Many of the top national high school basketball players are showcasing their skills at the Reebok Breakout Challenge this week at Philadelphia University. But two of the most impressive players thereboth from the Philadelphia areaare barely in high school.
Shep Garner, who is coming off his freshman year at Roman Catholic, is ranked by ESPN.com as the No. 68 player in the class of 2014. Horace Spencer, who will be a freshman in the fall at William Tennent High School in Warminster, is widely regarded as one of the top players in the class of 2015.
Garner and Spencer were two of the youngest and most impressive players at the Reebok Breakout Challenge, which runs July 5-9. Both of them are on the verge of becoming well-known names not only in the Philadelphia area but nationally.
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It means a lot to me, Garner said about being invited to the camp. I get exposed to new things. I get to meet new people and show my skill and talent that God gave me to these coaches.
Garner is very advanced skill-wise for his age. Despite being one of the youngest players at the camp, he easily stood out as one of the best players there. A 6-foot-1 combo guard, he can run the point or score in a variety of ways. He is a very good three-point shooter and terrific ball handler. He uses his quickness and ball-handling skills to get where he wants on the court.
Every time I step on the court, I always let everyone know Im the best player on the court, Garner said. I learned that from Michael Jordan. He always had something to prove every time he stepped on the court.
In his teams 83-71 win Thursday morning at the Reebok Breakout Challenge, Garner scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range. He added three rebounds, an assist and no turnovers.
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I cant really jump that high, Garner said, but Im just aggressive. I like to get into the lane and feed my big men. I can shoot too, but I never like to settle on shooting a lot of jumpers. I like to get to the basket. I have to get stronger. Im just a little kid playing against men. They push me around a little bit, so I definitely have to get stronger.
Which NBA players does Garner model his game after?
I like Grant Hill and I like Penny Hardaway, he said. I can see me being those players if I grow. Im just a smooth player that can do everything.
Spencer is a raw 6-foot-8 forward. He doesnt really have a defined position this early in his career because his skill set isnt very polished yet. All we know at this point is that hes tall, long and athletic. Spencer can handle the ball well for his size and is an excellent shot blocker, but he doesnt have much offensive skill at this point.
Playing here is going to prepare me for next year, Spencer said. Im going to be playing varsity with kids bigger and stronger and more physical and tougher.
Spencer was scoreless (0 for 4 FGs) with three rebounds, an assist and two blocks. Those arent overly impressive stats, but keep in mind he was the youngest player at the prestigious camp and the only player there from the class of 2015.
I need to work on my ball handling and my shot, Spencer said. My shots terrible. But I have been working on it lately. My coaches have me taking 500 shots a day or even more, plus dribbling and ball-handling drills and full-court drills. Its a lot of work.
Coaches from Temple, Villanova, St. Josephs, La Salle and Drexel were in attendance Wednesday and Thursday at the Reebok Breakout Challenge. Temple head coach Fran Dunphy watched the action on Wednesday, while La Salle head coach John Giannini observed on Thursday.
Garner and Spencer both mentioned North Carolina as their dream school. Neither has any concrete scholarships offers yet, but both are expected to get offers from many of the top schools. Along with UNC, Garner is also considering Florida, Pitt, Villanova, Syracuse, West Virginia and Ohio State. Other than the Tar Heels, Spencer also said he would love to play for Ohio State or Kentucky.
Im trying to be an all-around playera point guard through a center, Spencer said. I dont want to be just a big guy sitting in the post. I want to shoot, pass and dribble.
Ryan Feldman covers college basketball and the NBA Draft for his website, TheHoopsReport.com. He can be reached at rfeldman@thehoopsreport.com.