It's always fun watching the youngsters play. Michael Thomas brought his Bridge Buliders Camp to Bryan, TX this past weekend and had a nice turnout of about 50 kids. There wasn't much in the way of bigs. The camp (as most tend to be) was dominated by guard play. I'm alwaus hesitant to look too far out on kids this young as there are so many variables which will affect their development. However, there is no reason that the kids below can't become big contributors at their high schools and with lots of hard work, who knows after that?
I selected 10 that caught my eye as guys to watch as we go along. In no particular order, they were:
(L) 2015 W Jamikel Fletcher of Calvert, TX. Lanky wing player showed a good mid range game and solid decision making.
(R) 2015 P Keandre Johnson of Bryan, TX was a dominant physical presence. He loves to mix it up on the boards.
(L) 2015 PG Larry Payton Jr. of College Station, TX was in my opinion, the top performer in camp. He knew how to run a team, & did not take a lot of shots. When he did, he connected from the mid range & at the three point line. Also defended well. (Defending and "camp" usually don't go together..lol)
(R) 2015 WG Mitchell Willard of Denton, TX was tentative early, but showed flashes of solid ball handling and slashing to make me like him more as the day went on.
(L) 2015 P Quaylon Newton of Bryan, TX was the most polished big man. He competed hard, had a great motor and showed nice post footwork for a youngster.
(R) 2016 Adrian Lawson Jr. of Bryan could be the best long range prospect of the bunch. Has a nice frame and can do a wide array of things, but he has to go harder.
(L) 2014 PG Keenan Brooks of Snoook, TX was the most finished product at the camp. He is a freshman, but he's got lots of growing to do as you can see by his baby face. He shot the three, got his team mates involved and was a superior floor general.
(R) 2016 PG Jhacobe Cochran of Fort Worth, TX had the best speed burst at camp. He got to the rim by simply blazing past most defenders. Needs to tighten up his shot selection and incorporate his left hand into his game. Great attitude.
(L) 2016 Julian "Sugar" Miranda of Duncanville, TX had the sweetest passes, bar none. A smallish guard who sometimes got bullied defensively by bigger guys but on offense he knew how to run a team and almost always finished in transition with some slick move to allow a team mate an easy layup. Hustled and dove on the floor numerous times during the day.
(R) 2016 SG Tre Pullian of Bryan lit it up all day long. The most consistent shooter at camp.
Best of luck to all these youngsters as they continue to pursue their dreams.-Coach Max Ivany
