So Elite Camp

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>July 20-21st I attended the annual <strong>So Elite Camp</strong>. The camp features some of the best South Sudanese players who have family members from there or they were born there. Current NBA player <strong>Wenyen Gabriel</strong> is very close to the cause to giving each of the players a great experience and getting them into college and being successful in life.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were mostly college players but they also had some HS standouts including Michigan State commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1206441' first='Kur' last='Teng']</strong> who put on a show over the two days. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2092769,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/IMG_9481-crop-2695x1770-1690010410.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/IMG_9481-crop-2695x1770-1690010410.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2092769" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1206441' first='Kur' last='Teng'] was the my personal camp MVP. </figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The camp is hyper competitive and both semi finals went down to the last possession and one actually went into OT where Teng scored the last 6 points to win. His team ended up losing a close game in the finals but he was the clear MVP of all the HS players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1206441' first='Kur' last='Teng'] makes the game so easy for his teammates and scores from all three levels. His pull-up is pure and he can stroke it from the three point line. Don't let him gain some momentum or he will literally dunk on you on the break. His game is very mature and it will translate when he goes to <strong>Michigan State. </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were some of the standouts that will play in Arizona this season.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2092763' first='Martin' last='Giant'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the tougher guards at the camp was also the youngest. The lefty is a strong guard who can shoot it and maneuver the defense. He will drive and kick and is best getting downhill. He is a very good on-ball defender and can step back on his defender and shoot the three.&nbsp;He is very hard to keep in front of you, as he is always in attack mode. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2092764' first='Chop' last='Paljor'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized scoring guard is a straight shooter. He has a super quick trigger with real range. He can pull-up off the dribble from deep but seems to be best off the catch. He is very long and lean and plays the passing lanes well with his quickness. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2092765' first='Carmelo' last='Adkins'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another bigger guard is that college 3 and D type. He has deep three point range with long arms and comes with a sturdy frame to defend. He can put it on the deck a little and rise up from mid-range and has a polished floater game he uses in the paint.&nbsp;Once one goes down, he will rattle in a few more. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Side Note:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I caught up with one of the top AIA players [player_tooltip player_id='1131814' first='Ring' last='Nyeri'] about his recruitment and his time at the camp:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tell me a little about yourself. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ring, "I have been here all my life, I live with my mom and I have 5 siblings."</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What is your height, weight and your dimensions?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ring, "I am 6'8 and weigh 170 with a 7'4 wingspan and a 9'1 standing reach"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What is your grade point average?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ring, "3.57 GPA"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>How many current offers do you have?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ring, "I have one from Portland State</strong><em>"</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who else is contacting you?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ring, "I have a couple schools contacting me, I actually have NAU recruiting me and then I got a couple of D2 and D3 schools recruiting me"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What is your ideal situation, or it is just the best fit?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> <strong>Ring, "It's just like the best fit, it's like where people can help me and develop me, and get better."</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who has put you in this situation? Who has been in your corner?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ring, "Coach Wood and Coach Kenny. Those are like my main two people, because my mom doesn't really know the basketball game, so it has been those two the whole time"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tell me about this experience here with mostly all the players backgrounds from South Sudan.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ring, "This has been great! I really enjoyed the energy, we all like vibe really well. It is almost like family. Even if I didn't know anyone, everyone would come up to me and dab me up and try to get to know me and I try to get to know them. It is like a family."</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I know you were exhausted and tired from the long process of June and July and just so many games. Are you you happy you made it here?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ring, "Yes I am super happy I made it here. It was a great experience and a good choice."</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Scouting report:</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1131814' first='Ring' last='Nyeri'] Liberty</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ring showed off his fluidity and athleticism immediately. He was hitting deep triples off the catch, got a step on his defender a few times and got to the rim. He rebounds and plays long in the passing lanes and played a lot of the 3/4 in this setting. He is definitely most comfortable facing up and getting out in transition. He is probably currently best as a SF and once he gets stronger in college, he will transition to the PF but still play SF. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Side note: Every coach told me he was super coachable and a pleasure to have around. They were all excited about his future and was surprised he didn't have more offers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2092772,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/IMG_9486-crop-2114x1388-1690010881.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/IMG_9486-crop-2114x1388-1690010881.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2092772" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1131814' first='Ring' last='Nyeri'] talking with <strong>Wenyen Gabrie</strong>l of the Los Angeles Lakers. </figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->