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What @JustinDYoung liked on Friday at the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Minicamp

27, Jul 2019

What @JustinDYoung liked on Friday at the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Minicamp

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - Day one of the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Minicamp is in the books. As the players went through a full day of drill work, they capped the action off with a light set of scrimmages. 

As the camp grows older, the action will certainly intensify. Here’s what stood out on Friday here in the Rocky Mountains. 

I liked everything Bryce Thompson did. The 6-foot-5 guard from Oklahoma impresses me every time I see him play. He was consistently drilling shots from deep and everything he did was effortless. Thompson cooked everyone on Friday night. He’s had a tremendous spring and summer. When we unveil our new rankings for the 2020 class, the Tulsa guard will be inside our national top 15. 

I liked the way Caleb Love impacted the game in every facet. The St. Louis guard played like a guy who has been to the battle zone a time or time. Love played physical, running guys into hard screens, he was the hard screener and he also powered to the rim with a seasoned-vet drive to the rim. There was a leadership value to his approach on Friday. It will be interesting to see which 

I liked the way 6-foot-10 forward Nate Bittle shot and passed. The southern Oregon prospect from the 2021 class is a hard match-up because of his length and feathery shot as a corner three specialist. Bittle found a nice zone in the scrimmages and connected for a handful of triples. His passing is very good for a player of his size and position. 

More quick hitters from Friday… 

I like the way 2021 PG Kennedy Chandler runs his team on both ends of the floor. He has quick hands, great speed when he needs it and has elite vision. 

I like the way 2021 CG Max Christie was verbal in the drill work, helped coach his teammates and was locked into the instruction. 

I like 2022 Gradey Dick of Kansas every time I see him. He has good size (6-5), good bounce and is a good shot-maker. 

I liked the way 2021 PG Bensley Joseph competed throughout the day. He plays hard, showed a good pull-up three and was bouncy around the rim. 


Justin Young
Editor-in-Chief

Justin Young has been the editor-in-chief of HoopSeen.com since 2013. He manages the day-to-day operations on the site and in conjunction with our national and regional events. He was the national basketball editor for Rivals.com and a contributing editor at Yahoo! Sports. Young has been earned numerous awards for his work in sports journalism, including the Georgia Press Association Columnist of the Year. His Justin Young Basketball recruiting service has been in existence since 2002 and worked with over 300 schools from all levels. He is the director of HoopSeen Elite Preview camps and our national Preview camp series. 

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