Two local players break out at camp

THE REEBOK Classic Breakout camp provides an opportunity for more than 100 high school basketball players to showcase their talents in front of the best college coaches in the nation.

The camp, which wraps up today at Philadelphia University, is one of the premier recruiting events in the nation, and two local players are looking to take advantage of the exposure.

It is crunch time for Rashaan Holloway, a forward and a rising senior. He knows exactly what he is looking for in potential colleges.

"Playing time, and how I fit into the basketball team," Holloway said.

Holloway, who attends Schalick High School in Elmer, N.J., has offers from 12 schools, including city schools Temple, Drexel and La Salle. He is hoping to use the Reebok camp for more than just exposure.

"This camp is great," Holloway said. "You get all the talent from everywhere and you really get to play against each other.

"I love playing against better talent and getting better and developing my game more. Playing against better taleclnt and harder people will help my development."

Holloway, 6-9, 280 pounds, rumbled around the paint on the court at Philadelphia University with a purpose. He is trying to improve his game in more ways than one.

"My game is at about the halfway point," he said. "I'm really developing it when I get into these camps and play hard.

"I need to be aggressive. More aggressive in the post. I also need to make ways for my teammates to score."

Holloway is not the only Philadelphia-area player using the camp as a launching point for a college career. Sean Lloyd, a rising junior guard at the Haverford School, had to play his way into the camp.

"It was tough competition there, but I did what I had to do to get here," Lloyd said.

Lloyd believes the exposure he gets at the camp will help his recruiting in a big way. He has plenty of time to make a decision on college, but he is already raking in interest. He has an offer from Saint Joseph's and has heard from other schools such as Temple, Syracuse and Miami.

The 6-5 Lloyd has tremendous upside, and has been showing it on and off the court at this week's camp.

"I'm going to come out and play my best, which is defense, scoring the ball and being a good teammate," Lloyd said.

"I'll play against a lot of good players. It is good exposure for me. Looking forward to being a good teammate."

Lloyd places a lot of importance on being a good teammate, especially in high school. He brings that loyalty aspect of his game to the Haverford School, and is aiming to have a successful final 2 years for the Fords.

"I want have a good season," Lloyd said of his next year at Haverford. "To have a winning season. We're going to try our best to win the Inter-Ac."

Holloway also shares the same vision for his final year at Schalick.

"To win, get victories," Holloway said. "I want a state championship."