adidas Nations Global Camp: Day 3By:

The third day was the beginning
of tournament play, which meant that the games picked up in intensity
and level of play. The USA 2011 team got a bye in the first round,
while USA 2010 played Asia and won by the score of 100 – 66.
The other games saw Canada beat Africa 84 – 71 and Europe beating
Latin America 72 – 62.

The semifinals matched up USA
2011 vs Canada and Europe vs USA 2010. Both games were close throughout,
and were played at a high level, but in the end Canada prevailed against
USA 2011 and USA 2010 beat Europe.

Tomorrows finals will showcase
the talented Canadians versus the very athletic and deep USA 2010 squad.
There will be a live webcast of the game at www.eastbay.com/adidasnations at 4:30 PM EST.

Evan Fournier 6’5
SG 1992
France

Amidst all the size, athleticism
and swagger that is present in the gym, the young Frenchman has come
out and shown that he is the most complete player of the bunch.
Off the court he looks skinny and timid, but when he steps on the court
his full game comes on display very quickly. He has a lanky frame
with wiry strength, and very underrated explosiveness. All week
long he has been able to get any shot that he wanted, without anyone
posing a true test defensively. His outside shot is very good,
he has the ability to shoot from deep as well as off the dribble.
Going to the basket he has an awkward euro step that leaves his defenders
moving in the opposite direction of him. He can comfortably finish
with both hands and he knows how to play the angles as well as use his
body to shield the ball and draw fouls. Through round robin play
he has been the leading scorer in the tournament, but for someone so
efficient scoring the ball he is also very team oriented and unselfish.
He lacks the prototypical body of an NBA wing, and doesn’t have the
freaky athleticism, but when it comes to playing the game the right
way and getting the job done, he has been above the rest throughout
the week.

Daniele Sandri
6’5 SG
1990 Italy

A very good athlete and a slasher,
Sandri has the ability to score in a nice variety of ways. He
has good size and nice length, and can comfortably shoot from long range,
off the dribble or finish at the basket against the help defense.
He is a bit inconsistent in terms of his effort, at times he takes plays
off or he simply disappears for stretches of the game, but when he decides
to turn it up he can definitely do some good things.

Nick Stauskas 6`4
SG 2012 Canada

Stauskas whom we saw last week
at the All Canada Exposure Camp was able to step into the starting 5
due to injury and prove that even at such a young age he can do some
nice things on the court. He had his jump shot working and he
was also able to get into the pain on a few occasions and finish at
the basket. He has a good feel for the game and knows how to move
without the ball, which allows him to get open looks without forcing
the issue. He is a bit undersized, and athletically not at the
level of some of the older guys, but he has time and has proven to be
very effective.

Renardo Dixon
6`7 Canada

A bit of a hybrid forward,
Dixon prefers to catch the ball in the mid post, face up and attack
his man. He isn`t the best with his back to the basket, nor is
he comfortable working on the perimeter, but he knows how to pick his
spots and can do so very effectively. He has a nicely built body
with wide shoulders, and he knows how to use his strength to clear space
when finishing inside. In terms of superb athleticism or explosiveness,
he doesn`t have that, but he definitely knows how to pick his spots
and score the ball when he get his chance.

Notes: Ryan Harrow has
continued to play well, using his speed and quickness to get to the
paint where he can create opportunities for himself of teammates.
Rakeem Christmas has played fairly well, but has not been consistent
nor has he shown the ability to create his own shot. He is a bit
skinny and doesn`t like to mix it up, but his length and athleticism
are definitely something that will help him stay on the radar.
Brandon Knight has been in attendance but he is wearing a cast due to
a broken foot.