He is an excellent passing big man. He is excellent passing in close to other big men or passing
out to the spot up three-point shooters. He plays smart, but seemed out of breath at times in the 2nd PM game but
that could be because of his previous injury.
A lefty who can use his right hand in close to make shots or throw an outlet pass with either hand.
Talks on defense & directs his teammates where they should be on defense. Greg Oden sure seems to love to play with
him, as McRoberts gets the ball to him in just the right spots.
Though not a skywalker, he does jump well, but is a very quick jumper & has great
timing on his shotblocking, similar to Battier in that regard. Good free throw shooter. Did not see him attempt
but one outside shot & it did not look good & missed badly. Showed very good inside moves and uses
the pump fake very well.
Duke fans will love him. I spoke with him briefly & he seemed very polite & seems to be the
type of kid that helps teams win championships. If he continues to work out & improve, will be an all-acc type player by
his sophomore year in college. I was very impressed with him.
Mike Conley
If Duke needed a point guard, I would love to see them go after this guy. I won't say much since
Duke appear not to be recruiting him, but he's the real deal. Pure point with very good athleticism. Can hit the
outside jumper & sets up big men well with his passing skills. Also, has excellent speed and quickness.
Daequan Cook
Easy to see why Duke and Indiana covet him. Looks to be about 6-3 to me, but is an excellent
athlete with excellent hops, speed & quickness. Sees the court well, passes very well, and is a good outside shooter.
Coach K doesn't need my help, but if he asked me I would tell him take him now!
Greg Oden
Obvious that he is a man among boys. Hardly ever shows any emotion. Physically, he looks like
a college junior or senior already. Runs the court extremely well & has a nice shooting touch from within 15 feet
of the basket. Seems to know he is a big man and doesn't care to shoot outside jumpers. Passes well out of double teams. If
he wants it bad enough, seems better than Dwight Howard to me.
Julian Wright
I don't know why Duke has dropped interest. A very good player. Doesn't run smoothly, but
is very effective. Not much of an outside shooter. Good shot blocker. Excellent finisher. Would like to see Duke recruit
him. Has lots of hops, speed, athleticism, and quickness.
Jon Scheyer
A lot like JJ, but not as good a shooter. However, he appears to run a little better than JJ. Shows
excellent poise & is an excellent passer. His basketball IQ is way ahead of others. I think that Scheyer & McRoberts
would make excellent teammates. Both have excellent basketball instincts.
Jamar Smith
He wore the jersey # 5 for the Illinois Warriors. I've never heard of him before, but he can
play. Skys over other players. Best defensive player I saw under 6-5. It is evident that he loves defense and
plays it with a passion. He has long arms and is extremely hard to pass the ball over. I just love his game. This kid is a
player.
Editors Note: Smith is out of Peoria, Illinois & plays for Peoria Richwoods
High School. He is a shooting guard out of the Class of 2005. He has already committed to play at Illinois.
JuJuan Spillman
Spillman impressed me. He played for the Derek Smith All Stars. He has tremendous speed and
quickness. I just think he will be a great college player.
Editor's note: Spillman is a 5-11 point guard prospect from the Class of
2005 from Louisville, Kentucky. He is being recruited by Western Kentucky & Marquette, but Louisville is his dream school.
(5/16/04)
