The purpose of the Pangos Frosh/Soph Camp tour is to give up and coming high school players a platform to receive national exposure in front of influential individuals in the world of grassroots basketball and to test their skill level against their peers on a regional, and even national, basis.

For 6-foot-9 Patrick Baldwin, whom most respected recruiting evaluators feel is the No. 1 prospect in the national 2021 class, the Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp is not about exposure or seeing where he stacks up against other elite Midwest talent.

The camp is a measuring stick of his own game. A self-evaluation of sorts and something else just as important. "I really want to see where my game is at as a whole compared to where it was during the high school season," Baldwin said as he prepared for his Saturday evening game. "To come here and compete is my main goal."

The way Camp ? Should Be! Players challenging each other! pic.twitter.com/aeUO1VYF1M

— Scott/Ballislife (@BallisLifeCHI) October 21, 2018

Baldwin burst onto the national scene two years ago at this camp with a terrific performance for a rising eighth-grader, ranked the No. 26 performer overall in by GrassrootsHoops.net and setting the stage for a terrific freshman campaign at (Hamilton, Sussex, Wis.) after once again playing in the event last October.

In 2017, he was name Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp Most Outstanding Player and was subsequently ranked No. 1. He followed that up by earning Underclass All-American honors from www.ebooksnet.com, only one of 10 freshman nationally to make the cut on the prestigious honors squad.

"I don't stick my chest out and say 'I'm No. 1' or anything like that, but I do believe in myself and my ability," Baldwin said.

In the spirit of competition, Baldwin came to the event for a third time. Now finding someone to go against and compete with was another matter. It wouldn't have been shocking if Baldwin was heads and shoulders better than everyone and didn't find someone who could match his tremendous skill level. Baldwin is self-motivated and a high character young man, but there is nothing he could do if anyone wasn't remotely talented enough to guard him. On the flip side, there is only so much one can do if a player is just too big, too skilled and too experienced to guard.

That wasn't the case.

In his first camp game, Baldwin found a perfect test for his budding game, one that has him being compared to the likes of NBA players Kyle Anderson and Jabari Parker.

Meet Sekou Gassama, a 6-foot-10 sophomore (2021) from Desmet Jesuit (St. Louis MO). The Mali native attended this same camp last year and barely registered on scouting sheets. Sure, he had terrific size and some long-term potential, but little feel and polish.

Oh, what a difference 365 days can make.

Gassama, who watches alot of and tries to pattern his game after NBA star Anthony Davis, is a true post player with a terrific frame who can run the floor with ease. His balance and footwork are light years better than what it was a year ago. Gassama is also tough and loves to use his muscular upper body to mix it up inside. He also displays a solid shooting touch at the free throw line for someone with little experience playing the game.

In one of the best camp games we've seen in recent memory at the Pangos Frosh/Soph Camps, Gassama went to work right away. He competed and bodied up Baldwin and really made him work for his, and the Sussex High standout got plenty. Gassama tried to push Baldwin further out from his comfortable spots, and he responded by making deep jump shots and with beautiful driving finishes, including some of the left-hand variety. Baldwin also did some work on the blocks, but Gassama offered plenty of resistance. Gassama also made some baskets around the rim and threw down a powerful dunk off an offensive rebound put back that got everyone in the gym noticing the terrific matchup and asking, "Who's THAT guy?"

Baldwin couldn't ask for a better scenario: someone to bring out the best in his vast arsenal. So did Gassama surprise Baldwin (who he remembered from last year)?

"He did, actually, he plays extremely hard," Baldwin said.

"I had come from Africa two weeks before last year's camp," Gassama said. "I was not ready to do something good. The games was too fast for me, but I have worked really hard to get ready for this year."

The Mali native is playing with a heavy heart as his father back home passed away two months ago. His mother, two brothers and sisters remain in his home country. Gassama would like do nothing more than to honor the memory of his father and make his family back home proud by doing his very best here in the United States.

"Of course the basketball competition is good here, but I also like school. It's a big opportunity for me to study."

Gassama couldn't have chosen a better course than this camp.

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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RELATED: Pangos Midwest All-Star Highlights! 

Young players attend events such as the Pangos Frosh/Soph Camps to get exposure and to be evaluated by national scouts. As talent evaluators and members of the media, we stress to campers to respect the game and play it the correct way, or attempt to, the best they can. We strive to cover the standouts at grassroots events and give our audience a feel of what transpired in entertaining fashion.

What adults tend to forget at times, however, is kids still want to be kids, meaning they want to have fun and create memories, especially if free of restraint from adults. What happened on Saturday evening at the Park District of La Grange was a great example of that.

Two small and offensive minded-point guards, 5-foot-7 Kevin "Boopie" Miller and 5-foot-4 Kendall Martin went at it in a classic playground-style "battle" after "Boopie", a freshman (2021) from Morgan Park (Chicago), went through the legs, ripped a crossover in front of Martin and hit him with a step back jumper that got the other campers and crowd into a frenzied state. The play actually shut down the game after players rushed the court to mob Miller.

Before that transpired, there was a growing crowd as the two guards exchanged scoring blows while attempting to guard one another. After order was restored and play resumed, Martin, a freshman (2021) from Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.) got the crowd going again with long range threes from near half court. Eventually the camp game got back to normal, but the buzz about the battle continued as the players left the court.

Our Take On Camp Battles

When players go one-on-one to try to out-do each other, it usually leads to zero ball movement and unnecessary dribbling, two things that generally hinder an individual evaluation. Miller and Martin are guards of small stature and need to be ultimate team-first, pass-first lead guards who play bulldog defense in order to become quality high school guards (considering both play at two of the perennially better programs in Chicago) and to have a chance to play at the next level.

The battle definitely wouldn't be positive from an evaluation standpoint, but it also happened organically, the sequence was not scripted. It's when it's scripted, or thought of strictly for the cameras and social media, that we have a problem with. The other campers and their experience has to be of importance when two players dominate the ball and a camp game for an extended period of time.

Two other major factors also need to be mentioned: Sometimes the unexpected can and will happen, as it did when "Boopie" and Martin went at it, and fans love the small guard who can handle the rock. There is just something about the small man in basketball who makes things happen on the court that makes fans go crazy.

Standout Campers  

While the small guys at camp got the attention of fans and the other players, it was skilled players with a bit more size so to speak that got the attention of veteran scouts in attendance. Here are five that stood out to us:

Patrick Baldwin (Hamilton, Milwaukee, Wis.) 6-8 2021: This combo forward has a multitude of offensive skill that had scouts looking for comparisons. He resembles Los Angele Lakers standout rookie Kyle Kuzma with his body type and footwork, but his passing skill had veteran scout Frank Burlison mentioning Ben Simmons, the 2016 No. 1 NBA Draft choice.        

Ahmad Bynum (Simeon, Chicago) 6-1 2021: The nephew of former Crane of Chicago standout Will Bynum (Arizona/Georgia Tech/NBA) has many of the same physical and mental toughness of his uncle. Bynum knows the game and was shooting at a high clip on Saturday.
 
Kamari Lands (Indianapolis) 6-6 2022: He's only an eight-grader, but oh my, is he skilled! Lands can handle the  ball and usually makes the correct basketball read. He executed a pick-in-roll on the left side elbow extended with another forward that was a thing of beauty in timing and execution.

Darius Hannah (Milwaukee Academy Science, Milwaukee, Wis.) 6-7 2020: One of the best long-term prospects in attendance displayed the ability to run the floor and quality defensive instincts. His game and body frame reminds us plenty of former high school All-American and NBA player Brandon Wright out of the University of North Carolina.

Isaiah Jackson (Old Redford, Detroit) 6-8 2020: Athletic forward had two standout camp games and is one of the better finishers in attendance.

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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RELATED: Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Official Mixtape   | Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Camp Official Mixtape 

La Grange, Ill. --  As the Pangos Frosh/Soph Camps have grown in popularity, participants have made the extra effort to come from a long distance in order to increase their national profile and showcase their skills in front of national scouts.

The city of Chicago is one of the greatest talent bases in grassroots basketball history and there was no shortage of talent from the Windy City at The Park District in suburban La Grange. The game used to be dominated by America's big cities, but the grassroots talent base has expanded and that was clearly evident on the first day of the Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp.

Some of Saturday's standouts emerged from places such as Eldridge, Iowa, Kaukauna, Wis., Greenfield, Wis., Southfield, Mich., and Williston, N.D.

One of the gems uncovered at the camp was 6-foot-2 sophomore (2018) point guard Corvon Seales of North School (Eldridge, Iowa). Seales didn't come in with the national reputation of some of the camp's top players, but clearly displayed the talent level to one day be one of the most sought-after 2018 talents in the Midwest. Seales can push the ball in the open court and does a good job of setting his feet and getting under his jump shot. He also is an excellent athlete, which translates nicely for him on the defensive end. Seales also has a nice feel on offense with regards for when to attack or shoot the jump shot.

Seales resembles and has a similar style to current 2016 McDonald's All-American candidate De'Aaron Fox. While he doesn't quite play to that level just yet, that is the target for the unassuming Seales.

Some of the campers who came in with much bigger reputations than Seales who played up to par included 5-foot-10 2018 prospect Jordan McCabe of Kaukauna (Kaukauna, Wis.) and 6-foot-6 2018 prospect De' Sean Allen-Eikens of Williston (Williston, N.D.).

It will be hard to find a more confident prospect among the 180 than McCabe, who keeps defenders honest with his ability to distribute, run offense or stroke the outside shot. McCabe also does an excellent job of keeping his dribble alive and finishing defenders off with the use of his crossover. McCabe also has the whip-ahead pass in his arsenal which he can deliver cross court. If he keeps growing physically, McCabe will become an excellent college table setter.

Allen-Eikens was named to the 10-player 2014-15 freshmen all-american team by GrassrootsHoops.net for Williston High School after turning out the Pangos All-Midwest Camp last October and didn't disappoint of the first day this year. Allen-Eikens is the most physically imposing player at camp and no one player can stop him from getting the interior shot he desires. He also has a good face-up first step and has a high skill level offensively. How high Allen-Eikens can rise in 2018 national rankings depends on how much consistency his deep range jump shot can develop.

The most explosive player we evaluated on the first day of camp was 6-foot-4 2018 wing Bryce Washington of Southfield Christian (Southfield, Mich.). He runs the floor like a gazelle, moves well without the ball and can score in a variety of ways. Washington also has excellent size and could become a high-major college two-guard with normal development. Washington, who joined The Family club team in sixth grade, credits his new-found dedication for the game in taking the next level as both a player and prospect.

"I came here to show what I can do and show that I've been working a lot harder on my game," said Washington, who attempts to pattern his game after Kevin Durant and Paul George. "Before I was just going through the motions when I played. I do realize this is serious business."

Windy City Standouts

Among the Chicagoans who stood out on the first day of the Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp were Xavier Pinson, a 6-foot 2018 prospect out of St. Patrick (Chicago), Messiah Jones, a 6-foot-5 2018 prospect out of Simeon (Chicago), Kejuan Clements, Jones' teammate at Simeon who is a 6-foot 2019 point guard, Talen Horton-Tucker, yet another player from Simeon who checks in at 6-foot-3 and is also in the class of 2018, and Raekwon Drake, a 6-foot-5 2018 prospect out of Orr (Chicago).

Simeon, the Chicago Public School League preseason favorites and a team seriously being considered for a preseason FAB 50 spot, has a large contingent of young players at the camp and Horton-Tucker was arguably the most impressive. The burly forward came to play on both ends and made three spectacular defensive plays -- two of them pocket-picks out top and the third a clean run-down block on a lay-up. Horton-Tucker also has the ability to knock down the perimeter shot.

Jones, a wing prospect who plays with a competitive spirit, also impressed scouts. He has a solid crossover, but must continue to develop his off (left) hand in order to keep defenders honest. Clements has great agility and coordination and is a fine passer, but like many of the guards in attendance tends to get a bit carried away with the dribble and looks for the spectacular play too often.

The high risk, high reward plays were plentiful on Saturday and we'll see if the guards can clean it up and take their play to the next level on day two.

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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