The 5 Best Players I Saw at Saturday's Harvard Elite Camp

Today, Saturday July 24th, I attended Harvard's Elite Camp at their facility in Cambridge, MA. About 130 players were present, and I got to watch all of them play at least one full game.   It's always hard to get a great look at everyone at an event like this. But with that said, here are the five best players I saw today.    Loevner was the best player I saw today. The 6-foot-6 guard has great positional size, but he handles the ball extremely well and is comfortable with 94 foot pressure or smaller defenders crowding his space. He can make shots from three, but he really excels as a downhill attacker—he's lethal at getting to two feet and is a phenomenal decision maker from there. He has great pivot moves and a fantastic feel for contact and space. He also rebounds the ball exceptionally well and is an amazing coast-to-coast decision maker and scorer—he just lets the game come to him and makes the right play time after time. Loevner is only a rising junior and should be a highly sought after player across the country despite his lack of jump-off-the-page athleticism or physical tools.     Crosby was one of the better shooters in the gym today but also impressed me with his all-around offensive game. He has a beautiful shot from three which opens up driving lanes for his teammates and closeout attacks for himself, and I was impressed with his ability to find teammates for dump down passes and spray outs when the defense collapsed on him. Defensively, he's very alert and always looking for steals in the passing lanes (he got a bunch today), but his size at 6-foot-5 also allows him to switch onto larger wings and forwards. Crosby is a perfect role player and is going to be an extremely important—yet probably under-discussed—part of St. George's success this coming season.     McCarthy was the most physically imposing player I saw in the gym today. At 6-foot-9, he has a well-built upper body and special athleticism at the hoop. He's a lob threat in both transition and the half court but can also finish with finesse over bigger defenders if they're able to protect the rim. Defensively, he's a really solid shot blocker because of his combination of length, athleticism, discipline and timing. McCarthy knows when to rotate from the weak side but doesn't get too caught up with trying to get blocks—he's more concerned with protecting the rim effectively. I wouldn't be surprised to see scholarship schools interested in the rising senior because of his physical tools and potential moving forward.     For a 6-foot-5 guard, Dayco-Green was one of the higher IQ and skilled players in the entire gym. Despite an early turned ankle that forced him to slow down his game a bit, he still got to his spots in the mid range and at the rim and made phenomenal rim reads once he got there, whether it was finishing with crafty layups or kicking out to shooters for easy threes. He has a shifty dribble game and can also make shots from the mid-range and three, so he's effective as a floor spacer with other players who can get to the rim. You know when you just watch a couple possessions of a kid and know that they move like a basketball player? That's Dayco-Green.     Spencer was one of the more well-rounded players I saw today. He was effective as a catch-and-shoot threat from downtown—he knows how to move without the ball and relocate for easy shots—but he can also run pick and roll and is a good passer. He consistently got past his defender before making simple, on-time and on-target passes to teammates for easy threes or backdoor cuts. The lefty also showed off the ability to finish in transition—I was especially impressed with a right handed finish he had through tons of contact. Spencer is going to be a big time recruit in New England circles after today's performance and could crack the scholarship ranks if he keeps improving and continuing to fill out physically. Awesome player.

Today, Saturday July 24th, I attended Harvard's Elite Camp at their facility in Cambridge, MA. About 130 players were present, and I got to watch all of them play at least one full game.