City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
--

READING, Pa. — The Hoop Group’s first Elite Camp of July brought over 600 high school basketball players to Albright College for a week of competition and recruiting exposure. After Tuesday’s tryout games, the camp was put onto their official teams Wednesday, with the college coaches arriving throughout the day and Division I coaches allowed in for the evening sets.

Here’s Part 2 of a notebook from Thursday’s action, which featured games on seven courts in front of the college coaches all day long; Part 1 can be found here:

~~~

T.J. Bamba (2020/Abraham Lincoln, Colo.)

After spending his freshman year at KIPP NYC College Prep High School in the Bronx, Bamba knew he needed to be somewhere different if he were going to reach his potential. Somewhere much different.

So, he said, with the help of some connections he had in the Rocky Mountain State, he convinced his mom to uproot and move to Denver, enrolling at Abraham Lincoln High School for his sophomore year.

“It’s slow compared to New York, but everything’s going to be slow compared to New York,” he said. “It’s a good experience...I’m exposing myself to different things and getting used to other things that I’m going to have to get used to once I go to college.

“There’s nothing to do out there so I’m just in the gym and the library working on my grades and working on my game, I’m real focused when I’m out there, so it’s a real good thing.”

Bamba, who said he plans on returning to Denver for his junior year, picked up his first scholarship offer this April, from Stony Brook. The muscular 6-foot-5, 198-pound wing with above-the-rim athleticism cited interest from schools more regional to his high school: Pepperdine, Colorado, Denver, Colorado State, Northern Colorado and Missouri State.

Though he’s got the same last name and hometown as the No. 6 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Mohamed Bamba, T.J. Bamba said he has no relation to the former Westtown School and Texas standout. However, he did get to meet the 7-footer, through a friendship with former Westtown guard and current South Carolina Gamecock Jair Bolden.

“I wish I had (his) height,” Bamba said with a laugh. But he does have a wingspan pushing seven feet, making him an effective defensive presence on the wing; offensively, his skillset is still developing, though he displayed a strong pull-up jumper with rather consistent form.

“I’m trying to become more efficient and more solid,” he said. “I’m not trying to play out-of-control, I’m also trying to get better at being consistent...I’ve been putting in a lot, a lot of time on my jump shot.” -- Josh Verlin
~~~

Wesley Butler (2019/Reading)

When Lonnie Walker led Reading to the 2017 PIAA Class 6A State Championship in his senior season, Wes Butler was merely a sophomore. The 5-foot-9 point guard scored six points as a starter in the state championship game against Pine-Richland.

So when Walker was picked in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs in this year’s NBA Draft, his apprentice, Butler, was left speechless.

“It was amazing,” Butler said of his reaction. “I’ve just been blessed to play with a player like that. NBA? That’s just a blessing. He taught me so much and still teaches me. I love that, man.”

But now it’s Butler’s team. And it was last season, when Reading reached the second round of the state tournament before a crushing overtime loss to Central Bucks West. A year ago, Butler served as the only starter remaining from Reading’s 2017 state championship team and averaged a team-high 16.5 points per game.

In that season, Butler has learned how to lead. The Red Knights will only feature a pair of seniors next season, and it will be their point guard that brings another young Reading team together. Just like Walker did for Butler two seasons ago.

“I really want to lead our young guys,” Butler said. “We’re going to have a sophomore starting and only two seniors. In leading them, I’m making sure that my leadership is seen on the court. “Lonnie mentored me, along with the other seniors since I’ve been there. I want to give back to my young guys and make sure that when I leave, they can follow the tradition at Reading.”

At Hoop Group’s Elite I Session on Wednesday, Butler was phenomenal on both ends. The rising senior was simply a dominant scorer, at all three levels, and showed that through pull-up jumpers, 3-pointers, and smooth drives to the basket. In addition, Butler is a ferocious perimeter defender that uses his quickness to stay in front. It’s his signature mid-range game that makes him a high-priority Division II prospect, with Division I schools also taking note. Thursday, he mentioned Army West Point, Bloomsburg, and East Stroudsburg as schools showing interest.

“I play smart,” he said. “I’m a high-IQ player that makes the right plays. If you need me to score, I’ll score. If you need me to facilitate, I’ll facilitate.”

There is more than basketball for Butler. Wherever he lands, Butler plans on studying law -- with his sights set on law school following college.

“Academics are a big priority for me,” Butler said. “I want to major in law, so I’m looking for a school with great law program and I can go to law school after college. Basketball-wise, I look at the fit -- who’s going to take care of me and making sure I fit in with my teammates.”

It’s a big summer for Butler, who will be playing his final summer of live periods. From leaning on the likes of Walker for guidance, though, it’s safe to say that Reading’s point guard is prepared for the final sprint.

“I’m just looking at it like it’s my last summer of AAU,” he said. “So why not go all out?” -- Teddy Bailey

~~~

Tyler Henry (2019/Putnam Science, Conn.)

When Henry decided to reclass in February and take a grad year, eventually deciding upon attending PSA, he was looking for a different scenery to advance his recruitment.

Based on a pair of recent Division II offers from Lincoln and Concordia (N.Y.), the 6-foot-3 guard is already achieving just that.

“It took some time for the process to get going,” Henry said of his decision. “But I ultimately did it to further my recruitment. I had a couple schools that were looking at me, but I thought I could make a push for a few more.”

Henry’s recruitment wasn’t where he wanted it to be following an impressive career at Stroudsburg High School. He averaged 15.5 points per game in his senior season -- the phone rang, with Division II schools such as local East Stroudsburg interested in pursuing Henry at the next level. But he wanted more.

And so Henry came across Putnam Science, a prep school nestled in rural Connecticut. From the geographic location, Putnam’s quiet location was exactly what Henry had been looking for. In terms of basketball, the school has consistently harbored high-level talent -- most recently the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Hamidou Diallo, following his freshman season at Kentucky, but also several local players, like Abington’s Anthony Durham Jr., now at Rider, a school that Henry said he was expecting to watch him this July.

“I can’t wait for the competition in the NEPSAC,” Henry said. “I see it all the time. There’s a lot of great players, I mean Hamidou Diallo came out of Putnam. There’s just a lot of talent in that league.

“It’s going to be a whole new experience for me,” he added. “Being away from my family and my friends. But I feel like that’s simply the next step in my career and my life. I like the quiet area of Putnam, there’s less distractions.”

There’s a lot to like about Henry’s game. The 6-3, 185-pound guard plays with a level of energy and emotion that is obvious when he takes the court. Henry is sound offensively, proving Thursday that he can hit difficult shots while facilitating his teammates in both transition and half-court setting, and he’s an engaged defender who stays vocal on that end of the court.

“I’m a scoring guard but I definitely love to play defense,” Henry said. “Playing defense, that’s the main thing that keeps my teammates motivated. I like expressing emotion on the court, keeps my team going and brings a lot of energy to the game.” -- Teddy Bailey

Quick Hits
-- Bergen Catholic rising senior Doug Edert got a chance to visit two of his three offers in a week’s span at the end of last month, stopping by Wagner and then New Hampshire for unofficial visits; Fairleigh Dickinson, even closer to home, is his third. Both clearly made a positive impression.

“I liked them a lot,” he said. “Wagner I liked, it was clean, it was a really nice campus, I like the kids there, the coaches are great. And then New Hampshire, it’s a little far but they had an amazing campus and I love the coaches there and the players that were there seem like they’re really cool kids. They’re both good schools, I love them.”

For now, the 6-2, 180-pound combo guard with a quick trigger from deep and terrific passing ability is hoping to use the next couple weeks -- mostly playing with the NJ Roadrunners -- to score a few more offers, with schools like Drexel, Colgate, Hartford, Harvard and a few others promising to come see him play. For now, he said, has no plans on a commitment timeline.

--There’s no denying that Kyle Koob is known for his shot – after all, the 6-foot-2 rising senior at Shore Regional was consistently solid from beyond the arc on both Wednesday and Thursday at Hoop Group’s Elite I session. But there’s more to his game these days than perimeter shooting, as Koob displayed explosive offensive play in transition during Thursday’s afternoon sets. There’s quite a lot to like in Koob at the Division II and III levels, and the Jersey Force player has interest from both D-II’s and D-III’s, including a spot to play at D-III Montclair State (N.J.). If his shooting continues to shine this summer, expect Koob’s list of small-colleges to grow rather quickly.