By Rob Bodenburg and Jon Mahoney, Special to SI.com, SchoolSports.com
TEANECK, N.J. -- Here were the players and stories everyone was buzzing about from the Reebok ABCD Camp on Thursday.
Kevin Love, Lake Oswego (Ore.): For the past three years, O.J. Mayo has been considered the No. 1 player in the class of 2007. But with the way Love is playing right now, it might be time to pencil in the 6-foot-10 big man as No. 1A. Love was absolutely dominant on the first day of ABCD, showing a wide array of offensive skills (including post moves, drives and even a trio of three-pointers) to score 29 points in his opening performance. He's been easily the best player in camp so far.
Drew Gordon, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.): Despite playing on the same team as Love, Gordon still managed to shine. The 6-foot-9 rising junior brought his normal high-energy play, but he also showcased improved skills on both ends of the floor. A monster putback dunk in the night session capped his strong first day, which also included a 15-point, 11-rebound performance in the day session.
Derrick Rose, Simeon (Chicago): The camp was abuzz Thursday with Rose in attendance. The rising senior point guard, who attended the Nike All-America Camp last year, didn't disappoint as he wowed the crowd with incredible athleticism. You know you're good when you're drawing a double team in a summer camp.
Isaiah Thomas, Curtis (Tacoma, Wash.): Known as a big-time scorer on his high school team, Thomas showed excellent point guard skills on Thursday. Of course, it helps when you're playing on the same camp team as top 10 recruits Mayo and Bill Walker, but Thomas' willingness to defer was certainly impressive. The 5-foot-9 rising senior is certainly one to watch as he climbs up the recruit rankings.
Renardo Sidney, Piney Woods (Jackson, Miss.): Sidney has generated a lot of buzz as the top player nationwide in the class of 2009, and he didn't hurt that rep on the first day of ABCD. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound rising sophomore has really bulked up in the past year to become a more dominant inside force and it showed on Thursday, as he was a load to handle in the paint.
• The biggest buzz coming into the first day of the ABCD Camp was a published report on Wednesday that No. 1 recruit Mayo was set to commit to USC over Kansas State. But Thursday came and went with no official commitment. The North College Hill (Cincinnati) rising senior even held a press conference along with star teammate Walker, but the two refused to talk about recruiting despite repeated questions. There's talk that Mayo's announcement could come as soon as Friday, but ABCD Camp associate director Chris Rivers said no official announcement was planned as of late Thursday night and said the report that Mayo has committed to USC "jumped the gun."
• Another published report on Wednesday intimated that Love could make his college announcement within the next week, but Love himself dismissed that notion. "Not true. I don't know where that came from," Love said, adding that he's still 50-50 between UCLA and North Carolina and probably won't make his decision until the fall.
• Young rapper Lil' Romeo was in attendance on Thursday, but he wasn't performing. Percy Miller, a 5-foot-9 rising junior point guard from Windward (Beverly Hills, Calif.) and the son of rapper Master P, is among the campers at ABCD.
• All eyes will be on Court 3 on Friday night as another famous ABCD Camp one-on-one battle will go down, with Rose trying to prove his mettle against Mayo. This is the matchup everyone is buzzing about this year, with both Mayo and Rose admitting they were looking forward to it.
• Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) rising junior point guard Brandon Jennings named USC among his top schools along with Arizona, UConn and Texas. With Mayo rumored to be leaning toward the Trojans, USC is looking like more than just a football school.
• For the first time since Sebastian Telfair broke onto the scene in 2000, this year's ABCD Camp features no rising freshmen.
• New Jersey Nets point guard Jason Kidd was in attendance Thursday night, sitting courtside to watch Mayo and Walker play.
