FUTURE LOOKING BRIGHT
By Antonio Curro - NY2LA Sports
February 4, 2008
The Midwest has a ton of talent but while the high school levels have talent across the board now, the future looks bright as well as the middle school talent in the Midwest is loaded.
Illinois
is not only host to guys like Jabari Parker, Trashaun Carroll, Christopher
McGee, or Alex Foster, they're also host to Class of 2013 (7th grade) prospect
Erick Locke. We saw Erick two years ago at our first ever Generation Next
Regional Camp in Milwaukee where he came in at 5'2" and grabbed M.V.P. honors at
the camp. Fast forward to the present and the now 5'8" 135 lb. guard has
done nothing but add to an already impressive resume that includes Co-MVP of the
2006 NY2LA Sports Generation Next Camp; MVP of the 2006 "Main Event"
Championship game, All-Star MVP & Playoff MVP of the 2007 Five Star Camp!
Locke has always had an excellent feel for the game and solid court awareness,
but he's also developed his ability to handle the ball, attack and finish with
both hands, and also stroke the jumper as well. He's not just a basketball
player thought as he gets excellent grades as well making him a complete young
prospects in every sense of the word. Expect to hear a lot about Mr. Locke
in the coming years as he joins a loaded field of young prospects in Illinois!
Another
strong young prospect in the Midwest is 5'8" PG Nicholas Stokes of Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Stokes has already established himself as one of the top young
players in Wisconsin. The young guard prospect handles the ball and sees
the floor exceptionally well. He also has shown the ability to break down
opposing guards and attack the rim effectively as well. In addition to
already being a nationally ranked Class of 2012 (8th grade) prospect, Stokes
added another line to his resume this past New Year's Eve as he became the first
13 year old to ever take the court against the legendary Harlem Globetrotters!
Meadowlark Lemon and Fred "Curly" Neal couldn't have been happier as the young
Stokes hit for 5 points in 2 minutes of action for the Washington Generals at
the US Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!
Not
to be outdone in Wisconsin is 5'3" PG Brandon Ramey, one of the top Class of
2013 (7th grade) prospects in Wisconsin. Ramey really handles the ball
well, sees the floor well, and has excellent savvy for a young prospect.
Add to the fact that he can stroke the jumper from the mid range and 3 point
areas, and also is a tenacious defender, and it's easy to see why Ramey has
already grabbed national attention as a Top 100 Class of 2013 prospect.
What he lacks in size he more than makes up for in effort and competitive fire
on the court. Expect to hear a lot about Ramey in the coming months and
years as he is another strong young prospect in the Midwest to keep your eyes
on!
Wisconsin
and Illinois aren't the only states with good young talent though, Iowa has a
bunch of kids that are sure to make noise as well in the coming years. One
of those is 5'1" PG Dwight Sistrunk Jr., one of the top Class of 2012 (8th
grade) prospects in Iowa. The young guard prospect handles the ball
exceptionally well, has excellent speed & quickness, sees the floor very well,
and really has a solid understanding of the game for a young guard prospects.
Sistrunk had an excellent performance at last summer's NY2LA Sports Generation
Next All-Star Camp in Milwaukee, and he's currently regarded as one of the top
young 8th grade prospects around.
Not
to be outdone in terms of young talent is Minnesota where 5'8" SG Brendan Taylor
gets it done. The long left handed SG prospect is one of the top Class of
2013 (7th grade) prospects in the country! Brendan had an excellent
pedigree, but more importantly, he really has an excellent stroke on his shot
and has already firmly established himself as a big time prospect to watch
develop in the coming years on a national level. He can handle the ball
well, has solid court awareness for a young guard, and his range extends beyond
the 3 point line with ease. Expect to hear a lot about young Taylor who's
out to make a name for himself in the coming years!
Last
but definitely not least in the discussion is Indiana guard prospect JaMario
Wann. The 5'1" Class of 2013 (7th grade) guard prospect out of
Indianapolis burst on the scene at last August's NY2LA Sports Generation Next
All-Star camp with an excellent performance that landed him in the board as one
of the top young guard prospects in the country. Wann handles the ball
well, sees the floor well, and really makes things happen when he takes the
court. Similar to Wisconsin guard Brandon Ramey, what Wann lacks in size
right now, he more than makes up for in effort and production. He joins
the likes of R.J. Curington as one of the top young prospects in Indiana and the
Midwest.
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