Going Forth in July : It’s a Busy and Crucial Month for College Coaches as They Scour Camps for Schoolboy Talent

The most-important month in high school basketball begins after school ends.

During the 31 days of July, college basketball coaches watch top high school players compete in summer camps and regional tournaments in Los Angeles and across the nation.

In this summer evaluation period, coaches make the crucial decisions that impact their programs.

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. July 1, coaches were allowed to start contacting their most-prized recruits.

Some scholarships will be offered and accepted in November, before any of these players appear in the first game of their high school senior season.

“July can make or break your recruiting season and your program,” UCLA assistant coach Lorenzo Romar said. “According to the NCAA rules, you can only see a player twice during the school year. You depend a lot on July to make decisions on guys.”

The Nike All-American Camp and the Adidas/ABCD Camp attracted the most-prominent college basketball coaches, including Indiana’s Bob Knight, North Carolina’s Dean Smith, Kansas’ Roy Williams and UCLA’s Jim Harrick. The two national camps ended July 11.

West Coast coaches headed back home to attend the West Coast All-Star Camp at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Superstar Camp at Cal State Long Beach and the Slam-n-Jam National Invitational this weekend at Cal State Long Beach. It’s common to see coaches such as Utah’s Rick Majerus and California’s Todd Bozeman holding court at the Hof’s Hut at the Long Beach Marina after watching a full day’s activity at Cal State Long Beach.

Those being watched notice who is watching.

Kevin Garnett last year earned rave reviews from college evaluators who tabbed him the best high school prospect in the nation. After failing to meet college entrance requirements, Garnett entered the National Basketball Assn. draft and was selected fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is likely to become only the fourth player in history to go from high school directly to the NBA.

Guard Kobe Bryant of Lower Merion High in Ardmore, Pa., currently is considered to be the nation’s top schoolboy player. His father, Joe (Jellybean) Bryant, played eight years in the NBA, including three with the then-San Diego Clippers, and is an assistant at La Salle. Bryant works out regularly with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Bob Gibbons, publisher of Lenoir, N.C.-based All Star Sports Publications.

“He’s the most-advanced player at the high school level I’ve seen in a while,” Gibbons said. “He is the closest thing to [Detroit Piston forward] Grant Hill you will ever see at the high school level.”

Bryant, Jermaine O’Neal of Eau Claire High (S.C.), Tim Thomas of Paterson Catholic (N.J.) and Lester Earl of Glen Oaks (La.) attended the prestigious Adidas/ABCD Camp at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, N.J.

“I think these four big kids will go 1-2-3-4 in the NBA draft some year,” camp organizer Sonny Vaccaro said.

Thomas, a 6-9 center-forward, is one of three talented players listed in the Top 10 from New Jersey. The other two, Malik Allen of Shawnee High and Shaheen Holloway of St. Patrick High, make the Garden State the hot spot for young talent, according to Vaccaro.

“But it will be California’s turn in 1996,” Vaccaro said. “Schea will have his day in the sun.”

College recruiters eagerly anticipate 6-6 Schea Cotton becoming eligible. Cotton, who transferred from Bellflower St. John Bosco to Santa Ana Mater Dei and back, is old enough to be a senior but has two more high school seasons left. He will turn 18 in November.

Cotton and other top California prospects such as Olujimi Mann of Santa Ana Valley competed in the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis. Harvard-Westlake twins Jason and Jarron Collins are also members of a talented junior-to-be class. Jason Collins recently suffered torn ligaments in his ankle and will be out for the summer.

Jarron Collins and Eddie Miller, a 6-8 Chatsworth High forward, are playing this weekend for a combined American Roundball Corp.-Values for Better America team in the Slam-n-Jam, and then going to the Las Vegas Grand Finale.

Mann, a 6-4 guard, and 6-7 forward Greg Clark from La Mesa Grossmont, said they will sign with NCAA champion UCLA, giving the Bruins a quick recruiting start.

According to basketball prognosticators, the top prospects from the San Fernando Valley and Ventura County areas are Miller and 6-2 small forward Jermel Jones, who transferred from El Camino Real to Fremont. Other local players to watch include 5-11 point guard Jerome Joseph of Chatsworth, 6-2 point guard Jake Willis of Crescenta Valley and 6-0 guard Steve Aylsworth of Westlake.

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SUMMER HOT SHOTS

The top high school basketball players wil be evaluated by college recruiters at tournaments and camps throughout Southern California and the nation in July.

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Seniors To Watch

LOCAL *--*

Name School Height Pos.* 1. Olujimi Mann Santa Ana Valley 6’-4” CG 2. Corey Benjamin Fontana 6’-6” G/F 3. Greg Clark La Mesa Grossmont 6’-7” SF 4. Eddie Miller Chatsworth 6’-8” PF 5. Ortege Jenkins Long Beach Jordan 6’-2” SG 6. Danny Walker Fremont** 6’-0” SG 7. Jason Hart Inglewood** 6’-1” PG 8. James Lee Artesia 6’-5” SF 9. David Lalazarian Tustin 6’-6” SF 10. Will Porter Nogales 6’-1” CG 11. Tremaine Mayeaux Redondo 6’-3” SF 12. Brian Johnson Dominguez** 6’-5” CF 13. Dony Wilcher Fremont 5’-8” PG 14. Brian Jackson Damien 6’-5” SF 15. Michael Garrett Santa Barbara 6’-0” PG 16. Brain Jones Banning 6’-2” SG 17. Jermel Jones Fremont** 6’-2” SF 18. Tony Parker Rowland 6’-1” SG 19. Ike Harmon Santa Ana Valley 6’-6” CF 20. Brandon Price Bishop Montgomery 6’-5” SF

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THE TOP 10

NATIONAL *--*

Name School Height Position 1. Kobe Bryant Lower Merion (Pa.) 6’-6” CG 2. Jermaine O’Neal Eau Claire (S.C.) 6’-10” C 3. Tim Thomas Paterson Catholic (N.J) 6’-9” C/F 4. Chris Carrawell Cardinal Ritter (Mo.) 6’-6” SF 5. Charles Hathaway Hillwood (Tenn.) 6’-9” C 6. Ronnie Fields Farragut (Ill.) 6’-3” SG 7. Shaheen Holloway St. Patrick (N.J.) 5’-10” PG 8. Michael Bibby Shadow Mountain(Ariz.) 6’-2” PG 9. Laster Earl Glen Oaks (La.) 6’-10 C 10. Malik Allen Shawnee (N.J.) 6’-9” C

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* CG is combo guard, CF is combo forward, SF is small forward, SG is shooting guard, PG is point guard, PF is power forward.

** Probable school for 1995-96 season after transfer

LOCAL EVENTS

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July Dates Event Site 1. 8-9 Discovery Shootout CS Dom. Hills 2. 9-12 Superstar Camp CSULB 3. 11-14 West Coast All Star Camp CS Dom. Hills 4. 11-14 Great Western Shootout Ocean View High 5. 13-16 Fairfax Tournament Fairfax High 6. 15-20 Slam-n-Jam Natl. Invt. tourn. CSULB

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NATIONAL EVENTS *--*

July Dates Event Site 1. 7-12 Nike All-America Camp Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis 2. 7-12 Adidas/ABCD Camp Fairleigh Dickenson U., Teaneck, N.J. 3. 11-15 Dave Krieder Camp Shoemaker Center, Univ. of Cinn. 4. 14-16 Five-Star Camp Robert Morris College, Coraopolis, Pa. 5. 15-16 Nike/Morris Shootout Morris, Ill. 6. 15-22 Nike National Summer Nevada Las Vegas Prep Championship (north, south gyms) 7. 17-22 The Big Time/AUU Tourn. Durango H.S., Las Vegas 8. 24-29 Las Vegas Grand Finale Cimarron Memorial, Cheyenne highs, L.V. 9. 25-31 22nd Annual Nike/BCI Arizona State, Summer Prep. Intern. Tempe 10. 29-31 Steamboat Classic Memphis, Tenn.

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A DAY IN THE LIFE

Saturday’s schedule for the Adidas/ABCD Camp

8 a.m.: Wake up

8-9 a.m.: Breakfast

9:20-10:30 a.m.: Class* I

10:35-11:45 a.m.: Class* II

11:45-12:45 p.m.: Lunch

1-1:10 p.m.: Meeting

1:15-2 p.m.: Guest Speaker

2-5 p.m.: Afternoon games

4:45-5:45 p.m.: Dinner

6-6:20 p.m.: Meeting

6:15-7 p.m.: Guest Speaker

7-10 p.m.: Evening games

10:15-10:25 p.m.: Meeting

10:30-10:50 p.m.: Snack

11 p.m.: Lights Out

* Achievement Test Preparation Class