CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Players are scheduled to arrive Tuesday for the 13th Annual National Basketball Association Top 100 Camp. This event will again be held in the magnificent John Paul Jones Arena on the campus of the University of Virginia.
The NBPA Top 100 Camp, which will feature more than 110 of the nation's top high school players in all age groups, is unquestionably the best basketball camp in America if not also the most unique; in addition to the outstanding basketball competition and skills development, the participants are instructed on life skills and education as they relate to the pressures and obstacles that prevent many promising young athletes from realizing their hoop dreams.
This camp will include more overall top national talent than any other high school basketball event. In fact, 20 of the 24 2008 McDonald's All-Americans had previously attended this camp. All other summer events are relatively watered down by the large number of simultaneously scheduled events and the intense competition between sponsoring shoe companies.
This year's schedule of games pits 10 teams competing in two pool play games daily. The first set runs from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and the second set from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Playoffs run all day Saturday.
The 2008 NBPA will feature five of the top 10 ESPN 2009 prospects, 18 of the top 25 and 74 of the ESPN 100. Also attending the camp are 18 of the top 30 2010 nationally rated players and four of the best prospects in the Class of 2011.
The nation's No. 1 2009 player, 6-9 C/F Derrick Favors, South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.), will not be at this camp since he is now traveling with the adidas Nations Team to Africa. Favors was honored as the Most Promising Prospect at the 2007 NBPA Top 100 Camp.
The top-rated 2009 players this year include: No. 2, 6-6 G/F Xavier Henry (Oklahoma City/Putnam City); No. 3, 6-3 2G Kenny Boynton (American Heritage/Plantation, Fla.); No. 5, slender slasher, 6-6 G/F Dominic Cheek (Jersey City, N.J./St. Anthony); No. 7, jet-quick 6-4 PG John Wall (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God); No. 8, North Carolina commit, 6-4 2/1G Leslie McDonald (Eads, Tenn./Briarcrest Christian); No. 11, somewhat underrated major talent, 6-7 WF Christian Watford (Irondale, Ala./Shades Valley); No. 12, the current No. 2 rated point guard, Villanova commit, 6-1 Maalik Wayns (Philadelphia/Roman Catholic); No. 13, high scoring 6-7 WF Jordan Hamilton (Compton, Calif./Dominguez); No. 14, a young man who could leave this camp ranked as the premier lead guard in the nation, 6-3 Abdul Gaddy (Bellarmine Prep/Tacoma, Wash.); No. 15, dominating big man, 6-10 center Daniel Orton (Oklahoma City/Bishop McGuinness); No. 17, Clemson commit, multi-talented 6-9 F Milton Jennings (Summerville, S.C./Pinewood Prep); No. 18, 6-6 G/F Terrell Vinson (Rockville, Md./Montrose Christian); and No. 20, vastly improved 6-10 PF Ryan Kelly, (Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft).
Top rising juniors (Class of 2010) include our pick as the No. 1 prospect, 6-8 P/WF Josh Hairston (Spotsylvania, Va./Courtland), the MVP of the Bob Gibbons TOC 16-Under age group. Other top-rated 2010 players are: 6-10 C/F Jeremy Tyler (San Diego); 6-3 PG Brandon Knight (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Pine Crest Academy); 6-6 WF Travis McKie (Richmond, Va./John Marshall); 6-4 2G Doron Lamb (New York/Bishop Loughton); Ohio State commit, 6-8 PF Jared Sullinger (Columbus, Ohio/Northland); North Carolina commit, 6-4 PG Kendall Marshall(Arlington, Va./Bishop O'Connell); and Texas commit, 6-9 P/WF Tristan Thompson (Newark, N.J./St. Benedict's).
Top rising sophomores (Class of 2011) include current ESPN Watch List prospects 6-7 P/WF Michael Gilchrist (Elizabeth, N.J./St. Patrick) and high flying 6-7 P/WF Julian Royal (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton).
The following are the coaches, and some of the top-rated players on each of the ten NPBA Top 100 Camp team rosters:
Team No. 1, LAKERS
Coach: Dan Hurley (Newark,, N.J./St. Benedict's).
Players of note: Dominic Cheek; Abdul Gaddy; 6-4 2G Durand Scott (New York/Rice); Jared Sullinger; 6-10 C Anthony Stover (La Canada, Calif./ Renaissance Academy); recent Georgia Tech commit, 6-6 G/F Brian Oliver; Tristan Thompson; 6-3 2G Austin Carroll (Worcester, Mass.); and 6-5 2010 WF Jason Morris (Lakeville, Conn./Hotchkiss School).
Team No. 2, CELTICS
Coach: Shonn Brown (Charlotte, N.C., Charlotte Christian)
Ryan Kelly; Milton Jennings; Leslie McDonald; Notre Dame commit, 6-9 C Jack Cooley (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South); Kendall Marshall; Louisville commit, 6-8 PF Rakeem Buckles (Opa Locka, Fla./Pace); Pittsburgh commit, 6-5 WF Lamar Patterson, who will attend Newark, N.J., St. Benedict's next year; and Purdue commit, 6-5 G/F D.J. Byrd (Crawfordsville, Ind./North Montgomery).
Team No. 3, PISTONS
Coach: Doug Snyder (Allentown, Pa./William Allen)
6-10 C Aaric Murray (Concordville, Pa./Glen Mills); UNC commit, 6-10 PF Travis Wear (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei); 6-6 WF Shawn Williams (Duncanville, Texas); 6-5 2G Tyler Haws (Highland, Utah/ Lone Peak); Maalik Wayns; Iowa commit, 6-9 C Brennan Cougill, (Sioux City, Iowa/Bishop Heelan); Kansas State commit, 6-9 PF Wally Judge (Jacksonville, Fla./Arlington Country Day); and 6-5 G/F Dalton Pepper (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury).
Team No. 4, SPURS
Coach: Houston Kennedy
Christian Watford; UNC commit, 6-10 PF David Wear (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei); 6-5 1/2G Nolan Dennis (North Richland Hills, Texas/Richland); 6-1 PG Michael Dixon (Lee's Summit, Mo./West); Michigan State commit, 6-10 C Garrick Sherman (Kenton, Ohio); 6-8 P/WF Glenn Bryant (Mouth of Wilson, Va./Oak Hill); Kentucky commit, 6-7 WF Jon Hood (Madisonville, Ky./North Hopkins); UAB commit, 6-3 2G Tamir Jackson (Newark, N.J./St. Benedict's); and 6-1 PG Eric Bledsoe (Birmingham, Ala./Hayes).
Team No. 5, CAVALIERS
Coach: Kevin Keatts (Chatham, Va./Hargrave Military)
Florida commit, 6-10 C/F Deshawn Painter, will attend Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) next year; Florida commit, 6-10 PF Erik Murphy (Southborough, Mass./St. Mark's); 6-8 P/WF Karron Johnson (Durham, N.C./Mt. Zion); 6-3 2/1G Mfon Udofia (Lithonia, Ga./Miller Grove); 5-11 PG Tommy Mason-Griffin, who, reportedly will attend Oak Hill Academy (Va.) next year; Josh Hairston; Purdue commit, 6-9 C/F Jeff Robinson, (Indianapolis/Lawrence North); Virginia Tech commits, 6-4 2G Ben Boggs (Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley) and 6-3 PG Erick Green (Winchester, Va./Millbrook); and top-rated 2011 prospect, Michael Gilchrist.
Team No. 6, JAZZ
Coach: Mike Jones (Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic)
Daniel Orton; 6-9 PF Dante Taylor (Ft. Washington, Md./National Christian); Georgetown commit, 6-6 WF Hollis Thompson (Los Angeles/Loyola); Kenny Boynton; Brandon Knight; Doron Lamb; 6-6 W/PF Tevin Baskin (Stamford, Conn./Trinity Catholic); and gifted 2010 PG, 6-0 Eric Atkins, (Baltimore/Mt. St. Joseph).
Team No. 7, HORNETS
Coach: Darryl Robinson (Durham, N.C./Hillside)
Xavier Henry; Arkansas commit, 6-7 PF Marshawn Powell (Charlottesville, Va./Miller School); 6-9 C/F Shawn Kemp Jr. (Canton, Ga./Cherokee); 6-7 G/F Noel Johnson (Fayetteville, Ga./Fayette County); 6-3 PG C.J. Harris (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor); Utah commit, 6-10 C Jeremy Olsen (Suwanee, Ga./Collins Hill); and Vanderbilt commit, 6-5 G/F John Jenkins (Gallatin, Tenn./Station Camp).
Team No. 8, ROCKETS
Coach: Pat Clatchey (Baltimore/Mt. St. Joseph)
Oklahoma commit, 6-9 C/F Kyle Hardrick (Norman, Okla.); 6-7 PF Ian Hummer (Washington, D.C./Gonzaga); Terrell Vinson; 6-4 2G Lorenzo Brown (Roswell, Ga./Centennial); John Wall; UNLV commits, 6-10 C Carlos Lopez (Henderson, Nev./Findlay Prep) and 6-3 guard Justin Hawkins (Woodland Hills, Calif./Taft); N.C. State commit, 6-8 P/WF C.J. Leslie (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God); and 6-7 WF Jamil Wilson (Racine, Wisc./Horlick).
Team No. 9, SUNS
Coach: Robert Smith (Chicago/Simeon High)
Connecticut commits, 6-8 PF Alex Oriakhi and 6-6 G/F Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, both at Tilton, N.H., Tilton School; Marquette commit, 6-7 P/WF Jeronne Maymon (Madison, Wisc.); Illinois commit, 6-3 2/1G Brandon Paul (Gurnee, Ill./Warren); 6-1 PG Junior Cadougan (Humble, Texas/ Christian Life); Michigan State commit, 6-9 C Derrick Nix (Detroit/Pershing); 6-8 PF Richard Howell and 6-7 WF Ari Stewart (both from Marietta, Ga./Wheeler); and playmaker supreme, 5-9 PG Phil Pressey (Ashburnham, Mass./Cushing Academy).
Team No. 10, MAGIC
Coach: Rocky Moore (Pasadena, Calif.)
Jordan Hamilton; James Tyler; Indiana commit, 6-9 PF Bobby Capobianco (Loveland, Ohio); 6-9 C/F Stephan Van Treese (Indianapolis/Lawrence North; 6-4 2G Omari Lawrence (New York/St. Raymond); 6-0 PG Peyton Siva, (Seattle/Franklin); Michigan commit, 6-9 C Jordan Morgan (Detroit/Jesuit); 6-5 WF Roger Franklin(Duncanville, Texas); 6-6 WF Kevin Parrom (South Kent, Conn.); 6-3 PG Darius Morris (Los Angeles, Calif./Windward); and 6-3 2G Anthony Marshall (Las Vegas, Nev./Windward).
Follow the NBPA Top 100 Camp with daily coverage from ESPN.com's basketball recruiting team.
Bob Gibbons is a national recruiting director for ESPN.com. The editor and publisher of the All Star Sports Report, he is widely regarded as the recruiting guru of college basketball. Drop Bob a line in his mailbag.