Eight Standout Performers from the Uncommon Basketball Camp

The Uncommon basketball camp hosted by Coach Vanlandingham is one of the more unique exposure camps of the fall season. Players are put through a series of college style practice drills and court work competing during each session. At the end of the day, winners of each session are placed into a final scrimmage to show who was best of the best on the day. During the latest camp in Longview, Texas, Louisiana preps showed they were some of the best with others from surrounding states. In this Uncommon camp review, we will look at eight of the standouts who participated.   [player_tooltip player_id='1454945' first='Draven' last='Smith'] (6'5" | French Settlement | '23)   All spring and summer I have seen Draven play with his back to the basket and him fill the lane in transition. At the Uncommon camp, Smith gave everyone in the gym the depth and variety of his game. He literally can defend five positions because of his upper body strength in the post. Smith displayed the ability to be a catch-and-shoot stretch four and has enough handles to take bigs and guards off the dribble. His immaculate footwork in the post helped him solidify himself as one of the standout performers in the LeTourneau University gym on Sunday.   [player_tooltip player_id='1213622' first='Canon' last='Edgecombe'] (6'1" | St. Michael's | '23)   Edgecombe was one of the hardest working guards in the gym on Sunday. In one-on-one drills, he showed the ability to take players off the dribble and to create space for his jumper using the dribble. During game play, he displayed his spot up ability and his jumper was spot on all day. His hustle was what the coaches raved about. There was no one who played harder on the day and was one of the reasons why he was a top player.   Jordan Jasper (6'1" | Lisa Academy North |'23)   One of the best players on the day was Jasper. He showed that he is a two way guard who can score from several areas of the floor and he is a high level perimeter defender. In one-on-one and scrimmages, Jasper was the best on ball defender on the day. He has long arms and has exceptional lateral movement. His steals led to several breakaway opportunities. Jasper excelled in the mid-range as well. A true two-way player.   Jakory Withers (6'0" | North Little Rock | '23)   Withers, a North Little Rock player, was another guard who displayed great instincts and ability at both ends of the floor. During the scrimmage portion of the camp, he displayed his creativity and handles when attacking off the dribble. Withers attacked left and routinely took the extra dribble to create angles for him to finish off the glass. He also showed he can be an opportunistic defender and take advantage of mistakes. Withers may have been a sleeper coming in but he showed that he can ball during the camp on Sunday.   [player_tooltip player_id='1560416' first='Jacob' last='Vilar'] (6'1" | Acadiana Epsicopal | '24)   Vilar was another guard who showed that he could compete during the various sessions of the Uncommon camp. He displayed good rebounding skills as a guard and was very good at close outs and keeping his defender in front of him. While he did not shoot the ball to his normal standards, he helped create extra possessions and gain rebounds that closed out wins for his teams during drills. He is a player who performed well and displayed winning attributes.   Christian Sanson (6'9" | Parkview | '23)   An active big man makes a difference when it comes to rebounding and making extra plays for himself and the team. It helps when they have a little swag and show confidence as well. Sanson was that player on Sunday. He displayed a definite knowledge of posting up and how to gain leverage in the post. He took advantage of his height either scoring over shorter players or outworking others for offensive rebounds. He was also highly verbal talking on defense and talking to his opponent. Sanson is a skilled big who has a future on the next level.   Gernarius Edwards (6'2" | Forney | '23)   The combo guard from Forney was another guard who displayed the ability to attack defenders and score in the paint. While he did score in the traditional manner of beating his man one-on-one to the rim, other times he used a series of head and shoulder fakes to score. Edwards was also a good finisher in transition finishing layups through contact. He was another guard who showed flashes or two-way ability on the hardwood.   Donovan Lovelace (6'8" | Prestonwood Christian | '23)   Lovelace may have been the best athlete in the gym at LeTourneau. His rise off the floor when it came to attacking the rim was effortless. He showed that he can score from 16 feet in using a jump hook in the paint or a solid mid-range jumper. A defender would have to strip him on the way up because the elevation on his jumper is ridiculous. Lovelace is a player with a ton of upside and will be a player to watch after this camp.   Coach Vanlandingham will have his next Uncommon camp in San Antonio. Players who have done well in previous camps will get a chance to attend that one or others in the future.

The Uncommon basketball camp hosted by Coach Vanlandingham is one of the more unique exposure camps of the fall season. Players are put through a series of college style practice drills and court work competing during each session. At the end of the day, winners of each session are placed into a final scrimmage to show who was best of the best on the day. During the latest camp in Longview, Texas, Louisiana preps showed they were some of the best with others from surrounding states. In this Uncommon camp review, we will look at eight of the standouts who participated.