Friday Night In Cameron

The much anticipated Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions (TOC) returns to the Triangle Area for it's annual Memorial Day weekend visit. Starting Friday and lasting through Saturday, the TOC will be scattered across 21 basketball courts on the campuses of Duke, UNC, and N.C. State, as well as other venues in the triangle area. The tournament gives basketball junkies across the region a chance to view some of the very best high school basketball talent from the class of 2005, 2006, and 2007. The action will tip-off Friday evening around 6:30 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium, when future Duke point guard Greg Paulus and his SRAP team from Syracuse, N.Y. take on Team Orlando. Here is a rundown of the action taking place Friday night and who to keep an eye on: 

SRAP vs. Team Orlando, 6:30 p.m. EST; Cameron Indoor Stadium

SRAP comes into the TOC with one of the most formidable tandems of all the teams participating this weekend, led by future Duke point guard Greg Paulus (6-2, 175; jr.). Paulus is noted for his exceptional court vision, as well as the ability to shoot the ball from long-distance. Paulus' teammate, C Andray Blatche (6-11, 220, sr.), comes into the TOC as one of the best big men in the country. Blatche is believed to have all the tools to become an intimidating force down low, but most scouts agree he is still raw offensively. While Blatche's recruitment is still wide open, there is speculation that it may come down to UNC, UCONN, Syracuse, or the NBA. This dynamic duo will team up with another force down low, in big man James Tchana (6-7, 260, jr.). As mentioned, he is a load under the basket and is currently receiving interest from schools such as Albany and San Diego. These three will be joined by super athletic WF Benoit Bekeno (6-6, 190, jr.), WF Corey McGee (6-7, 195, so.), and WG Jim O Sullivan (6-0, 170, sr.). SRAP will be taking on AAU Team Orlando. Game is scheduled to tip at 6:30 p.m. 

New Orleans Jazz vs. N.C. Gators-Red, 8:00 p.m. EST; Cameron Indoor Stadium

The second game of the tripleheader at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday night might be the most intriguing. Duke fans might be familiar with the New Orleans Jazz, as recent Duke All-American Chris Duhon manned the point guard slot for several years. The Jazz feature the consensus number one prospect from the class of 2005, in SF/PF Tasmin Mitchell (6-7, 235, jr.) of Denham Springs, Louisiana. Scouts agree that at 235 pounds, Mitchell is an excellent athlete for his size and plays aggressively, especially on the glass. While speculation continues to swirl that he may have already given a commitment to play for his hometown LSU Tigers, Mitchell maintains that one other school remains an option, the Kentucky Wildcats. Mitchell will be joined by Texas Tech commitment WG/WF Terry Martin (6-6, 190, jr.), who is noted for his excellent shooting stroke. C Cyrus McGowan (6-10, 225, jr.) will hold down the interior for the Jazz. McGowan, who is also an LSU lean, is very thin and a bit raw on the offensive end as well, but possesses a tremendous knack for blocking shots. Running the show at point guard is ultra-quick PG Darryl Augustine (6-0, 160, so.). Augustine has great speed, can score in bunches, and is difficult to keep out of the lane. Augustine is a top 10 prospect from the class of 2006 and is receiving heavy interest from several high-major schools, including UNC. WG Drew Meyerchik (6-1, 175, jr.) rounds out the starting five for the New Orleans-based team. The Jazz will face off against the hometown N.C. Gators-Red, who lost several players from last year's team, including N.C. State recruit Cedric Simmons. The Gators are led by Greensboro (NC) Dudley teammates, PF Kevin Swinton (6-7, 225, jr.) and SF/PF William Graves (6-6, 220, so.). Swinton, at 6-7 and 225 pounds, has an excellent body for his position. He has the ability to create off the dribble, or take his defenders down low, where he uses his array of post moves. Swinton has already given a verbal commitment to play basketball for Wake Forest and head coach Skip Prosser. Graves is an interesting prospect, considered to be top 25 from the class of 2006. At only 6-6, Graves loves to play in the low post and use his wide body to grab rebounds and get easy put-backs. He reminds most scouts of Texas freshman P.J. Tucker, who was also from the Triangle area, Raleigh (NC) Enloe, but ended up with the Longhorns after local coaches from N.C. State, Duke, and UNC were turned off by his height. However, after a fine freshmen year with the Longhorns, Tucker proved that guys his size can compete in the paint, and might be the reason Graves is receiving early interest from such schools as Duke, UNC, N.C. State, Wake Forest, and Clemson. Joining Swinton and Graves will be WG/SF Everson Simmons (6-4, 180, jr.). Simmons is a fine athlete and is more likely to play the small forward position at the next level. Although he does not score a ton of points, Simmons is very consistent and scores when needed. His body allows him to slash to the basket and create for himself, as well as his teammates. Game is scheduled to tip at 8:00 p.m. 

Spiece Indiana Heat vs. D.C. Select, 9:30 p.m. EST; Cameron Indoor Stadium

The nightcap from Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday will feature what is likely the most exciting team in the TOC field, when Spiece Indy Heat is scheduled to take the court at 9:30 p.m. The Heat will square off against D.C. Select to cap off what is expected to be an exciting evening in Cameron. Future Duke power forward Josh McRoberts (6-10, 235, jr.) teams with all-world PF/C Greg Oden (6-10, 230, so.) to form one of the best frontlines in all of AAU hoops. McRoberts, who committed to Coach K's Blue Devils during the fall, is a highly-skilled big man that has the ability to play all over the court. He has a full arsenal of moves, whether in the low post or roaming the perimeter. McRoberts, however, does not need to score as much on this team, since Oden holds down the middle. As a result, McRoberts shows his repertoire of skills, including precision entry passes from the high post to Oden in the blocks, above average skills rebounding the ball, and great court awareness. Oden, although  just a sophomore, is believed to be the best basketball player in the nation, regardless of class. Some scouts predict that by the time he is a senior, Oden may be better than recent NBA Draft early entrant PF Dwight Howard (6-11, 230) of Atlanta. Oden is considered a man among boys. He is a rebounding and shot blocking machine. On offense, similar to Howard, Oden tries to dunk with every opportunity. It is highly unlikely that he will ever play college basketball, but if so, the hometown Indiana Hoosiers appear to have the early edge. Joining the two big men will be a pair of exceptional guards on the perimeter, WG/SF Daequan Cook (6-5, 190, so.) and PG Mike Conley (6-1, 155, so.). Cook, simply put, is an offensive machine. Cook has the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive past his defender for a thunderous dunk, shoot the mid-range jumper, or shoot the long-range jumper. Cook has the all the tools to be an offensive weapon at the next level. Pay special attention to him throughout the weekend, as he can explode offensively in spurts. Cook, who is being courted by several high-major programs, including Duke, is also an above average defender. Conley, who also plays on the same high school team as Oden, is the epitome of a point guard. Conley looks to pass the ball first, and with so many options on this Heat team, there is good reason. For only a sophomore, Conley does a good job of running a team. He can also shoot the ball well when necessary. Although it is very early in his recruitment, Conley has a long list of big time schools, including Kentucky, Michigan State, Indiana, and Stanford. Concluding this remarkable starting five is freshman WG Eric Gordon (6-2, 180, fr.), who has also proved that he can score in bunches. Gordon is still very young and his recruitment is only starting at this point. One notable off the bench for the Heat is freshman PF/C Aaron Pogue (6-9, 225, fr.), who, interestingly enough, has drawn comparisons to current UNC big man Sean May. Spiece Indiana Heat will do all they can to control class of 2006 SF/PF Kevin Durant (6-8, 185, so.), who will lead the D.C. Select attack. Durant is an exceptional athlete who plays inside and outside. He has a very long body and shoots very well, with range, for his size. One scout said that Durant's body will continue to mature, and as it does, so will his game. He finishes his drives well and is starting to develop better ball-handling skills. Be sure to also keep an eye out for Durant throughout the weekend, as he is starting to receive attention from several high-major basketball programs. Game is scheduled to tip at 9:30 p.m. 

Also of interest: While these three games are going on inside Cameron Indoor Stadium Friday night, there will be several other games taking place on campus. The schedule includes: 

Card Gym (located directly beside Cameron)- 6:30 game features Belmont Shore, CA (Seketoure Henry, Brett Hoerner, Ed White, James Cawthorne) vs. Seattle Team, YES; 8:00 game features So. California All-Stars (Marcus Johnson, Amir Johnson) vs. Jermaine O Neal All-Stars; 9:30 game features The Playaz (Brandon Costner, Jawan Carter, Ryan Ayers, Wayne Ellington, Gerald Henderson, Luis Guzman, JR Inman, Alvin Munfunyo, Hashim Bailey) vs. Vic Sims All-Stars 

Wilson Center, Court 1 (located beside Card)- 6:30 game features New Heights Warriors vs. New England Playaz; 8:00 game features Southeast Elite (Tyler Smith), AL vs. Salt Lake City Metro; 9:30 game features Dallas Mustangs (Byron Eaton, Austin Jackson, Gary Flowers) vs. Team Richmond

Wilson Center, Court 2 (located beside Card)- 6:30 game features Tallahassee Wildcats (Alex Ruoff, Abdul Herrera, Ryan Reid, Jermonte Bush) vs. Houston Select; 8:00 game features Magnolia Stars vs. Michigan Mustangs; 9:30 game features KC Pump n' Run 16 vs. Las Vegas Prospects 16
 

Austin Emory

(5/27/04)