The future looks bright at the 2007 Jordan Classic
Posted: Monday, April 30, 2007
by Joseph Jagde
The Jordan classic consists of two games, the first being a regional All Star game featuring New York City verses the Suburban All Stars and the National All Star Game. Between both games, about 30 of the top 100 high school players in the country as seniors were in attendance.
In the second game which was the national game, one of the featured players was Jeffrey Jordan, Michael Jordan’s son who opened up the scoring of the game with an alley oop slam off a nice timing pass. Like dad. Jordan is listed a 6 feet tall as a point guard but he seemed bigger here and he is a lefty shooter who handled well in traffic, didn’t dominate the ball and distributed well and scored himself in this game finishing with 9 points. He will walk on for Illinois University, a basketball power from the Big Ten conference. Even thought these were national all stars, the traditional breakdown of this games with an East verses West wasn’t there as the game featured the Royal Jerseys verses the Yellow Jerseys. The outcome of the game was secondary to seeing some of the best up and coming basketball players in the world.
For the Royal Jerseys, there were two players heading to Florida University who has just won consecutive National Championships and lose all 5 starters from this years team. 6’5 Nick Calathes and 6’8 Chandler Parsons, are both from Lake Howell High School from Winter Park, Florida.
Nick Calathes gives a Steve Nash type look in terms of playing style, in that he covers a lot of ground with the dribble rather quickly and hits teammates for pinpoint passes while handling on the run. He really jets all over the court effectively with the dribble and this is characteristic of his game. Then he shoots the spot up jumper from deep. Calathes, has broad shoulders and looks big on the court and his extra size only helps him in this style of play as he is always ready to crash the boards as well.
Chandler Parsons was quite impressive, being both speedy and quick and was either spinning to the hoop for quick his rising jams, flat out shooting from deep, or rifling a pass down the blocks. He looks like a player who really comes to play.
This two can be a dynamic duo for Florida whose championship team is headed to the NBA. However, any recruits would be hard pressed to meet the unusual defensive prowess of the team who won back to back national championships, these new players certainly will bring an exciting brand of basketball to Gator country with them.
Donte Greene, a 6’10 forward who is heading to Syracuse University had an excellent game. He releases on the jumper very high and can do a lot of damage from the outside as he showed consistent range and then he drives quite well and this skill combination can make him a big scorer in college. He finished up the game with 20 points.
Jerryd Bayless, the touted guard from St. Mary High School in Phoenix, Arizona who is heading to Arizona U to play his college hoops was his usual self in scoring in bunches as he finished with 17 points and on one play showed his extreme acrobatic leaping ability on a twirling long time in the air never getting back to the ground jam.
Kosta Koufos, from a 7’1 center from Glen Oak H. S. in Canton, Ohio showed he has good hands and can handle a bit and a steady jumper from mid range, which he can obviously just about always get due to his size. He has good ability to see spots on the floor and get to them. He had 16 points.
Durrell Summers, a 6’6 forward from Covenant High School in Redford, Michigan looked super athletic and jelled well with his teammates on the court to go along with his dynamic play.
Kalin Lucas from St. Mary’s Prep of Orchard Lake Michigan is a 6’1 guard who is headed to Michigan State with consummate leadership on the court and excellent shooting ability.
Patrick Patterson, from Huntington, West Virginia, a strong and skilled 6’8 forward who in now the subject of a major recruiting contest nationally, as he is being hotly pursued by such schools as Duke and Kentucky, showed why here. I think he had the most impressive sequences in the game, where he launched 3 outlet passes the length of the court in a couple of minute span where he hit the players right on the numbers and 2 of these were just from turning quickly and hurling the ball up court with on hand and it was the equivalent of seeing three superlative very long range throws from a football quarterback who was slightly out of position to even make these throws. Come to think of it, it was three of the best hurls I’ve ever witnessed in a sporting event sequentially including going to pro football games.
Chris Wright, a 6’1 guard from St. John’s Prep in Washington, D.C. who is headed to Georgetown showed he is a heady point guard who can make the athletic plays as well and one of his strong points is his body control in the lane where he can convert from any angle. He had 14 points an 9 assist’s this game. He loves to drive and may need to bring his game outside a bit more in college.
For the Yellow Jerseys on of the players was Duke bound Kyle Singler from Medford, Oregon who some people feel is the best player in the country although there is no clear consensus on the top spot this year. At 6’9 he gives a taller Bill Bradley type look with consummate court vision and his moves without the ball may be the best in the country at all levels of basketball including the NBA and he has the deep jumper as well. He does so much off the dribble including heading the break and either dishing or taking himself. This game he was most impressive for his creative moves and while some of his shots just missed, his moves were superlative. He finished with 16 points. I had spoken to him at a previous tournament and he seems like a great guy as well.
Eric Gordon, a very strong 6’4 guard from North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana who is heading to Indiana University showed his willingness to take it strong to the hoop as well to go along with his reputed long range shooting ability. He had 16 points.
Blake Griffin, a powerful 6’8 forward from Oklahoma Christian School, in Edmond, OK who is heading to Oklahoma, is cat quick with the ball in his hands, has a shooters touch and fights for position like no one you have seen.
Gary Johnson, a 6’7 forward from Aldine High School in Houston, Texas who is headed to Texas is one of those unstoppable types on offense, due to his touch, his ability to leap even away from the basket on lean away shots in the lane or to the side and still convert with flair and substance.
Jeff Robinson from St. Patrick’s High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey whose college choice is Memphis, had a great game, hitting a couple of lefty radar threes and converting acrobatic jams on the break. He led all scoring for the yellow squad with 17 points.
Also headed to Memphis was his teammate Derrick Rose, a 6’4 power point guard from Simeon High School in Chicago, who plays inside and outside, on the ball or off the ball and with his all world athleticism and outstanding floor vision also has a nice ability to change the tempo of the offense if needed. Between him and Jeff Robinson, it could be interesting at Memphis next year with a group of excellent returnees from a top ten team this year.
Jai Lucas, a 5’11 point guard from Bellaire High School in Bellaire, TX is super fast with the ball and shoots well. Makes you think of bit of T. J. Ford.
Austin Freeman, the second player from this game who is heading to Georgetown, is a 6’5 scorer who played at Dematha High School, in Hyattsville, Maryland. He could be a small forward on offense in college as he get into the lane that well and jumps very high on his shot where he invariably converts and his short game is very impressive and he can step outside and shoot deep as well. He is particularly impressive in the fast break style of play. He had 16 points.
Corey Fisher, a noted scorer had 11 assists along with 12 points and was named M.V.P. of the game in breaking the assist record for the Jordan Classic. He is a magician with the basketball and sees the passing lanes very well especially as things break into more of an open court scenario. He can step into the scoring role as his scoring exploits in summer tournaments with even pros are well known. He is also from St. Patrick’s High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey who finished the past high school season ranked number 2 in the nation and Corey is headed to Villanova University.
The final score was 127 to 119 in favor of Corey Fisher’s yellow squad but the game was even with 3 minutes to go.
In the first game, it was the Suburban Team verses the Jordan Brand City team which was basically players from New York City.
Suburban surged at the end but fell short of a comeback victory as Jordan Brand City won the game by the score of 114-112.
For Suburban, Alex Wangmene, from Blair Acadmeny in Blairstown, New Jersey who is from the Cameroon in Africa is 6’9 and plays skillfully and effectively. He is headed to basketball power Texas.
Mathew Bryan Amaning is a 6’10 forward from the South Kent School in South Kent, Ct, and a native of England who is headed to play in the PAC 10 conference for Washington.
Both these players were very impressive and virtual play alikes. Amaning is silky smooth with great hands and a nice touch from deep on in. He skillfully gets to the basket with ease and takes advantage of the slightest daylight for high flying dunks. He had a couple of monster blocks on defense.
He is generally rated about number 35 in the nation in the class of 2007. He finished the game with 24 points.
Alex Wangmene, has an excellent blend of power, grace, and skill to his game and finishes in traffic off quick moves to the basket. He has a good outside shot. Offensively, he is one of the most advanced big men you will see and he really runs the court. He finished the game with 21 points.
For Suburban, two players are heading two Rutgers University. Mike Colburn is a 6 foot guard from Mount Vernon, New York who is a powerful point guard with more of a football build. He showed here the type of consistent passing skills that are NBA level.
Corey Chandler, a 6’2 speedster from East Side High in Newark, New Jersey is also heading to Rutgers. He is a blur to the basket, and has a sweet jumper with a great looking release. He had an excellent game and at times showed blazing speed.
Rashard Bishop, at 6’6 shooting guard from St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, New Jersey, didn’t play as much, he is a noted scorer who can either be a presence both inside and outside on the court and is a consistent performer who will be heading to the University of Cincinnati.
Chris Smith, a 6’3 shooting guard from St. Benedict’s prep in New Jersey who is undecided about his college choice has a brother in the NBA who plays for Denver. He is a powerful leaper who didn’t miss in this game and seems very skilled with the outside game or high flying game.
Also for Suburban was Rashon Dwight, a 6’3 guard from Bloomfield Tech High school in Bloomfield, New Jersey who is headed to Iona and displayed nice savvy in this game.
Corey Raji at 6’7 is a noted lefty scorer from Westwood High School, in Wahsington township, New Jersey who is headed to Boston College and he drove to the basket well this game.
Patrick Hazel, 6’7 from Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey who is headed to basketball power Marquette ran the floor for finishes particularly well as a power forward.
T.J. Carey, from St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay, New York who is going to play for Harvard, handles on the break and passed well this game from that position.
Obviously this game was a run and gun fare, but the passing and teamwork within this was excellent all the way through this game.
Finally, for Surburban was Idris Hilliard, a 6’7 small forward from the Hun School, in Princeton, New Jersey whose college choice is St. Joseph’s. He hits spot up jumpers or comes underneath for slams.
For the City who mostly had a running ten point lead most of the game, two Hofstra recruits looked great.
Nathaniel Lester, a high scoring 6’6 shooting guard from Canarsie High School in Brooklyn, New York scored in bunches and was very quick to the basket. He finished the game with 21 points.
Devon Peterson, also a shooting guard at 6’2 from Abraham Lincoln High School, in Brooklyn, had a couple of dunks where you said he has to be to far out to the basket to start a dunk attempt but he stilled flushed the glass on these plays.
He looked quick on quick in this game.
Zamal Nixon, a 6’2 combo guard from Boys and Girls High school in Brooklyn who is headed to Houston to play hoops, spends a lot of his time on the court above the rim, as he elevates above it and seems to stay there, and he combines excellent floor vision with the ability to consistently execute plays and plays with the heart of a lion.
Jamie Harris, a slick New York city guard who is from Wing’s Academy in the Bronx and is headed to Drexel displayed his hallmark confidence this game.
Mike Glover, now listed as 6’8 in the program may be still be growing. He is from NYC but played this past year at American Christian School in Aston, PA with all world Tyreke Evans. Mike is super quick with his feet and is as powerful a leaper as you will see. He knows how to fake his man and it will be interesting to see him play at his college of choice Seton Hall. He is simply dominant at this level and had 19 points and 11 rebounds in this game where everybody split the minutes. He has awesome extension at the rim.
Jabari Edwards, a 6’10 Center from St. Benedict’s in Newark who uses his height well on defense, also has offensive skills and finishes on the break and on the move.
Andrew Gabriel is a strong forward from Christ the King High school in Middle Village New York. At 6’6 he handles well enough to play some guard and it tough on the court.
Gerald Colds, is another Drexel recruit from the city and he played for St. Raymonds High school in the Bronx as a 6’2 combination guard. He has classic form on his jump shot, is not bashful about shooting it and is speedy.
Malik Boothe is a slight of the hand passer and scorer as a point guard from Christ the King High school who is headed to St. John’s. He has been the MVP of the famed IS8 tournament which says a lot about his abilities.
Mike Cavataio, is a 6’5 jumping jack shooting guard from St. Francis Prep in New York who is also headed to St. John’s who put up gaudy numbers in the NYC Catholic league. He excels at seeing the court.
Darion Benbow is a promising 6’9 center who will continue his career a Lafayette and he played for St. Raymonds High School in the Bronx.
These city slickers were enough to hold off an extremely talented suburban squad and in this game it was the overall explosiveness of Nathaniel Lester that did set a tone at times towards this victory.
The Jordan classic consists of two games, the first being a regional All Star game featuring New York City verses the Suburban All Stars and the National All Star Game. Between both games, about 30 of the top 100 high school players in the country as seniors were in attendance.
In the second game which was the national game, one of the featured players was Jeffrey Jordan, Michael Jordan’s son who opened up the scoring of the game with an alley oop slam off a nice timing pass. Like dad. Jordan is listed a 6 feet tall as a point guard but he seemed bigger here and he is a lefty shooter who handled well in traffic, didn’t dominate the ball and distributed well and scored himself in this game finishing with 9 points. He will walk on for Illinois University , a basketball power from the Big Ten conference. Even thought these were national all stars, the traditional breakdown of this games with an East verses West wasn’t there as the game featured the Royal Jerseys verses the Yellow Jerseys. The outcome of the game was secondary to seeing some of the best up and coming basketball players in the world.
Chris Wright, a 6’7 forward from Ohio heading to Dayton also established right at the start of the game that he dunks at will.
For the Royal Jerseys, there were two players heading to Florida University who has just won consecutive National Championships and lose all 5 starters from this years team. 6’5 Nick Calathes and 6’8 Chandler Parsons, are both from Lake Howell High School from Winter Park , Florida .
Nick Calathes gives a Steve Nash type look in terms of playing style, in that he covers a lot of ground with the dribble rather quickly and hits teammates for pinpoint passes while handling on the run. He really jets all over the court effectively with the dribble and this is characteristic of his game. Then he shoots the spot up jumper from deep. Calathes, has broad shoulders and looks big on the court and his extra size only helps him in this style of play as he is always ready to crash the boards as well.
Chandler Parsons was quite impressive, being both speedy and quick and was either spinning to the hoop for quick his rising jams, flat out shooting from deep, or rifling a pass down the blocks. He looks like a player who really comes to play.
This two can be a dynamic duo for Florida whose championship team is headed to the NBA. However, any recruits would be hard pressed to meet the unusual defensive prowess of the team who won back to back national championships, these new players certainly will bring an exciting brand of basketball to Gator country with them.
Donte Greene, a 6’10 forward who is heading to Syracuse University had an excellent game. He releases on the jumper very high and can do a lot of damage from the outside as he showed consistent range and then he drives quite well and this skill combination can make him a big scorer in college. He finished up the game with 21 points.
Jerryd Bayless, the touted guard from St. Mary High School in Phoenix, Arizona who is heading to Arizona U to play his college hoops was his usual self in scoring in bunches as he finished with 17 points and on one play showed his extreme acrobatic leaping ability on a twirling long time in the air never getting back to the ground jam.
Kosta Koufos, from a 7’1 center from Glen Oak H. S. in Canton , Ohio showed he has good hands and can handle a bit and a steady jumper from mid range, which he can obviously just about always get due to his size. He has good ability to see spots on the floor and get to them. He had 16 points.
Durrell Summers, a 6’6 forward from Covenant High School in Redford , Michigan looked super athletic and jelled well with his teammates on the court to go along with his dynamic play.
Kalin Lucas from St. Mary’s Prep of Orchard Lake Michigan is a 6’1 guard who is headed to Michigan State with consummate leadership on the court and excellent shooting ability.
Patrick Patterson, from Huntington , West Virginia , a strong and skilled 6’8 forward who in now the subject of a major recruiting contest nationally, as he is being hotly pursued by such schools as Duke and Kentucky , showed why here. I think he had the most impressive sequences in the game, where he launched 3 outlet passes the length of the court in a couple of minute span where he hit the players right on the numbers and 2 of these were just from turning quickly and hurling the ball up court with on hand and it was the equivalent of seeing three superlative very long range throws from a football quarterback who was slightly out of position to even make these throws. Come to think of it, it was three of the best hurls I’ve ever witnessed in a sporting event sequentially including going to pro football games.
Chris Wright, a 6’1 guard from St. John’s Prep in Washington , D.C. who is headed to Georgetown showed he is a heady point guard who can make the athletic plays as well and one of his strong points is his body control in the lane where he can convert from any angle. He had 14 points an 9 assist’s this game. He loves to drive and may need to bring his game outside a bit more in college.
For the Yellow Jerseys on of the players was Duke bound Kyle Singler from Medford, Oregon who some people feel is the best player in the country although there is no clear consensus on the top spot this year. At 6’9 he gives a taller Bill Bradley type look with consummate court vision and his moves without the ball may be the best in the country at all levels of basketball including the NBAnn and he has the deep jumper as well. He does so much off the dribble including heading the break and either dishing or taking himself. This game he was most impressive for his creative moves and while some of his shots just missed, his moves were superlative. He finished with 16 points.
Eric Gordon, a very strong 6’4 guard from North Central High School in Indianapolis , Indiana who is heading to Indiana University showed his willingness to take it strong to the hoop as well to go along with his reputed long range shooting ability. He had 16 points.
Blake Griffin, a powerful 6’8 forward from Oklahoma Christian School , in Edmond , OK who is heading to Oklahoma , is cat quick with the ball in his hands, has a shooters touch and fights for position like no one you have seen.
Gary Johnson, a 6’7 forward from Aldine High School in Houston , Texas who is headed to Texas is one of those unstoppable types on offense, due to his touch, his ability to leap even away from the basket on lean away shots in the lane or to the side and still convert with flair and substance.
Jeff Robinson from St. Patrick’s High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey whose college choice is Memphis, had a great game, hitting a couple of lefty radar threes and converting acrobatic jams on the break. He led all scoring for the yellow squad with 17 points.
Also headed to Memphis was his teammate Derrick Rose, a 6’4 power point guard from Simeon High School in Chicago, who plays inside and outside, on the ball or off the ball and with his all world athleticism and outstanding floor vision also has a nice ability to change the tempo of the offense if needed. Between him and Jeff Robinson, it could be interesting at Memphis next year with a group of excellent returnees from a top ten team this year.
Jai Lucas, a 5’11 point guard from Bellaire High School in Bellaire , TX is super fast with the ball and shoots well. Makes you think of bit of T. J. Ford.
Austin Freeman, the second player from this game who is heading to Georgetown , is a 6’5 scorer who played at Dematha High School , in Hyattsville , Maryland . He could be a small forward on offense in college as he get into the lane that well and jumps very high on his shot where he invariably converts and his short game is very impressive and he can step outside and shoot deep as well. He is particularly impressive in the fast break style of play. He had 16 points.
Corey Fisher, a noted scorer had 11 assists along with 12 points and was named M.V.P. of the game in breaking the assist record for the Jordan Classic. He is a magician with the basketball and sees the passing lanes very well especially as things break into more of an open court scenario. He can step into the scoring role as his scoring exploits in summer tournaments with even pros are well known. He is also from St. Patrick’s High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey who finished the past high school season ranked number 2 in the nation and Corey is headed to Villanova University.
The final score was 127 to 119 in favor of Corey Fisher’s yellow squad but the game was even with 3 minutes to go.
In the first game, it was the Suburban Team verses the Jordan Brand City team which was basically players from New York City .
Suburban surged at the end but fell short of a comeback victory as Jordan Brand City won the game by the score of 114-112.
For Suburban, Alex Wangmene, from Blair Acadmeny in Blairstown , New Jersey who is from the Cameroon in Africa is 6’9 and plays skillfully and effectively. He is headed to basketball power Texas .
Mathew Bryan Amaning is a 6’10 forward from the South Kent School in South Kent, Ct, and a native of England who is headed to play in the PAC 10 conference for Washington .
Both these players were very impressive and virtual play alikes. Amaning is silky smooth with great hands and a nice touch from deep on in. He skillfully gets to the basket with ease and takes advantage of the slightest daylight for high flying dunks. He had a couple of monster blocks on defense.
He is generally rated about number 35 in the nation in the class of 2007. He finished the game with 24 points.
Alex Wangmene, has an excellent blend of power, grace, and skill to his game and finishes in traffic off quick moves to the basket. He has a good outside shot. Offensively, he is one of the most advanced big men you will see and he really runs the court. He finished the game with 21 points.
For Suburban, two players are heading two Rutgers University . Mike Colburn is a 6 foot guard from Mount Vernon , New York who is a powerful point guard with more of a football build. He showed here the type of consistent passing skills that are NBA level.
Corey Chandler, a 6’2 speedster from East Side High in Newark , New Jersey is also heading to Rutgers . He is a blur to the basket, and has a sweet jumper with a great looking release. He had an excellent game and at times showed blazing speed.
Rashard Bishop, at 6’6 shooting guard from St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, New Jersey, didn’t play as much, he is a noted scorer who can either be a presence both inside and outside on the court and is a consistent performer who will be heading to the University of Cincinnati.
Chris Smith, a 6’3 shooting guard from St. Benedict’s prep in New Jersey who is undecided about his college choice has a brother in the NBA who plays for Denver . He is a powerful leaper who didn’t miss in this game and seems very skilled with the outside game or high flying game.
Also for Suburban was Rashon Dwight, a 6’3 guard from Bloomfield Tech High school in Bloomfield , New Jersey who is headed to Iona and displayed nice savvy in this game.
Corey Raji at 6’7 is a noted lefty scorer from Westwood High School , in Wahsington township, New Jersey who is headed to Boston College and he drove to the basket well this game.
Patrick Hazel, 6’7 from Blair Academy in Blairstown , New Jersey who is headed to basketball power Marquette ran the floor for finishes particularly well as a power forward.
T.J. Carey, from St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay , New York who is going to play for Harvard, handles on the break and passed well this game from that position.
Obviously this game was a run and gun fare, but the passing and teamwork within this was excellent all the way through this game.
Finally, for Surburban was Idris Hilliard, a 6’7 small forward from the Hun School , in Princeton , New Jersey whose college choice is St. Joseph ’s. He hits spot up jumpers or comes underneath for slams.
For the City who mostly had a running ten point lead most of the game, two Hofstra recruits looked great.
Nathaniel Lester, a high scoring 6’6 shooting guard from Canarsie High School in Brooklyn , New York scored in bunches and was very quick to the basket. He finished the game with 21 points.
Devon Peterson, also a shooting guard at 6’2 from Abraham Lincoln High School, in Brooklyn, had a couple of dunks where you said he has to be to far out to the basket to start a dunk attempt but he stilled flushed the glass on these plays.
He looked quick on quick in this game.
Zamal Nixon, a 6’2 combo guard from Boys and Girls High school in Brooklyn who is headed to Houston to play hoops, spends a lot of his time on the court above the rim, as he elevates above it and seems to stay there, and he combines excellent floor vision with the ability to consistently execute plays and plays with the heart of a lion.
Jamie Harris, a slick New York city guard who is from Wing’s Academy in the Bronx and is headed to Drexel displayed his hallmark confidence this game.
Mike Glover, now listed as 6’8 in the program may be still be growing. He is from NYC but played this past year at American Christian School in Aston , PA with all world Tyreke Evans. Mike is super quick with his feet and is as powerful a leaper as you will see. He knows how to fake his man and it will be interesting to see him play at his college of choice Seton Hall. He is simply dominant at this level and had 19 points and 11 rebounds in this game where everybody split the minutes. He has awesome extension at the rim.
Jabari Edwards, a 6’10 Center from St. Benedict’s in Newark who uses his height well on defense, also has offensive skills and finishes on the break and on the move.
Andrew Gabriel is a strong forward from Christ the King High school in Middle Village New York . At 6’6 he handles well enough to play some guard and it tough on the court.
Gerald Colds, is another Drexel recruit from the city and he played for St. Raymonds High school in the Bronx as a 6’2 combination guard. He has classic form on his jump shot, is not bashful about shooting it and is speedy.
Malik Boothe is a slight of the hand passer and scorer as a point guard from Christ the King High school who is headed to St. John’s . He has been the MVP of the famed IS8 tournament which says a lot about his abilities.
Mike Cavataio, is a 6’5 jumping jack shooting guard from St. Francis Prep in New York who is also headed to St. John’s who put up gaudy numbers in the NYC Catholic league. He excels at seeing the court.
Darion Benbow is a promising 6’9 center who will continue his career a Lafayette and he played for St. Raymonds High School in the Bronx .
These city slickers were enough to hold off an extremely talented suburban squad and in this game it was the overall explosiveness of Nathaniel Lester that did set a tone at times towards this victory.
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