By Ben Sylvan, Special to SI.com, SchoolSports.com
SUWANEE, Ga.-- Here were the players and stories everyone was buzzing about from the adidas Superstar Camp on Saturday.
Eric Gordon, Guard, North Central (Indianapolis) Even before the senior All-Star game, there was no question the adidas Superstar Camp belonged to Gordon. He was one of the leading scorers -- if not the leading scorer ? in each session. His team was among the best in the event. He was named camp MVP. And if that wasn't enough, he was named senior All-Star game MVP after recording 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Nolan Smith, Guard, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) Smith appears to be fully recovered from a left knee injury he suffered during the high school season. He helped the U.S. Men's U-18 national team win gold at the FIBA Americas U-18 championship last week, then continued to play well this week at the adidas camp. Smith recorded 21 points, five rebounds and three assists in the senior All-Star game.
Yancy Gates, Forward, Hughes Center (Cincinnati) With the adidas Superstar Camp in its fourth and final day, many players were starting to wear down. Gates, on the other hand, was just warming up. And at a hulking 6-foot-9, 225 pounds, he was impossible to stop once he started bulling his way to the hoop. Gates finished the afternoon session with 19 points and seven rebounds ? even making a couple shots from the perimeter when teams collapsed on him down low.
Jamelle Horne, Forward, San Diego (San Diego) This Arizona recruit was solid all week, showing off a smooth offensive game complete with an outside shot and the ability to finish. He was dominant in the senior All-Star game, throwing down several crowd-pleasing dunks and finishing with 20 points and six rebounds.
Travis Releford, Guard, Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) Though he's known as a big-time scorer, Releford spent much of the camp doing all the little things ? grabbing rebounds, handing out assists and playing aggressive defense. But by the time the underclass All-Star game rolled along, he was back to his old tricks. The Class of 2008 guard scored 17 points to earn MVP honors.
• Along with Gordon, senior forward Michael Beasley was named camp MVP. Beasley recorded 15 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in the senior All-Star game, just missing an MVP sweep himself.
• Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.) small forward Darnell Dodson announced his commitment to Pittsburgh prior to the afternoon session. Dodson, a 6-foot-7, 175-pounder, chose Pitt over Florida, Georgetown, George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth. He averaged 15.6 points and eight rebounds per game last year.
• The two best guards in the camp, Gordon and Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) sophomore Lance Stephenson, matched up in afternoon session with Gordon coming out on top thanks to a consistent NBA 3-point shot and highlight-reel finishing ability.
• Four players selected to the senior All-Star game were unable to play. Lucca Staiger, one of the global players to make the trek to Georgia, missed the game due to German National Team obligations. Saginaw (Saginaw, Mich.) star Joshua Southern missed the game due to Michigan high school rules. Calvary Christian (Las Vegas, Nev.) star Darrington Hobson and Centennial (Compton, Calif.) guard Jesse Woodard both missed due to injury.
• Justin Holliday, a rising senior guard out of Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.), doesn't get as much hype as his brother, Class of 2008 guard Jrue. But Justin spent this week proving he's a blue-chip recruit in his own right. His week culminated with a 17-point performance in the afternoon session and a surprise invitation to the senior All-Star game.
• Joey Rodriguez, a Massachusetts-bound point guard out of Lake Howell (Winter Park, Fla.), was the talk of the camp for his old-school point guard skills. He led many sessions in assists and had the dime of the camp when he found Horne open for a breakaway dunk with a between-the-legs pass during the senior All-Star game.
• Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) rising senior Antonio "Scoop" Jardine scored a game-high 24 points in a losing effort in the senior All-Star game. South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) rising sophomore Derrick Favors made his first seven shot attempts of the underclassmen All-Star game and finished with 16 points.
