If this really was high school basketball’s elite, then Kevin Garnett really is the No. 1 player in the land.
More Top Picks Best Blue Light Glasses For Teens
Garnett, the 6-foot-10 1/2-inch, 210-pound center from Mauldin, S.C. arrived at the Nike basketball camp in Deerfield last week with the glossiest dossier of college prospects. But word-of-mouth will only take you so far.
“Yeah, I felt like a marked player,” said Garnett, who dominated the competition at the five-day session that ended Tuesday. “The other players looked at me like: `He’s the best,’ and they want a piece of me. That just takes away from their game.
“I just wanted to play ball and have fun. I had confidence I would play like the No. 1 player in the country, even though I don’t really care about such ratings. I just want people to know my name. `Hi, I’m Kevin.’ I’d rather have them think: `He’s a nice guy to be around.’ “
Garnett emerged at a camp where 14 of the top 33 players were either centers or power forwards. His loose, lively body rejected shots on one end and slammed monster dunks at the other. He demonstrated some ballhandling ability and a keen passing eye.
South Carolina will be the place to visit for big men. Talent scouts rated 6-10 junior Jermaine O’Neal of Columbia as the second-best center and were also impressed by 6-9 Issiah Epps of tiny Kingstree.
Wisconsin produced a standout pair of power players in 6-7 Sam Okey of Cassville and 6-10, 240-pound Joe Harmsen of Fond du Lac. Okey enhanced his precamp reputation as one of the finest Wisconsin preps in years, and Harmsen displayed a soft shooting touch.
Then there was the 6-5, 210-pound Californian Schea Cotton, only a sophomore. He is already a complete player with upper-body strength of a college senior. He teamed with fellow Golden Staters 6-5 junior point guard Olujimi Mann, 6-10 1/2 Jelani McCoy, 6-7 junior Corey Benjamin and 6-9 sophomore identical twins Jason and Jarron Collins to capture the championship game for California Gold.
The most talented small forward was Garnett’s camp teammate, 6-7 Ron Mercer of Madison, Tenn. Garnett, Mercer and Farragut junior Ronnie Fields, the camp’s slam-dunk champion, became good friends at this tournament last year in Portland, Ore. Keep an eye on Pittsburgh’s 6-7 Pete Sauer when he hits the collegiate ranks, especially when he sets up just beyond the three-point arc.
The most dynamic point guard was 6-1 Tryrian Ridges of Silver Springs, Md. He possesses a mesmerizing between-the-legs speed dribble and a lightning first step. Once he has his man retreating on defense, he’ll fake the drive and hit a rainbow three-pointer.
Coming out of a town named North Hollywood, Calif., and with a 6-9, 215-pound frame, it’s no wonder Jarron Collins aspires to become a magical point guard. He still has a ways to go, but then again, he’s only a sophomore.
Along with Fields, the best two-guard was 6-4 Melvin Levett of Cleveland. Louis Bullock of Temple Hills, Md. was rated the best defensive player in the camp, and skinny, 6-3 Gee Gervin was a chip off the old block of his famous father, former NBA star George “Iceman” Gervin. Another well-known offspring was Houston point guard Calvin Murphy, at 5-9 already the same size as his feisty father.