The action at the Peach State Summer Showcase was impressive at USC Aiken. Here’s our report on the guys that showed the best.

Player: 7’0 2013 C John Egbunu
City: Jonesboro, GA
High School: Eagles Landing
AAU Team:  Douglas Brothers Elite 17U (Committed to South Florida)
Evaluation: Egbunu is quickly becoming one of the premier bigs in the class of 2013. At the NBPA camp, he was dominant at times on defense. Last week at Big Shots, we was solid in his play, but on opening night at Peach State, he was dominant on both ends of the court. He recorded a double-double by scoring 18 points and collecting 10 rebounds. In addition, he had 4 block shots. Egbunu offensive skills are improving, but we were impressed with his ability to fight hard on the low block for position. Once he gained an advantage and received the ball, he went to a quick drop step move. That being said, Egbunu rarely forced the action and when he didn’t have position for a quick move to the basket, he was selfless and passed the ball out and reset for position. Egbunu has a decent touch from the free throw line. While he connected on 4-7 free throws, he did exhibit good shooting fundamentals. While Egbunu blocks shots it is based upon his length and athletic ability and can even become a better shot blocker if he played with his hands up in the air. The next step in his development is to work on having “softer hands.” Currently, his hands are adequate but has a high ceiling on his potential.

Player: 6’9 Demetrius Henry
City: Plantation, Florida
High School: Faith Baptist
AAU Team:  Team Breakdown
Evaluation: Henry was one of the top players and most intriguing prospect on opening night at Peach State. Henry is an elite level athletic PF that has mobility, versatility, and most of all range on his jumper. Henry is a quick leaper and anticipated missed shots extremely well.  He is best when he works on the interior especially with his skilled offensive moves. He has the quickness and athleticism to score at will and did the majority of his work in the paint. That being said, he does have the ability to step out and knock down perimeter jumpers. He will definitely create a match up problem at the next level as he exhibited opening night with a game high 29 points.

Player: 6’4 2014 SG Grayson Allen
City: Jacksonville, Florida
High School: Providence Christian
AAU Team:  Douglas Brothers Elite 17U
Evaluation: This was our second opportunity in as many weeks to watch the multi-talented SG. Allen is highly skilled and does have good athleticism to accompany his 6’4 frame. He has huge hands and feet and has a large bone structure that could see further growth. While he does have nice ball handling skills and he exhibited many of them in the open court especially with his change of speed hesitation dribble. In addition, he showcased a nice “euro step” along with a nifty step back move in consecutive possessions. That being said, he does have a tendency to over dribble at times and create many unforced turnovers. In the game against the Birmingham Ice, he scored 19 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. The one negative for Allen was his seven turnovers for the game. While Allen has a soft shooting touch with excellent technique, he does have a tendency to put too much arch on his free throws and it has a tendency to throw off his accuracy at times. Look for Allen’s recruitment to skyrocket and become a major target for many HM schools.

Player: 6’4 2013 PG/SG Sam Singer
City: Miami, Florida
High School: Ransom Everglades
AAU Team:  Florida Gold Coast
Evaluation: Singer was nursing a “quad” injury and wasn’t 100% for opening night. Over the past week, his stock has risen tremendously and has HM offers. Singer is a heady and crafty “pass first” guard. He is extremely unselfish and has good court vision and is eager to advance the ball up the court via the pass. One of his biggest strengths is his ability to shoot the ball. He has long distance range. In his game against Upper Stars, Singer tallied 11 points including 3-6 from the 3 point line. While Singer is not overly athletic, but he does think the game really well and allows the game come to him. He uses his dribble moves effectively and does a good job of getting into the lane when needed.

Player: 6’4 Justin McKie
City: Columbia, South Carolina
High School: Irmo
AAU Team:  Upward Stars
Evaluation: We have watched McKie on countless occasions and there is little to no drop off in his play from one tournament to the next. He gives 100% effort 100% of the time and his passion and intensity are fun to watch. He has the ability to consistently knock down the open perimeter and is quick effective in attacking the basket, but his greatest effort may just come from the defensive end of the court. He competes and competes hard! He hates losing and plays with a “sleeve on his shoulder.” He loves to win and his effort is always there.

Player: 5’11 2013 PG/SG Jeffrey Hodge
City: Birmingham, Alabama
High School: Center Point
AAU Team:  Birmingham Ice
Evaluation: Hodge was simply putting on a scoring exhibition in the first half against Douglas Brothers. He was knocking down 3 pointers and making nifty moves to the basket especially his hesitation crossover dribble where he gives the defender a head fake. He scored 15 points in the first half and has the ability to put points on the board in a hurry. He has an excellent shot with good lift/elevation, but more importantly Hodge is fearless. One of the top moves is when he gave a hesitation cross over and went directly into a “euro step” against 7’0 John Egbunu in which he converted.