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Victor Oladipo Skills Academy Notebook (July 14)

07/15/2016, 7:45am EDT
By Josh Verlin

Justyn Mutts (above) had quite the experience at the Victor Oladipo Skills Academy on Thursday. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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HYATTSVILLE, Md. -- Some of the best players from the Nike EYBL as well as up-and-coming players on those program’s younger teams came to DeMatha Catholic for the Victor Oladipo Skills Camp, which runs from Tuesday until this Friday.

Here’s a notebook from the four game sets on Thursday, July 14:

Justyn Mutts (2017/St. Augustine Prep, N.J.)
Mutts learned an important lesson Thursday morning.

“Don’t ever jump with an NBA player who’s been in the dunk contest,” he said. “Never.”

During a question-and-answer session with the camp’s namesake, former DeMatha Catholic star and current NBA guard Victor Oladipo, Mutts had the audacity to let the now-Oklahoma City Thunder star, the No. 2 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, know that he could dunk on him.

Wednesday went by without further mention of the dare.

“Then today we walked in and he was in a full workout, full sweat and everything,” Mutts said. “I walked in, put my shoes on and he was like ‘are you ready right now?”

By now, you probably have seen the video of Oladipo’s dunk on Mutts, as the runner-up of the 2015 NBA Slam Dunk contest unleashed on the 17-year-old rising senior at St. Augustine Prep, with both crashing to the floor after a thunderous Oladipo slam.

But what you might not have seen was Mutts’ try, which came first -- and which was equally as successful.

“I made it, everybody was excited, everybody was hyped, I ended up getting pushed all the way to the other side of the gym,” Mutts said. “I walked over to shake his hand and he was like ‘you going to jump with me now?’ I couldn’t say no...I knew he had something planned, and he dunked it and it was like ‘wow.”

A slightly embarrassing viral video is just about the only thing that hasn’t gone Mutts’ way this month, as the 6-foot-7 forward’s stock is at an all-time high. His offer list is over 20 schools long, with Temple, Old Dominion, George Washington and VCU the most recent of a group that also involves locals Saint Joseph’s and La Salle, plus A-10 schools Richmond, Dayton, Saint Louis, Saint Bonaventure and a host of other quality mid-major programs.

“Howard, Richmond, Dayton, Old Dominion, Monmouth, it’s a couple of schools making me a priority,” he said.

With one official visit already in the books to Dayton, Mutts said he’s leaning towards using the second and third of his five allotted officials at Richmond and Howard, with the fourth and fifth destinations still open. Don’t expect any of the local schools to get official visits, which are the only kind paid for by the schools -- unofficial visits are on the prospective student-athlete’s dime -- but that doesn’t mean they’re out of the running.

“I’ve seen St. Joe’s, I’ve sen Temple, I’ve seen Monmouth, La Salle,” he said. “The schools that are near me, I’ve seen them enough to know what they’re like, I don’t need to take an official to them since they’re right around the corner.”

Mutts said he’s hoping to take the remaining four visits in August and early September once classes start, with a decision to come shortly thereafter.

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Matt Turner (above) is hearing from several high-major programs after a strong first week in July. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Matt Turner (2017/Blair Academy, N.J.)
A talented scorer who lit up the nets on the EYBL circuit time and time again, Turner has been coveted for months by programs in the Atlantic 10 and similar conferences.

But after another big week with the New York Lightning at the Peach Invitational Tournament, featuring the programs who didn’t quite qualify for Peach Jam, high-majors are knocking at the door.

“Every day I’m getting new calls,” he said, naming “Oregon, Pittsburgh, San Diego State (and) Cal” amongst those who have reached out over the last few days.

“Most often (in contact) right now, I would say it’s St. Joe’s, Seton Hall, Saint Louis and Santa Clara,” he added.

A steady 3-point shooter who knocked down 36 percent of his attempts on the EYBL circuit, Turner got his Thursday started with a 13-point outing, connecting on 3-of-4 3-pointers and 5-of-10 overall.

Right now, he’s trying to expand on his offensive arsenal away from purely the jump shot, which he showcased with a beautiful kiss off the glass on a drive to his left near the end of the game.

“I think it’s pretty obvious now that people are catching on that I can shoot and I can go off the dribble and shoot, but now I’m focused on mixing it up, going to the hoop, attacking, being more explosive so I can finish above the rim,” he said.

A Turnbull, Conn. native, Turner is preparing for his third season at Blair under head coach Joe Mantegna, who’s produced dozens of Division I players during his 17 years at the New Jersey prep school powerhouse.

Currently at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Turner mentioned he’s looking to add “10 to 15 pounds” before the season.

“I want to bulk up so guards can’t really push me off my dribble,” he said.

He’s already taken unofficial visits to SJU and Santa Clara, but with his stock rising and two weeks left to get out in front of as many coaches as possible, he’s not ready to make any decisions on official visits until he sees where things stand after the dust settles in August and September.

“I definitely want to take my time as much as possible, so I don’t really have a timetable for when I want to commit,” he said.

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Paul Atkinson (right) picked up 10 offers after the first July live recruiting period. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Paul Atkinson (2017/Westminster Academy, Fla.)
Atkinson thought he’d had a solid Peach Jam with Nike South Beach (Fl.), averaging 10.2 ppg and 5.6 rpg in five games of competition.

Though Nike South Beach lost all five of its games, plenty of Division I coaches in attendance at Riverview Activities Center in North Augusta, S.C. clearly agreed with the 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward.

A full 10 schools have offered Atkinson since the first live period ended, from all up and down the East Coast: Lehigh, Lafayette and Bucknell from the Patriot League; plus Florida Gulf Coast, Lipscomb, South Alabama, IPFW, UNCW, Charleston and Bowling Green.

“This past Monday, I got seven offers in one day,” he said. “(Coaches) called me a lot that day.”

All of those programs will have to make up some ground on several coaching staffs who have been in Atkinson’s ear most often, including the defending Ivy League champions.

“Yale, they’re on me a lot,” he said. “Jacksonville, Old Dominion, Richmond as well, they talk to me a lot (too).”

Atkinson put up a double-double in his first game of the afternoon on Thursday, putting up 10 points and grabbing 12 boards to lead his team to a 75-54 win.

He was the most effective forward on the court, even if he wasn’t the most physically gifted. Most impressive was his motor -- never giving up on a rebound or loose ball, even if it took three, four or five tries until someone finally secured possession, Atkinson simply out-hustled the rest of the court.

“Post game is real strong right now, and I’ve got a nice midrange I’m working on,” he said, adding that he’s focusing on “handling the ball and moving my game outside the arc...to be able to take it to the rack, passing and all of that.”

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Alex O'Connell (above) could follow his father, who played at Duke, to the ACC. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Alex O’Connell (2017/Milton High School, Ga.)
It’s no surprise that O’Connell’s recruitment is approaching blue-blood levels as the summer continues.

The son of former Duke guard David O’Connell, whose career was cut short by knee injuries, Alex has all the athleticism of an elite-level wing, with a developing game to match.

At 6-6 and 175 pounds, the younger O’Connell has a lean frame with easy bounce, but his upside has coaches drooling. His jumper has a lightning-quick release, giving him the ability to pull up and knock down shots from anywhere within 22 feet, even with a defender draped all over him; he’s also got court vision to make passes while attacking and his length makes him a defensive pest as well.

In his first game on Thursday, O'Connell poured in 19 points on 9-of-17 shooting, dishing out three assists and grabbing three boards.

When asked just what schools were recruiting him hardest, O’Connell had a hard time cutting it down to just a few: “Syracuse, Butler, Xavier, Louisville, NC State, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Ole Miss, Iowa State, Clemson and there’s probably a few I missed, but those are the ones I can name right now,” he said.

With such a host of high-major programs from various conferences all pursuing his services, O’Connell has a lot of work to do to parse down his list this fall. He said he has a checklist

“Definitely style of play -- running fast, transition points, teams that set screens for the shooters, set good screens,” he said. “I like the idea of a ‘basketball school,’ and education’s going to be a big part too. Those are just a few things...relationship with the coaching staff is important.”

Louisville will be the first school to receive an official visit, as he’ll be visiting the ACC powerhouse from Aug. 1-2. After that, everything’s up in the air.

“They’re great, coach (Rick Pitino) has a history of developing players and making them better,” he said of Louisville. “I felt comfortable with coach Johnson who reached out to me every day. They also have a history of NBA talent, so that’s something I’ll look at as well.”

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Anthony Gaines (above) is being heavily pursued for his athleticism and play-making abilities on the wing. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Anthony Gaines (2017/New Hampton School, N.H.)
There aren’t many players out there quite like Gaines, whose game has progressed nicely over the years.

A 6-5, 190-pound wing guard, Gaines gained notice as an underclassman for his physical nature, possessing more of a power-forward’s game to go along with his muscular frame and non-stop motor. Gradually, he’s improved his skill set to the point where he’s as well-rounded a wing as they come, with a deft touch around the rim but a much sharper mid-range game as well.

On the EYBL circuit this summer, he averaged 15.7 ppg and 9.0 rpg during the regular season, playing his role perfectly as perimeter-oriented guard who can attack the basket and clean up everything that doesn’t go in.

This is the second year in a row that Gaines has attended the Oladipo Skills Academy, and though he made a good impression a year ago he’s hoping to really open eyes this time around.

“I would say (the biggest change) is my aggressiveness,” he said. “Last year, I didn’t put up as many shots or things like that, but I think after this high school season, I got a lot of confidence and everything and I was able to find success and I kept being aggressive and bringing energy and I think that really helped.”

When it comes to his recruitment, Gaines has no shortage of attractive options. Northwestern became the latest to offer, two days ago, joining a group that includes Butler, Cincinnati, Dayton, Michigan, Virginia, Utah and George Washington, as well as local schools Temple and Villanova.

A planned business major with an interest in finance and entrepreneurship, Gaines is focused heavily on making sure he finds a spot that fits a well-rounded profile.

“I’d love to play after college, whether that’s overseas or in the NBA, but for me, academics is really important,” he said. “Finding success after basketball, because I know basketball isn’t going to be there forever, so I want to make sure my backup plan is there. So I’m kind of making that my main priority and finding a school as well as good basketball.

“After this July I’m going to see what I have, make a list of schools, try to break it down to five and try to do my visits,” he added. “I want to be committed hopefully as late as September; if it takes longer than that, it’s fine, as long as I find the right fit.”

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