Ask most kids, how to improve their game or how to break down schools and make a decisions. Most kids would struggle. Not Miles Overton , He's prepared for the future. One of the main reasons is...having a strong background starting with playing for one of the best coaches in Philadelphia Basketball History in Speedy Morris, who has coached at Roman Catholic & LaSalle University and now St. Joseph Prep.
Overton is a 6'3" G that just so happens to have the last name of Doug Overton, who just happens to be his father. D.O. has he is known, played at my alum (Dobbins High) and then moved on to LaSalle University and then drafted in the second round of the 1991 Draft to the Detroit Pistons and had a solid 14 year career. Now He's a position in the NBA's Nets organization.
Miles has offered by VCU, Drexel, Delaware, James Madison, San Fran, LaSalle. It seems as though, St. John's, UVA, Kansas, Rutgers, Maryland, Arizona St., Seton Hall, VTech, Penn State are all showing interest. He talks about how working out with pros and his dad in the summer time has really helped his game. He has shown improvement, even down to being able to post up guards to being able to hit the open shots and breaking down defenses. He has the complete package. It has made it known, that he definitely is proud of where he's from and enjoys learning from his father. He has taken so much of mental part of the game, that has helped him grow as a player a tough nose city. Even down to being invited to the Top 100 & Reebok Breakout Camp this past summer. He also talked to me about how he likes grow on his own also and be an original so people know, he can step up to the plate with his own game.
Keep an eye on this guy. By having the best of both worlds. He'll definitely have a bright future and make some great improvement through the time in his game.
Amile Jefferson... What can you say about this kid? McDonald's All American Nominee, Ranked 24th in the country, 3 Straight League & State Championship, All State & District, Top 100 Camp, Elite 24 & the list goes on. This kid probably has more trophies than any high school player that has ever played the game in the Philadelphia area. This past summer, he continued to work on his game and did a tremendous job during the summer with his AAU program. He continues to get recognition but if there is anything that catches the focus of other. It's the fact, he hasn't committed yet.
He is a 6'8" 195 lb. Foward with all the abilities that are needed to win. Not to forget, he attends one of the most prestigious programs in the Philadelphia area in Friends Central ...The same school that Hakim Warrick (Phoenix Suns), Mustafa Shakur (Overseas), Mike Cook (Overseas) and a host of others have attended to continue their success. He has been getting offers from schools like Villanova, NC State, Ohio State, Stanford, Temple, Maryland, not too mention interest from UConn & Kentucky. He seems to be the player to watch this year & people have really kept real good close. His father Malcolm Musgrove is at all his games and has been a tremendous support for the future of his career. Even though, everybody wants to know where he is going and what he will do for the future. One thing for sure, He'll do great wherever he goes and he is surely focused on winning his fourth straight title. He seems to be enjoying every moment of what should a excellent year.
On June 18, 2011 at Marcus Foster Stadium (Gratz Field) in the North Philly off Hunting Park Ave. was one of the best camps that ever hit the scene for football. Players from all around the city were gathered together to work on their individual skills and improve as a football player. The players would come from as north as Washington High School in Northeast High School & all the way south as Bartram High School in South West Philly. The event would start the day before with talking about what it takes to get into college and the process of getting paper work done for the college.
The camp would have over 200 football players who would show their talents off in front of scouts including SCOUT.COM. The players would constantly talk about the enjoyment of them being able to play with and against other top athletes in the area. One player, Keith Jenkins from Prep Charter Football Program, who plays Offensive Tackle & Defensive End, would show up big in lineman drills. He would be the fastest lineman out there and would show his great technique and footwork. He would describe his experience as, "this is once in a lifetime, i'm getting the opportunity to workout and learn how to become a better football player with one of the league best football players".
That player who is one of the best, was none other than Jahri Evans of the New Orleans Saints. He is one of the most respected football players in the league for his ability as a lineman to block for Super Bowl Champs in 2010. Jahri, not only was an 4th round pick but played at a D2 school on a academic scholarship. He was joined by 4 other NFL undrafted players, who have made the NFL a place for their skills. Dominique Curry (St. Louis Rams-WR), Taj Smith (Ind. Colts- WR), Jameel McClain (Baltimore Ravens- LB) & Curtis Brinkley (San Diego Chargers- RB) and a future pro in Shariff Floyd (Florida Gator) all helped out during the camp with giving instructions and supporting the future college football prospects from the city.
After talking to the NFL & High School Players, they talked about how they enjoyed the camp and give much thanks to the sponsors (Modell's, Chick-fil-A, Powerade, L4T, KAPLAN, Triumph Baptist Church & the School District of Philadelphia). Also on hand was District XII Chairman, Robert Coleman, who talked about how important it is to have events like these in order to improve the awareness of sports in the city and getting the kids the opportunity to see what it takes to be a pro.
There's nothing like playing in a big classic. A classic that has existed since 2001 & has been a huge traditional piece for the city of Philly. Even in whatever condition the weather it is, there always seems to be a huge show up for this event every year and it showcases the best player around.
In this classic, there are 2 guys who showed you what hunger was and their future seems to look very bright...Rondae Jefferson (Chester) & Rysheed Jordan (Vaux). The two guys will both be Jr. next year & they play with the intensity needed to show how big the game is getting and that there is no reason to count basketball out for the future. Guys like Wayne Ellington (Timberwolves), Rasual Butler (Chicago Bulls) & Craig Brackins (Sixers) congratulated these young men for their talent. The ability to be coached by these guys has to be a tremendous feeling for guys who hope to be in their position one day. There is nothing like playing your best and finding was to play as if it was your last game.
Jefferson & Jordan both had 18 pts. but showed their keen ability to not stop at any moment. They wanted to keep their teams close and show the ability to make place all over the place. They definitely showed their big time game in this one like they have been doing all season. Keep an eye on these two for the near future.
Eric Anderson 6'4" (Haverford) 15 Pts. MVP Malik Smith 5'10" (Del-Valley) 2 Pts. Unselfish Malik Starkes 6'2" (Olney) 11 Pts. Shep Garner 6'2" (Roman) 14
Second Game: Sophomore
(Ellington Team) - 95
Rondae Jefferson 6'6" (Chester) 18 Pts. MVP Britton Lee 6'0" (Roman) 18 Pts. Miles Overton 6'3" (St. Joseph's Prep) 14 Pts. Stephen Vasturia 6'0" (St. Joseph's Prep) 5 Pts. Unselfish
(Brackins Team) - 84
Rysheed Jordan 6'3" (Vaux) 18 Pts. MVP Robert Johnson 6'5" (Lower Merion) 18 Pts. Zac Tillman 6'9" (Shipley) 11 Pts. Yahmir Greenlee 5'6" (Boy's Latin) 8 Pts. Defensive
3 Pt. Contest Winner Isaiah Williams(Robinson/Marshall)
On May 28th, at 6pm...Pennington, NJ would be taken over by Alex "the Great" Kline. Alex had been emotional for years about the passing of his mother and what better what to do something in memory of her, than using his powers to put together something that would be remembered for ever. Alex would then begin to organize the Mary Kline Classic. An event that would feature over 20 D1 Players who have committed to a range of different schools such as Pitt, Georgetown, LaSalle, St. John's, Rutgers, Marshall, N.C. State, Clemson, Louisville & many others, who are from the Mid-Atlantic Region of the country.
Alex has one particular characteristic that people are so interested in...which is his age. At the age of 16, Alex has excelled in writing for not only his own website http://www.therecruitscoop.com/ but for Rivals and other mega sources around the country. Alex has been a huge force behind the recruiting and scouting circuit and for him to organize such an event, there seem to be nothing he couldn't do. This game would be in the memory of his mother Mary Kline, who had departed this world but remained in his heart. She was diagnosed with malignant brain tumor, and was given 18 months to live but remained with the Kline family for 5 years until her departure. Alex would organize this classic to raise money to fight cancer for the American Cancer Society and the National Brain Tumor Society.
This game would feature huge play by some great talent that would and could be future NBA prospects. One of the biggest names on hand would be Khem Birch (Notre Dame Prep/Pitt), who was recently a McDonald's/Jordan Brand All American and is rated the #1 Center in the country. Khem would contribute 12 pts. 13 rbs. 4 asst. & 2 blks. He showed the ability to finish threw aggressive play, play great help defense & just keep smiling the entire game. Jabril Trawick (Abington Friends/Georgetown) would be the show stopper being able to take 2 trophies home as the Dunk Contest Winner (which can be viewed above us) and MVP for his team having 17 pts. 8 rbs. 4 stls. Devin Coleman (Friends Central/Clemson) would come out hot in the first half leading his team in scoring as they broke through with a huge lead after the first, He would finish with 15 pts. & 4 asst. Tyler Harris (St. Benedict/NC State), would play big with 22 pts. & 6 rbs. as he made all the necessary moves and prominent decisions to help his team. Angel Nunez (Notre Dame Prep/Louisville) would play big with 11 pts. 5 rbs. & 3 asst. and show some great athletic ability and game time intensity. But this game would be dominated and have a great showing by Jerrell Wright (Dobbins/LaSalle) who played tremendously well shooting the ball, inside defense, running the floor & even passing the ball. He won MVP of the winning team with 14 pts. 9 rbs. 5 asst. & 3 blks. He showed the play that scouts had been missing and excluded, but after the game, many recognized him as one of the best players that they have seen around playing tremendously out the gate against whoever would play him.
In the end, the game is listed as a success. There is no doubt in my mind that Alex's mother is proud of his ability to do such a great thing for society and make a huge contribution to the future of many different basketball players. This event would raise $7,000 dollars and bring upon many different potential future ideas and concepts of this event. It was a great turnout and huge fan base would get to see the future of basketball before their eyes. Alex mentioned to the media, "I am truly grateful and humbled by the experience of the players attending, when they didn't have to and they are from all over, they played tremendously well and had a great attitude towards the entire event, which I loved, I can't thank everyone enough for making one of my dreams come true and I will continue to do so, every year so that we can continue to see the future of basketball and even bigger, contribute to a great cause for the world"
On a side note: Jalen Gaffney from Columbus, NJ who is in 4th grade put on a show for the crowd at halftime. He would make tremendous play with his vision and show his incredible ball handling skills. He played wonderful defense and shows his great IQ of the game on the floor. Congratulations to the NJABC basketball program for having such great children play and develop their skills towards their future.
Ask 6'7" Joe Reid, where will you be attending college at next year, 3 weeks ago...You might get an easy answer..."Where I best fit". Now, for some, that might not be a good answer, for his family and others...it's just right. After talking to Joe, he seemed to only be concerned with going somewhere, where he would be comfortable and they would treat him like a family.
Joe was a really good player dating back to his days at Gratz High School, where he would learn to fit in a system that was actually built for his success in the first place. With Joe's performance in high school and highly creditable athletic ability. Joe would soon find out, how much of a better player he could be. Joe would start to receive interest from different colleges about his interest in departing Barton CCC and going into a four year school and being able to make the best of his career somewhere.
In his abilities and development, Texas A&M International would jump on the scene and see something in him that most people wouldn't see...THE POTENTIAL. His Potential would be what he needed to have to make people realize how much of a player he truly could be compared to his great skill now. Joe consistently worked out and focused on his grades and now has found a home in the "Lone-Star" State. The state where everything is big and he will have the opportunity to join the same guys writing on his facebook wall that, they are so eluded to have him join the program next season. Joe also goes into discussion about how his coaches told him what type of player he is and will become with the program and they need him to take it to the next level, seeing that this team had made it to the national tournament this season. Watch out for Joe Reid...He'll be a "Lone-Star" with this family and system of his.
Following the leader is not always easy, but when things happen for a reason, they tend to be set up in the best interest for the success portion of a person's future career.
It seemed as though, Erik Copes, 6'9" Big from Imhotep Charter was caught in a pretty difficult situation. What's the situation?...
Basically you want the best for yourself but you also don't know where you might fit. With him & his Uncle (Coach Houston), looking upon the different situations going on & there being a need at George Mason, where their head coach would leave and go to Miami University, here comes the dynamic duo. Even though, Erik's Uncle was probably a huge concern and a thought about what would happen because of the departure of Coach Hobbs, there was a great situation that had opened at George Mason in the hiring of Coach Paul Hewitt, who is known for his huge stint at Georgia Tech University.
After texting back and forth with Erik after his commitment, I asked him about what he felt in terms of his commitment. Copes tells me, "It's great for me & I'm ready to get started". I would then go on to tell him, "I remember being on the bench at my alum (IUP) and we took Georgia Tech into overtime and playing against those tremendous bigs he developed". He then would remind me, "don't forget, Chris Bosh was under him". So with Chris Bosh first, then Derrick Favors next, the question is who's the next big talent that will come from under the Hewitt tree...I guess it will be Copes.
He plays with the intensity and as all the natural ability and mentality of a great big. With the system that Hewitt runs, there will be plenty of opportunities for him to be successful, and it does help that his Uncle is going to join him there. Great to see that he sees the bigger picture in all of this, where people might not understand.
Congratz & I wish you the best of luck. Fairfax is going to enjoy this one.
Ask most kids, how to improve their game or how to break down schools and make a decisions. Most kids would struggle. Not Miles Overton , He's prepared for the future. One of the main reasons is...having a strong background starting with playing for one of the best coaches in Philadelphia Basketball History in Speedy Morris, who has coached at Roman Catholic & LaSalle University and now St. Joseph Prep. 
