ESPN Men's Basketball Recruiting

PHILADELPHIA -- Chris Rivers is the face of Reebok All-American Camp.

Rivers, the executive director of the exposure camp for high school boys' basketball players, concluded a five-day run Thursday at Philadelphia University, has the pulse of the grassroots scene.

The Oakland, Calif., native coached players such as Ray Young (UCLA), Drew Gooden (Chicago Bulls) and Justin Davis (Stanford) with the Oakland Soldiers in the summer. He taught world history and coached basketball and track at St. Joseph-Notre Dame High in Oakland before shifting his focus fulltime to the grassroots game. Rivers learned the camp trade from grassroots icon Sonny Vaccaro, who ran the highly successful ABCD Camp.

In a conversation with ESPN.com, Rivers addressed several issues regarding his industry.

ESPN.com: This camp has always been innovative, any special changes you implemented this year?
Rivers: Not necessarily innovative but I changed my approach. Last year I was too hands on. I was my first year (as the camp director) and I wanted to put my stamp on the camp. This time I've backed off and let the coaches do their thing. I've put my trust in men like Nick Mariniello (of Bloomfield Tech) and Bob Hartstein (formerly of Brooklyn Lincoln); they had the ball and ran with it.
Q: Brandon Jennings is a hot button issue this week, declaring he'll bypass college for a professional career, at least one season, in Europe. What's your take on Jennings' move?
A: It's an exciting time for Brandon and his mother and brother. They have important decisions to make in the coming weeks. He's had a lot of input with the process to put himself in the right position. It's unfortunate what happened with the standardized test scores because he put forth a huge effort to get his scores up. You forget, he's only a teenager and it's stressful enough to take the test once but to be denied a set of scores a second time must have been enough.
Q: Could this become a trend?
A: Of course, we now know what's in the box. Others will watch closely; I'm sure others will follow.
Q: Should players be given the option to jump directly from high school to the NBA?
A: I respect what [NBA commissioner] David Stern and the NBA are doing because it's their business but some years there are up to five or six players who are ready; ones who have the credentials and the talent. The NBA is building a brand but we'll see what happens when the next collective bargaining agreement comes up.
Q: Each year the Reebok All American Camp has gathered the nation's elite players, what was the theme of this year's camp from you've seen on the court?
A: Great guards and youth were on display this week. I believe one of the highlights of camp was Wednesday night (July 9) when the backcourts of Avery Bradley and Abdul Gaddy, high school teammates from Tacoma and Kenny Boynton and Brandon Knight from Florida got after it. It was a battle and a dream matchup. As intense as it was, they had a respect for one another; truly a great highlight.
Q: This is the second year in Philadelphia, any plans to move back to Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey closer to New York, the media capital?
A: The people at Philadelphia University have been great. It's like staying in the Four Seasons Hotel. Whatever they can do make our stay comfortable, it's done. I hope they invite us back again.
Q: What kind of feedback have you received regarding camp?
A: It's still early but so far it's been positive. One thing positive has been the players who earned their way to camp via the Headliner Tryouts we held at 16 locations in May and June. Those players competed for the right to go head to head with some of the nation's elite players. For some, it's like March Madness when a No. 1 seed plays a No. 16.
Q: Seems like the NCAA is squeezing coaches, limiting the open period to mainly the month of July. Who will be the most affected by this latest ruling?
A: Both sides will feel it. The window is much smaller now so college coaches will need an opportunity to view players at the high level. We are the only true All-American camp left. Coaches can see top prospects on courts seven times in 48 hours.
Q: What's the most gratifying part of camp?
A: Mostly, I have the utmost respect for coaches who live and breathe this sport every day. They give a week to spend mentoring and coaching young men. At the end of the week to have young men thank you for the time they spent here, give you a hug or the forearm to the chest, which is the equivalent of a hug in some circles, you've done your job. It's about building relationships and making sure they can call you any time for help or guidance. This is a dream job.
Q: Next summer the inaugural U-1x FIBA World Championships tipoff, is this good for American grassroots game?
A: I love the idea. It's good for the game and once the players who are 13 or 14 years old understand the process and how important it is to play for your country, it'll go over really big and become a long-term goal for them.

Renardo Sidney Jr. lives in a fish bowl. Seemed like all his movements at the Reebok All-American Camp were scrutinized and chronicled. He's been the top-ranked player in the Class of 2009 for four years by most rating services.

"It's not easy being No. 1 and doing it across the board for four years," Rivers said.

Like the 11th century Spanish military leader and nobleman  El Cid  Sidney lorded over the camp again. His team, Answer XII, played for camp championship Thursday (Sidney scored a game-high 19 points) and he was selected to Upperclassmen All-Star game.

Sidney, a 6-9 center senior at Fairfax (Los Angeles), announced this week he'd hold off his college decision until the competition of the 2008-09 season.

The schools he's currently considering are Texas, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Memphis, Southern California and UCLA.

"I'm taking my time," he said of the recruiting process.

In the meantime, he's looking to lose weight. Sidney ballooned to 270 pounds but has lost 20 pounds and needs drop 10 more to reach his target weight of 240.

His father, Renardo Sr., has served as a personal coach during this time.

"We'll get up early to run or swim," Renardo Jr. said. "He watches everything I eat; he's not easy on me."

Sidney realizes winning the battle of the bulge won't be easy. His father's iron will has regulated his caloric intake.

What foods does he miss the most?

"Everything," he cracked, grinning.

Tony Chennault of Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) is the city's next elite guard. Chennault did not disappoint his hometown fans as he was selected to play in the Underclassmen All-Star Game.

He scored four points in seven minutes of action for the Create Underclassmen Team in a 75-66 loss to the Finish Team.

Recently backcourt players such as Mustafa Shakour (Arizona), Sean Singletary (Virginia), Antonio "Scoop" Jardine (Syracuse), Kyle Lowry (Villanova), D.J. Rivera (Binghamton) and Brad Wanamaker (Pittsburgh) have starred at Philadelphia based schools before heading off to college and the pros. Rivera and Jardine both played at Neumann-Goretti, graduating in 2007.

Philadelphia's top guard, 6-0 Maalik Wayns of Roman Catholic High, did not attend camp after making the USA Men's U18 National Team which will compete at the World Championships in Argentina later this month. Wayns, a senior, says he'll sign with Villanova.

Chennault, a 6-2 junior, says he's interested in Villanova, Texas, Wake Forest, Saint Joseph's, Virginia and Pittsburgh, but it's "too early to choose a favorite."

La'Quinton Ross played coy about his pending transfer. Speaking with a thick Mississippi drawl, the 6-9, 198-pound forward, he said a decision would be made soon.

"School is starting in some places in a few weeks," said Ross, who intends to leave Callaway High in Jackson for his sophomore year.

As a freshman, he helped Callaway (26-11) finish fourth in Mississippi's Class 4A North tournament.

Last summer he attended the Nike LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio and played in the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Classic, an all-star game played outdoors at the famed Rucker Park in New York. He was the first rising freshman to play in the Elite 24.

Ross could have went to the Nike camp but choose Reebok.

"It's a lot more strict and structured [at Nike]," he said. "I liked my time here [at Reebok]. The play was intense but wide open. My coaches and teammates were great."

Ross, said Mississippi, Mississippi State and Southern Mississippi expressed interest back in grade school but currently "I'm wide open."

Ross played in the Underclass All-Star Game, where he scored 11 points in a losing cause, but drew rave reviews from college coaches and national analysts.

Twenty-four players were selected for the Reebok All-American Camp Upperclassmen All-Star Game Thursday.

The Create Team included: Brandon Knight of Pine Crest (Fla.), Kenny Boynton of American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), Kevin Parrom of South Kent (Conn.) School, Thomas Robinson of Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.), Aaric Murray of Glen Mills (Pa.), Junior Cadougan of Christian Life Academy (Houston), Maurice Creek of South Kent, Brandon Triche of Jamesville-DeWitt (N.Y.), Terrell Vinson of Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), Clarence Trent of Findley Prep (Henderson, Nev.), Givon Crump of Brewster Academy and Richard Howell of Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.).

The Finish Team included: Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley of Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.); Michael Snaer of Moreno Valley (Calif.), Quincy Acy of Horn (Balch Springs, Texas), Renardo Sidney Jr. of Fairfax (Los Angeles), Taariq Muhammad of Norcross (Ga.); Chris Colvin of Whitney Young (Chicago), Raphiael Putney of Woodbridge (Va.), Isaiah Philmore of John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.), Karron Johnson of Mount Zion Academy (Durham, N.C.), Mike Marra of Northfield-Mount Hermon (Mass.) and Kevin Young of Perris (Calif.).

Christopher Lawlor is a senior writer covering high school sports for ESPN.com. He has covered high schools for more than 20 years, most recently with USA Today, where he was the head preps writer responsible for national high school rankings in football, baseball and boys and girls basketball.