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All grown up Wingate, first freshman ABCD invitee, now a rising seniorPosted: Wednesday July 10, 2002 6:02 PMUpdated: Wednesday July 10, 2002 10:11 PM
By Albert Lin, CNNSI.com HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Before Sebastian Telfair, there was Major Wingate. Three summers ago, Wingate became the adidas ABCD Camp's first rising freshman attendee. If you saw him then, not much has changed. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound center from Florence (S.C.) Wilson may have added an inch or a couple pounds, but his game is still as rock-steady as ever. What you see is what you get with Wingate, who is no style and almost all substance. "The first time I came I was in the eighth grade. Now it feels like everything is getting so old," Wingate said. "I feel old." Wingate's game certainly is old school. He stays in the paint, absorbs and dishes out contact, and plays below the rim. The knock on Wingate is that he never dominates (read: he doesn't play hard). Still, he has been rated among the top 20 or 30 prospects in his class since he was a freshman. His top five schools are Alabama, South Carolina, Maryland, North Carolina and Georgia. Many feel he is a lock to stay in state and play for Dave Odom in Columbia. With Wingate's impending graduation, adidas brought two more rising freshmen to Fairleigh Dickinson this year. Clarence Holloway is a 6-11, 240-pounder who is still growing into his body. He sprouted a couple inches in the last year, and he has limited strength and moves with a coltish awkwardness. The 15-year-old will attend Chicago Fenger this fall. Javaris Crittenden hails from Atlanta and seems more comfortable with his 6-3, 179-pound size. He runs the floor well and authoritatively snaps off his jumper. He has good handle, quickness and leaping ability, and appears to have potential as a point guard. "It's good [to be here]," Holloway said. "People are more aggressive, more athletic and stuff. I've learned a lot." The top player in the class of 2006, though, is at the Nike All-America Camp in Indianapolis. Derrick Caracter, who will attend powerful Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick's, has been dazzling observers with his perimeter skills -- despite standing 6-9 and weighing in the neighborhood of 280 pounds. Caracter already is generating talk that he will never set foot on a college campus -- even though he hasn't started high school.
Well done, juniorQuick thoughts on some of the elite members of the rising junior class in attendance:
Double dribblesOther big-name coaches we've spotted here since Tuesday's report: Jim Boeheim, Mike Brey, Jim Calhoun, Perry Clark, Matt Doherty, Jerry Dunn, Cliff Ellis, Craig Esherick, Rob Evans, Jim Harrick, Paul Hewitt, Gene Keady, Mike Krzyzewski, Mike Montgomery, Tom Penders, Skip Prosser, Jeff Ruland, Kelvin Sampson, Tubby Smith, Gary Williams, Roy Williams. ... Most-conspicuous spectator: My Giant Gheorghe Muresan, who turned up -- for no particular reason -- Tuesday evening. At 7-7, the Romania native is one of the few people on the East Coast who could look down on everyone in attendance. ... China native Yi Jianlian, a 6-11, 220-pound 16-year-old, has been fairly impressive. And he's no Yao Ming or Wang Zhizhi. Yi runs the floor well and doesn't look out of place in the pain; and of course he has a good shooting touch. He needs to put on a lot of pounds and learn to play defense, but keep his name in mind down the road. ... Charlotte got itself a good one in Australia native Martin Iti, prepping this year at the Winchendon (Mass.) School. Iti is very similar to Arizona rising sophomore Channing Frye -- an angular, 6-11, 235-pounder who runs the floor well, blocks shots and has 15-foot range. ... The top scorer at camp has been 6-8, 210-pound power forward Ivan Harris from Springfield (Ohio) North, a great catch for Ohio State. He has an incredibly soft left-handed jump hook that always seems to catch defenders by surprise. |
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