|
Derrick Rose PG
Simeon (IL) Class of 2007 (Memphis)
 Derrick Rose's national rep hit an all time high after he played
the game of his life in a win over #1 Oak Hill on National TV
earlier in the year. When asked if Simeon wanted to play
this game even though the CPL playoffs started the next day,
Derrick stepped up and said yes we want to play and win both
games. Rose was phenomenal from the opening tip. The
first thing that stands out every time I see Derrick Rose is how
much faster he is than everyone else. He gets from end to
end with the ball faster than anyone in high school, college,
and possibly the NBA (except LeBron). Rose weaves in and
out of defenders and makes it look like they are standing still.
In transition he sees the floor well and finds the open man.
He can also finish by himself with his unbelievable body
control. The only question I had about Rose coming into
the game was his perimeter shot. He proved me wrong from
the jump. Rose nailed 4 consecutive 3's to open the game.
At this point the entire gym was going crazy! I turned to
the person next to me and said "He is the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth!" He finished the
first quarter with those 12 points. The only problem was
he started to fall in love with the 3 instead of attacking the
hoop. St. Joes then put Evan Turner on him for the last 3
quarters. Turner slowed Rose down in the second when he
only got 4 points. Rose came out in the second half ready
to dominate and he did it. Finishing the game with 29
points, 11 boards, 7 assists, and 4 steals. He led his team to a victory over the #2 team in
state and put on a show for all the fans. The only 2 bad points I came away
with from the game
with was his defense and a high handle. He did not contain
St. Joe's PG Demetri McCamey from getting penetration into the
lane. Rose has the skills to become a very good defender,
but he did not show them on this night. His handle is a
little high where defenders can easily knock it away, but at
this level he is so much faster than everyone else that they
can't even see the ball much less try to steal it. All in
all the 3 most impressive things I saw in Rose's game on this
night were his speed in transition, perimeter shot, and great
body control. I got to chat with Rose after the game and
he seems like a great kid with a good head on his shoulders.
Memphis is getting a GREAT playmaker in Derrick Rose.
Coach Cal better enjoy him now though because he will be a top 5
pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. With Rose's impressive
performance against St. Joe's and Oak Hill he could have a shot
at the #1 spot in the next Class of 2007 rankings!
|
|
Kevin
Johnson SF Simeon (IL) Class of 2007 (Wisconsin Milwaukee)
Johnson is the unsung role player for Simeon. He is the
glue guy that picks it up for Flowers and Rose when they are
struggling. He is really strong and well built.
Versatility is the name of the game for Johnson. He does
everything well. He passes, defends, and rebounds very
well. He can hit the mid range jumper with consistency.
He is a guy that could grow into a potential NBA prospect with a
nice 4 year college career. Johnson is a potential top 100
player in the Class of 2007.
|
This is the guy that did not get away from Illinois.
McCamey is a stocky point guard with a lot of speed. He got
in the lane against Rose whenever he wanted in the half
court set. He is very thick and that helps him get into
the lane and absorb the contact that he needs to finish against
the big boys. The future Illini PG has great quickness and
handles the ball extremely well. The one knock I would
have on McCamey was that he could not contain Derrick Rose in
the first quarter. When he gave Rose room, Rose pulled up
and drained 3's. If he got up on top of him Rose would
just blow by him with his speed. D Mac should come in and
start for Illinois right away as a freshman. McCamey is
one of the top 35 players in the Class of 2007.