ESPN Men's Basketball Recruiting

KENNESAW, Ga. -- The inaugural edition of the Hoops in Overdrive Shootout, put together by Kenn Littlefield and Frank Burrell, was a success due to some great matchups of regional powers and the opportunity to see some of the top individual players in the Class of 2009.

The featured matchups of this showcase-type event were Friday night's contest, which pitted No. 7 LeFlore High School (Mobile, Ala.) versus No. 41 Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Saturday's in-state clash featuring No. 8 South Atlanta High School against McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.). In both games, the outcome was decided on the last possession by one point.

The LeFlore-ACD game was highlighted by the matchup between DeMarcus Cousins (6-foot-9, 260 pounds, PF) and Kansas State signee Wally Judge (6-9, 220, PF). The game had many lead changes and was finally decided when Cousins, who finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds, hit 1 of 2 free throws with 2.5 seconds left to give coach Otis Hughley's Rattlers a 56-55 victory.

In the South Atlanta-McEachern contest, South Atlanta, led by Derrick Favors' 32 point, 14 rebound performance in only 26 minutes of playing time, erased a 12-point deficit in the last 3:48 of the game to win 74-73 in a thriller.

Derrick Favors (6-9, 220, PF)
2009, Atlanta/South
Favors is a man at this level. He is physically unstoppable around the basket and scored at will, mostly with two-handed power dunks. He is explosive and powerful, but always plays under control. Very rarely does he commit a charge or come over the back on a rebound and he has a good feel for the game. As he continues to develop his game away from the basket, Favors will be a handful at the next level. He showed the ability to be a threat from 15 to 18 feet and his free throw stroke is good, but for now his strength is down in the low post. He understands how to seal and maintain his position when posting and catches everything thrown his way with his soft hands. His feet are excellent and he is able to spin off his defender and create angles for himself for scoring opportunities. Defensively, he uses his size, speed and length to terrorize his opponents. His teammates are able to gamble or force the action because, at the basket, nothing is easy or goes unchallenged; Favors uses his superior timing to help block shots. Favors is a great teammate and seemed very coachable -- as long as he continues on his present path, Favors is destined for a great basketball career.

DeMarcus Cousins (6-9, 260, PF/C) 2009, Mobile, Ala./LeFlore Cousins, as Winston Churchill once said, is "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." He is probably the most physically ready high school player in the country -- and he may be the most talented overall player in the Class of 2009 -- but he is too emotionally unstable and sometimes too uncoachable to be recommended as the top player in the class. Bluntly put, he has the body (and the game) of a 26-year-old, but lacks the maturity to go with it. If, and when, he does mature into a stable and responsible young man, look out, because he will be as good as they come on the basketball court. Cousins is relentless on the boards; if a ball is within eight feet of him, it is his. He also has the ability to burst out and go coast to coast with the ball. He is easily as comfortable overpowering his man in the low post, where he is an excellent passer, as he is taking his man off the dribble. He controls the paint with his size -- he is immovable at this level -- and shot-blocking ability. He is surprisingly quick and agile for a guy his size. He needs to work on being more consistent from the free throw line and also needs to take his conditioning more seriously.

Deniz Kilicli (6-9, 250, PF/C) Signed: West Virginia
2009, Beckley, W. Va./Mountain State Academy
The Turkish import was one of the most impressive players at this event. He has a very advanced game and made plays that few players his age make. His size is the first thing -- along with his beard -- that jumps out at you; he is built like a man and carries himself well. He jumps well and is quick off the floor, which allows him to finish around the basket with a high-percentage dunk. He has a soft touch around the basket, is a very good passer and knows where all five guys on the floor are at all times. He is ambidextrous; Kilicli shoots his free throws right-handed, but most everything else he shoots with his left. He has a nice jump hook and is able to knock down the face-up jump shot out to the 3-point arc. He is good screener who is great at pick-and-pop situations with a point guard who can score. Kilicli takes up a lot of space in the low post and understands how to defend his position. He will be one of the impact freshmen in next year's incoming class.

Wally Judge (6-9, 210, PF) Signed: Kansas State
2009, Jacksonville, Fla./Arlington Country Day
The Washington, D.C., native has steadily developed his game. As one of the elite players in the 2009 recruiting class, Judge may have the most upside of any player in the class -- he is far from a finished product. He is a skilled, high-level athlete who attacks his opponent both inside and out. Judge is quicker than most posts and he is explosive and strong enough to overpower smaller defenders. I really liked his attitude and demeanor; he played very unselfishly and made the players around him better. He is an outstanding shot-blocker who has the ability to quickly get off the floor and use his length to bat away or alter a shot. He has a quick second and third jump that allows him to offensive rebound and go back up with the ball for a dunk. He showed a nice touch out to the 3-point line and is improving his ball handling and passing skills from the perimeter.

Andre Malone (6-5, 195, SG) Signed: Auburn
2009, Atlanta/South
Usually playing the role of "Robin" to Favors' "Batman," Malone stepped it up and took center stage in South Atlanta's win over McEachern, hitting a huge 3 in the closing minute and putting the Hornets in position to win. He is a streaky shooter who can really get it going from behind the 3-point line. He is the biggest reason teams cannot just focus on stopping Favors. He has good size and a strong body for his position; Malone is improving at getting it to the basket and finishing. He is an aggressive defender with good quickness, and Malone made some big defensive plays down the stretch that led to turnovers and easy baskets. He crashes the offensive glass well from the wing and is adding other ways to help his team, getting to the free throw line or dishing off for assists.

Milton Jennings (6-9, 210, S/PF) Signed: Clemson
2009, Summerville, S.C./Pinewood Prep
Jennings struggled at the Hoops in Overdrive Shootout, only playing in one of his two scheduled games due to an odd ejection. I was hoping to see how he would bounce back after some adversity. In the game he did play, he spent too much time out on the perimeter and had little impact in the game. When he does this, Jennings may as well be a 6-3 stand-still shooter instead of the 6-9 inside-out scorer he is capable of being. He did have a brief moment when he started to heat it up on the perimeter, but it was only after the game was out of reach. He is more comfortable with the finesse-type play and less likely to be effective in a rough, physical game.

Trae Golden (6-2, 175, 2/1G)

2010, Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern
Golden is a pure scorer. His stock has fluctuated as much as the Dow; many coaches wonder if his game will effectively translate to the college level, but if you are looking for a guy who can produce points night-in, night-out he is your guy. Golden is a hard-nosed kid who knows where the basket is and has the ability to stroke it from deep. When he is crowded on the perimeter, the compactly built guard is strong and aggressive enough to get by his defender, take it to the rim and finish with contact or get to the free throw line. His shot selection is poor at times and disrupts the offensive flow; he seems to either shoot to get hot or shoot when hot, but he is going to shoot it. His game has not changed much from his freshman year and he may have topped out early. But there will be a place that will be good fit somewhere for this young man.

Shaquille Thomas (6-7, 185, SF)
2010, Beckley, W. Va./Mountain State Academy
Thomas has just recently arrived on the scene for Mountain State Academy, and he is making up for lost time on the hardwood with some outstanding play. He has tremendous upside because of his athletic ability and skill level along with some good bloodlines (he is NBA player Tim Thomas' nephew). He is more suited to a transition-type system, but Thomas is learning how to play and be effective in the half court as well. He has a nice perimeter game and is able to knock down a 3 as well as drive it to the basket off the dribble. He is going to develop into a very good rebounder and defender; he has all the physical tools to do so. He is physically weak, but Thomas should develop in that area. He made some big-time plays off the dribble in transition and is a good passer when the defense clogs the lane.

Collin Reddick (6-9, 240, PF/C) Signed: Furman
2009, Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern
Wow! Reddick has been one of the most improved post players I have seen since the summer. Furman might be struggling of late, but the "Calvary" is coming in Collin Reddick and his brother Charlie. Collin has developed more confidence in his offensive abilities and is beginning to assert himself around the basket; he showed an improved jump hook to the middle. He was dominant around the basket and teamed up with Providence-bound Kadeem Batts to control the boards for the Indians. He is surprisingly explosive with a great wing span and finishes around the basket with a one-handed dunk; his length enables him to be a good shot-blocker and rebounder.

Heath Houston (6-7, 200, PF)
2010, Powder Springs, Ga./ Hillgrove
The left-handed junior displayed a soft touch around the basket and a good feel for how to play. He is a skilled, athletic 4-man who has a good frame that can easily carry another 20 to 25 pounds. His coach says he has an outstanding work ethic on the court and in the weight room. He is working on developing his outside shot, but his free throw stroke is not bad. He had a couple of strong finishes around the rim and a few impressive blocked shots. He is a definite mid-major prospect with a chance to be higher.

• A kid who needs to be followed by top-level prep schools and JCs is senior Aaron Davis, a 6-7, 225-pound, 2 or 3 guard that just got eligible for J.O. Johnson (Huntsville, AL). He is a physical specimen who looks like he could enter his name in the NFL draft tomorrow.

• LeFlore's DeMarcus Cousins and South Atlanta's Derrick Favors got to check each other out prior to their teams' head-to-head matchup on ESPN2 (Jan. 15) as their teams played back-to-back Saturday night. I am sure they are both excited to compete for their teams against each other; this is a matchup that will most likely continue for years to come in the NBA.

• There were no unhappy players for Our Savior New American School (Long Island, N.Y.) as they only brought five players. Everyone played the entire game both days with nobody fouling out or getting injured.

• I hope this event continues in the future; it was a great opportunity to see some of the top senior players in the country and get a look at the future juniors and sophomores from the region. There were some glitches in the first edition, but it was a great event overall. Hopefully with some more sponsorship and improved marketing and promotions this will develop into a top event.

Mike LaPlante has spent nearly 20 years coaching college basketball. Most recently, he was the head coach at Jacksonville State University.