City of Basketball Love

Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21)
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READING, Pa--This week, more than 600 high school basketball players from around the world are at Albright College, working with dozens of coaches to improve their game and gain college exposure as part of Hoop Group’s first Elite Camp.

As the July live period opened Wednesday at 5 o’clock, the recruiting trail is hot as ever, with a large portion of the week’s talent pool having either earned or show the potential to earn Division I offers.

Here’s a notebook from the second day of action:

A.J. Wilson (2017/Elev8 Sports, Md.)
A.J. Wilson is no stranger to Division I recruiting.

With 17 different offers from D-I schools--the likes of which include Penn State, UCF, George Mason, Nevada, UCF, and VCU--Wilson has been engulfed by the recruiting trail for a while.

Other local programs like Drexel and Monmouth have also offered the rising senior.

In just the first day of competitive games at Albright, he’s been showing why that laundry list of schools took an interest in him, and why others should if he continue to play at this level.

Wilson, for starters, displayed off-the-charts athleticism from the moment he arrived at Elite camp, lighting up the opening night of play with more than a dozen highlight dunks.

While he lacks a consistent jumpshot, his ability to block shots and score around the rim with authority should certainly catch the eye of more scouts as the live period progresses.

“I’m just trying to prove that I’m still the same player I was back then when I got my offers,” he said. “I’m still the same player now, except I’m better. I’m not trying to rack up more offers like I used to, now I just need to find the perfect fit for me.”

As the 6-foot-7 forward enters his senior year of high school, he’ll not only face potential additional scholarship offers, but also the tall task of narrowing down his mile-long list of suitors to just one perfect fit.

According to Wilson, he has yet to narrow down his list but has kept in contact most heavily with George Mason, Quinnipiac, and New Mexico State.

“I definitely need to keep doing my research, looking at the different schools that might fit me and help me get better as a player and as a person individually,” said Wilson.

While his strengths--such as freakish athleticism and impeccable bounce--have been nothing short of impressive, Wilson recognizes the weaknesses in his game, and plans to work on them during this crucial summer between junior and senior year.

“I’m trying to be a wing player and versatile player in college, so I’m working on my ball handling, improving my basketball IQ, and learning to be a leader,” Wilson said.

If Wilson can work out those flaws, the sky certainly is the limit for the Maryland product.

Josh Pierre-Louis (2019/Roselle Catholic, N.J.)
The last name Pierre-Louis has been thrown around Division I recruiting conversations for the several years, ever since Nate Pierre-Louis, a class of 2017 guard, picked up his first of now 23 mid-to-high-major offers back in 2013.

Now, as he looks to make his college decision during his upcoming senior season, his younger brother, Josh Pierre-Louis has begun living up to the family name.

Entering his week at Hoop Group Elite Camp with an offer from Seton Hall that he received at the beginning of this calendar year, the rising sophomore looks to prove during this month’s live periods that he’s just as good as--if not better than--his older brother.

“(Nate) gives me motivation and he’s someone to look up to because he puts pressure on me every day to be better than him,” said Pierre-Louis.

Attending the elite camp at Albright is one way that Pierre-Louis has followed in his older brother’s footsteps. At this camp during the summer of 2015, Nate was one of the top performers as he continued to rake in offers.

The kind of offer sheet Josh will create is yet to be seen, but it’s clear he has the potential to blow up much like his older brother.

In order to do so, he’ll have to continue working out some the kinks in his game.

“Be efficient, make good passes, don’t turn the ball over, make a shot when I’m open,” he said. “I’m trying to work on my jump shot, before each game, I just get a bunch of extra shots up.”

Pierre-Louis, in his first game in front of Division I coaches this summer, handled the ball very well in traffic, running the offense with poise and distributing very well with his teammates. While he could serve to grow more active on defense with his quickness, the crafty young guard displayed a wealth of talent.

And with such a skill set, Seton Hall likely won’t be the only high-major program calling his name over the next three years.

“I’m trying to prove that I’m here now,” he said. “I’m my own player, I get my own recognition now, I’m not just Nate’s brother.”

Quick Hits
--Local product Taj Benning (2017/Bergen Catholic, N.J.) performed very well in front of the many college scouts on hand, playing very tight on-ball defense and handling the ball with athleticism and poise. Benning--one of multiple representatives of the highly-regarded north Jersey program at Albright this week--currently holds offers from mid-majors VCU and Bowling Green, as well as low-majors like St. Peter’s, Wagner, Howard, Nicholls State, Rider, and Central Connecticut State. If he can build up a more consistent motor, Benning could see that list expand entering his final year of high school.

--In his games Wednesday, David Kachelries (2017/Emmaus, Pa.) displayed the kind of abilities that garnered him double-digit Division I offers--the likes of Lehigh, Brown, Fordham, American, and Bucknell highlight his Patriot League-heavy list--displaying a variety of skills. Kachelries is tough and active on the defensive end, and doesn't shy away from contact despite his thin 6-foot-2 frame.