UnCommon Basketball Exposure Camp (Houston) PREVIEW
UnCommon Basketball (UC) is a program created by 20 year college coach Russ Vanlandingham, with the intention of promoting under seen prospects by projecting levels and fits at the next level. With his vast experience of the college game Coach…
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Continue ReadingUnCommon Basketball (UC) is a program created by 20 year college coach Russ Vanlandingham, with the intention of promoting under seen prospects by projecting levels and fits at the next level. With his vast experience of the college game Coach “V” runs a tight camp with no gimmicks. No one cares about your rankings here. You have to out work and beat out the guy next to you. The 4.5 hours are designed to evaluate the nearly fifty kids in attendance.
You have to win one of the five events deigned to find the skills that every good basketball player has at the next level. First a ball handling and shooting event to determine the snipers and elite ball handlers. Then they move into two on two college level position work, ran by college coaches. Then we move into a three on three defensive competition designed to find the work horses on the defensive end of the court. Through the duration of the next events, Coach V and the college coaches in attendance will find the roughly twenty prospects they want to see perform during real game action.
After the event, Coach does not stop there. He works to get your name out there to schools where he think you could fit. You might have a low major ceiling, but as an undersized stretch four. Not every college coach necessarily needs and uses a stretch four, and Coach V works on scouring the country to find a program for your fit. There are still spots available if you are interested in signing up! Here is my list on some of the top prospects I know heading into the event! (Sign Up: https://uncommonbasketball.com/ucexposure-shop/houston-camp)
Kris Jones 2023 6’3 Port Aransas High School
Kris is a high level guard who has won district MVP the last two years running, averaging over eighteen points and nearly five rebounds out of the two guard spot. He pops off the tape through his ability to stretch the floor and knock down shots on the perimeter, unlocking that coveted fourth level of scoring. He is a fearless shooter, especially with his feet set. He confidently takes jumpers two to three steps beyond the arc, and knocks them down with impressive consistency. A complete sniper off the catch, Jones makes defenses pay for playing relaxed coverage for even a split second. The term hand down man down, definitely applies to this kid!
He is not just a shooter however, he can create offense for himself or his teammates with his handle. He confidently gets coast to coast with a live dribble and fearlessly attacks the rim. I was very impressed by his on court awareness as he attacks a defense, smartly attacking defenders and forcing a second or third defender to step up and make a decision. He has an improving passing ability. He does so with incredible success on the fast break, firing crisp bounce passes that hit his streaking teammates in stride. I would like to see him continue to develop his shot off the bounce and also getting his handle tighter especially within the half court.
Aydan Perdue 2023 6’5 Katy High School (Big Basketball Academy)
Aydan is a complete player with his ability to score on the offensive end, but also switch and defend any position you need. He is a stout defender, and can move his feet to defend the perimeter, or bang with bigger forwards on the block. He blocked shots as a help side defender and when getting attacked one on one. He rebounded the ball at a high level and went after long rebounds and loose balls to get an extra possession for his team.His switch-ability is a coveted weapon at the next level, and college coaches need to get on this kid before it is too late. I am really excited to see how he will handle match-ups this weekend against stronger opponents. Do not be surprised to see the offers to begin rolling in for Perdue soon! He showed an ability to play out of the high post and make good decisions with the ball in his hands. He even made the right extra swing pass to set up his teammates and never seemed to over dribbled the ball.He showed an ability to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket but also stretch the floor off the catch and score off the bounce.
Kevin Juarez 2023 6’6 Pasadena High School (Pasadena Lockdown 2023)
Kevin is a prospect who I have seen multiple times this summer, and every time I did he popped on the court. He is a monstrous yet switchable forward who knows how to use his size to finish in the paint, yet also create separation with his back to the basket. He showed an ability to handle the ball and affect the game from all three levels of the court. Juarez played well and made good decisions out of the high post and initiated offense on the wings. I was very impressed with how smart he was when attacking a single defender. He quickly spins out of trouble and steps through double teams into whatever space he has. It does not look like he is the most agile prospect in the gym, but once he gets the ball in his hands within the half court and he squeezes through defenders, watch out! Juarez is great at using his size to get his own looks down low, but is already showing an ability to defend anyone on the perimeter. He has great food speed for his size already, and could easily develop into an aggressive and switchable small ball center.
Donovan Matthews 2023 6’6 Cypress Park High School
Donovan is a dominant defender on the interior, who has a knack of rejecting shots and taking the ball from his opponents. His ability to dominate on the interior as a consistent rim protector allows his teammates to fly around the perimeter. He is a stout defender down low, who is great at exploding vertically to close the gaps in space. He comes over at just the right time as a help defender, flying in from the weakside and throwing shots into the fifth row. He is elite at high pointing the ball on his opponent’s shot and waits for their hands to come off of it before pinning it against the glass. His ability to affect the game on the interior was very impressive as a junior, showing off hi fearlessness as he protected the basket against some elite high fliers from the Houston area last year. I am expecting him to dominate this competition and really bring some high level attention his way.