Friar Basketball
Home / Recruiting News / Live from the PC Elite Camp

Live from the PC Elite Camp

Ashton-Langford

Ed Cooley and his staff hosted their elite camp on Sunday, June 26, and Friarbasketball.com’s Kevin Farrahar and Craig Leighton were on hand to take in the action. This was the first year that Providence hosted its camp in June, as all previous editions were in early August. Here are our takeaways from the camp.

Farrahar: The attendance of 2017 point guard Makai Ashton-Langford and the sheer number of top AAU programs up and down the East Coast were most intriguing in 2016. In a camp filled largely with 2018 and 2019 prospects, the fact that one of the top players in all of 2017 attended was encouraging.

I’d most recently seen Ashton-Langford at the Zero Gravity Finals earlier in June and his athleticism is on another level. His speed combined with his ability to finish difficult shots at the rim make him such a difficult cover. It appears as though his jump shot is improving, and if he turns into a viable outside shooter his ceiling is enormously high. He had a few tremendous blocks in 5 on 5 scrimmages.

From an AAU perspective, the reach went far beyond New England. Boo Williams had players in attendance, as did the PSA Cardinals, Team Melo, and the Louisiana Elite. BABC brought a lot of players and Mass Rivals, the Connecticut Basketball Club and the New England Playaz were all represented.

BABC’s Cole Swider stood out. The 6’6 wing from St. Andrew’s in nearby Barrington is as well regarded a shooter as there is in New England, but in 5 on 5 he showed aggression, repeatedly taking the ball to the rim. He’s a 2018 prospect and Rhode Island native who looks like he could develop into a well-rounded offensive talent, not just a shooter. There’s a lot to like here.

AJ Reeves (Brimmer & May) is a top 50 player in the class of 2018, and he is starting to fill out physically, especially in comparison to when he played at St. Andrew’s in December. Both he and fellow 2018 prospect Keyonte Johnson have PC offers, and Johnson was in attendance with Boo Williams teammate Mike Christmas, a 2019 guard out of Virginia who looks like he could one day turn into a physically imposing wing.

6’4 2019 point guard Bryce Wills tweeted that he left the camp with an offer, adding to a collection that includes Wake Forest, Temple, St. John’s, VCU, St. Louis and more.

A name PC fans may start seeing more is Darnell Brodie. Seton Hall, Temple, and Massachusetts have recently offered the Putnam Science big man, who looks all of 6’10 with a frame that easily supports 250-260 pounds. Brodie played with the New England Playaz at the Zero Gravity Finals against BABC earlier this month, and in that game he battled a pair of good big men in Terrell Brown and Marcus Santos-Silva. While BABC and their big men got the better of the Playaz and Brodie on that day, Brodie will be an intriguing prospect if his athleticism catches up with his size.

Leighton: The PC Elite Camp felt more laid back this year and was a lot of fun to watch (specifically when Rodney Bullock and Kyron Cartwright were coaching in 5 on 5 and Kevin Kurbec was refereeing games).

The late June timeframe seems ideal for the camp as the players are fresher and have yet to go through the rigorous July Live Recruiting Period which can be exhaustive for both players and coaches.

The most impressive player I saw at the camp was class of 2018 swing man Cole Swider from St.Andrew’s. He is going to be a special player and already has a nice handle and good athletic ability, to go along with an outstanding outside shot. It is very fortunate that PC got in early with Swider as he has all the potential to burst on the national scene sooner rather than later.

The biggest surprise at the camp was the play of 6’2 combination guard Noah Locke out of McDonough High School (and Team Melo). Locke has a sweet outside shot and a good handle. He held his own when his team went up against Makai Ashton Langford’s. Locke walked away with an offer from PC after the camp was over.

Even though he is still recovering from an injury and is rounding into shape, shooting guard AJ Reeves showed why he is regarded as the top player in New England’s 2018 class, and one of the top players in the country. Reeves is a legitimate 6’4 with good size and should continue to develop into one of the top guard prospects in the country by the time he graduates.

The Elite Camp usually features high school sophomores and juniors so it can be considered noteworthy that the Friars’ top recruit in the class of 2017, Ashton-Lanford, was in attendance. He demonstrated why the Friars are so high on him with his superior speed, ball handling, and passing ability. Expect the PC coaching staff to be following him very closely during the July Live Recruiting Period.

This was my first time seeing Darnelle Brodie play, and at 6’10, 250, and muscular he already has a Big East-ready body. He is very well coordinated and already has a great feel for the game. More and more colleges will start noticing the Putnam Science junior as he continues to improve and get in top notch physical shape.

 

2 Comments

  1. Derec Lamemdola

    June 29, 2016 at 1:50 am

    Cradglatutions To Makai Ashton. Langfrod He IS Coming TO Providence Colllege Mens Basketball He All Redeay
    Hear All Redeay I’m Am SO PUMT And I’m SO Extied Purr Him The On The Friar Basketball Purt Him On The COVER POST

    Makai Ashton Langfrod

    Derec Lamemdola

    Jayln Linsday

    Drew Ed Woords

    Karrying Kercwight

    Ed Cooley
    That’s All We Need We Need The Full Roster This Year And Purt Him On The Cover POST I’m Not Keding Friar Baaketball Change Your New Cover Post We Need A New One UP New Cover Post And Plerys Ed Cooley Got Get More STRONGER Guyas In Providence Colllege

  2. Pingback: Friar Starting Five: Mid-Week Edition - Friar Basketball

You must be logged in to post a comment Login