2012 Nike Hoops Summit

[Built Ford Tough]

It is at 7PM Pacific (10PM EST) tonight in Portland.

 

The rosters are:

 

World select team

 

http://i42.tinypic.com/5f0mww.jpg

 

USA select team

 

http://i39.tinypic.com/2a8ggwg.jpg

 

 

For the world team, looking forward to seeing Andrew Wiggins most. Dario Saric is another exciting guy on the world team.

 

For the USA team, obviously Noel and Muhammad are the standouts, but also looking forward to seeing Tarczewski. Anderson is always a treat to watch as well, even if he looks like he is moving in slow-motion all the time.

[Flash]

This will be my first chance to watch Noel play. Definitely gonna catch this one.

[Built Ford Tough]

This will be my first chance to watch Noel play. Definitely gonna catch this one.

 

I'm actually looking forward to seeing Dario Saric more than Noel.

 

I think he is going to take the torch from Dirk and become the next all-time great European big man. I think he is going to be an absolute stud.

 

In terms of who I am looking forward to seeing most, I'd rank them as:

 

1. Andrew Wiggins (haven't see him yet and the obvious Canadian factor)

2. Dario Saric

3. Nerlens Noel

4. Kaleb Tarczewski

5. Kyle Anderson

6. Shabazz Muhammad

 

The last two are ranked there because I've already seen them play at least 3 times before. I've seen Saric in the summer during the U-19's but I haven't see him since then, which is why he is up that high.

 

Either way, there are a lot of very good young players in this game.

 

EDIT: This is assuming I can find a link, of course. The game isn't being broadcasted in Canada so I need to find a stream if I am to watch it.

[Built Ford Tough]

Anybody who needs a stream:

 

http://www.fibatv.com/live/id/718805

 

You have to register, but it is free.

[Built Ford Tough]

My game thoughts.

 

Despite being 2 years younger than Muhammad, Wiggins pretty much outplayed him in the first half. He took more of a backseat to Saric and Westermann in the 2nd half as they did most of the creating, so he only ended up with 5 points in the half, but still, for being the youngest player on the floor he was brilliant.

 

Once he tightens up his handle and adds a few go to and counter moves, he is going to be absolutely devestating. It is kind of scary how good he is at such a young age. He was out there playing against some of the best high school seniors in the country and more than held his own as a sophomore. That is very impressive.

 

 

As for Muhammad, he did a nice job scoring, but he has a serious case of tunnel vision. I realize his team was struggling for offense basically all game but he was a serious gunner in this game. Every time he touched the rock he was launching it. He did finish with 35 points (a new record) so you can't complain too much. He definitely needs to fix that next year.

 

Speaking of next year, after watching this game I'm convinced now more than ever that Muhammad needs to go to UCLA next year. Him and Anderson just work so well together despite playing very little. With a whole season together, they will be an absolutely dealdy combination.

 

 

Noel has great defensive instincts, does a nice job rotating and had some very impressive blocks, but he is a huge work in progress offensively. Very mechanical and doesn't understand where to be on the court. There was one play in particular where they isolated Shabazz on the left wing and instead of staying on the weakside, Noel came over to the strongside, bringing his man with him, and in the process clogging the lane.

 

I think going to Georgetown would do him well since they are so good at poudning fundamentals into their bigs. Of course he'd thrive in either Kentucky or Syracuse as well, but I think going to Georgetown would be the best decision for him to expand his all around game.

 

 

Saric is a treat to watch. So smooth with the ball, is a great rebounder and so skilled. His vision is very impressive. There were at least 5 highlight passes he made today that most big men simply don't have the ability to make. I'm not sure when he will plan on making the jump to the NBA (I think he has a fairly lengthy contract in Europe right now so it might not be for another 3-4 years) but he is going to be a stud when he does make the jump. I always thought the Dirk offensive game mixed with Kukoc's point forward ability was a stretch, but I certainly saw those today. Obviously I'm not saying he is going to be that player, but I can see why those comparisions have been made.

 

 

Wang Zhelin gained the most from this event. I fully admit to having absolutely no idea who he was before tonight but he certainly made an impression. His footwork and touch around the basket was really impressive for such a young player. I really liked how he used fakes and took his time underneath to get himself better looks at the basket.

 

 

Anthony Bennett showed flashes tonight, but I wasn't too impressed overall. The skill is there, but he plays pretty grounded (despite being fairly impressive as a dunker) and he doesn't have great size at 6'7 (although his wingspan is around 7 feet). I do think he is going to have a very good college career and as a member of the Canadian national team, but I'm not exactly sure how he is going to do in the NBA. Of course he is still young, like all these players, and a lot can change between now and the time they are 22 years old.

 

That three point dagger he hit was straight dirty, though.

 

 

I'll leave it at that to avoid making this post too long winded. A fun game to watch.