LAS VEGAS -- Michigan State was quick to find out who No. 3 was on the Brooklyn Beasts.

The Spartans weren't alone. They were just the first to get in line.

The piston of a point guard had created a stir among the coaches and fans at Green Valley High by knocking down 3-pointers and driving past heralded Saginaw High point guard and Florida committed Anthony Roberson, who was playing with the Michigan Hurricanes at the adidas Big Time Tournament.

Who was No. 3? David Seals.

	Lute Olson was on the lookout in Las Vegas for a few future Wildcats.

That was Friday.

Saturday, the Long Island Panthers were in need of a lift at the point in their game against the L.A. Rockfish. Midway through the first half, the strong and assertive No. 23 had created a similar frenzy among the media and the coaches at Green Valley. This point guard was breaking down defenses, getting in the lane, becoming a pest defensively.

His name? Daryll Hill.

Neither Seals nor Hill was in the Big Time media guide. Neither was on the national recruiting lists available on the major web sites. But both came from New York City to make a name for themselves in Las Vegas.

How could they go unnoticed?

"In the city, they're known," Long Island Panthers coach Gary Charles said. "But we've told these guys they had to go national to be known."

The beauty of the summer tournaments is the opportunity players have to be seen. And, ultimately, get a chance to get a scholarship.

Seals, who said he attends Bronx Regional High School, said he primarily plays at Rucker Park. He said he lives across the street in the projects with his mom and seven siblings. He had never been out West and was a last-minute addition to the Beasts.

"No one has seen me play," said the 5-foot-10 Seals, who added he earned a 1,050 on the SAT. "I had to pay $100 for a cab ride to Newark to make the flight and get here. I just made it. I wish college scouts would come to the Rucker because they're missing out. But they don't. This is my chance and I knew I had to be ready to play against the best. I've still got some playground in me, but I'm working on it."

Seals said he thinks his unanimity helped him catch Roberson off guard. The two sparred a bit verbally prior to, and during the game. While Roberson might have been complacent because he committed to Florida, Seals played with a passion and hunger to prove to the coaches that he was as good as Roberson.

"He's tough, real tough," said Bob Starkman, the Broward (Fla.) CC coach who was also helping out with the Beasts. "A lot of coaches want to know who he is. He can play. He's not as good as he can be. He can shoot, handle the ball and break somebody down. He's a natural. Already, you saw Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Florida all interested in him."

Charles said Hill didn't have the academic standing to be eligible out of Cardozo High and will go to a prep school, possibly Milford (Conn.), St. Thomas More (Conn.) or Winchendon (Mass.). St. John's would have been extremely interested had he been eligible. But Hill needed to broaden his recruiting base with another year of high school on the horizon.

	“	No one has seen me play. ... I wish college scouts would come to the Rucker because they're missing out. But they don't. This is my chance and I knew I had to be ready to play against the best. I've still got some playground in me, but I'm working on it. ”
		— David Seals, rising senior at Bronx Regional High School

"Nobody came to New York to watch me play," the 6-foot Hill said. "This is the first year I've gone national. I hadn't done this AAU thing. But what you're seeing from us New York guards is when it's time to play, we show up."

Charles said Hill's nickname in the city is "Showtime." Like Seals, Hill is tight with Rucker and And 1 Mix Tape legend Rafer Alston, a former Fresno State point guard who has played the past few seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks.

"It was Rafer who convinced him to come out here," Charles said. "A lot of these kids get lost because no one sees them. But by having these AAU tournaments, kids get an opportunity, opportunities they didn't know they had."

And now Seals and Hill are on the radar screen for the first time, assuming they take care of business in their senior seasons.

"Everybody will be calling now on Daryll," Charles said. "I got plenty of coaches already coming up to me, telling me they'll find a prep school for him if he needs it."

The pressure is off
Paul Davis just played. So, too, did Michael Thompson. They had the passion for the game and they clearly were at ease on the court, unlike Shavlik Randolph.

And there could be an easy answer as to why two lower-profile players were the talk of a highly anticipated game that included Davis from the Michigan Mustangs and Thompson and Randolph -- the most sought after player in the class of 2002 - from the Raleigh Heat.

Davis and Thompson have already committed. Randolph, the 6-10 forward from Raleigh, N.C., hasn't and is dealing with the immense pressure of weighing offers from Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State, Stanford, Florida and Kansas.

Davis, the 6-10 skilled power forward from Rochester, Mich., committed to Michigan State last summer. Thompson, a 6-11 power player from Joliet, Ill., committed to Duke earlier in the summer.

But the two players likely locked up McDonald's All-American slots with their play in Las Vegas, let alone top 15 rankings for their own personal glory. Randolph's position as one of the top five players and a McDonald's All-American probably isn't in jeopardy. But Davis and Thompson overshadowed him, something that would have been unheard of a month ago.

"I'm feeling no pressure," said Davis. "I'm just trying to go out there and play the way (Michigan State) coach (Tom) Izzo wants me too. I'm just trying to play like a Michigan State Spartan."

For Davis, that means running the floor, showing his athleticism on a drive and dunk along the baseline, pulling up for a 3-pointer and making his free throws.

"I've got to work on my defense and shooting off the dribble," Davis said. "But it's a lot easier when you know what you need to do for one coach."

Davis said he had to watch being complacent. So, too, did Thompson. He said he admittedly didn't play well earlier in the summer but that was because he wasn't in good situations (i.e. getting touches). He got plenty for the Raleigh Heat, in fact more than Randolph. Some he went out and grabbed for himself with offensive putbacks that led to jams and a few aggressive second shots.

"I just picked up my play," Thompson said. "I have the same skills as I did earlier in the summer. I just wasn't playing ball the way I could."

And, he wasn't feeling any pressure because he knows he's going to Duke.

Thompson said had he been undecided with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski in the gym, then he would have been a nervous wreck. Instead, like Davis, he knows what he has to work on from one coach. Krzyzewski implored upon him to get his mid-range shooting and ballhandling skills better over the course of the year. He said he knows that's imperative after watching Carlos Boozer stretch his game further from the basket and, of course, the perimeter skills of Shane Battier.

"It has made it a lot easier being able to talk to him and know what he wants," Thompson said.

While Thompson was a dominant presence in the middle, Randolph seemed to float. He was active early in the game, showing the skills and finesse moves that got him his reputation. But he seemed to drift for the rest of the game. He has been bothered by tendonitis in his left ankle throughout the summer.

But he insists the injury and the recruiting process isn't getting to him. Nor does he feel it's unfair to judge him or anyone else on how they play in July. Just make sure the full body of the work is evaluated.

"This is the right thing for high school players to do in July," Randolph said. "The ankle injury makes it hard to keep going all month and I probably should just be off it."

But Randolph isn't going to let the recruiting stress bother him.

"I'm not 100-percent certain and I'm not going to make a rash decision," Randolph said. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet."

Randolph could ultimately be the better talent in the longterm, but for now, Davis and Thompson look more ready to contribute -- at least in July.

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