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UNDERCLASSMEN EXCEL AT
2011 LEBRON JAMES SKILLS ACADEMY

By Brick Oettinger
PrepStars.com
July 10, 2011

The biggest story in Akron at NIKE's LeBron James Skills Academy was the outstanding play of underclassmen, i.e., rising high school juniors (Class of 2013) and even a few sophomores (Class of 2014). In fact, the two most dominant performers there were 6-8, 222-pound junior WF Jabari Parker of Chicago (IL) Simeon and 6-9, 243-pound junior BF Julius Randle of Plano (TX) Prestonwood Christian.

It's difficult to find a significant weakness in Parker, who has improved his on-court decision-making a great deal in the past year and now combines outstanding shooting and ball-handling skills with elite athleticism. The only high school prospect we would currently rank ahead of Parker (and not by much) is left-handed 6-5 Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman senior WF/WG Shabazz Muhammad, the clear-cut number one talent in the Class of 2012 as well as the top overall performer we saw earlier in the week in Indianapolis.

Randle, another southpaw, needs to be careful not to put on additional weight, as he has gained 13 pounds in recent months and is beginning to broaden out in the hips. At the present time, he posts up smaller foes and takes bigger ones to the perimeter, where he torches them via strong drives to the iron or smooth jump shots to 20 feet. We'll be really surprised if Parker, Randle or Shabazz plays in college for more than one year before entering the NBA draft as a high lottery choice.

Five other underclassmen who stood out at the NIKE event were angular 6-11, 201-pound junior C Nerlens Noel of Tilton (NH) School, 6-8, 207-pound junior BF/WF Aaron Gordon of San Jose (CA) Archbishop Mitty, 6-10, 272-pound sophomore C Jahlil Okafor of Chicago (IL) Whitney Young, 6-11, 263-pound sophomore C Dakari Johnson of Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick, and 6-4, 182-pound junior WG Matt Jones of DeSoto (TX) High. Noel is tremendously quick, long-armed and a prime leaper. We consider him the premier shot-blocker in high school at the current time.

Gordon is a legitimate combo forward who plays very big around the basket yet can also move out to the wing and drill jump shots to beyond the three-point arc. Both Okafor and Johnson are precocious youngsters who already have powerful bodies as well as some effective low post power moves, while Jones proved to be one of the very best three-point shooters in the nation, as well as being a good (albeit not great) athlete and solid handler. Note that none of the eight individuals (counting Muhammad) mentioned thus far in this article has made his college decision.

Among the seniors (Class of 2012) at the LeBron James Skills Academy, our top baker's dozen in order are:

Ricardo Ledo, 6-6, 193-pound WG/WF - Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame

Tony Parker, 6-9, 284-pound C - Lithonia (GA) Miller Grove

Amile Jefferson, 6-9, 197-pound BF/WF - Wynnewood (PA) Friends Central

Jarnell Stokes, 6-9, 256-pound C/BF - Memphis (TN) Central

T.J. Warren, 6-8, 230-pound WF/BF - Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy

Anthony Bennett, 6-7, 242-pound BF/WF - Henderson (NV) Findlay Prep

Rodney Purvis, 6-4, 190-pound WG/PG - Raleigh (NC) Upper Room Academy

Marcus Paige, 6-2, 156-pound PG - Marion (IA) Linn-Mar

Mitch McGary, 6-11, 258-pound C/BF - Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy

Omar Calhoun, 6-6, 189-pound WG/PG - Middle Village (NY) Christ the King

DaJuan Coleman, 6-9, 290-pound C - DeWitt (NY) Jamesville-DeWitt

Kyle Anderson, 6-9, 226-pound WF/PG - Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony.

Only Paige (committed to North Carolina) and Calhoun (Connecticut) have announced their college destinations.

As teammates, low-post rebounder/scorer Tony Parker, mobile and hard-working Ashley, and cerebral lefty floor general Paige paced the “North Carolina” team to the camp championship, with a victory over “Duke” (which was led by Calhoun's scoring and Anderson's skilled passing) in the title contest. Versatile Ledo didn't stand out in the first game we saw him play, but in the next three he was superb, and he's definitely among the top 10 prospects in the Class of 2012. Jefferson followed his exceptional play mid-June at the NBPA Top 100 Camp (where he was the top scorer) with almost equally stellar play at Akron. He's at his best around the basket yet is also proving that he can knock in mid-range jumpers.

Stokes is an inside “horse” who can also step out and hit jump shots to 17 feet, while Warren is a veritable scoring machine who was quite impressive prior to suffering a hard fall (but apparently no serious injury) on the final afternoon of the event. Bennett, a native Canadian who has had a consistently excellent spring and early summer and is now hearing from UNC among many others, again showcased his strength, toughness, leap and smooth shooting stroke. Quick Purvis drives as well as or better than every current high school player, and his jump shot shows signs of improving, as he now has good backspin but needs a little more arch.

McGary is an intriguing player who lacks top-caliber athletic ability but has plenty of strength, plays very hard and boasts excellent overall skills for a big man. Coleman is too heavy by about 20 pounds and is neither fast nor bouncy, but he is still a low post “beast” who is nearly always fouled when he gets the ball low in the lane. Unfortunately, he's a very unreliable free throw shooter at the present time.