Dreams abound at Nike Camp

INDIANAPOLIS -- Draped on the walls above the three basketball courts at the National Institute of Fitness and Sport here are large action portraits of some of the past stars of the Nike All-American Basketball Camp.

Folks like Penny Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning, Kevin Garnett, Shawn Kemp, Grant Hill and Jason Kidd.

One day Jason Williams may find his likeness on that wall of fame, too.

Williams, a 6-2, 195-pound senior-to-be from St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, N.J., has been the talk of the camp during the first two days of competition here.

Over 200 of the nation's top prep basketball prospects, including Clark High's Kevin Gaines and Cheyenne's Demetrius Hunter, have gathered to compete here this week in front of everyone from Bobby Knight to Roy Williams to scouts from every NBA team.

The highlight for Williams came Wednesday afternoon in a much-anticipated point-guard showdown with Gaines.

Both came into the summer ranked among the nation's top 25 prospects by respected talent scout Bob Gibbons of Lenoir, N.C. Williams was ranked 18th while Gaines came in 23rd.

But look for Williams to move into at least the top 10 after his dazzling performance on Wednesday which had longtime Nike Camp observers bringing out the Jason Kidd comparisons.

Although no official statistics were kept, Williams had well over a dozen assists, including several no-look passes that drew a chorus of ooh's and aah's from those watching the contest. Gaines scored 12 points, but spent much of the game playing off guard. Williams' Wisconsin squad defeated Gaines' Iowa team 101-91.

Among the interested spectators were Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistant Quin Snyder as well as UCLA assistant Michael Holton and Michigan assistant Brian Ellerbe. The Blue Devils are near the top of both Williams (1,100 SAT) and Gaines' college lists.

"That was a N.C. ... a no contest," an assistant coach from a perennial Top 20 team said afterward (It's against NCAA rules for a coach to comment on the record about prospective recruits). "Jason Williams is a special player."

"He had 19 assists in a game (on Tuesday night)," Nike Camp director George Raveling said of Williams. "He's just such a smart player. A lot of guys wouldn't have a clue of how to attack a zone defense like he does."

"He's the best high school point guard I've ever seen," said Matt Hart, a former USC and Long Beach State assistant who is coaching Williams' camp team here.

What did Coach K think?

Well, he was back in the front row for Williams' game in the night session and skipped Gaines' contest, which was being played at the same time on the other side of the arena.

Gaines, meanwhile, who has alternated between playing point guard and off guard because of the presence of talented junior point guard Adrian Jackson of Pompano Beach, Fla., on his squad, bounced back with a strong game in the evening session, scoring 12 points down the stretch to rally his team to an 81-76 victory over a Minnesota team that included highly touted swingman Damien Wilkins, son of NBA player Gerald Wilkins.

Meanwhile, Hunter, a 6-4 guard, had the play of the day Wednesday when he made a double-pump, behind-the-backboard reverse layup in his Florida State squad's 76-71 loss to Duke.

NIKE CAMP NOTES: One of the more intriguing prospects here is Yao Ming, a 7-5, 252-pound center from Shanghai, China. Ming has a reach of 9 feet, 3 inches, has good mobility and a decent 15-foot jumper. "He was 7-3 last year, now he's 7-5 and that is one big dude," Bob Wonson, who is coaching Ming's team, said. "He's only been playing for 2 1/2 years and ... he's light years ahead of where he was (last year). He's going to be very good and wants to get better." Ming's father is 6-8 and his mother is 6-4. Both played for the Chinese national team .... Hunter is rated 76th nationally by Gibbons. ... One of the assistant coaches for Ming's Oregon squad here is hoops junkie Mark Curry, better known for his role on the TV show, "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper." ... Milwaukee Bucks star Ray Allen, who was featured in Spike Lee's latest film, "He Got Game," will speak to the players before today's game. Past Nike Camp speakers have included Lee, comedian Sinbad and Dick Vitale.

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