Local Players Heading to Prestigious Camps

New England Recruiting Report | Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

NBA Players Camp Rosters Announced

The NBA Players Association released the roster for their upcoming Top 100 Camp.  The field is especially strong this year as 49 of the top 50 players in the country, according to scout.com, are slated to participate.  In many ways, this is the country’s premier camp of the year as selection is not based on any type of shoe affiliation and so you truly get almost a clean sweep of the nation’s best prospects.  The stated goal of the NBPA Camp is to assist the top 100 student athletes in the development of their individual and life skills, both on and off the court.  Camp staff is comprised of experts in a variety of fields as well as 25 current and former NBA players.  In addition to their work on the court, players also participate in daily seminars focusing on recruiting issues, peer pressure, nutrition, S.A.T. preparation, NCAA rules, goal setting, and stress management.  This year New England will be represented by five players as Carson Desrosiers, Nate Lubick, Jason Morris, Rod Odom, and Evan Smotrycz have all accepted invitations to participate.  Gerard Coleman also received an invitation but will not be in attendance.  Former NEPSAC products Phil Pressey and Dion Waiters will also be among the 100 players in the field. 

Elite Underclassmen Selected for Nike Hoop Jamboree

The Nike Hoop Jamboree will be taking place this upcoming weekend in St. Louis.  The Hoop Jamboree is intended for the nation’s premier underclassmen and this weekend that will include three New England products as Naadir Tharpe, Nerlens Noel, and Mike Carter-Williams were all selected by the Nike staff to participate.

Locals Participating in Nike Skills Academies

Nike will once again be holding a series of skill academies this summer, culminating with the Lebron James Skills Academy on July 5th – 7th featuring 80 of the top players in the country.  However, the first four academies are all position based.  The Deron Williams Skill Academy, taking place June 23-26 in Dallas, is hosting the top 20 point guards in the country and Massachusetts native Naadir Tharpe has been selected to participate.  Also on the 23rd – 26th, the Vince Carter Skills Academy will host the top 20 wing players in the country in Orlando, Florida and Evan Smotrycz has been selected to attend.  The top shooting guards in the country will converge on Boston on June 28th – 30th and Gerard Coleman will be among them.  Finally, the best big men in the country are headed to Phoenix Arizona from the 28th – 30th and Nate Lubick is scheduled to make that trip. 

Youngsters Earning Prestigious Invites

Timajh Parker-Rivera (formerly referred to as T.J. Parker) has been granted a late invitation to the Reebok Underclass Breakout Camp.  Parker-Rivera has been the standout performer on a Connecticut Elite u15 team that has had a tremendous spring.  In addition to the Breakout camp, the rising sophomore forward will also head to Elite Camps at Marquette University and the University of Arkansas later this summer.  His Connecticut Elite teammate, Notre Dame High School’s Trey McPherson, will also participate in the Arkansas Elite Camp.