LAS VEGAS -- Make no mistake, there are a lot of excellent players out here this week for the adidas Super 64 and Las Vegas Fab 48. On Saturday, it was a point guard from New Orleans who left the biggest impression.
Standout players
Javan Felix (New Orleans, La./St. Augustine)
2012, PG, 5-foot-11, 190 pounds
Of the senior point guards in Vegas, he's the guy who boosted his stock more than anyone. He is in complete command of his team and calmly led the charge against the Playground Warriors. He's one of those players who needs to be with his team in order to allow for a true evaluation. He made huge shots and could not be rattled. College coaches value who he is and what he brings to the table. He was the toast of the town on Saturday.
Gabe York (Orange, Calif./Lutheran)
2012, SG, 6-1, 170 pounds
College: Arizona
York is a guard; plain and simple. There's no longer a need to try and box him in as an undersized 2 or experiment at the point. His DNA is that of a scorer and he gets buckets in flurries. Arizona will use a multiple-guard set and his responsibility will be finding the bottom of the net.
Denzel Valentine
(Lansing, Mich./Sexton)
2012, SF, 6-5, 205 pounds
College: Michigan State
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo could have found himself a guy with more athleticism or size, but not with the same instincts and intangibles. Would you believe he went to the post and pulled the hidden-ball trick on one possession? He makes clutch 3s and sees the floor like a point guard. He's got no real collegiate position but he's a winner and Izzo will figure out what to do with him once he gets to campus.
Demetrius Henry (Plantation, Fla./Northeast)
2012, PF 6-8, 210 pounds
Henry is a prototypical 4-man for the high-major level. He possesses all the physical attributes (length, quickness, bounce), but also has inside-out skills and savvy. He was active on the boards, scored in a variety of ways and made a couple of nice passes that demonstrated his overall feel for the game. He plays the game at a nice pace and has schools like Alabama, Virginia Tech and Florida tracking his talents.
Jarell Martin (Baton Rouge, La./Madison Prep)
2013, SF, 6-8
The rising junior has the prototypical high-major build with a long and bouncy frame. He's absolutely explosive in the open floor and capable of rising up through contact to finish plays above the pack. He runs like a deer and can take the ball off the defensive glass and start the break with his dribble only to catch up to the play for trail lobs. His half-court game reveals a solid fundamental skill set with big-time potential, featuring a solid stroke with a high release, dependable pull-up game and good use of a jab step.
Surprise players
Stacy Davis (Tolleson, Ariz.)
2012, PF, 6-6, 220 pounds
Davis has a big, thick frame with solid length and some decent bounce, as well. The blue-collar 4-man is elusive enough to finish in transition with a throwdown, but he is at his best operating within 10 feet of the basket. He rebounds very well in his area, has soft hands and plays with a lot of moxie. Pepperdine and La Salle have offered, with some of the WCC, Big West and WAC showing heavy interest.
Stefan Moody (Poinciana, Fla./Ponciana)
2012, PG, 5-10, 160 pounds
Moody is a chiseled, pint-sized point guard who is as explosive as it gets at this level. He plays with maximum effort at both ends and is a catalyst for winning plays. In the open court he is difficult to contain due to his burst and strength. He has that highly coveted, multiple-gear game that allows him to get into the lane and he can finish with a monster throwdown. In addition, he can rise up and nail the 3-point shot. He needs to slow down and play with more pace, but he's a talent.
Aamahd Walker (Culver City, Calif./Culver City)
2012, SG/WF, 6-3, 190 pounds
Each and every year there are a couple of rising seniors who emerge during the summer evaluation period and Walker is one of those examples. He has a strong-looking frame with very good length and he is a legitimate Division I jump shooter. He can knock down shots at a consistent rate and his lift and release are outstanding. His offer list consists of Texas State and Eastern Washington, however that will change considerably as UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State appeared to be very intrigued.
Eye on underclassmen
DeAngelo Russell (Louisville, Ky./Central)
2014, SG, 6-3
The state of Kentucky will kick out a headlining player now and then but in 2014 there may be multiple high-major prospects, and Russell is the guy who has a buzz. A smooth slasher, the lefty makes 3s and his game exudes confidence. Should he continue on this path, he'll be a priority high-major recruit and elite wing nationally.
Solomon Poole (Jacksonville, Fla./Parker)
2013, SG, 6-0, 180 pounds
A college coach offered up the best line of the day on Poole. "He's a flamethrower," the coach said. He's right, Poole is athletic, strong and wired up to score. Against K.C. Pump 'n Run, he was awfully difficult to stop.
Featured matchups
Grant Jerrett vs. Brandon Ashley
Two of the most promising bigs out west went head to head in a much-anticipated matchup between Belmont Shore and Drew Gooden Soldiers. Although both elite prospects are blessed with extraordinary length, Ashley, from Oakland, Calif., accumulates most of his points off of offensive putbacks and midrange jump shots. Jerrett, on the other hand, has polished footwork, fundamentals and the ability to knock down 20-footers. Jerrett, from La Verne, Calif., started off quickly as he faced Ashley up and knocked down a couple of midrange jump shots. Ashley, on the other hand, utilized his length and hovered around the rim for tip dunks and putbacks. At this stage, Jerrett is the better all-around player with a more polished offensive game inside and out. However, it will be interesting to see how Ashley develops because his athletic prowess and evolving skills project him as a Derrick Williams-type at the next level.
Amile Jefferson vs. Kyle Anderson
This matchup was a battle between two of the premier playmakers in the country who do their damage in very different styles. Jefferson, from Philadelphia, is a pure scorer, lethal in the open floor and incredibly dangerous at the mid-post area. He understands his strengths and gears his attack toward highlighting those attributes in order to be as efficient as possible. Anderson, from Fairview, N.J., is a versatile hybrid who plays multiple positions, creates constant mismatches with his size and skill and makes those around him better with his passing ability. While Saturday's actual matchup included very few possessions where they were literally guarding each other, they did go back and forth in terms of their impact on the game. The game's final minutes belonged to Jefferson who made a big-time move from the left block to score the go-ahead bucket with just under a minute to play and then came up with a huge defensive stop when isolated against Anderson at the top of the key to secure an upset of sorts for his Philly's Finest squad.
Jabari Parker vs. Kuran Iverson
The 2013 products were neck and neck when they made their debuts two years ago, but their paths have taken them along different routes since. Parker, from Chicago, has distinguishing himself as one of the nation's best and Iverson, from Windsor, Conn., has struggled to meet expectations on a consistent basis. Saturday was Iverson's chance to retaliate, and he came out determined to go right at Parker. Ultimately, though, this matchup has grown into a fairly one-sided one as Parker not only owns superior versatility and explosiveness, but dominates in terms of his disposition and mental approach to the game. He plays with constant poise and quiet confidence, is content to let the game come to him but ready and able to raise the stakes when the outcome is on the line. He did just that on Saturday, playing a relatively quiet first 28 minutes and then absolutely dominating the final four on both ends of the court, making big play after big play on the offensive end, flying around the court defensively and securing four straight defensive rebounds.
Notes
• Grant Verhoeven (Visalia, Calif./Central Valley) is as rock solid as they come. His calling card is that he plays with intensity and is blue collar. His dad played at Fresno State and was a fourth-round draft pick of the Portland Trailblazers.
• Christopher Obekpa (Centereach, N.Y./Our Savior) held a block party on Saturday. When it comes to positioning in the lane and going after shot blocks, Obekpa has a plan.
• Wisconsin's Bo Ryan, Virginia's Tony Bennett, UNC's Roy Williams and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski watched junior Bronson Koenig (LaCrosse, Wisc./Aquinas).
• Friends of Hoop, based out of Seattle, has a pair of PFs who are probable Division I prospects in 6-8 Mitchell Brewe (Seattle Prep) and 6-6 sophomore Josh Martin (Seattle Prep). Brewe is a hard-nosed inside player, yet has a fairly good looking jump shot from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Martin is a lengthy youngster with long arms and he is very bouncy.
• Juice All Stars (Brooklyn, N.Y.) have a promising looking 2014 prospect in 6-4 Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y./Abraham Lincoln). Whitehead has an impressive midrange game and he knocked down several shots from all three levels.
• Arizona Aces received a strong effort from 6-8 junior Joe Boyd (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral), who projects well to the mid-major level as a stretch 4-man who does a solid job of finishing through contact, as well.
• Anderson was trailed by all five head coaches still on his list -- Kevin Willard (Seton Hall), Billy Donovan (Florida), Ben Howland (UCLA), John Thompson III (Georgetown) and Stevin Lavin (St. John's).
• Long Island Lighting versus Mac Irvin Fire headlined the college coaches list at the Fab 48 on Saturday with the auxiliary gym at Bishop Gorman High School literally being filled to capacity and Roy Williams (North Carolina), Thad Matta (Ohio State), Tubby Smith (Minnesota), Lorenzo Romar (Washington), Oliver Purnell (Depaul), Donovan and Lavin all in attendance.
Dave Telep is the senior basketball recruiting analyst for ESPN.com. His college basketball scouting service is used by more than 225 colleges and numerous NBA teams. He can be reached at espndt@gmail.com. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter. Adam Finkelstein has been a coach or scout at the high school, college and pro levels. He was an assistant coach in Division I by the age of 24 and also worked as a scout for Marty Blake, the NBA's director of scouting. Joel Francisco is a recruiting coordinator for ESPN Recruiting.