very badly and it shows. The 6-3 guard from Houston, Texas plays with the Houston Hoops and we will see again at Peach Jam in three weeks. He averaged 12.3 points in his five games, with a game high of 22.
Tony Parker: Parker had a great camp and continues to improve. In the three games I saw this past week he played well in all three. He averaged 9.3 points for the week, but that is very deceiving considering the big men seldom get the ball in games like this. He out played Shaquil Cleare on the first day and on Friday he out played Andre Drummond in the first half they played against each other and was even in the one brief period they played in the second half. He showed more range from outside against Drummond than I have ever seen from him. He creates a lot of space with his wide body in the low post. Parker is not a shot blocker, nor is he a good leaper, but most of the time he gets good position. Parker is not a great athlete, but his toughness has come a long way. The 6-9 big man from Lithonia, Georgia is currently playing with the Georgia Stars so we should see him in Augusta also.
Mitch McGary: McGary played well in the 2+ games I viewed. He is 6-10, 250 and he creates a big presence in the post. He reminds me of Jason Collier who attended Indiana and Ga. Tech in the late 90's. He is a little more bulkier than Collier, but has a nice left handed 15 foot jumper and has nice drop step moves around the basket. McGary also is not a great athlete, but is very skilled. He has good hands and is a good passer out of the post. He is not a shot blocker, but he is a good rebounder. He is originally from Wolfeboro, Indiana and now attends Brewster Academy near Boston. He averaged 12.3 points over his 6 games at the camp with a game high of 22 in his finale.
Nate Britt: The 6-1, 155 pound guard(2013)who is pictured above had a great NBA Top 100 camp. He really got acclimated as the camp went on. We saw him in his first three games and he got better and better. He handles the ball equally well with either hand. He is more of a combo guard in my opinion, but he can certainly play the point and he looks more for his shot than pass. Britt is a good enough when he does choose to distribute. He can get the basket at will and can finish. He needs the most work on his long range jumper, but his mid range is very good. He also needs to involve teammates more if he is intent on being a point guard at the next level. Britt was the second leading scorer at the camp with a 16.7 average and scored in double figures in every game. He is definitely a top 10-15 player in the class of 2013.
Nerlens Noel: Noel is a 6-10, 210 pound shot blocking extraordianaire. His height gives him a huge edge and his wing span takes it to another level. Noel who is in the 2013 class from Everett, Massachussetts and is a consensus top 5 in his class. Noel is another player who got better as the camp went on. He averaged only 7.4 points for the week, but in the playoffs he had 18 and 15 points in his last two games. In addition to his shot blocking skills he is a good passer out of the post. He needs to get much stronger so he will not get pushed out of the post and he needs a go to move around the basket. All of that said his upside is off the chart.
Alex Poythress: The 6-7, 210 pound Poythress is an excellent run jump athlete who had a tough week at the camp. He never got into any rythmn all week. He runs the court like a gazelle and is a terrific rebounder for a combo forward. He normally gets to the basket on slashing drives and hits a good amount of jumpers, but nothing worked for him in Charlottesville. He only averaged 4.9 points per game, with one game (16) in double figures all week. He needs to work on his skill set and stay agressive as that is his game. I think most are willing to chalk it up to playing with unfamiliar teammates in a camp atmosphere, but he can't have a repeat of this week or his stock will plummit.
