The Fran Dunphy Temple University team camp held at McGonigle Hall’s practice facility brought in teams from the greater Philly area and New Jersey for two days of intense action the following players stood out over the two days:
Konrad Kizska 6’7” ’19 LaSalle College HS – Kizska has been playing really well throughout the spring and nothing changed here. He was making perimeter shots in the two games I witnessed with a smooth looking jumper and getting to the basket with slicing drives and athletic finishes. He is a better athlete than people think and he can really get up and he can throw it down with the best of them when he gets free in the paint. He showed a continuing improvement here in his handle especially when driving to the cup and his passing game is not to be discounted as he has good floor vision to pick out open teammates. One of the biggest surprises here was his willingness to challenge guys at the rim and even to get a couple blocks which was a skill he provided in glimpses in the past. He is primed for a big Sr. season and his recruitment is out of the way as he picked Princeton for his college destination.
Caelin Peters 6’2” ’20 Plymouth-Whitemarsh HS – Peters has made tremendous strides in his game since the HS season ended and he was excited to show people that expanded skillset here at Temple’s team camp. He has great technique on his balanced and feathery jump shot and he was knocking them down with regularity in the two contests I observed. He hit them from deep and the midrange but also tried some forays to the basket which had not been a strength in the past. His handle was quite good and he looked to be more of the lead guard this weekend and he proved to me he could manage it by making some nice feeds to cutting teammates for buckets. He also connected on a few alley-oop lobs to 7’3” ’19 Naheem McLeod for vicious slams. Defensively he needs to become more tenacious and really commit to defending his man and I think that this is something that his coach will harp on once practice begins in earnest. His main talent though has been an ability to shoot the ball but if he can master some PG senses to round out his overall game he could be big part of P-W’s quest for another shot at a PIAA 6A title.
Justice Williams 6’3” ’22 Roman Catholic – My projection for this young man based on early returns is a HM recruit with a huge upside and he hasn’t played a HS game yet. Williams was electrifying here as he possessed a super fast dribble going end to end quickly to make driving body controlled layups or sweet dishes to trailing teammates for easy scores. He was adept at beating pressure and while at times he seemed to over dribble he always seemed to have an endgame. His shot was dropping from the midrange in the game and a half I caught and while not hitting many treys his form was textbook with a quick release. While some of his passes were off the mark he appears to see the floor well so he may need to slow down a bit and refrain from throwing passes to closely guarded teammates and to not anticipate where someone will be. He proved to be a fine defender as well being aggressive and forcing his man away from his comfort zones and he was quick to jump on errant passes to start their transition game. I was very impressed with his game here and he will be a welcome addition to the Cahillites roster this coming season.
Donta Scott 6’7” ’19 Temple U All Stars (Imhotep Institute Charter HS) – Each year Coach Dunphy puts together a team of potential Temple recruits to play in the event and as Scott is a prime target for Temple he has appeared on this team 2 years in a row. He was a tornado of activity here as he was soaring to the hole for rim rattling dunks and his acrobatic forays to the hoop were impossible to stop as he got to the basket at will. He was also skying for rebounds in traffic at both ends including one in which he virtually snatched the ball from an opponents grasp and in one motion flipped up an over the head shot off the glass deuce that left everybody scratching their heads. He was directing the offense and zipping passes to open teammates in scoring positions and was flawless handling vs. pressure in the open floor. Defensively he was also a big factor as he made steals in on ball situations as well as picking off feeds with his keen instincts to jump the passing lane. He has been on the Temple radar for some time now and as fall and a new school year approach Donta will start to narrow down his 10 team list and we’ll see if the Owls make the cut.
Gabe Perez 6’2” ’19 Roman Catholic HS – For most of his time at Roman Perez has been a bit player who didn’t log a lot of minutes but was a hard worker in practice so that when his time came he would be ready. Well going into his Sr. year his time looks to have arrived what with Lynn Greer III transferring their appears to be some available backcourt minutes up for grabs and Perez certainly made a statement here that he would like a lot of those minutes for himself. He was making positive plays on both ends of the court from knocking down open jumpers to forcing turnovers with quick reaction defense. His shot was smooth when I watched and he took advantage of working to get open then burying the shots he got. His handle was tight and he made several nice feeds to open teammates leading to baskets. He impressed on D getting a few steals in the open court and also hounding his man into turning the ball over on a few occasions. The competition will be fierce for those minutes come the fall but Perez has certainly opened up the coaches eyes to his viability to get into the rotation.
Rahsool Diggins 6’2” ’21 Archbishop Wood HS – Diggins was the starting PG for Wood last season with 4 seniors and a junior around him to help him transition into the role. Despite the usual ups and downs combined with some inconsistent play he gained valuable experience that he can take into year 2. While I only caught the Vikings in 1 contest Diggins was in control running the offense and directing his teammates to the correct spots. He made quite a few perfectly placed feeds for assists to cutting teammates that the defense apparently never saw coming and his ability to penetrate the lane and basically freeze defenders from action was eye opening to say the least. In the crucible of the Catholic league he got his baptism of fire handling the rock and it looks like he has really tightened up that part of his game as he was getting wherever he wanted and his change of direction and hesitation dribble helped him get to the basket for uncontested layups. His jump shot is becoming more reliable as well with his quick release and three point range. Defensively his slight frame can be overpowered but he uses his quick hands and feet to gain some leverage against bigger foes and he is quick to jump on errant passes to create fast break opportunities for his squad. This coming Soph year will be another growth year on his part as he continues to grow into a future D-1 prospect.