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Seven takeaways from the Pangos All-American Camp

Isaiah Briscoe

(Scott Phillips/NBCSports.com)

LONG BEACH, Ca - The Pangos All-American Camp is one of the premier camps in the camp-loaded slate of June. The 12th annual camp, held at Cabrillo High School in Long Beach, offered another look at some top national prospects as well as some good West Coast players.

1. Stephen Zimmerman is a well-rounded big man: There have been questions surrounding Zimmerman all spring about his speed decreasing as he added weight to his 7-foot frame, but the lefty big man from Las Vegas is still the No. 4 player in the 2015 class according to Rivals.com and Zimmerman has a tremendous skillset.

Zimmerman’s added muscle allowed him to make plays more frequently in the post and he’s also confident as a ball-handler in the open floor. He runs really well end-to-end and can knock in jumpers from the short corner or elbow while also dropping in hooks.

Zimmerman entered the Pangos All-American Camp as the highest ranked prospect and played up to that lofty status with a good weekend.

RELATED: Pangos All-American Saturday

2. Isaiah Briscoe is an effective point guard: Isaiah Briscoe has never seen a shot he didn’t like, but the 2015 guard from Roselle, New Jersey isn’t credited as often as he should be for his passing. Rivals.com national analyst Eric Bossi threw out a Kyle Lowry comparison and I can see why. Briscoe is a big-bodied guard with a quick crossover that likes to get in the lane and make plays.

Although at 6-foot-3 he’s played more of a scoring guard role in the past when I’ve seen him, at Pangos he made numerous plays as a passer and got in the lane at will using a variety of good moves around the hoop. Briscoe is the No. 19 overall prospect in Rivals.com‘s rankings and he looks like a probable All-American in this class.

3. The Pac-12 has some strong incoming prospects: The Pangos All-American Camp had great national prospects like Briscoe and some standouts from Texas and Georgia, but the strength of the camp came in the abundance of top-flight west coast players in attendance and many of them are already committed to Pac-12 programs.

Arizona commit Tyler Dorsey is having a good spring as a scoring guard and the 6-foot-4 class of 2015 standout had plenty of good moments at Pangos this weekend, including two spirited battles with Briscoe. Dorsey was good enough to earn Camp Most Outstanding Player honors along with Briscoe and Zimmerman.

Washington commit Marquese Chriss had a really positive weekend in the open-floor setting. With all of the games being uptempo, Chriss’ run-and-jump game showed off favorably as he ran the wing for alley-oops and played above the rim with ease. He still has to develop a mid-range game and improve his defense, but Chriss has a lot of great athletic attributes heading into the Pac-12.

Chimezie Metu recently pledged to USC as a 6-foot-9 skilled class of 2015 forward and Metu also benefitted from the up-and-down games of the camp. Metu’s handle and passing ability was on display and he’s tough to stop going to the rim if he has a full head of steam. Metu’s high-flying style should fit in well in Andy Enfield’s offense at USC.

UCLA commit Lonzo Ball shows a tremendous IQ and plays with a lot of savvy for a 2016 guard. The 6-foot-5 tall point guard was great at times at Pangos and the five-star was one of the better prospects in attendance.

RELATED: Pangos All-American Camp Friday

4. San Diego State and Gonzaga closed some decent guards: Jeremy Hemsley also came off-the-board in the last few weeks as the recent San Diego State commit showed well at Pangos. Hemsley does a lot of things well as a 6-foot-4 guard. A strong athlete who can defend and make plays, Hemsley also hit some shots and looks like a strong 2015 grab for the Aztecs.

Gonzaga landed another tough and high-IQ guard in Utah native Jesse Wade. A class of 2015 prospect, Wade had some good moments playing alongside Kevin Dorsey and knocked down shots, made plays as a passer and also defended pretty well on the perimeter. At 5-foot-11, Wade is small but he plays hard and is skilled.

These two West Coast powers might not play in the Pac-12 but they are perennially in the top 25 thanks to solid prospects like these. Hemsley and Wade are two guards that start a solid foundation with a class.

5. There are still some under-recruited guards to track this summer: The Pangos All-American Camp is often a launching pad for some players nationally and this year was no exception. Although I won’t overvalue a camp setting before viewing these players more in a real halfcourt tactical basketball setting, the Pangos camp still gives a glimpse at skills and tools that players have at their disposal.

Three 2015 guards played really well at Pangos and will be watched closely in July by college programs.

Point guard Paris Austin was one of the biggest stories of the weekend as the 5-foot-11 guard from Oakland continued a strong uptick to the end of his spring. Austin knocked down shots, set up teammates and also defended on the perimeter.

Austin told NBCSports.com that he has scholarship offers from Florida State, Tulsa, Utah State, San Jose State, Boise State, Loyola Marymount and Pacific, and Creighton, Wake Forest, Texas and Cal have recently been involved and showing interest.

Kevin Dorsey is another 5-foot-11 guard that will be tracked closely in July by college coaches. The native of Fairfax, Virginia scored off of screens, changed paces well and knocked in some jumpers from the perimeter.

Dorsey told NBCSports.com that Creighton, Florida Gulf Coast, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ole Miss, VCU and Virginia Tech have offered but he’s been solid with Team Takeover in the Nike EYBL and is poised for a potential breakout July.

Sammy Barnes-Thompkins had a tough and productive Pangos Camp. His coaches in camp liked Barnes-Thompkins’ play and he had a toughness about him while playing a bit of both guard spots. The 6-foot-2 native of Phoenix only has a scholarship offer from San Jose State while Arizona State, Gonzaga, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wichita State show interest.

6. Some national-level wings to monitor in July: This was my first time viewing Baton Rouge, Louisiana native Brandon Sampson, but he was very impressive knocking down tough perimeter shots while getting to the rim a little bit as well. The 6-foot-5 Sampson is currently regarded as the No. 73 prospect in Rivals.com‘s national rankings.

Also showing well on the wing was Alpharetta, Georgia native Malik Beasley. The 6-foot-4 Beasley has a quick first step and shows quickness getting to the basket and scoring. He gets a little shot happy, but he’s a talented scorer that is itching to play in front of college coaches in July.

After showing up on Saturday, Las Vegas native Ray Smith continued his solid spring by earning co-MVP honors in the camp’s Top 30 Cream of the Crop Game and at 6-foot-7, he’s a problem on the wing because of his length, athleticism and ability to knock in shots. Smith is becoming more well-rounded on the wing and will be one to watch in July.

RELATED: Ray Smith throws down a nasty dunk in Pangos highlight reel (VIDEO)

7. Big man Steve Enoch breaks out: Memphis is one of the only schools on Norwalk, Connecticut native Steve Enoch, but that should change after a good performance a Pangos this weekend.

Enoch played well throughout the camp and could stake a claim as the camp’s second best big man behind Zimmerman. Enoch will have to show more against national competition, but at 6-foot-9, many big-time programs will be interested in him this July.

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