ESPN Men's Basketball Recruiting

On the second day of the Las Vegas tournament tour I decided to stop off at the Adidas Super 64, located at Rancho High School. From the opening tip, I struggled to decide which games to take in for my event recap. Once I found out the Dallas Mustangs Blue and their highly-touted wing, LaBryan Nash, were playing shortly, there was no other reason to glance over the schedule.

Nash proved he is one of the nation's best players regardless of class. He was dominant a month ago at an Adidas Nations workout, but he forced the issue and struggled with too often with shot selection. In Las Vegas, however, Nash has allowed the game to come to him and, as a result, has become much more efficient. In addition to Nash, I came across a stocky point guard I had never heard of: 5-foot-10 Bruce Ellington (Monicks Corner, S.C./Berkeley).

Ellington was a definite surprise as he led Trademark Properties to a comeback victory over Net Gain Sports. He is a big-time athlete with a definite burst in transition and some savvy as well. He dropped off some nifty assists and hit a big 3-point shot to preserve the victory. He may be an unknown national commodity now, but his performance here will surely have many colleges taking notice.

Standout player

Nash, a 6-6 wing type, put on an offensive show. He has a physical frame that can do damage inside and out. He can post up and utilize his lethal turnaround jumper, or step out and stick the 3-point shot. His jump shot is effortless and his touch is feathery. In addition, Nash is one of the few players his age with a solid mid-range game. His handle is solid but he doesn't have that second gear to burst by his opponent. He needs to learn to move better without the ball and make more precise cuts to the basket, but with his offensive arsenal and size he is easily one of the top 10 prospects in the nation.

Surprise player

Ellington exploded onto the national scene with his performance against Net Gain. He is a tad on the small side, but he has a chiseled physique and elite explosiveness in the open court. He can get to the rim with his speed and his vision is outstanding. In the half-court set he can break defenders down off the dribble and get to the rim, or find the open teammate. Ellington is a true point guard who plays extremely hard at both ends and appears to be a natural leader. With his performance here he should be getting calls from the high-major level.

Notes

Shooting star
Damien Leonard (Greenville, S.C./JL Mann) is a 6-4 2-guard and a prolific jump-shooter who reminds me of former Maryland great Juan Dixon. He needs to work on his mid-range game and get stronger, but Leonard is easily in the upper tier of 2-guards in the country.

California standouts
Double Pump Elite 2011 received solid efforts from a trio of California standouts in 6-2 Josiah Turner (Sacramento, Calif.), 6-3 Lonnie Jackson (Valencia, Calif.) and 6-10 Kyle Caudill (Brea, Calif./Olinda). Turner gets too casual with the ball at times, but his vision and ability to use his left hand in traffic are remarkable. Jackson is one of the better spot-up shooters in the west, while Caudill is productive inside despite not having any bounce.

Georgia guards impress
The Atlanta Celtics received two impressive performances from their dynamic backcourt of Trae Golden (Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern) and Ryan Harrow (Douglassville, Ga./Walton) in their win over Pump-n-Run Elite. Golden is a 6-1 senior who can power his way to the rim or hit the 3-point shot, while Harrow dazzles the crowd with his impeccable handles and sweet shooting touch to the stripe.

Future Spartan improving
One of the better all-around performances at point guard was put on by Michigan State commit 6-2 Keith Appling (Detroit, Mich./ Pershing). He has improved immensely over the course of the year in terms of his game management. Last summer Appling was strictly a scoring lead guard, but at this even he managed the game perfectly with his passing and decision-making. At crunch time, he took over the last five minutes of the game with a couple of elusive drives and a 3-point shot.

• Santa Clara got an outstanding shooter in 6-6 Chanse Creekmur (Marshalltown, Iowa). He has a solid frame with decent length and quickness and he has a high basketball IQ. He isn't a get-your-own-shot-type but he can definitely fill it up from the outside.

• Kyle Collinsworth (Mapleton, Utah/Provo) put together an outstanding effort in Utah Pump-n-Run Red's loss to the Florida Rams. Although his shot needs to improve immensely for the next level, the other aspects of his game are terrific. Collinsworth's mid-range game is very tight and he can get to the rim as well as anybody his size. He has a real knack for scoring amongst the bigs and he is a tough competitor.

• Team Philly Blue 17s have a couple national sleepers in 2011 prospects Juan'ya Green (Plymouth, Pa./ Archbishop Carrol) and Eric Copes (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter). Green (6-3) has a nice frame and the ability to score in a variety of ways while Copes (6-10) has a huge frame and some definite upside.

• In addition to the aforementioned Nash, the Dallas Mustangs Blue have a couple of sure-fire high-major prospects in 6-7 junior Devonta Abron (Seagoville, Texas) and 6-6 junior Keaton Miles (Dallas/Lincoln). Abron does a fair Terrence Jones (I-5 Elite) impersonation with his skill and soft 3-point shooting touch, while Miles has that prototypical wing-type frame and athleticism that college coaches covet.

Joel Francisco covers basketball recruiting for ESPN.com.