Recruiting - hoops

The top camp stars are already thinking about the 2005 NBA draft - at least their father's are - story here.

"If he's going to be one of the better players in the country, you have to seriously look at the NBA," said father Venard, Richard's coach at Athens. "Going to the NBA would be a goal and a dream of his. If the opportunity presents itself, you have to seriously look at it."

Story on grooming the 8-year olds for the NBA. Hey did you know that UNC has offered a free ride to a kid who just finished his freshman year on high school. Coach Hewitt quoted again:

"It's every sport now, it's not just basketball," Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt said. "Tennis moms and golf moms and Little League dads. I don't think it's good for anyone to specialize that early, but that's what they do now."

Here's a story on the Peach Jam, which will happen this week. Two future UGAg players, Louis Williams and Mike Mercer will play. It is looking more and more like Williams might have a legit shot to get drafted out of high school. He's potentially that good.

Here's a nice re-cap of some of the top players from the camps, including this on Eric Boateng, Jamal Boykin and Lee Bynum:

Eric Boateng: The 6-10 center from Middletown, Del., comes from the same production line that gave us Torin Francis and Jason Fraser. He can rebound and run and jump and block shots, but (for now) don't let him do anything but dunk it.

Jamal Boykin: The 6-7 combination forward from Los Angeles is above all things ... earnest. He's a good athlete, but not great. A very good shooter, but not great. But he's so darned earnest it's hard not to like him, wish him well and know he'll make some college coach very happy.

Lee Bynum: The 6-11 C from Plainsboro, N.J., is a mystery. First of all, he needs to figure out if he wants to be known as Andrew Bynum or Lee Bynum. Second, is he the next Sagana Diop, or the next Josh Moore? Neither is a future Hall of Famer, but at least Diop has made some serious money.