South Florida hosted their high school team camp this weekend in Tampa and some of the best high school players in the region were there with either their high school or AAU teams and RunningTheBulls was on hand to take in the action on Saturday. Dwayne Bacon and Corey Sanders from Showtime Ballers. Kerry Blackshear, Jr and Courtney "CJ" Williamson from Evans in Orlando, Justin James, DeRiante Jenkins and Andrew Momeka from Oldsmar Christian and Deng Riak (Victory Rock Prep) playing with Tampa Elite were just some of the players in the 2015 class at the camp.
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Also on hand were several impressive underclassmen:
Eric Hester is a Rivals four-star prospect, currently unranked in the class of 2016 but has long been on USF head coach Orlando Antigua's recruiting radar. The versatile Hester is improving as a point guard and he made some big time shots from very deep with the game on the line and his team in need of points to force overtime and eventually win their third game in three tries Saturday afternoon. This was his second trip to USF with his Oldsmar Christian teammates for team camp.
2016 forward Jonathan Isaac of the International School of Broward is a long, thin, athletic small forward that thinks he is in range as soon as he walks inside the gym. He can knock down contested or open three-pointers, he can put it on the floor and get to the rim and he has some post moves. His speed is average but he runs well. Adding strength and weight needs to be a priority so that he can be a more effective finisher when he attacks the basket.
2017 C Clayton Brown, listed at 7-foot did three things that impressed us on Saturday-1) he ran very well, 2) he caught everything we saw thrown to him, 3) he showed soft touch around the basket. Those three things alone will gain the attention of Division I coaches. Several onlookers were especially impressed at how Brown consistently kept the ball high when he got his hands on it. As he gets stronger, develops multiple post moves and becomes more aggressive at both ends of the floor; the Coral Gables High School big man will become a top tier player in his class.
The best floor leader we saw Saturday was easily 2016 point guard Loren Jackson of Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton. The rising junior is quick enough to get past most defenders, get into the lane for a floater or a drive-and-dish. His court vision, very high basketball IQ and desire allow him to compete against players seven inches taller than him.
Antwann Jones, a 2018 guard at Sickles High School in Tampa, is skilled beyond his years. He has NBA 3-point range-we watched him make a contested three pointer over a 6-foot-10 defender with an outstretched hand. Jones can knock down shots off the bounce, coming off a screen or off the catch. He has a good handle, including under pressure and always seemed to make not only the right pass but the right kind of pass, even while on the move. File his name away because Antwann Jones is a big time prospect.