The 2019 Pangos All-American Camp was marked by depth and versatility, highlighted by the standout play of the camp's top talent in the Cream of the Crop Top 30 Game. Center Evan Mobley of Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif) and big guard Cade Cunningham of Montverde Academy (Montverde, la.) named Pangos Camp co-Most Outstanding Players.
RELATED: Cade Cunningham, Isa Silva Bring HEAT!
Norwalk, Calif. -- It wasn't hard to pick the top standouts at this year's Pangos All-American Camp. The high-end elites, which numbered in the range from seven to a dozen, played well from start to finish and the Cream of the Crop Top 30 Game was no exception.
The most highly-anticipated matchups were the point guard duel between 5-foot-9 Zion Harmon of Bella Vista Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) and 6-foot-3 Isa Silva of Jesuit (Carmichael, Calif.) and the big guard showdown between Cade Cunningham of Montverde Academy and Scottie Barnes of University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.). Harmon didn't disappoint with his long range shooting combined with his usual explosive ball-handling and play-making for teammates. Just as in camp games, Harmon proved to be impossible to keep in front of for defenders, as they simply had to give him room or get blown by. When he was left with space, his deep jumper was on, and he was still able to get in the lane even though no defender dared to press up on him. Harmon finished with 12 points and three assists in his Blue Team's 124-117 victory over the Red Team in the top all-star game.
Silva brings a different set of problems for defenders with his combination of plus size as a play-maker, craftiness, defensive smarts and body size, and ability to make teammates better because they want to play with him. He's not quite as quick or flashy as Harmon, but he also turns the ball over a bit less with equal shooting range. Silva finished the top all-star game with six point and four assists. Silva finished the camp averaging 5.25 apg while Harmon averaged 5.0 apg.
Isael “ Isa “ Silva DROPPIN’ DIMES!! ?? @isilv3 @Compton_Magic @PangosAACamp
? @cazzieballislife (IG) pic.twitter.com/pVq3QDx01X— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 2, 2019
The camp leader is assists was Barnes (5.5 apg), and it's no surprise his team won the Cream of the Crop Top 30 All-Star game, as one of the nation's top senior-to-be players used his swiss army knife skill set to simply will his team to victory. Although he finished the all-star game with three points and four assists, Barnes used his "point-forward" mentality to make an impact on the game by setting the tone with vocal leadership, glass work that led to impactful outlet passes and with impactful defensive plays both inside and on the perimeter. Barnes does need to develop the mechanics of his outside shot, but not only did he lead the camp in assists, he was No. 2 in rebounds (6.5 rpg).
Cunningham's team didn't get the win, but it was the only "L" for the talented Texan all weekend long. Cunningham did his best to keep his Red squad in the game by competing until the very end, and when it was all said and done he finished with one of the game's best stat lines: 11 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Cunningham performance in the all-star game helped him bag Pangos Camp co-Most Outstanding Player honors along with 7-foot Evan Mobley of Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.). Cunningham becomes the first Texas native to cop MOP honors at Pangos Camp since 2004, when prep-to-pro C.J Miles of Skyline (Dallas) earned top billing.
Unfortunately Mobley did not play in the Cream of the Crop game to nurse an injury, but even if he had and dominated inside, Cunningham was still a deserving honoree. Mobley was the best overall big man in a camp full of talented inside players and has done nothing so far this spring and summer to relinquish the title of nation's top overall 2020 prospect.
If it wasn't Harmon, then the top junior-to-be (2021) performer was 6-foot-6 wing Terrence Clarke of Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.). Clarke has the size, wiggle, and play-making ability to stick at the game's highest level with normal development and used the wide-open setting of this camp to showcase his vast talent. Not only is Clarke a tremendous long-term prospect, his performance in the top all-star game (team-high 16 points, six assists) put him in the conversation for MOP honors. He was right there in terms of performance, despite a few moments of over-handling and forced drives, and was named Red Team Most Valuable Player.
Paulo Banchero, Tari Eason Rise Up
Joining Clarke as Top 30 game MVP was the Blue team's Paolo Banchero, a skilled 6-foot-10 post player from O'Dea (Seattle, Wash.). Banchero led the winning club with 18 points and joins the short list that includes Silva, Clarke, Harmon, and 6-foot-5 Aminu Mohammed of Greenwood Laboratory (Springfield, Mo.), who had nine points, for the title of top 2021 performer at this year's camp. Banchero didn't have big scoring outings in each game playing on a camp team with ball-dominant guards, but he hit some clutch shots, including a 3-pointer to send a camp game into overtime, and let the game come to him instead of forcing action. He's equally effective with his back to the basket or facing up and keeping defenders honest with a pick-and-pop jumper.
Tari Eason, a 6-foot-8 forward who helped Federal Way (Wash.) become a FAB 50 ranked high school team last winter, wasn't one of the first names called when discussing the worthy candidates for the top all-star game. Eason quickly proved he belong, as his active and efficient play led to 17 points and 10 rebounds. Eason was terrific in his camp game on Sunday and didn't try to do anything he wasn't capable of, excelling by rim-running, crashing the glass and being in correct position on both ends of the floor. Other Blue Team standouts that were more of the "no-brainer" variety were 6-foot-6 shooting guard Moses Moody of Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) with 16 points and 10 rebounds and 6-foot-6 combo guard Dalen Terry of Hillcrest Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.), who finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Of the more traditional big men, one who stood out for the Red Team was 6-foot-9 Moussa Cisse of Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) with 12 points and five rebounds. Another 2021 big who made an impact was the Blue Team's Mousa Diabete of DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.) with 12 points and six rebounds. Day'Ron Sharpe, a 6-foot-10 muscle man out of FAB 50 ranked South Central (Winterville, N.C.) also made his presence felt with his no-nonense approach, as he finished with 10 points for the winning Blue club.
Kaluma, Wideman Prove Point
While the likes of Moody, Terry and the obvious half dozen or so top performers were no-brainers, some quality prospects saw their bubble burst. A few players who yours truly felt were the most glaring omissions for the top all-star game were 6-foot-7 forward Arthur Kaluma, a 2021 prospect from Universal Academy (Irving, Texas), and 6-foot-5 Malachi Wideman, a Florida St.-bound wing guard from Riverview (Sarasota, Fla.).
Kaluma uses his body well to create space and score in a variety of ways with efficiency and not alot of flash. Kaluma, who can face and attack from various angles on the floor, finished with 14 points in the Cream of the Crop Top 60 Game. It came as no surprise Wideman played well, too, as he utilizes a strong first step to finish around the basket or create opportunities for others by drawing the defense because of his explosive driving ability. Wideman can use some polish on offense, but there were plenty in the top game who could too who weren't nearly as explosive or gave the consistent effort this talented Floridian did. Wiseman finished with 10 points.
Leading the way in the scoring column in the second all-star game was 6-foot-6 2020 wing MarJon Beauchamp of Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) and 6-foot-1 2021 point guard Rahsool Diggins of Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.). Both players finished the game with 19 points and also played better as the camp wore on after slow starts.
Pangos Camp All-Time MOPs
2019: Cade Cunningham, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 6-7 G
2019: Evan Mobley, Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) 7-0 C
2018: Charles Bassey, Aspire Academy (Louisville, Ky.) 6-10 C
2017 (co): Cole Anthony, Archbishop Malloy (Queens, N.Y.) 6-2 PG
2017 (co): Charles Bassey, St. Anthony (San Antonio, Texas) 6-10 C
2016 (co): Trevon Duval, API (Dallas) 6-2 PG
2016 (co): Michael Porter Jr., Father Tolten (Columbia, Mo.) 6-9 SF
2015 (co): Rawle Alkins, Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 6-5 SG
2015 (co): Mustapha Heron, Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) 6-5 SG
2014 (tri): Isaiah Briscoe, Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 6-3 PG
2014 (tri): Tyler Dorsey, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 6-5 SG
2014 (tri): Stephen Zimmermann, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 7-0 PF
2013: Stanley Johnson, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 6-7 SF
2012: Cliff Alexander, Currie (Chicago) 6-9 PF
2011: Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 6-6 WF
2010: Myck Kabongo, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 6-2 PG
2009: Harrison Barnes, Ames (Ames, Iowa) 6-7 WF
2008: John Wall, Word of God Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) 6-3 PG
2007: Brandon Jennings, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 6-1 PG
2006: James Harden, Artesia (Lakewood, Calif.) 6-5 SG
2005: Jerry-Davon Jefferson, Lynwood (Calif.) 6-8 WF
2004: C.J. Miles, Skyline (Dallas) 6-6 WF
2003: Robert Swift, Bakersfield (Calif.) 7-0 C
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores