Getting ready for Sin City

With the biggest recruiting week of the year coming up next week, TKR has decided to give everyone a preview of the action that will be taking place in Las Vegas. Starting July 22nd, there will be 3 major tournaments taking place in Sin City, and you better believe that the GU coaches will be on hand. Today, we will be previewing the Adidas Super 64 tournament, which features numerous GU recruits. At this tournament, pools A-H are considered super pools, and this means that these teams will all be placed in the championship bracket. My understanding, is that these pools feature some of the most talented teams in the nation going up against each other in pool play.

Pool A- Indiana Elite One, Atlanta Celtics, Pump N Run Elite, Playaz Basketball Club Gold

Pump N Run Schedule: vs. Playaz Basketball Club: 7/22 @ 1 PM
vs. Indiana Elite One: 7/22 @ 7:40 PM
vs. Atlanta Celtics: 7/23 @ 3:40 PM

This pool features Pump N Run Elite, which is led by GU recruit Tyler Honeycutt. GU was in the top 3 for Honeycutt a couple of months ago, but is no longer listed by Honeycutt. The 6'8 SF appears to be headed to UCLA, after he was offered by the Bruins last week. The Atlanta Celtics have one of the most talented squads in the tournament, and are led by the #3 recruit in the 09 class, Derrick Favors.

Pool B- Ohio Basketball Assault, KC Pump N Run, DC Assault, New England Playaz

KC Pump N Run schedule: vs. Ohio Basketball Club: 7/22 @ 1 PM
vs. New England Playaz: 7/23 @ 9 AM
vs. DC Assualt: 7/23 @ 3:40 PM

KC Pump N Run had had a terrific summer to this point, and looks to continue their great run of play. One of the key contributors for KC is GU recruit Jeff Reid. The 6'5 SG has taken an unofficial visit to Gonzaga already, and was on campus for camp earlier this summer. Reid has interest from most of the Big 12, and claims an offer from the Zags. We are not sure how interested Reid is in the Zags, but by offering, it seems the staff is interested in him. It should be fun to follow KC Pump N Run to see if they can keep up their fantastic play.

Pool C- EBO, Las Vegas Prospects, Compton Magic, Florida Rams

Las Vegas Prospects schedule: vs. EBO: 7/22 @ 2:20 PM
vs. Florida Rams: 7/23 @ 10:20 AM
vs. Compton Magic: 7/23 @ 5:00 PM

Compton Magic schedule: vs. Florida Rams: 7/22 @ 2:20 PM
vs. EBO: 7:23 @ 9:00 AM
vs. Las Vegas Prospects: 7/23 @ 5:00 PM

I would be very surprised if the coaching staff is not present for nearly every game in this pool. The main attraction will be the Las Vegas Prospects, who are led by GU recruit Anthony Marshall. As we learned in our interview with Anthony, GU has been recruiting Anthony from the beginning, and the interest is very strong both ways. The 6'3 CG can do everything on the court, and will likely be followed by at least one member of the staff. The Compton Magic feature the JP Batista clone, Joe Burton. Burton is a 6'7, 270 pound bruiser in the post. Many GU fans long for the return of a true banger in the post, and although he has had a very solid summer, some question whether Burton is a mid-major talent. Gonzaga has offered Burton, and it seems that Burton is interested in the Zags as well. This should be a great group for GU fans to follow, and TKR will have its eyes glued to this group.

Pool D- Seattle Rotary Select I, Houston Select Black, Southern California All-Stars Elite, Utah Pump N Run Red.

Seattle Rotary Select schedule: vs. Houston Select Black: 7/22 @ 3:40 PM
vs. Southern California All-Stars Elite: 7/23 @ 10:20 AM
vs. Utah Pump N Run Red: 7/23 @ 5:00 PM

Seattle Rotary Select has one of the top players in the Class of 2010, with GU recruit Josh Smith. The bruising big man is arguably one of the top 5 players in the entire class, and has interest from every major program in the country. Although he seems like a BCS school kind of player, that has not stopped the staff from doing everything they can to get in the running for this elite talent.

Pool F- Double Pump Elite, New Orleans Jazz, LA Rockfish, Juice All-Stars

Double Pump Elite Schedule: vs. New Orleans Jazz: 7/22 @ 5:00 PM
vs. LA Rockfish: 7/23 @ 11:40 AM
vs. Juice All-Stars: 7:23 @ 7:40 PM

Another team that the staff will be following in Vegas is Double Pump Elite. Double Pump features the front line of Bak Bak and Anthony Stover, who both hold offers from the Zags. Stover is full of unlimited potential, and recently earned offers from Arizona State, UCLA, and UCONN. However, he has continually named GU in his top 5, and the staff is certainly pursuing him heavily. Bak Bak is about as skinny as it gets, but is a highly skilled and versatile PF. He also has range that extends to past the 3 point line. He currently holds offers from Oregon State and GU, and it seems that the Zags will be in the running for Bak until the end.

Pool G- IEBP, Indiana Elite LNO, Colorado Select Blue, French Hoops

IEBP Schedule: vs. Indiana Elite LNO: 7/22 @ 6:20 PM
vs. Colorado Select Blue: 7/23 @ 1:00 PM
vs. French Hoopes: 7/23 @ 7:40 PM

IEBP should be a team that GU fans keep their eyes on, as it is led by Andrew Bock. Bock is a quickly emerging Point Guard, who has seen his stock take off in the past couple of months. Although very skinny at this point, Bock has a long frame that could carry much more weight. He was here for camp early this summer, and it will be interesting to see if some of the bigger schools start showing some interest in Bock.

Pool M- Texas DI Ambassadors, Full Package Athletics, Net Gain Sports, Wisconsin Swing Combo

Net Gain Sports Schedule: vs. Wisconsin Swing Combo: 7/22 @ 10:20 AM
vs. Full Package Athetics: 7/22 @ 7:40 PM
vs. Texas DI Ambassadors: 7/23 @ 5:00 PM

Net Gain Sports features one of the quickest rising prospects in the nation, and one of the main focuses for the staff, with 6'10 PF Sam Dower. Dower has mentioned the Zags in his top 2 recently, and made his way out to Spokane for camp earlier this summer. His recruiting has really taken off recently, with numerous Big 10 schools noticing the great potential that Dower has. However, GU has been on Dower for a long time, and appears to have a great chance at landing him. I expect a member of the staff to be watching Dower intently for nearly all of his games, and hopefully he can keep up the great performances he has been putting up this summer.