Mike Waters, the Syracuse beat writer for the Post-Standard, was at the McDonald's All-American game last night and had the same observations about the SU recruits Johnny Flynn and Donte Greene that I had when I watched the game yesterday.
I will say that I like Flynn's intensity -- it matches that of his former HS teammate, and future SU teammate, Paul Harris. Hopefully both of them can ensure that Greene plays with more intensity during the games that count next year. Last night, Greene was rebounded over, under and around by opponents so badly he looked like Hakim Warrick (6 points, 2 rebounds; season averages 14.8 points, 8 rebounds) did during the 2003 title game.
As for other recruits: (1) I barely knew Kyle Singler was in the game, ever; does that mean he's the next Big White Stiff at Duke? Of course not. All-star games in these situations are decent for evaluating who has the desire to be THE MAN for his team. (2) Michael Beasley is the next Derrick Coleman -- he can shoot from the outside, rebound, is lanky and strong and can play well from the wing. He also dogs it with alarming frequency. Beasley is not the ball-handler Coleman was at a similar stage, but he would be a high NBA first-round pick if the league had not instituted its minimum age requirement. (3) Kevin Love may have been the HS player of the year for McDonald's, but he looked like Eric Montross yesterday. For those who remember, Montross had an enormous reputation coming out of high school, played well for North Carolina, and flopped in the NBA because he combined a lack of quickness with a lack of athleticism. Love will be a fine college player, but even his scouting tape ESPN showed during a profile of the kid made him look slow. I still remember a Montross scouting tape from 18 years ago and he looked quick. (4) Kostas Koufos, the 7-foot-1 forward who models his game after Dirk Nowitzki, is either another Toni Kukoc or another Brad Lohaus -- it will all depend upon if he can develop quickness.
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