A few brief Rumble In The Bay player evaluations

The Rumble In The Bay tourney was held this past Memorial Day weekend. We certainly didn't see all the D-1 prospects but here are our notes from the players we viewed:

Juan Anderson, Oakland Rebels, (Castro Valley High, CA, 2011)

It's not really a dilemma (but if you so consider it, then it a great one to face) -- does Anderson go to the PAC-10 and be a definite rotation guy/starter with the possibility of developing into a star or play at the next league level and be an all-conference star? Anderson is still on the slim side, very quick and gets off the floor in a blink. His handle can be tightened but it's solid in either direction. He works as a rebounder and displayed a strong defensive effort over the three-day weekend. His range is the three-point distance but his shooting consistency waxes and wanes. We don't see him leaving the west coast area (but let's include Arizona), possibly not even California. Utah State has offered.

Brendan Keane, Oakland Rebels (St. Joseph's, CA, 2011) 

You want a banger? Keane shows excellent form and footwork on moves offensively and also nailed a pair of 15-footers facing the basket in games we witnessed. He isn't a high-flyer but he gets the job done rebounding and defendingt. Watching Keane, we were reminded a bit of a couple of the foreign 'bigs' Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans have utilized the last few seasons. We could certainly see a lot of WAC teams vying for this young man.

Chris Read, 6-foot-4, Lakeshow, (Castro Valley, CA, 2011)

Read is a superb athlete who can run and jump with the best. His to-do list includes upgrading his ballhandling so he can create more opportunities and displaying a consistent 15-18 foot jumpshot. We also saw someone who could develop into an ultra defender if he desires to do so.

Mark Tollefsen, 6-foot-8, Lakeshow (San Ramon Valley, CA, 2011)

How badly does he want it? There are multiple assets to his game -- great range facing the basket, extra long arms for defending and also scoring inside but he must add better ballhandling/creating skills and greater rebounding prowess to his repertoire. Developing the necessary strength to play at the college level will aid in facilitating his progress. Tollefsen is on the edge of being an impact player.

Jacari Whitfield, 5-foot-8, Lakeshow, (St. Joseph's, CA, 2011)

We didn't see anybody able to keep Whitfield from penetrating over the weekend as he is a blur, equally proficient going to his left and right. His height is going to deter some and others will want to witness more playmaking ability for his teammates but he needed to score --that seemed his role -- this weekend.