RELATED: Charles Bassey Makes Big Impression | Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Official Mixtape   | Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Camp Official Mixtape 

Lewisville, Texas --  When there are all-star games at the conclusion of individual camps, there is always worry that the event's big men won't get to showcase their skills because those games tend to be dominated by guards. Because the Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp was full of talented big men, scouts and interested onlookers held their breath to see how the top game would play out.

The guards did a solid job of not being selfish and finding the big men -- and there were plenty of good ones on both teams. When the dust settled, the game was competitive and the post players were just too talented and impactful to be denied, as the Black club rode the ability of Franklin Aguananne and LaDarius Marshall to a 95-94 victory over the White team.

Aguananne, a 6-foot-9 sophomore (2018 class) at Denton (Denton, Texas), was dominant on the glass and displayed solid offensive post moves for a young player so physically dominant. Aguananne would be a force in a high school game even if he didn't score because he make his presence felt by taking up space (defenses must account for him in the paint) and with his relentless nature to go after the ball. He dominated action for the Black club in the first half to help keep his team within range as the White led 39-37 at intermission.

While the Denton High big man patrolled the paint early, Marshall, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward at Forest Hill (Jackson, Miss.), took over down the stretch to seal the win for the Black club. The athletic and muscular forward hit a big 3-pointer and had a conventional 3-point play down the stretch. He then made the play of the game, stealing the inbounds pass after teammate Zarek Thomas scored on a driving baseline lay-up, and then converting that steal into another conventional 3-point play with approximately 13 seconds remaining to account for the game's final one-point margin.

Marshall finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds -- with 10 of those points coming in the closing minutes. Aguananne finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds to earn game co-MVP honors with his teammate. Marshall does need to develop a post game and improve his face up game in terms of driving past defenders with solid moves, but his explosiveness, power and jumping ability allowed him to stand out and dominate at times over the two-day event. His style attacking the basket and dunking with powerful windmills is similar to former Michigan St. and NBA forward Jason Richardson.

Thomas, a 6-foot-2 freshman (2019) guard out of Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill, Texas), hit two 3-pointers and finished with 18 points for the winning club.

Charles Bassey Leaves No Doubt

It was clearly evident early on that Charles Bassey, a 6-foot-10 freshman at St. Anthony (San Antonio, Texas), was the best prospect in attendance at the Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp. The talent evaluators on hand wanted to see if he could retain his focus and intensity and put forth a dominant performance with the camp's best players on the floor.

The answer was a resounding yes, as Bassey dominated in the Cream of the Crop setting as much as he did during a regulation camp game. Bassey's ability to finish around the rim with a quick drop step, spin move, or blow by in tight quarters is something you see from a freshman his size perhaps once every five years. He has that much talent and potential. Bassey's timing with regards to block shots and getting to ones out of his area is also special.

Bassey led the White club with 20 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots, including four of the you-got-to-be-kidding me variety where he swatted away jump shots or balls you normally don't see ninth or tenth-graders getting to.

Other Top 30 participants that stood out both statistically and with their combination of production and potential included 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Chris Smith (Country Day, Ft. Worth, Texas) with nine points and nine rebounds, 6-foot-3 sophomore Chris Mullins (Mansfield-Timberview, Mansfield, Texas) with 13 points and four steals, and 6-foot-8 Tyreek Smith (Advanced Preparatory International, Dallas, Texas) with eight points six rebounds.

Shooters Stand Out In Top 60 Game

While a vast majority of the top big men participated in the Top 30 Game, there were some excellent shooters and wing types in the Cream of the Crop Top 60 Game -- and a few of them would have been deserving of a spot in the camp's top game.

The White club rolled to a 120-74 victory over the Black club by shooting the ball with remarkable accuracy in the first half. The White club made 10 3-pointers and shot over 50 percent on those attempts to build a big lead and roll to victory.

Leading the way was Max Abmas, a 6-foot freshman guard out of Jesuit (Dallas, Texas). He made four 3-pointers, displayed sold shot selection and also showed good rebounding ability from the guard position.

Another standout was Jeremiah Gambrell, Jr., a 5-foot-11 sophomore guard out of Madison (Houston, Texas). Gambrell made positive plays happen with his good ball-handling, passing and shooting ability. What stood and was unique in this particular camp was his ability to push the ball and pass ahead with either hand.

The Top 60 game didn't have all the top shooters, however, as 6-foot-2 Jalen Crutchfield of Norman North (Norman, Okla.) displayed his fine stroke throughout the weekend. He only made one 3-pointer in the top all-star game, but left little doubt he was arguably the best spot up shooter at the camp. The son of University of Oklahoma assistant coach Chris Crutchfield has a mature approach and good length for a 2018 guard who is still growing. He does need to improve on attacking defenders and finding lanes off the dribble, but he's already a solid high school player who should contribute to a talented team likely to begin the season ranked in the FAB 50 national rankings.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post LaDarius Marshall, Franklin Aguananne, Charles Bassey Show Out at Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

RELATED:  LaDarius Marshall, Franklin Aguananne Show Out at Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp | Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Official Mixtape   | Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Camp Official Mixtape  

Lewisville, Texas -- Usually at a camp featuring up-and-coming young talent such as the Pangos Frosh/Soph series, there is a feeling out process and it takes a while to establish a pecking order to determine the event's top prospects.

That certainly wasn't the case on the first day at the Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp in Dallas.

Charles Bassey, a thin and ultra-talented 6-foot-10 14-year old freshman (2019) from St. Anthony (San Antonio, Texas), wasted no time establishing himself as the top prospect at Dinos Trigonis' two-day event reserved for some of the best sophomores (Class of 2018) and freshmen from Texas and other Southern states. With his smooth gait, patient offensive approach to go along with his combination of size, skill, jumping ability and athleticism, it's going to be hard to find a better prospect in the freshman national class than Bassey.

We first started hearing about Bassey's immense potential from Clark Francis of the Hoop Scoop after his performance at the John Lucas Enterprises 40/40 Combine in The Woodlands, Texas a month ago. According to Francis, Bassey was even better at the John Lucas Enterprises Midwest Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky last weekend.

Bassey can finish above the rim two notches higher than nearly everyone at the Pangos Camp and his springs are also quick and quite coordinated for a kid who began taking the game seriously at the age of 12. Bassey also has a great feel for moving to the correct openings on the court, whether it's throwing a pass and sliding into the paint or cutting in from the wing.

We'll see if Bassey concludes the camp strong on Sunday and if he can dominate the competition as he did on Saturday in the Crème of the Crop Top 25 game. Either way, he made quite the lasting impression on the first day.

Ordinary Names Among Pangos Standouts

Chris Smith and Charles Smith are common American names. In the basketball realm, there was a Charles Smith who played forward for the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks around the same time in the late 1980s Georgetown University had a slick guard with the same name. In the same era, UConn had a guard by the name of Chris Smith who played at the same high level as Georgetown's Smith.

At the Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp, 6-foot-4 2019 prospect Charles Smith IV from Westbury Christian (Houston) and Chris Smith, a 6-foot-8 2018 prospect from Country Day (Ft. Worth, Texas), made a name for themselves with their play on the first day.

Charles Smith finished well and displayed quality scoring moves around the basket, while Chris Smith impressed scouts with his highly-coveted skill package.

Chris Smith along with Bassey, was one of the half dozen or so big men (6-foot-8 or taller) who got the most attention from scouts and the media contingent on hand -- and rightfully so.

"Really I came here to see my weaknesses against better competition and know what I have to work on to get better," Chris Smith said. "I need to get in better shape and get better dribbling the basketball. My strength is being a facilitator and leader and putting teammates in the right position."

Chris Smith definitely has an unselfish approach to the game and is capable of facing up and knocking down the perimeter shot. Combine that with his long limbs and explosive first step and you have a high-riser in the national 2018 class.

Some of the other big men who turned heads on the first day of camp included 6-foot-5 2018 prospect Jordan Phillips of Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas), 6-foot-6 2018 prospect LaDarius Marshall of Forest Hill (Jackson, Miss.), 6-foot-8 2019 prospect Tyreek Smith of Advanced Preparatory International (Dallas), 6-foot-6 2018 prospect Joshua LeBlanc of Madison Prep (Baton Rouge, La.), 6-foot-9 Franklin Aguananne of Denton (Denton, Texas) and 7-foot Ousmane Ndim of St. Louis Academy (St. Louis, Mo.).

Marshall is one of the most explosive finishers in the national 2018 class and while they are not quite the prospects or as far along in their development as Bassey, Aguananne and Ndim are intriguing in their won right. That duo went toe-to-toe in an opening camp game with Aguananne coming up with the big plays to help his team win. It was a physical battle inside that Aguananne ended by converting a contested lay-up in sudden-death overtime.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

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