Introducing Class of 2012 Louis Dabney

Player Profile: Louis Dabney
HT: 6'3" WT: 185 lb. Pos.: Point Guard
High School/AAU: Riverside Acad./La. Select
Hometown: LaPlace, LA
College List: LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Tulane
Offers: Ole Miss, Tulane
Player Analyis: Athletic, strong, physical
tough point guard, who is a lock-down defender
with a very good upside and talented scorer.

"I take pride in my defense. I want to be known as a lockdown defender and a pure point guard"- Louis Dabney

Athletic, strong, physical, tough and a lock-down defender are the attributes you think of when you think of the 6’3” 185 lb. Louis Dabney. Not only is Louis a tough defender but he is very good penetrator and talented passer. An athletic guard, he can also score the basketball in a variety of ways with his strengths being getting to the rim and a 12 foot jumper.

“I am working on it” Dabney said of his shot. “I get in the gym and put up shots and it helps that coach(Timmy Byrd) is pushing me.”

Not only is Dabney working on his shot, he is also working on becoming the best defender in the state. “I take pride in my defense. I want to be known as a lockdown defender and a pure point guard.” Dabney said.

He is close to that, last weekend at the Baton Rouge Community College team camp, Dabney was not just guarding the other teams best defenders but he was locking them down. In the two games we saw, Dabney’s defense was on point. Not only did he keep the opposition in check, but he made them settle for jumpers because of his ability to guard the basketball. To go with his defense, Dabney showed a great ability to run a team.

“Ed McCain(former Reserve Christian star and Ex-Bradley player) and Tweety(former Reserve Christian and Baylor star) helped me out a lot. You know Tweety was a shooter so that helps me and Ed, he was the best.” Dabney said. “Ed took me under his wing and has really helped develop my passing skills.”

With a lot of work being put in, Dabney is slowly putting his name on people’s radars. In a early season tournament in Shreveport in November, one Division 1 coach told us “Dabney was the best player for Riverside tonight” That included nationally known Ricardo Gathers and Southern Miss signee Cedric Jenkins. That was a big time compliment for a then sophomore guard who has received interest from LSU, Ole Miss, Tulane and Georgia Tech. Dabney also claims to have offers from Ole Miss and Tulane.

To stay up with the latest information and the schedule of Louis Dabney for the rest of the month and in July, just contact us at: louisianabasketballreport@gmail.com.

Special thanks to Louis Dabney and Coach Timmy Byrd for allowing us to do this interview.
Extra Questions with Louis Dabney:

Louisiana Basketball Report- What was it like to bring the 1st state title to Riverside Academy?
Louis Dabney- Means a lot to bring it to Riverside, they have never had it before, it meant a lot to the people and fans because they never had basketball success.

LBR- Where will you be playing at in July?
LD- I know I will be at the NIKE Peach Jam with Louisiana Select but not sure where else as of now.

LBR- What does it mean to play for Coach Byrd?
LD- Means a lot, he took me when I was a knucklehead and made me a better player.

LBR- With Ole Miss, LSU, Tulane and Ga. Tech recruiting you, who is your favorite? Why?
LD- LSU is my favorite because it’s close to home. I am a home body. I also like Coach Trent Johnson. I feel he can make me a better player.

LBR- What is the difference between playing at Riverside and Reserve?
LD- Well at Reserve we were more a 3-point shooting team because we had a lot of shooters. This year at Riverside we turned into a inside out team because of Rico(Ricardo Gathers)

1st Annual Baton Rouge Community College Team Camp a Success

Pictured Below: Ricardo Gathers(Riverside) top Left, Gervaughn McGhee(Redemptorist) Top Right, Louis Dabney(Riverside) bottom left and Darius Johnson(Istrouma) Bottom Right.

In what was a great first year showing for the Baton Rouge Community College team camp, head coach Todd Foster and his staff really put on a great 2 day event that included several talented players and teams. The Louisiana Basketball Report wasn't in attendance on friday, but on saturday we saw some very good young players and teams. Let's start with some teams that surprised us.

After losing a host of seniors, The Dunham School of coach Johnathon Pixley has a young team but will be very competitve next season. They have a nice young point guard and a couple of other solid role players with decent shooters that can give a few teams fits next year. We didn't get to catch up with coach Pixley but as soon as we get this pg's name we will let you know it. Another team that looked promising were the Dutchtown Griffins. Ductchtown has a solid PG in senior Jordan Biagas and also a talented scorer in Terrance Cushinberry(who was absent this weekend) as well as a 6'5" sophomore post that will be a factor once he gets some strength and toughness to his game. After defeating Dunham, the Griffins ended the camp with a heartbreaker loss to Covington.

Speaking of Covington, they will be a solid team again next year as long as senior guard Jordan Bickham can follow the scoring prowess that was left by the graduation of BRCC signees Phillip Bickham(his brother) and Jordan Bedford. Another solid 5A team on the day was the 5A runner-up this past year Scotlandville. Scotlandville has a pair of division 1 prospects in 6'1'" senior Levie Wright and 6'8" junior post Zarif Basil. Potential low D1 guards Deshawn Washington and Thaddeus Fortune, also juniors looked very good handling the ball, defending and also making open shots. Wright, showed very good quickness, a knack for scoring off the dribble, with a mid-range jumper and also deep 3 balls. Basil, a little raw offensively, but really rebounds very well, catches the ball in traffic and scores at will when given the opportunity. Scotlandville has all the makings of another potential Top 28 run.

One of the more surprising teams of the day were the Redemptorist Wolves led by junior 6'4" guard Gervaughn McGhee. McGhee, the younger brother of Ronald McGhee(a North Texas signee) showed potential to be better than his brother. Not as good of a shooter, but he can knock down the 3, the mid-range or score on smaller or taller posts with very good post moves. Not only can he score, but he is a very talented passer. With improved strength and quickness, he can be a mid major D1 prospect. Also making a good showing were the Istrouma Indians led by junior PG Darius Johnson. A quick and efficient guard, Johnson ran the show, defended at a high level and showed deep range. With a hard to defend crossover, Johnson was a tough guard for opposing defenders including one of the top defenders in the state in Louis Dabney of Riverside.

The final two teams that played in the event were Christian Life and Riverside Academy, both defending state champions and both well-known powerhouses with good performances on the weekend.. After losing 7 seniors that included 3 division 1 signees, the top 28 MVP, and 5 of the state's top 50 seniors, CLA showed a lot of promise. Led by sophomore Frank Bartley and a solid duo of freshman in Will Jones and Johnathon Stove, the Crusaders may take some bumps and bruises this summer and early next season, but don't count them out. If the freshmen can mature quickly, the Crusaders can make their 5th straight Top 28. Now, the best team of the event with the top player of the event in Ricardo Gathers, the Riverside Rebels looked very strong. While losing a nice group of seniors in Southern Miss signee Cedric Jenkins, Ed Gallina, Kyle McClue and Franklin Francois, the Rebels looked very strong as they easily dominated Redemptorist and Istrouma. With several highlight dunks by nationally known Ricardo Gathers and tenacious defense by Louis Dabney and Lucas Martin, the Rebels looked every bit of one of the top teams in Louisiana next year along with Bossier and St. Augustine.
In what was the first event of its kind for BRCC, the 1st annual team camp was a great success. We want to personally thank head coach Todd Foster of BRCC and his assistant James Rix for hosting a great event that was first class. Also want to thank all the teams and coaches for attending. Everybody had nothing but great things to say of this event. Speaking with Coach Foster saturday he had this to say "It was a great day yesterday(friday) and the matchup of Basil and Gathers was fut to watch." Foster said. "All the coaches were impressed with our facility and said they would love to come back. I expect this event to grow next year and we expect maybe 20 teams or so in the future."

Top Players at the Event:
1. Ricardo Gathers- Riverside Academy LaPlace, LA 6’7” 225 lbs. Junior Forward
2. Gervaughn McGhee- Redemptorist HS Baton Rouge, LA 6’4” 180 lbs Junior Guard
3. Louis Dabney- Riverside Academy LaPlace, LA 6’3” 185 lbs. Junior Guard
4. Darius Johnson- Istrouma HS Baton Rouge, LA 6’2” 180 lbs Junior Point Guard
5. Levie Wright- Scotlandville HS Baton Rouge, LA 6’1” 170 lbs Senior Guard
6. Frank Bartley- Christian Life Baton Rouge, LA 6’2” 185 lbs. Sophomore Guard
7. Jordan Bickham- Covington HS, LA 5’10” 165 lbs Senior Guard
8. Zarif Basil- Scotlandville HS Baton Rouge, LA 6’8” 240 lbs Forward
9. Johnothan Stove- Christian Life, Baton Rouge, LA 6’2” 180 lbs Freshman Forward
10.Lucas Martin- Riverside Academy, LaPlace, LA 6’2” 180 lbs Sophomore Guard

Baton Rouge Community College 1st Annual Team Camp

The 1st annnual Baton Rouge Community College classic will be kicking off today and whil feature two defending state champions and a state runner-up. Riverside Academy and Christian Life will both be taking the floor today as defending champions. Scotlandville HS will be in attendance as well with the majority of their 5A runner-up team back minus 5A MVP J-Jay Thomas. Some of the top players to watch are:

Christian Life: Jr. Frank Bartley(Pictured below) and Freshman Will Jones and Johnathon Stove

Riverside Academy: Jr's Ricardo Gathers(below left), Louis Dabney(below right), Lucas Martin and Donald Thomas

Scotlandville: Sr. Levie Wright(pictured below left) and Jr's DeShawn Washington(bottom), Thaddeus Fortune(below center) and Zarif Basil(pictured below right)

Redemptorist: Jr. Gervaughn McGhee

Central: Senior LaQuin Turner

Istrouma: Senior Joel Jackson and Junior Darius Johnson(below)

BRCC 1ST ANNUAL TEAM CAMP GAME SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, JUNE 4

COURT 1

3:00-3:45 CLA VS. PARKVIEW BAPTIST

3:50-4:35 REDEMPTORIST VS. DUTCHTOWN

4:40-5:25 RIVERSIDE VS. SCOTLANDVILLE
5:30-6:15 CENTRAL VS. REDEMPTORIST
6:20-7:05 DUTCHTOWN VS. RIVERSIDE
7:10-7:55 DUNHAM VS. ISTROUMA

COURT 2:
3:00-3:45 ISTROUMA VS. SCOTLANDVILLE
3:50-4:35 BRUSLY VS. BELAIRE
4:40-5:25 DONALDSONVILLE VS. DUNHAM
5:30-6:15 PARKVIEW BAPTIST VS. BRUSLY
6:20-7:05 BELAIRE VS. CLA
7:10-7:55 COVINGTON VS. DONALDSONVILLE



SATURDAY, JUNE 5

COURT 1
10:00-10:45 DUTCHTOWN VS. DUNHAM
10:50-11:35 COVINGTON VS. SCOTLANDVILLE
11:40-12:25 RIVERSIDE VS. REDEMPTORIST
12:30-1:15 CLA VS. DUNHAM
1:20-2:05 COVINGTON VS. DUTCHTOWN
2:10-2:55 ISTROUMA VS. RIVERSIDE

COURT 2:
10:00-10:45 CLA VS. BRUSLY

10:50-11:35 PARKVIEW BAPTIST VS. BELAIRE
11:40-12:25 ISTROUMA VS. DONALDSONVILLE
12:30-1:15 BRUSLY VS. SCOTLANDVILLE
1:20-2:05 BELAIRE VS.REDEMPTORIST
2:10-2:55 PARKVIEW BAPTIST VS. DONALDSONVILLE