WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Approximately 200 players participated in the one-day 2012 North Carolina Phenom 150 Camp. The first-class event was put on by the founder and editor of the Phenom Hoop Report, Rick Lewis, and was highly organized. There was plenty of talent on hand, and the majority of it was from the underclassman ranks. It was a great day to see some of the fresh faces of the future, and I came away impressed with the effort and unselfishness of the campers.
Standouts
Deshawn Corprew (Hampton, Va./Phoebus)
2016, SG, 6-foot-5, 180 pounds
The best prospect in the event, Corprew is listed as a shooting guard for now, but this young man can play the 1, 2 or 3 in any given possession and get the job done. His point guard ability is in the form of rebounding down from the perimeter and going end to end with speed and control to score or naturally make an assist. His vision and presence with the ball in his hands as he attacks the defense lead him to the point guard position. When a basket is needed, he creates and goes to the rim but at a moment’s notice can turn away his scoring opportunity for a better one, which shows how well he distributes. He owns the body of a small forward and can defend bigger players and he can get in the paint and mix it up. When defending the ball he will take on any size opponent anywhere and fare well. It is very early in his career and clearly he is ahead of his grade in terms of athletic ability, ballhandling and passing.
Tyler Creammer (Parkton, N.C./South View)
2015, C, 6-8, 220
He began playing basketball less than two years ago and started out as just a big body who was learning the game. Well, he has made big strides heading into his sophomore year. He is now a big body who works to run the floor, changes ends fairly well and gives a good effort on every play. The first time I watched him, it was easy to notice the footwork inside. He was constantly moving on defense to try to side and front his man or move his man off the low post. He is a smart post defender who builds a wall, making it hard to score against him. As he defends the post, he shows his hands and is conscience not to foul and he doesn’t leave his feet much while sliding to make use of his size to protect the basket. Working to gain an advantage on offense, he will post low and wide and give his teammates a hand target to receive a post feed. He can score inside with size and a soft touch and battles on the glass, rebounding in crowds and making a few foul-line jumpers. A former soccer goalie, which explains the footwork and good hands, Creamer had a coming out party this weekend. He is a true center who embraces his position.
Gary Clark (Clayton, N.C./Clayton)
2014, SF, 6-7, 215
Clark is agile and active and keeps making progress in his skill development phase. He is most effective when keeping the basics of what make him productive: rebounding and blocking shots. Improvement has come at the high post on offense, as he can beat a less mobile player off the dribble, spin away from the help defender and score with elevation and length. Defending a two-on-one break during camp, Clark challenged the driver, who missed the shot, which was rebounded by the other breaking offensive player. Clark recovered to find the rebounder and block his shot. What makes Clark special are his quick and multiple jumps per possession. He holds offers from East Carolina, VCU, Radford, UNC Wilmington, Old Dominion and Ole Miss. Interest has been coming from Wake Forest, NC State, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Xavier.