Knicks Targeting Joe Johnson as No. 1 Option
The Knicks are targeting Joe Johnson as
The Knicks are targeting Joe Johnson as
Perry Ellis is from Kansas, but he grew up a Duke fan.
“I actually grew up liking Duke but not [any] more,” the 6-foot-8, 212-pound rising junior said by phone from the Kevin Durant Skills Academy in Chicago. “That’s what I liked growing up more.”
Now a member of the USA Developmental National Team and one of the top small forwards in the nation, Ellis has a slew of elite programs after him — but he isn’t counting Duke among them.
Ellis lists Kansas, Memphis, Kentucky, Kansas State, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Stanford, Oklahoma and Wichita State as college options.
“Nobody has a an edge. I’m just looking,” said Ellis, who carries a 4.0 GPA.
Not long after speaking Monday morning with Anthony Davis Jr. and Sr., I called the father back to clarify something.
He ended up breaking the news that his son, a 6-foot-9, 187-pound forward from Chicago Perspectives Charter School, had actually cut his list to three schools.
“We’re looking at Syracuse, Kentucky and Ohio State,” Anthony Sr. said. “I think those three schools fit perfectly in the style of basketball he plays.”
Anthony Davis is ranked as the No. 2 power forward in the Class of 2011, yet hardly anyone knew who he was before this spring.
After growing seven inches in a year, Davis is now 6 feet, 9 inches and 187 pounds.
“He went through a major, major growth spurt,” said Anthony Davis Sr. “He’s eating us out of house and home, for sure. He just won’t gain the weight.”
Davis burst onto the national scene this past spring and was named Most Promising Prospect at the recent NBA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, Va.
John Fields, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound big man
Here are the rosters for the Kevin Durant and Paul Pierce Nike Skills Academies in Chicago. These campers, plus those from Deron Williams and Amar’e Stoudemire, all go to the LeBron James camp July 5-7 in Akron.
KEVIN DURANT ROSTER
No. Name Hgt. Wgt. Wingspan Class High School/Hometown
1 Mychael Henry 6-6 !” 211 82 !” 2011 Orr Academy/Chicago, IL
2 Levi Randolph 6-4 !” 178 80 !” 2011 Bob Jones/Madison, AL
3 Jakarr Sampson 6-7 !” 192 82 !” 2011 St. Vincent-St. Mary’s/Akron, OH
4 Nick Faust 6-5 172 81 !” 2011 City College/Baltimore, MD
5 Mike Shaw 6-8 213 81” 2011 De La Salle Institute/Chicago, IL
6 Victor Nickerson 6-7 179 80” 2011 Norcross/Atlanta, GA
10 Tyler Harris 6-7 !” 190 81” 2011 Half Hallows/Dix Hills, NY
11 Anthony Davis 6-9 187 86” 2011 South Houston/South Houston, TX
12 Perry Ellis 6-8 212 82” 2012 Wichita Heights/Wichita, KS
13 Mike Gbinije 6-6 !” 191 78” 2011 Benedictine/Richmond, VA
14 Rodney Hood 6-8 188 79 !” 2011 Meridian/Meridian, MS
While LeBron James and Amar’e Stoudemire get set to meet with free agent suitors like the Bulls, Knicks, Nets, Heat and Clippers beginning Thursday at midnight, Nike is hosting skills academies featuring both superstars.
James is reportedly going to meet Thursday with the Nets even as reports have him and free agent forward Chris Bosh leaning toward signing with the Bulls.
The New York Times quoted an unidentified league executive as saying ”It’s a done deal” that James would sign with the Bulls, but that his meetings in Ohio would continue out of good faith toward the other teams.
The Knicks reportedly hope to meet with Stoudemire on July 1 in Phoenix after a potential meeting with Hawks guard Joe Johnson, Chris Broussard of ESPN reports.
