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Hoop Group AC Jam Fest: Day Three Notebook (July 9)

07/09/2021, 10:45pm EDT
By CoBL Staff

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The Hoop Group’s mega-tournament series invaded the AC Convention Center this week for a three-day affair running Wednesday night through Friday afternoon, with Division I coaches in attendance for the latter two days of games spread across more than two dozen courts.

Here’s a loaded notebook featuring action from Thursday evening and Friday’s tournament conclusion:

(More coverage: Day Two 2022s Notebook | Day Two 2023s Notebook | Day One Notebook)

Cameron Whitmore standing in a gym

Cameron Whitmore (above) showed why he's ranked in the 2022 ESPN 100 with a 20-point performance in a win over South Jersey Hoops Elite. (Photo: Kevin Emmons/CoBL)

Cameron Whitmore (2022 | Archbishop Spalding, M.D.)

Whitmore was a standout at the Hoop Group Atlantic City Jam Fest helping Team Melo EYBL defeat South Jersey Hoops Elite 66-56 on Court 8 at the Atlantic City Convention Center on Thursday night. 

The 6-foot-6 forward poured in 20 points; his ability to connect from long-range paired with his fearlessness penetrating the lane and attacking the baseline makes him a formidable matchup for his opponents. Whitmore’s athleticism paired with his 6-6, 200-pound frame makes him a matchup nightmare for bigger forwards. 

The Archbishop Spalding High School forward is ranked 48th on the 2022 ESPN 100 and has trimmed his list to about ten schools. Whitmore has a few high-profile institutions on his mind. 

“I’m focusing on Louisville, UNC, Maryland, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Illinois,” Whitmore said. “That’s the main six.” 

Whitmore also mentioned that Florida is in the mix. 

He credited his improved shooting as the reason for increasing his stock. 

“I improved my shot,” Whitmore said. “That was one thing I had to improve on. I think that’s one of the main reasons why my rankings went up.” 

The incoming senior’s potential became evident during the live period last season. At first, the immense attention was a bit overwhelming. Then after a while, it all began to feel normal. 

“It was overwhelming at first when the live period started last year,” Whitmore said. “Then I’d probably say after three months I was fine. I was grateful that it was coming my way, but I wasn’t really overwhelmed that much towards the end.” 

Whitmore says the talks with college coaches have been very personable. His intentions are to make sure he finds a school where he is a good fit and where the coaching staff can utilize him to the best of his abilities. 

“Just establishing a relationship with each other,” Whitmore said. “Coming together, talking about how they can use me on their team (and) how they can establish my game and develop me into an NBA player. That’s really the main points.”

Archbishop Spalding finished with a 12-3 record this past season and fell to John Carroll 69-66 in the Baltimore Catholic League semifinals.

Whitmore, who was named the BCL Player of the Year, was fueled by the heartbreaking loss. 

“It motivated me,” Whitmore said. “It’s my last year so I have to win. That’s the main goal — to just win the MIAA (Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association) championship. We had the DMV Live this past June. We had a solid team and we did really good. Our chemistry is still the same [and we want to] try to win the BCL and MIAA championship.” 

For a high-profile recruit like Whitmore, it’s also an honor to represent an AAU team that carries the name of 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony. 

“It’s a good representation,” Whitmore said. “We have to carry that name and play hard and play for him and just know that he’s watching.” 

It's also fitting that his ultimate goal is to maximize his potential and one day reach the National Basketball Association. 

“I want a coach to just talk to me and say to me they actually need me and they can develop me into an NBA player,” Whitmore said. 

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Alex Karaban standing in a gym

Alex Karaban (above) has a lot of high-major offers and expects to cut down his list later in the summer. (Photo: Kevin Emmons/CoBL)

Alex Karaban (2022 | IMG Academy, F.L.)

Karaban went off for a game-high 26 points in Expressions EYBL’s 67-64 setback to District Basketball Club on Thursday night. 

Karaban’s willingness to handle the ball in transition and ability to consistently knock down shots from beyond the arc make it difficult for opponents to neutralize his scoring ability. He is a player that must be shadowed at all times and is also a force defensively in the low post. Karaban knocked down six 3-pointers in the Expressions’ loss to District Basketball Club. 

Coaches were present from Notre Dame, Maryland, Iowa, Ohio State, Xavier, Rutgers, Navy, DePaul, Hofstra, Robert Morris, NJIT and several others for last night’s contest between the two teams. 

Karaban has a lengthy list of high-major offers and is the No. 45 ranked player in the 2022 ESPN 100. He has heard from several schools and plans to make a decision following the 2021 Peach Jam, which is scheduled to take place from July 20 to July 25.  

“A bunch of schools have offered me lately,” Karaban said. “I’m taking it all in, just seeing it as a blessing. I’m still open to everyone — not really set on a decision yet. I’ll probably announce my top five, or cut my list at least, two weeks after Peach Jam. A week or two after that, I’m gonna commit.” 

“UConn has offered me,” Karaban said. “Northwestern, Providence, Indiana, Stanford — a whole bunch of others. I have interest from Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio State, Butler, Minnesota. I’m interested in every school and I’m open to everyone.” 

Understandably so. 

Karaban is looking for qualities in a school that will set the stage for the rest of his life. Decisions of this nature aren’t made overnight. 

“I’m looking for a relationship with the coaching staff,” Karaban said. “Not just a four-year commitment, but a lifetime commitment. My mom wants me to get a good degree out of a school.”

At times, the exposure feels surreal to Karaban. It was very overwhelming for him in the early stages of the recruitment process, but all in all the experience is a dream come true. 

“It’s a blessing,” Karaban said. “I mean all those schools I grew up watching, sometimes they even were my dream school at the time. It’s just amazing seeing all the great legends that were from those schools and are in the pros now who are superstars and how I have the opportunity to go there.” 

The uphill trend in Karaban’s recruitment can be credited to a 22-point, breakout performance in the New Hampton School’s 81-74 win over national power Brewster Academy in December 2019. 

Karaban identified that moment as the sole source to his surge of exposure. 

“I’d say March of my sophomore year after we beat Brewster (Academy) in the championship,” Karaban said. “I played a hell of a game and won MVP. Those schools started reaching out one-by-one. Providence, then the next day Indiana, then the next day Stanford. They just all started piling in.” 

While Karaban constantly embarks on his journey at the New Hampton School, he has unfinished business to take care of in his next chapter at IMG Academy. The senior has one final year of high school basketball to prove he is one of the best in the nation. 

“I’m so excited,” Karaban said. “Coach Chad Myers believes in me and I don’t think there’s a better school to get ready for college than IMG. The training, the practicing against the kids, the competition. I’m just super excited and I can’t wait for the opportunity.” —Kevin Emmons

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Desmond Claude standing in a gym

Desmond Claude (above) comes from a basketball family and the past three years at St. Thomas More have helped him further develop his game. (Photo: Zak Wolf/CoBL)

Desmond Claude (2022 | Expressions | St. Thomas More, Conn.)

Basketball runs in Claude’s blood. 

With multiple family members playing college basketball, including his mom who played at Syracuse back in the day and his dad playing at Fairfield and eventually overseas in countries like Italy and Sweden, it’s easy to see why he has such a natural feel for the game. 

“It’s helpful, they teach me a lot about the game and help me get better,” Claude said.

Claude has a smooth and well rounded game that looks effortless at times. Standing at 6-5, he has good size and length for the point guard position that he doesn’t let go to waste. Claude is the primary ball handler for Expressions and he likes to get into the lane, and attack the rim, finishing around bigger defenders, or using his soft touch on floaters to finish over them. 

Along with his strong driving ability, Claude has a fluid stroke from the outside that he’s trying to use more often: “I’m a good three point shooter,” he said, “but I just have to shoot more.” He also competes on the defensive end, using his big wingspan to his advantage by getting into passing lanes and blocking shots from smaller guards. 

When Expressions Elite gave up a big lead to NJ Shoreshots, Claude was the calming presence that helped Expressions come out with a tight 55-53 victory. He’s no stranger to competition, recently competing in the NEPSAC Showcase against some of the best prep schools in the New England area. 

“Absolutely it’s helping me,” he said. “There’s prep guys that are supposed to be in college that are physically strong and are skilled as well. It’s definitely going to get me over the hump and prepare me for the next level.”

Playing at St. Thomas More the past three years has helped him in his development, learning under 2017 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame nominee Jere Quinn, who has nearly a half a decade of experience coaching prep basketball.

“(Quinn) has taught me a lot, especially the little things like cutting and getting my teammates involved,” Claude said. “Things that help me become a better player.” 

He also enjoys the freedom prep school offers in terms of making his own workout schedules and having the facilities available to him that allow him to get physically stronger. 

Claude is getting looks from all over the place, holding offers from Big East schools like Creighton, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, Xavier and some Big Ten schools including Rutgers and Minnesota. Boston College, Rhode Island, Kansas State and most recently Cal are the final schools on his already long list, that’s only getting bigger. 

As he gets ready for his fourth and final season of high school, the rising senior is looking forward to what lies ahead. He’s prepared for whatever's in store for him while his game continues to grow and adjust to what he needs to do at the next level. — Zak Wolf

Quick Hits

— It’s been a busy month for Isaiah Miranda (2023 | RI Elite | Phelps School, Pa.), as the mobile 7-foot-1 forward with mega upside has finally caught the attention of the coaching world at large. Connecticut, Providence, Washington, Memphis, Maryland, St. John’s and most recently Oklahoma State all offered since the start of June, putting him over a dozen in total.

“They came back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back,” Miranda said. “The live period’s been giving me a lot of stuff to reflect on, knowing what I’ve got to work on. It’s a great experience, getting to see a lot of teams I haven’t seen before, playing against people I haven’t played before, it’s pushing me to the next (level).”

So far, Miranda’s already been on campus visits to Providence, Rutgers and UConn, where he got a glimpse of life in a couple years: “It showed me how being a college basketball player could really be, how the next level handles their workouts, and their facilities and everything was pretty good.”

— There was plenty of ‘power’ in the game of Mouhamed Dioubate (2023 | PSA Cardinals | Putnam Science, Conn.), which he showed with a 15-point, eight-rebound performance in a loss to the NJ Panthers’ 17s on Friday. The 6-7, 215-pound wing forward, whose team was playing up an age group this week, was 5-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the line, doing most of his work by powering through defenders to get to the rim, though the left-hander also showed his range by burying his only 3-point attempt.

“My game, I have some players that I like, but I don’t know who I actually play like,” he said. “I feel like I have a lot of tools; some players, they can just shoot and defend, but I feel like I have some stuff they don’t have.”

College coaches are noticing; in the last few months, Dioubate has picked up offers from Rhode Island, Duquesne, VCU and Saint Peter’s, joining those from Siena, George Washington and La Salle. For now, he didn’t have any visits planned, and wasn’t ready to talk about if any colleges had made an early impact. If he continues to work on his on-ball abilities and turn from a combo 3-4 into a true ‘3’ with some big guard abilities by next summer, his stock could really rise.

— There’s one player’s school that stands out on the list for All In, a 16U team of North Jersey kids which has enjoyed a strong offseason on the regional circuit. Torin Bosch (2023 | Basha, Ariz.) is a Garden State native who played with All In for his middle school years, but a ninth grade move out to the Grand Canyon State took him well away from his teammates. The 6-4, 175-pound wing is back in New Jersey this summer and getting some run in with his old teammates, clearly to their benefit; he had 14 points, six rebounds, five assists in two steals as All In beat Philly Pride Gold’s 16s 64-54 on Friday morning. 

“I love playing with this team,” he said. “Everyone’s good, everyone’s a good teammate, I love playing with them.”

As a starter at Basha, a 6A (big-school) public school located in Chandler, Az. — located just about a half-hour southeast of Phoenix — Bosch started all season and helped the Bears to a second-round appearance in the state playoffs, where they lost to eventual champ Sunnyslope. He’s hearing from a few schools out in the western part of the country, including UC Riverside, Air Force and Northern Arizona, but said that he’s open to colleges on both coasts due to his Northeast and Southwest connections.

— Also playing well for All In in its win over Pride Gold was Tyler Koenig (2023 | DePaul HS, N.J.). The 6-9, 225-pound forward had 16 points and 12 rebounds, making all but one of his nine shots. Koenig didn’t do anything flashy but had terrific positioning around the rim and excellent on the weakside glass, cleaning up his teammates’ misses time and time again (six offensive boards); he also displayed good defensive instincts defending the rim (three blocks). Koenig said he’s working on his shooting abilities but also his leadership, getting his team together and playing on the same page; he also said he’s starting to hear from a few colleges, including Appalachian State, Princeton, Florida Atlantic, Old Dominion and LIU.

Alif Bass (2022 | NJ Panthers Select | Saint Peter’s Prep, N.J.) has had a strong spring whether it’s with the Panthers or with his high school program, impressing in several watches at the Rider team camp, Philly Live and now on the grassroots circuit. A quick, athletic 6-1 point guard, Bass has terrific body control around the rim and gets up and down the court in a hurry, and he’s got the ability to stretch the floor with reliability as well. He’s already hearing from the NJ D-III programs, including Montclair St., Randolph and FDU-Florham. — Josh Verlin

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— The East Coast Cyclones duo of Gavin Kreitz (2022 | Seton Hall Prep, N.J.) and Justin Molen (2022 | Salesianum, Del.) led their team in a 73-52 dismantling of 6th Boro Hoops. Kreitz, who has been out for nearly two months with a severe ankle sprain, didn’t miss a beat. He looked fresh, playing with a ton of energy on both ends. The 5-10 point guard orchestrated the offense for the Cyclones while displaying a tight handle and ability to find open guys. Kreitz also showed off his impressive shot, knocking down multiple threes. Despite not picking up an official offer yet, Kreitz is getting looks from D-III schools like Swathmore and Randolph Macon and some D-I schools including Columbia, Colgate, Holy Cross, Princeton and Penn. Justin Molen showed off his skills as well, with his ability to handle the ball and get into the lane, using his height to his advantage. He moves well for someone who’s 6-7 and has good body control, along with a good touch from the outside. Like Kreitz, Molen has yet to pick up an official offer, but he’s getting looks from high academic D3 schools like Swarthmore, Johns Hopkins, and MIT with some Patriot League schools involved as well.

Quinn Clark (2022 | District Basketball | Gonzaga, D.C.) put together a solid performance in Districts 52-49 loss to TNBA Ohio. Clark showed off his versatility, by making his presence known inside as a roll man and attacking the offensive glass as well as knocking down a couple outside shots. Clark will most likely be a wing in college because of his ability to put the ball on the floor and shoot from the outside. He currently holds offers from a few D-I schools including George Washington, Siena and Harvard, while also getting looked at by a few D-II schools. Academics is an integral part of Clark’s final decision, which explains why he said he wants to end up at an Ivy League school. 

Torran Bosworth (2022 | Team Spartans | Tilton Prep, N.H.) showed off his impressive range against New Heights Lightning in a hard fought three point loss. The lefty scored 16 points, knocking down 4 threes, many of which came well beyond the three point arch. Bosworth recently participated in the NEPSAC showcase with Tilton Prep, playing against some of the best prep schools in the New England area. This allowed him to talk to Division II schools like Adelphi and D-I schools like Holy Cross and Army. Bosworth is more of a combo guard at the moment, but because he’s 6-1, he’s looking to improve his playmarking skills so he can transition to a point guard at the next level. — Zak Wolf


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