NY2LA Sports Next Level 2006

NEXT GENERATION LOOKS STRONG

By Antonio Curro - NY2LA Sports

February 8, 2008

Part 5 of this weeks special report on the future of basketball in the Midwest looks at 15 different young men who should be fun to watch develop in the coming years.

First we head to Wisconsin and look at 5'8" F Jerrelle DeBerry, one of the top Class of 2014 (6th grade) prospects in the Midwest. DeBerry has held it down the past couple of years locally in Milwaukee but his performance against the likes of Kevon Looney, Jonathan Carson, Malik Yarborough, and a host of other prospects at the 2007 NY2LA Sports Generation Next All-Star camp showed that he could become a major force in the coming years. The soft spoken multi-skilled young big has excellent size, good length, and a nice frame to go with some solid court awareness and nice skill set for a young big. Expect to hear a lot about DeBerry in the coming years as he continues to develop and mature.

We'll stay right in Milwaukee and drop down a grade to look at 5'1" Class of 2015 (5th grade) G Joseph Bonyoti. The multi-skilled young guard prospect has already made a strong name for himself locally while competing with the Young Legends (now D.T.A.) on the travel circuit. Expect that to continue as Bonyoti can handle the rock, create on the offensive end, and stroke the mid range AND 3 point shot with a nice level of consistency. A solid competitor, Bonyoti should be fun to watch in the coming years.

Bonyoti's not the only one though as 5'0" Class of 2015 (5th grade) PG Malik Brown is right with him as one of the top young guards in the next generation of players in Wisconsin. Brown has nice length and an excellent frame already to go along with an advanced skill set and excellent vision. Brown has a chance to become a very good player in the coming years if he continues to grow and develop.

We head to Iowa for the next young talent, 6'3" Class of 2012 (8th grade) Forward Dan Amelon. The young interior prospect has nice size, length, a good frame and decent athleticism. Add to the fact that he sees the floor well, has nice awareness, and has an excellent mid range skill set to go with a jumper that can extend beyond the 3 point line, and it's easy to see why Amelon has already established himself as one of the top young prospects in Iowa. Expect that to continue as Danny has a chance to become one of the top forwards in the Midwest for the Class of 2012 if he continues to develop his physical tools and skill set in the coming years.

We'll stay in Iowa with the next one as 6'5" C Elliott Christians of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The young big already has the size and frame that has many believing he could be a big time center prospect in the coming years. He's shown flashes of that at various camps and tournaments already. If he can continue to develop his skill set and physical tools while adding a bit of a mean streak and more consistency, Elliott could become a very nice prospect.

Can't have a week long discussion without heading to St. Louis, Missouri where 5'5" Class of 2013 (7th grade) combo guard Anthony Virdure resides. The young guard prospect can handle the ball, sees the floor very well, and has excellent court awareness for a young guard. He also has a smooth stroke that can be made from the mid range and 3 point areas with a nice level of consistency. As he continues to develop physically (i.e. speed, quickness, and explosion) and skill wise, expect Anthony to become another strong prospect is in the always tough city of St. Louis.

Moving over to Chicago, Illinois we find 5'10" Class of 2012 (8th grade) guard Jamall Millison, one of the top 100 prospects in the country. Chicago is always loaded in terms of talent and Jamall falls right in line with that notion as he has nice size, excellent length, and a great frame for a young guard prospect. He's got decent athleticism as well but what sets him apart right now is his ability to shoot the ball. Jamall can attack the rim if need but he really has an excellent stroke from the mid range area and it extends beyond the 3 point line as well with a high level of consistency. Expect big things from him in the coming years as he's firmly established himself already as one to watch in the Class of 2012.

He's not the only one though as fellow Class of 2012 (8th grade) prospect, 5'8" guard Maurice Fleming gets it done too. The young guard out of Chicago, Illinois handles the ball well, sees the floor well, and creates easy opportunities for his teammates. He has some decent size, a nice frame, and the potential to become an excellent playmaking guard in the coming years. He's already established himself as a top 100 prospect nationally and should continue to build on that with continued improvement in the coming years.

Looking back at Wisconsin, 6'2" F/C Class of 2013 (7th grade) prospect Jordan Bradley comes to mind. The big strong interior prospect was sensational at last summers Generation Next All-Star Camp as he showed the ability to dominate on the blocks offensively and control the paint on the defensive side. Already blessed with nice size, length, and an excellent frame, Bradley could be a major force in the coming years. He's currently regarded as one of the top 100 prospects in the country for the Class of 2013.

We'll stay in Wisconsin but leave Milwaukee as we look at 5'8" G David Neis of Benton, Wisconsin. Neis is easily one of the best all around athletes in the Class of 2012 for Wisconsin, and his play on the basketball court may just be scratching the surface. If he continues to grow and develops his skill set on the basketball floor, Neis could be an exciting player to watch in the coming years.

There's nothing flashy about 6'3" Class of 2012 F/C Brandon Staffeil of DeForest, Wisconsin. The big strong bruising interior post prospect can physically dominate the game on the blocks and in the paint as his performance at last May's Generation Next Invitational tournament provided. Staffeil works his butt off on both ends and is a very strong physical low post prospect to keep tabs on in the coming years.

Can't talk about young middle school guys in the Midwest without including the lightning quick Class of 2013 PG prospect 5'4" Jarvis Garrett of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. One of the top 50 prospects nationally right now, Garrett is an excellent playmaking guard who blows right past defenders with his speed, quickness, and big time ball handling ability. While sidelined this past fall with a shoulder injury, Garrett is back on the court and looking forward to leading his Playground Elite 13U squad to another AAU state championship this year alongside fellow Class of 2013 phenom Deonte' Burton. One things for certain, it's gonna be hard to stand in the way because Jarvis gets up and down the court as good as any young guard around.

We're not done with Iowa either as 5'11" F Tyler Olson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa is another one to watch there. The Class of 2012 forward has a great frame and nice length to go with some decent athleticism and a solid awareness when he's on the court. He has excellent interior post footwork already and he can score at the mid range area with consistency. That's not all though as he's also shown the ability to stroke the trey ball as well! While his stroke needs to be refined a bit, Olson could be an excellent prospect to watch develop on the high school scene in Iowa.

One guy who's under the radar a bit but only temporarily is 6'1" Class of 2013 F/C Michael Welch of Illinois. This long young big has excellent size, length, and a great frame to go along with some solid interior post footwork and a raw skill set. Translation...big time room to grow, improve, and become an impact player at the high school level in Illinois. Expect to hear a lot from Mr. Welch if he continues to grow and develop physically and skill wise.

Same goes for 6'1" Class of 2012 F prospect Cole Pederson of Iowa. Pederson has excellent size, good length, and a solid frame, and he works very hard inside. He has the ability to score inside and also step out and stroke shots as well. He really took off at last fall's Generation Next Regional Camp in Iowa and we expect that to continue as Cole could really become an excellent prospect with hard work over the next few years.

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Note: Antonio Curro of NY2LA Sports is the editor of NY2LASports.com and the Midwest Editor (i.e. Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) for the HoopScoop Online