Jrue Holiday, 6-4, G, Chatsworth, Calif.
Summer team: Pump 'n Run (Adidas)
Schedule: It Takes Five, Super 64
Skinny: Holiday was the focus of one of the most intriguing recruiting battles of the summer before committing to UCLA on July 3. In my opinion the Bruins are getting the best point guard in the country. He's bigger than Brandon Jennings, which makes a difference, especially at the defensive end, and he's much more advanced when it comes to running a team.
Scotty Hopson, 6-6, F, Hopkinsville, Ky.
Summer team: Mid-State Ballers (no sponsor)
Schedule: LeBron Academy, AAU 19-and-unders
Skinny: Hopson may have been the player who raised his stock the most at the USA Basketball Festival. He's a dynamic swingman who jumps out of the gym and has both long-range and mid-range touch. (That mid-range game is a dying art, but Hopson is an artist at it.) Hopson has committed to Mississippi State, and I'm guessing that by the end of the summer he will have positioned himself to be a McDonald's All-American. He's that good.
Brandon Jennings, 6-foot, G, Los Angeles
Summer team: Belmont Shore (Reebok)
Schedule: Reebok U Camp, Big Time
Skinny: It's easy to see why Jennings, who committed to Arizona this spring after de-committing from USC, has generated so much buzz over the years. He's a super-quick, diminutive lefty, most often compared to Kenny Anderson. Still, Jennings has a lot to learn about being a floor general. He's one of those point guards who has to have the ball in his hands all the time, and it's obvious that he's used to taking whatever shot he wants. I'll say this about him, though: If he gets a good outlet pass or a long rebound, all he needs is a smidgen of daylight and he's gone.
Greg Monroe, 6-10, F, Gretna, La.
Summer team: Louisiana Select (Nike)
Schedule: LeBron Academy, Peach Jam, AAU 19-and-under
Skinny: If you read my column last week from Colorado Springs on Monroe, you know I consider him the best player in the class of '08. He was dominant at the festival, but given his laid-back nature I can see why people would question his intensity in lesser settings. Monroe appears to be the type of player who can play both up and down to his level of competition. For the most part he'll be going up against good competition this summer, so I'm confident he'll remain everybody's No. 1 prospect when it's all said and done. His recruitment is pretty wide open (look for Georgetown as a possible sleeper), but in the end I think LSU is going to be awfully tough to beat.
Delvon Roe, 6-7, F, Lakewood, Ohio
Summer team: King of the Court Shooting Stars (Nike)
Schedule: LeBron Academy, Main Event, AAU 19-and-unders
Skinny: I'm not quite ready to say that Roe is the best frontcourt player Tom Izzo has recruited to East Lansing, but it may not be too long before that becomes conventional wisdom. There's almost nothing this kid can't do. He has the size and athleticism to be a factor underneath, but he shoots and slashes like a two-guard. Roe was the leading scorer at the USA Basketball festival (30.3 ppg), and overall I thought he was the second-best player behind Monroe. The fact that Roe played so hard so consistently leads me to believe that he's the type of player who will work hard to make himself better.
