Penn State Basketball: Skills Camp To Showcase Talent

Penn State basketball will host its first skills camp this weekend with plenty of talent on the way to Happy Valley.

As the 2015 recruiting class looks to finish up, it could be an important weekend for both the program and the recruits who could make Penn State their collegiate destination.

Here is a look at six players scheduled to make an appearance this weekend.

Current Commits:

Mike Watkins 6-9,215, Center: Pat Chambers and his staff landed Watkins’ services last June with the hope that Watkins’ raw ability would mature. So far it appears that gamble has paid off. Watkins has rocketed up the rankings becoming a dominating force on the boards. This visit will be a nice offseason check-up for Watkins and Penn State. Both parties seem happy with how things are progressing.

Deividas Zemgulis 6-foot-6, 220, Forward: Having only committed this May, Zemgulis will take an important trip up to Happy Valley to showcase his skills for the first time since making the call. A good outside shooter, Zemguiis could eventually be an interseting complement to the likes of fellow inside-outside worker Donovon Jack. 

2015 Targets:

Josh Reaves 6-4-, 185, SG: Reaves has been a longtime recruiting project for Chambers and his staff with visits and conversations dating back well into 2013. Villanova looks to be Penn State’s biggest competition in the race for Reaves’ services but Georgetown and VCU have gotten in on the action as well. If Reaves ends up in Happy Valley, it could cap off the best recruiting class under Chambers thus far.

Samir Doughty 6-4,180, SG: Doughty doesn’t have a scholarship offer from Penn State yet, but as Mike Watkins’ current teammate at Mathematics, Civics, and Sciences Charter School it might not be hard to get him on board if the staff leans that way. With offers largely from mid-major teams, Doughty might not be the best option on the board for Penn State, but prospects have a way of exploding over the summer between AAU circuits and camps like the ones Penn State is hosting this weekend.

2016 Targets:

Joe Hampton, 6-6,225 PF/SG: Coming from basketball powerhouse DeMatha High School in Maryland, Hampton has gotten interest from a numer of schools early in his recruiting process. While Hampton is a long way from pulling the trigger on his commitment, getting players like Hampton on campus is important not only for the overall perception of the program but also for getting a head start on possibly landing Hampton down the road.

AJ Wilson, 6-6, 180, SF: Another Maryand product, Wilson has been on Penn State’s radar for a while now and is another young talent to pick up a scholarship offer in the early stages of his recruitment prospect from Chambers’ staff. Assistant Dwayne Anderson is the point man on Wilson’s recruitment. Wilson took a visit to Penn State in late 2013.

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