Quote:Due to travel schedule, our final day at the IMG Academy Beach Blast Showcase was a short one. But in our three days in Bradenton, Fla., Rivals.com still learned plenty about some of the nation's top post-grad teams. In addition to our coverage, IMG hosted more than 30 Division I college programs on the weekend, with the majority of them stopping in on Sunday. Among the top schools in attendance were Boston College, Cincinnati, Clemson, Miami, Ole Miss, Rutgers and USF.

Playing at the pristine new facility at IMG Academy, 38 of the top high school and post-grad teams took the court, with several prospects sticking out as players who can be impactful over the next few seasons at the college level. Here's a look at who can be listed among the best of the best after three days at the Beach Blast.

From One to the Other

One of the better big-man prospects at the Beach Blast who didn't get much coverage early from us was post-grad center Jamaree Strickland, a Cincinnati signee. A wide-bodied 6-foot-10 center originally from Oakland, Calif., Strickland proved over his three games that he was one of the more polished low-post scorers at the event.

After missing most of the last two seasons with an ACL injury, Strickland is starting to get back to his old form at Charlotte (N.C.) Queen City Prep. Coaches from QCP hope that Strickland can continue to improve on his explosion, and get into optimum shape, in his remaining time at the school before moving on to the other Queen City, where he'll suit up for Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin. Cronin was in attendance for Strickland's game on Saturday.

The 6-foot-10 bruiser is naturally strong and should get even stronger with more time in the weight room, according to QCP coaches, but he has really nice touch around the rim. Strickland posts up with authority, has strong hands to catch and chin the ball and is skilled enough to turn either way and shoot a soft hook shot over his defender. The addition of Strickland could give the Bearcats exactly what they've been looking for in a center who can score, taking some of the pressure off of the guards. The California native is still a work in progress, but as his knee continues to regain strength, making it easier for Strickland to condition, he shows a lot of potential.



Combo guard Deshaun Morman is a Cincinnati signee.

Keeping the Faith

As a team, the Bradenton (Fla.) Faith Baptist Christian squad struggled over the three-day weekend, but you would have to be crazy to doubt the team's depth of talent, which was quite possibly best among Beach Blast attendees.

The leader for FBC would be 2013 Rivals150 combo guard Deshaun Morman, another Cincinnati signee. Morman isn't the most skilled offensive player for a guard, but he shows big-time desire and competitiveness, traits envied by all coaches at the Division I level. The 6-foot-3 guard is a good athlete who wills his way to the rim, scoring a lot in the mid- and close-range areas with floating layups and high-arcing baby jumpers. The strength of Morman's game, however, would be his defensive abilities, because the senior guard does an excellent job of moving his feet and playing with energy to disrupt his opponent's top perimeter player.

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.c...sp?CID=1473913

Off of Bearcattalk.com

(02-19-2013 09:31 AM)BearChatter v2.0 Wrote:  Some guy called Lance's show a week ago or so and said he'd seen Lawrence play several times and that he was wayyyy overrated. The caller was calling from Florida, I believe. I was riding in the car with my Dad, and my Dad got all disappointed, and I assured him it was probably a Xavier fan. LOL.

A poster on another forum said the same thing..I hope what this guy says has very little truth to it, but he isnt too convinced about Lawrence which disappointed me to say the least. But ill stay optimistic and hope he just needs to get into a college strength and conditioning program. If he is willing to work at becoming a better player and doesnt just expect to be treated as a star he will be fine here

http://forums.bearcatnews.com/showthread...96&page=11

Lawrence hasn't been 100% since April because of the wrist injury that required surgery, and he was still getting his game back in the few times he played recently. I've seen him at 100% and there is nothing to worry about...

(02-19-2013 09:43 AM)coachpipe Wrote:  

(02-19-2013 09:31 AM)BearChatter v2.0 Wrote:  Some guy called Lance's show a week ago or so and said he'd seen Lawrence play several times and that he was wayyyy overrated. The caller was calling from Florida, I believe. I was riding in the car with my Dad, and my Dad got all disappointed, and I assured him it was probably a Xavier fan. LOL.

A poster on another forum said the same thing..I hope what this guy says has very little truth to it, but he isnt too convinced about Lawrence which disappointed me to say the least. But ill stay optimistic and hope he just needs to get into a college strength and conditioning program. If he is willing to work at becoming a better player and doesnt just expect to be treated as a star he will be fine here

http://forums.bearcatnews.com/showthread...96&page=11

With all the thousands upon thousands of state AAU tourneys, all the really good players in AAU, he's ranked in the top 50 of the US. He's a great player, he may bust once he gets to UC, but he's not ranked where he is for nothing

thx, Chad. Your credibility adds a lot to the discussion. Let's hope he is 100% when he shows up on campus.

Not worried at all over what an anonymous poster says from seeing him play one time, when it's known he was playing injured. His offer list speaks for itself.

Agreed I'm not worried. When you have a lot of national "experts" talking about how great a player he could be and that so many teams were after him, I'd expect him to be a major factor.