Austin was listed on the roster for Team Texas, but he was conspicuously absent. A 7 footer wearing Rec Specs woould stand out a little bit but there was no sign of big Isaiah yestereday at the tourney.
There were several good guard prospects from the Class of '12 at the tourney I've posted some thoughts on them below.
Marcus Paige 6'0 155 - Marion, IA
Smooth lefty PG whose strength is running the show with his slick handle and passing ability but will also attack the lane off the bounce if his defender gives him an opening. Really crafty finsiher using a variety of left-handed floaters and finger rolls to score around the rim. Did knock down a couple 3's but could probably use a little more consistency on his shot from deep. Somewhat slight of build, probbably needs to put on muscle to hang defensively for 40 minutes at the high major level.
Mike Gesell 5'11" 165 - S. Sioux City, NE
Forms a really solid backcourt with Paige on the Martin Bros team, this kid has a really solid, steady game. Sneaky good athlete with solid passing and handling skills. IMO, he's the best shooter of the '12 guards I'm talking about in this post. Really smooth stroke from long amd mid-range that he knocks down off the catch or off the dribble equally well. Knocked down two clutch FT's for Martin Bros to give them the lead with less than 10 seconds left against Kingdom Hoops only to have Wesley Staten drive the length of the court and beat them on a buzzer beating layup.
Wesley Staten 6'0" 155 - Sioux City, IA
Really kind of amazing that there are 2 big time guards from in the Class of '12 from Sioux City. Staten is a great athlete who can raise up and shoot his jump shot over just about anybody, he just needs to get more consistent in knocking down those down. Appeared to be much more accurate from about 17 ft in than from behind the 3 pt line. Also, really attacks well off the dribble, getting to the line a lot and knocking down probably 80% of those attempts. As I mentioned above, he had a great full-court, last second drive that he converted with a layup to help his team, Kingdom Hoops knock off highly regarded Martin Bros.
Nino Jackson 6'1" 170 - Ardmore, OK
Rivals lists him at 6'2" but I'm not sure he's that tall, really not any physically bigger than Staten, this kid is a tremendous athlete who is really active defensively. Really quick feet and quick hands which he used to get a couple steals and breakaway dunks. Erratic jump shot at this point, did knock down a couple from deep but also put up a couple AB's. ku fetish is pretty damn annoying, ku hoodie, ku socks, whatever man.
