North Central guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, one of Tom Crean’s top recruiting targets in the 2012 recruiting class, attended Hoosier Hysteria Friday night at Assembly Hall.
Smith-Rivera arrived just before 9:00 EST wearing a red sweatshirt and took a seat beneath the basket on the north side of Assembly Hall.
Here’s what we’ve been able to piece together from Saturday’s Elite Camp that took place at Assembly Hall:
+ Both of IU’s 2011 commitments, Austin Etherington (pictured) and Matt Carlino, played well. Carlino’s shot reportedly looked much better than it did over the summer.
+ 2011 Muncie Central guard Jeremiah Davis attended the camp and the buzz continues to be that IU is in great shape with him. Davis is an AAU teammate of Etherington on Indiana Elite Team Indiana.
+ Current NBA players Eric Gordon, Steve Novak and Jared Jeffries all attended the camp. Both Novak and Jeffries spoke to the campers and Novak was spotted in IU shorts.
+ 2012 campers: Lawrence Central’s Jeremy Hollowell, Southport’s Kellon Thomas, Bloomington South’s T.J. Bell and Menomonee Falls (WI)’s J.P. Tokoto. Ron Patterson did not attend and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera is spending the weekend taking unofficial visits.
+ 2013 campers: Jeffersonville’s Darryl Baker and North Oldham (KY)’s Darryl Hicks. I had a chance to see both players over the summer and they both have a chance to be special. Jody Demling of The Louisville-Courier-Journal is reporting that Indianapolis Cathedral’s Collin Hartman and Brent and Bryson Scott of Ft. Wayne Northup attended.
+ 2011 guard/forward Aaron Thomas from Cincinnati Aiken (OH) is in Bloomington this weekend, but we’re not sure if he played in the camp. The IU staff followed Thomas closely in July at the Kentucky Hoopfest.
+ Indianapolis Pike’s Marquis Teague did not make it to the camp and all signs continue to point toward Louisville for Teague.
+ 2011 Gary Lew Wallace standout Branden Dawson opted to attend Marquette’s ‘specialty’ camp according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Significant here is that Dawson is considered a Purdue lean and the Boilermakers also held a camp of their own on Saturday. The Journal Sentinel report also claims that Michael Cobbins, Vander Blue, Reggie Smith, Jeremy Lamb and DeJuan Marrero attended the Marquette camp.
The July evaluation period kicks off Monday for college coaches and their assistants. And with coaches being unable to attend AAU tournaments in the month of April, July’s evaluation period has even more importance in 2009.
In no particular order, here are the storylines we’ll be tracking this month:
+ Is David Williams a high major talent? Before he committed to Indiana in late April, Williams was relatively unknown nationally. He is not among the top 100 prospects in the 2010 class on either Scout.com or Rivals.com and many wonder if offering a scholarship to Williams was a stretch for the IU staff. Playing on a stacked roster for the Atlanta “J-Smoove” Celtics that includes N.C. State commit Ryan Harrow, Tennessee commit Jordan McRae and former Ohio State commit Trae Golden, Williams is often overshadowed and perhaps under appreciated by scouts. We’ll get our first look at the Jacksonville native on Monday.
+ Can Indiana secure an official visit from Kyrie Irving? The Hoosiers appear to be in a favorable position for their top 2010 target after he said Indiana was at the top of his list in early June. However, Irving has established himself as one of the top players nationally in his class and Duke, Virginia, Kentucky and Notre Dame are all believed to be making a strong push. He will participate in the LeBron James Skills Academy this week and IU coaches will be able to watch him on Wednesday and Thursday.
+ Will Matt Carlino return to form after a tough April and May? After being slowed by injuries this spring, Carlino hopes to get his shooting stroke back and display the talents that led to an IU offer last summer. With his recent move to Bloomington, he should be more familiar with his Indiana Elite teammates. Look for IU’s lone 2011 commitment to have an impressive summer while playing both guard spots.
+ Is Indiana a major factor for Marquis Teague? Publicly, the stance from the Indianapolis Pike point guard is that he loves Indiana and Tom Crean. At the same time, Louisville has been recognized as the team to beat since last winter. There’s no doubt IU has been able to make up considerable ground in his recruitment. But can Crean sell Teague that he’ll be able to compete for a national title his freshman season?
+ Who is the best player from Indiana in the 2012 class? The 2012 class is loaded with talent and IU is actively recruiting four of the top players: Bowman Academy’s Dejuan Marrero, Broad Ripple’s Ron Patterson, Lawrence Central’s Jeremy Hollowell and North Central’s D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera. To this point, Smith-Rivera has garnered the most national publicity, but Hollowell’s length, Patterson’s versatility and Marrero’s athleticism are all things to keep an eye on.
On Monday, July 6 we’ll be at the adidas It Takes Five Classic in Cincinnati and on July 10, 11 and 12 we’ll be at the Kentucky Hoopfest in Louisville. Follow us on Twitter to receive updates throughout the day from both events.
Indianapolis North Central has produced its fair share of standout guards over the last decade. Since 1999, the school has produced a trio of Mr. Basketballs: Jason Gardner (Arizona), A.J. Ratliff and of course, Eric Gordon.
And a fourth could soon be on the way in the form of 2012′s D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera.
A physical guard who is regarded as one of the top prospects nationally in his class, Smith-Rivera already holds a scholarship offer from the Indiana staff. And he plans to get more familiar with Bloomington over the summer.
“I do plan to visit IU over the summer pretty often,” Smith-Rivera said at the adidas May Classic. “I like it down here. I’ve been down a few times. I came down here and visited a few weeks ago. It was nice. I enjoyed it.”
On his last visit, Smith-Rivera got a chance to see the campus and became more familiar with how Tom Crean sees him fitting in with the program.
This weekend I’ll be in Louisville for the Grassroots Shootout, an event organized by Eddie Ford. Tournament play kicks off Friday night at 6:00 p.m. at the Hoops facility in the east end of Louisville. Pool play will continue through Saturday with the finals being held early on Sunday. A complete schedule of the event can be found here.
Among the top players and teams I’ll be keeping an eye out for (and hopefully grabbing some video of):
In unrelated site news, beginning this Monday, April 20, we will begin a bi-weekly live chat on the site. The chat will be moderated by myself and Chris Korman of the H-T/Hoosier Scoop and will be available here and on the Scoop. It will take place at 7:30 p.m. The plan is to have guests join us from time-to-time to field questions and also discuss all things Indiana basketball.
The next in line in a stable of exceptional guards at Indianapolis North Central has arrived and is making an immediate impact as a freshman.
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, a 6-3 guard who already has a scholarship offer from Indiana, is considered one of the top 10 players nationally in the class of 2012 and is the focus of a story in today’s Indianapolis Star:
Three games into his high school career, the powerfully-built 6-3 guard is already an impact player, in the top three on his state-ranked team in scoring (15.3), rebounds (7.7), assists (5.3) and steals (2.3).
“He’s really, really good,” Doug Mitchell said. “He’s talented and has a great head on his shoulders. The thing that helps him, too, is that he’s physically strong.”
You can go ahead and pencil in Smith-Rivera alongside 2011 Indianapolis Pike guard Marquis Teague at the top of the priority list for IU. In order for Tom Crean to bring the program back to national prominence, it’s going to be essential to lock down the state of Indiana. And that means getting the best players throughout the state to come to Bloomington.
