A Feast for Basketball Gourmets : Summer Camps Offer a Look at Some of the Country’s Most Talented Young Players

With the NBA Championship more than two weeks over, some basketball fans may be experiencing hoop withdrawal.

For those who hunger for a steady diet of jump shots and slam dunks, the summertime offers a complete menu. From nationwide summer camps to regional high school tournaments, the summer holds an array of delicacies for the serious roundball junkie.

The Nike All-American All-Star Camp in Deerfield, Ill., which runs through Tuesday, will showcase many of the nation’s best high school seniors for college recruiters, including the nation’s top prospect, Kevin Garnett, a 6-foot-10 center from Mauldin (S.C.) High School.

“Garnett is the most gifted all-around big man I’ve seen in 20 years,” said Bob Gibbons, publisher for Lenoir, N.C.-based All Star Sports Publications. “He is an amazing shot blocker, has an excellent feel for the game and does instinctive things on the court that can’t be taught.”

Garnett will be joined in the Windy City by blue-chip prospects such as forward Ron Mercer of Madison (Tenn.) High; forward Luther Clay of Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, Me; center Robert Traylor of Murray-Wright High in Detroit; guard Vincent Carter Mainland High, Daytona Beach (Fla.); forward Terrance Roberson of Buena Vista High, Saginaw, Mich.; center Taymon Domzalski of Lovington (N.M.) High, and guard Melvin Levett of St. Joseph High in Cleveland.

Stephon Marbury, a 6-3 point guard from Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln High, will headline the list of talent at the Adidas ABCD at Teaneck, N.J., Tuesday through Saturday.

“Marbury is better than Kenny Anderson was at that stage,” said Clark Francis, editor and publisher of the Hoop Scoop magazine said about the New Jersey Nets guard. “He is a pure point guard and makes his teammates better.”

Inglewood shooting sensation Paul Pierce will be competing against Marbury at ABCD.

Along with Pierce, a 6-7 forward who shoots well from outside, will be point guard Arthur Lee of North Hollywood High and forward Shareef Abdur-Raheem of Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler High.

The Krieder Basketball Camp in Cincinnati will showcase the nation’s top underclassmen. The University of Cincinnati will host the camp July 10-14. While the Nike and ABCD camps are free to players who are invited, the Krieder Camp charges $330 a player.

“The Krieder Basketball Camp gives a lot of underclassmen exposure who otherwise wouldn’t be recognized,” Krieder associate director Sharon Kaplan said. “We take kids from small towns who often get overshadowed by kids from big cities.”

Calvin Murphy Jr., son of former NBA star Calvin Murphy, of Houston Pius X High; Mike Bibby, son of former NBA player Henry Bibby, of Phoenix Shadow Mountain High; and center Lamont Barnes of Hopkinsville (Ky.) University Heights High will be in attendance.

Southern California offers a host of basketball appetizers for basketball fans within driving distance and admission is free. The Slam ‘N Jam Spring/Summer Development League runs Wednesday through Saturday at Carson High. Compton’s Dominguez High will be the top seed in a 16-team tournament, which includes Inglewood, Long Beach Poly, Inglewood Morningside and Fremont.

Dominguez is led by 6-5 guard Tommy Prince, who is recognized as one of Southern California’s top three players, along with Pierce and 6-9 center Jelani McCoy of San Diego St. Augustine.

Prince, a good inside-outside player, averaged 20 points in leading his Dons to their second consecutive championship in last month’s Watts Summer Games. He scored his average on 9-of-20 shooting in the 92-58 championship game win over Dorsey.

Among the other standouts in the four-day tournament will be Pierce, Mater Dei’s sophomore Schea Cotton, Santa Ana Valley junior Olujimi Mann and the Westchester duo of senior Ben Sanders and highly touted junior Danny Walker.

The Pump Discovery Shootout, Tuesday and Wednesday at Cal State Dominguez Hills, provides area fans the best opportunity to see the future stars of the upcoming Central City basketball season.

Loyola’s Moose Bailey, the 6-1 guard and younger brother of former Cub standout and UCLA recruit Toby Bailey, and 5-10 guard Clem Breedlove of L.A. Jordan, a City Times All-Star second-team selection in 1993, are among the top area players scheduled to compete.

Also on the list are Fremont guard Donnie Wilcher, Manual Arts guard Darwin Carter, Verbum Dei guard Ivory Burris and Dorsey forward Will O’Neal.

Cal State Dominguez Hills will also host the West Coast All-Stars. The Saturday-July 12 event, like the Pump Discover Shootout, will be run by the Pump twins, David and Dana.

SUMMER HOT SHOTS

The top high school basketball players will be evaluated by college recruiters during tournaments and camps located throughout the nation and in Southern California.

Local Events

JULY 5-6

EVENT: Pump Discovery Shootout

SITE: Cal State Dominguez Hills

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JULY 6-10

EVENT: Mater Dei Tournament

SITE: Mater Dei High, Santa Ana

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JULY 8-10

EVENT: Servite Tournament

SITE: Servite High, Anaheim

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JULY 9-12

EVENT: West Coast All-Stars

SITE: Cal State Dominguez Hills

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JULY 14-17

EVENT: Fairfax Tournament

SITE: Fairfax High, Los Angeles

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JULY 30-31

EVENT: Slam ‘N Jam Invitational

SITE: South and West Torrance high schools

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JULY 30-31

EVENT: Southern Calif. Showdown

SITE: Lakewood

Other Events

JULY 1-5

EVENT: Nike Scholastic Festival

SITE: Deerfield, Ill.

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JULY 5-9

EVENT: Adidas ABCD

SITE: Teaneck, N.J.

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JULY 10-14

EVENT: Krieder Basketball Camp

SITE: University of Cincinnati

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JULY 10-14

EVENT: Superstar Invitational

SITE: UC Santa Barbara

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JULY 16-23

EVENT: Las Vegas Invitational

SITE: Nevada Las Vegas

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JULY 25-30

EVENT: Las Vegas Grand Finale

SITE: Las Vegas

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JULY 25-30

EVENT: Basketball Congress Intl.

SITE: Arizona State, Tempe, Ariz.

Players to Watch

LOCAL

NAME SCHOOL HT YR POS. Ronnie Arch Crenshaw 6’6” Sr. G Moose Bailey Loyola 6’1” Sr. G Clem Breedlove Jordan 5’10” Sr. G Darwin Carter Manual Arts 6’-1” Sr. G Raymond Palmer Crenshaw 6’-7” Sr. F Ivory Burris Verbum Dei 6’-2” Sr. G Robert Lamar Gordon Washington 6’-6” Sr. F Will O’Neal Dorsey 6’-5” Sr. F/C Deon Williams Verbum Dei 6’-1” Jr. G Donnie Wilcher Fremont 5’-9” Jr. G

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The Top 10

NATIONAL

NAME SCHOOL (STATE) HT YR POS. Kevin Garnett Mauldin (S.C.) 6’-10” Sr. C Ron Mercer Madison (Tenn.) 6’-7” Sr. F Stephon Marbury Lincoln (N.Y.) 6’-3” Sr. G Robert Traylor Murray (Mich.) 6’-7” Sr. F/C Vincent Carter Mainland (Fla.) 6’-6” Sr. G Terrance Roberson Buena Vista (Mich.) 6’-8” Sr. F Alonzo Jamison Providence (N.C.) 6’-8” Sr. F Luther Clay Maine Central (Me.) 6’-8” Sr. F Paul Pierce Inglewood 6’-7” Sr. F Taymon Domzalski Lovington (N.M.) 6’-9” Sr. C

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A Day in the Life

Today’s schedule for the Nike Scholastic Festival.

7-8 a.m.: Breakfast

8-9 a.m.: Motivational session

9-noon: Academics

Noon-1: Lunch

1-2 p.m.: Leadership training

2-5 p.m.: Basketball games

5-6 p.m.: Dinner

6-7 p.m.: Counseling NCAA rules

7-10 p.m.: Basketball games

10-11 p.m.: Shower and snack

11 p.m.: Lights out

Compiled by SEAN WATERS and CHARLES SMITH / Los Angeles Times