Pangos All-American Camp: Top Big Men
Norwalk, Ca. — The Pangos All-American Camp is consistently one of the premier showcase events in the country, drawing high level players from all over the United States.
Pangos founder and camp organizer Dinos Trigonis put together a solid, invitation-only roster with a balanced positional mix of point guards, shooting guards, wings, forwards and centers for the three day event at Cerritos College.
Other than one of the parking ticket machines mysteriously breaking, the camp went off without a hitch and here’s a quick breakdown of the big men on the weekend.
Charles Bassey, Aspire Academy (KY)
Bassey doubled-down on his Pangos MVP awards with a physically dominant, dunk-filled effort. The 6-foot-10, 230-pounder is an absolute load in the paint, setting up his deep post position with active rim runs. Bassey polished off those paint catches with two-hand vicious two-hand dunks. Bassey was the only player in camp to average a double-double, putting up averages of 12.7 points and 10.3 rebounds.
Dain Dainja, Parker Center (MN)
Dainja was one of the more skilled big men in the building. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound rising junior can spread the floor by knocking down the deep ball both off the bounce and off the catch and can also put the ball on the deck and finish with touch around the basket.
N’Faly Dante, Sunrise Christian (KS)
Dante is a defense-oriented big at 6-11 with impressive length and a high motor. The junior-to-be is an active rebounder on both ends of the floor, but really makes his mark as a shot blocker and contester and does so with timing and without fouling.
Eric Dixon, Abington Senior (PA)
Dixon, a rising senior committed to Villanova, is exactly the kind of player you’d expect to be headed to play for Jay Wright. He’s both powerful and skilled at 6-8 and a bulky 230 (or so) pounds. Dixon has advanced footwork and feel with his back to the basket and uses his strength to seal off defenders and establish deep post position. Dixon also had a few moments where he stepped out on the perimeter and canned catch-and-shoot 3-point shots.
Six-foot-11 power forward Evan Mobley proved his worth against some of the top big men in the country at the Pangos All-American Camp. Photo Credit: Devin UglandXavier Foster, Oksaloosa Community (IA)
Foster was another impressive rim protector on the weekend. The rangy 6-foot-10, class of 2020 center looked to be one of the longer prospects in the gym and when you combine that with his quickness off the floor and timing, it was difficult for guards and wings to get any kind of floater, pull-up or layup by him.
Evan Mobley, Rancho Christian (CA)
What else can we say about Evan Mobley that hasn’t already been said? The 6-foot-11 local product continued to turn heads and open the eyes of “scouts” with his combination of size, skill, versatility and athleticism. It was good to see the rising junior compete and play well against some of the top bigs from across the country to further supplant himself as one of the top prospects in America.
Omar Payne, Osceola (FL)
Payne is trending as a prototypical college big man. The 6-foot-9 senior-to-be is long, lean and changes ends of the floor quickly and with purpose. Payne has impressive instincts and reaction time on the defensive end, both of which help him close gaps quickly, whether it’s closing out to a 3-point shooter or coming across the paint for a weak-side shot block.
Isaiah Todd, Marshall (VA)
Todd, who came into the weekend as one of the top rated rising juniors in the country, struggled on the opening night, but came into his own on the second and third days. Todd is an intriguing because he’s long, athletic, shoots it well from 3-point range and can put it on the deck, but there were plenty of times when he floated on the perimeter instead of exposing a clear size advantage in the paint. He averaged 11.3 points per game on the event.