Austin Rivers- Making a Name for Himself

In the basketball world, Rivers is a big-time last name right now, as Doc Rivers just coached the Boston Celtics to the NBA title. The head man in Beantown has another star in his family. Doc's son, 6'3.5 guard Austin Rivers of Winter Park (FL), was one of just two players in the class of 2011 at the Steve Nash Skills Academy, along with Tony Wroten. Rivers, Wroten, Michael Gilchrist, LeBryan Nash, and LaQuinton Ross will likely be battling for the top spot in their class as time progresses. I had a chance to speak with Austin after he finished up his final workout at the Nash event.

NB: What was it like watching your dad coach the Celtics to the NBA Championship?
AR: Man, it didn’t really sink in until the next day. It was crazy, it was probably the craziest thing, probably the best day of my life so far. [It] was crazy.

NB: Do you kind of felt a weight off of his shoulders, finally winning that title, getting that playoff [series] win and all that?
AR: Yeah, I think he can actually relax now, now that he’s at least won one and he has none of that pressure about having all those great players and not succeeding, so I think he’s more relaxed now.

NB: What’s it been like for you being around NBA players all the time, with your dad always being around those guys?
AR: It’s different. . . . It’s helped me a lot because they teach you a lot of stuff. I don’t train with them or play with them that much, I just go in my backyard and play, but it’s a lot different. They teach you stuff and it’s fun.

NB: You’ve really come on strong during the spring and summer. What’s went into that for you?
AR: It’s been good so far. I’ve been working, I think I’ve been playing a lot better because I’ve been getting a little bit . . . stronger, and . . . I’m trying to get a lot more stronger, and I just can’t wait until the Peach Jam.

NB: What’s the biggest strength in your game?
AR: I’d say my jump-shot because it can open me up, and when they have to play close, I think I [am] quick enough to go by a lot of people, and I can penetrate or score. . . . Just, the jump-shot, I think [it] opens me up.

NB: What’s your biggest weakness?
AR: I’d say my strength. Compared to these dudes, these dudes are pretty big. You got Lance [Stephenson] and Tommy [Mason-Griffin] over there [that] look like football players. . . . I need to get a little bit . . . bigger. I think that’s my weakness, strength.

NB: What schools are you currently considering?
AR: Florida, right now. . . . University of Florida, that’s most likely.

NB: Is that your dream school?
AR: It’s one of them. I’ve always liked them and Texas, and North Carolina, and Kansas. Those are the . . . four right there.

NB: Who do currently have an offer from?
AR: Florida, [Central Florida], and . . . I’m going to try to go visit Memphis, Kansas, and Texas.

Austin Rivers is not only a nice and genuine kid, he is a talented ball player. That's evident merely from the fact that the rising sophomore was invited to the Steve Nash Skills Academy, a top-notch Nike event. Rivers is a player with a of potential, as he is still young and lanky. Once he begins to fill out his frame, Rivers will be a load for any defender to handle. Austin was one of just three or four players who kept shooting around during the water break in the scrimmage I saw him. His work ethic will take him a long way, and it will help him to be more than just Doc's son.

Note- photo is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/

Tony Wroten- The Best in the Class of 2011? He Says "Yes"

The Steve Nash Skills Academy featured some of the best players in America. The invitees included Lance Stephenson '09, John Wall '09, Tommy Mason-Griffin '09, Maalik Wayns '09, Doron Lamb '10, and Trae Golden '10. One of the biggest names at the event, which was full of superstars, was class of 2011 big-timer Tony Wroten of Garfield (WA), a 6'4.5 guard. After the last workout of the event, I had the opportunity to catch up with Wroten, one of only two players in his class at the event.

NB: What schools are you currently considering?
TW: Man, there’s a lot. I got long [list]. . . . It’s Louisville, Syracuse, [Villanova], Memphis, Maryland, Seton Hall, [and] Washington. I can go on and on. . . . I don’t even know what my top five [is] yet.

NB: How many offers do you have at this point?
TW: I only got one.

NB: From who?
TW: Washington

NB: What’s it like for you getting so much attention? You’re . . . going to be a sophomore next year, yet you have so much national attention.
TW: It’s great because . . . a lot of people come to your games, all eyes are on you, but then again, . . . I can’t think all about me, it’s about my team, and then my game will follow. So, it’s a nice privilege to have people come see me [and] have [my] games [be] packed.

NB: What’s the strongest point of your game?
TW: My vision. . . . I’m an all-around player. . . . I’m like Magic Johnson basically.

NB: What’s the weakest point of your game?
TW: Right now, I’d say, my opposite hand, my right hand.

NB: Are you the best player in the class of 2011?
TW: Yes, by far. . . . I’m not saying that to be cocky, I’m just saying it to be confident. The reason why is because I can do it all, shoot, dribble, go to the hole, play defense. I always want to guard the best player on the . . . opposite team, that’s why a few days ago I wanted to guard Lance . . . Stephenson and John Wall [because] they [are] the best. That’s why I think I’m the best in [the] class.

Wroten is certainly confident, and rightfully so. The young guard has a bright future ahead of him, and it appears that he has many options as to where he wants to go in his future. Wroten's cousin, Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks, can likely give him some secrets to success and some tips on how to handle pressure. Tony Wroten is a player that you will be hearing much more about as his years in high school move along.

Scouting Report on Wroten:

Tony Wroten was the second tallest player at the camp, behind Lance Stephenson '09, who is actually a swingman. Tony has a nice build and a big frame. The star from Washington is a top-notch athlete. It was this aspect of the the class of 2011 guard's game that made him stand out the most. He is a great dunker and has great hops. Wroten's size, athleticism, and overall talent will take him a long way.

Note- photo is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/

Update on . . . Khalid Lewis El

Class of 2011 swingman Khalid Lewis El just finished up a big weekend in San Diego, California. The 6'3 star from Trenton Catholic (NJ) was at the adidas Phenom 150 event in the Golden State. He had a big-time weekend and busted out in a major way. Khalid was ranked by http://www.hoopscooponline.com/ as the number three player at the camp, which had around 360 kids in the rising 10th graders division. Lewis El was the top ranked wing forward, and the highest finisher of all players from the New Jersey/New York/Pennsylvania basketball powerhouse area. I'll keep you posted on how things are coming along for the TCA soon-to-be sophomore.

Tavon Sledge- Young Speedster Wants to Improve

St. Benedict's (NJ) seemed to have the game in lock during their matchup with PCTI (NJ) at the Hoop Group Showcase. The Gray Bees, who led by 14 at halftime, and were up by double digits for most of the contest, let the squad from PCTI slowly creep back into the game. The game was all tied up with under a minute to go and PCTI had the ball, but was unable to convert. St. Ben's took advantage of the opportunity and hit a close-range shot as time expired. During the hard fought contest, Tavon Sledge, a 5'10 point guard, stood out as one of the premiere players for either side. I had the opportunity to chat with the class of 2011 star after the win.

NB: What happened with [the team] out there? You guys had a big lead, [but] fell apart. You guys had to win it on the last second shot. What went wrong?
TS: We just got too ahead of ourselves, started throwing turnovers. We weren’t settled. We were trying to rush our shots, and just [did] not listen to the coach really.

NB: How did you personally contribute to the letdown at some point during that game?
TS: I threw some crucial turnovers, too. I tried to push the issue and tried to get my team involved when we weren’t supposed to, and that’s pretty much it.

NB: How did you then help your team rebound and get the win?
TS: I tried to stay down low as much as possible and try to double down on the big man because he started killing us at the end and started getting more rebounds.

NB: What do consider to be the strongest point of your game?
TS: My speed and my ability to score.

NB: What’s the weakest point of your game?
TS: My jump-shot.

NB: What are you doing to improve your jump-shot?
TS: I’m working a lot on my jump-shot with my trainer, . . . so I’m trying to get to him as much as possible every week and work on the shot.

NB: What do you see as some of the similarities between playing in a high school game during the summer and an AAU event during the summer?
TS: AAU is more of a run-and-gun game. [In] high school [games] you got to be smart and listen to the coach because [in] AAU, coaches don’t really coach, they just let you play. [In] high school [games] you got to run sets and just follow what the coach is saying because if you don’t listen he’ll take you out.

NB: Which one do you prefer?
TS: High school.

NB: Which one do you think you play better in?
TS: I think I play better in AAU.

NB: Then why [do] you prefer high school [basketball]?
TS: Because I think it’s going to get me better more [than AAU is] in the future. . . . I like to run a lot and play, but high school teaches me how be smart as a point guard and play . . . [like] the coach is telling me to.

NB: You brought up the future. What are some of the colleges you’re considering right now?
TS: I don’t even know yet.

NB: Have you been receiving any interest?
TS: I got letters from Marquette, Seton Hall, Villanova, . . . Syracuse, and that’s pretty much it.

NB: Are you interested in . . . [at] some point playing in the Big East?
TS: Yeah.

NB: Do you have a dream school?
TS: Not really.

NB: Is the Big East the conference that you want to play in though?
TS: Yeah.

NB: What are you looking for in a college?
TS: Something just to get me better, to be a smarter student. . . . That’s pretty much it.

NB: How important will academics be in your decision?
TS: Very important.

It's evident that Tavon, a speedster with great hops, wants to improve his game. The floor general will definitely get some playing time for the Gray Bees this year, despite the crowded point guard situation. With seasoning and practice Tavon Sledge may well become one of the best point guards in his class. It seems that getting him to practice won't be an issue, as the St. Benedict's guard is a baller who wants to become as good as he can.

News & Notes-

Here are some quick tidbits of information for you:

- Prior to the NBA Draft officially starting, I asked Jerryd Bayless if he knew where he was going to get pick, and he responded by saying, "I have no idea." It seems that the players really do have to wait in the dark.

- Duke's Greg Paulus was injured at the Steve Nash Skills Academy. He hurt his ankle and ended up on crutches. Paulus did not go to the gym for camp activities on Friday, the last day of drills and workouts.

- Dexter Strickland of St. Patrick's (NJ) apparently has a pulled hamstring. The injury, which he seems to have suffered either just before adidas Nations in Africa or during the event, kept him out of the Steve Nash Skills Academy, and he did not even come on Friday.

- The Steve Nash Skills Academy really is a "skills academy." The players do drills, work on fundamentals, get quality coaching, play some games, and work hard. Nike is doing a great job trying to help these players improve their games. As well, Steve Nash was not only at the event, but he really did do coaching. It wasn't as if the Phoenix Suns star just stood around and watched the camp go on. He took an active role in helping the kids get better. The camp was well-run an well organized. Kudos to Nike!

Upcoming Interviews:

I'm sorry I was unable to post any articles yesterday. I had a very busy 24 hours that included attending the Steve Nash Skills Academy at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. These are the college players that participated in the event that I spoke to: Stephen Curry of Davidson, Jai Lucas of Florida, Eric Maynor of Virginia Commonwealth, Levance Fields of Pitt, and Tyrese Rice of Boston College. I caught up with two of the event's high school players, class of 2011 stars Tony Wroten, Jr. and Austin Rivers. As well, I took the chance to chat with some members of the crowd: Brandon Costner of North Carolina St. and Lance Stephenson's father. Finally, I had the opportunity to ask some questions of Steve Nash along with a few other reporters. Besides these 10, I got contact information for a number of other players, including John Wall, Kenny Boynton, and Jack McClinton, and will speak to those guys sometime in the near future. For now, stay tuned in for these interviews, as well as many of the ones I conducted at the Hoop Group Showcase. Thanks!

2008 NBA Draft My Way

Here's a rundown of how the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft would go if I were the GM of all 30 teams. Basically, I'm saying what I think the team should do with each pick.

Pick. Team: Name, Position, Grade/Age, College/Country
1. Chicago: Michael Beasley, F, Fr, Kansas St.
2. Miami: Derrick Rose, G, Fr, Memphis
3. Minnesota: Kevin Love, F, Fr, UCLA
4. Seattle: OJ Mayo, G, Fr, USC
5. Memphis: Brook Lopez, C, So, Stanford
6. New York: Jerryd Bayless, G, Fr, Arizona
7. Los Angeles Clippers: DJ Augustin, G, So, Texas
8. Milwaukee: Danilo Gallinari, F, 19, Italy
9. Charlotte: Eric Gordon, G, Fr, Indiana
10. New Jersey: Anthony Randolph, F, Fr, LSU
11. Indiana: Russell Westbrook, G, So, UCLA
12. Sacramento: Mario Chalmers, G, Jr, Kansas
13. Portland: Brandon Rush, G, Jr, Kansas
14. Golden State: Joe Alexander, F, Jr, West Virginia
15. Phoenix: Donte' Green, F, Fr, Syracuse
16. Philadelphia: DeAndre Jordan, C, Fr, Texas A&M
17. Indiana: Robin Lopez, C, So, Stanford
18. Washington: Darrell Arthur, F, So, Kansas
19. Cleveland: Kosta Koufos, C, Fr, Ohio St.
20. Charlotte: Alexis Ajinca, C, 20, France
21. New Jersey: Chris Douglas-Roberts, G, Jr, Memphis
22. Orlando: JJ Hickson, F, Fr, North Carolina St.
23. Utah: Roy Hibbert, C, Sr, Georgetown
24. Seattle: Marreese Speights, C, So, Florida
25. Houston: Jason Thompson, F, Sr, Rider
26. San Antonio: Nicolas Batum, F, 19, France
27. Portland: Nathan Jawai, F/C, 21, Australia
28. Memphis: Bill Walker, F, Fr, Kansas St.
29. Detroit: JaVale McGee, C, So, Nevada
30. Boston: Courtney Lee, G, Sr, Western Kentucky

Note- the sites I used as sources are: http://espn.go.com/, http://www.draftexpress.com/, http://hoopshype.com/, http://www.mynbadraft.com/2008-NBA-Mock-Draft, and http://nbadraft.net/