Nedim Hodzic & Sasha Simic MVP At Adidas Top 40 Camp
KITCHENER, ON–The second annual Adidas Top 40 camp has now come to a close and the final day was some of the most intense basketball that our eyes have seen in 2013. Making a name and getting on NPH’s national radar was a goal for many of the campers in attendance. For others, it was about developing skill and getting a chance to compete against fellow prospects from the Tri-city region. Nedim Hodzic and Sasha Simic who played with consistency all weekend both earned showcase MVPs.
Hodzic has continued to add to his game since last year with the guidance of his father who played professionally in Europe in the 80’s. He is currently 6’3 and is working to mold his game into more of a SG/SF.
Due to a lack of size on his high school team, Hodzic had been placed in the post for most of his young career. In most cases this can be detrimental to a prospects development; however in this case it has proved to be beneficial because of the fact that he actually enjoys going after rebounds. I’ve never seen such a young prospect, playing out of his future position, yet having the understanding for rebounding positioning and knowledge for boxing out the way Hodzic demonstrated this past weekend.
“I love rebounding, it’s probably one of the strongest parts of my game right now. My dad taught me how to rebound and he told me that it’s the most important part of the game and most of the time the team with the most rebounds wins the game,” explains Adidas Top 40 MVP, Hodzic.
A fall on his hip on day two lead us to believe that he would not be participating on the final day but he wasn’t having it any other way. Despite the bruise and soreness he fought through the pain to show the panel one last time why he deserved MVP. Coaches felt that it was in his best interest not to finish off the day to eliminate the chance of further injury.
On the final day at camp everyone left it all on the floor so they can walk away with no regrets and hope that they receive national exposure. Camp director Imad Qahwash professed his joy in seeing that level of competition but also explained to the top 40 that this is the level of engagement, energy and passion that has to be in every game, practice and drill session. Hodzic was an absolute work horse that brought it every time.
Sasha Simic locked in his MVP award on the final day where he displayed proficiency in his footwork in drills and showed leadership qualities to go with his skill at the PG position. Simic was very well rounded which he showed in his overall skill set.
He is well ahead of the pack in terms of his development and can see the floor very well, both in transition and half court sets. This point guard towers over the other guards at this camp standing at 6’4. He was the catalyst for his team and really made his teammates better through his communication, encouragement and leading by example.
Simic’s length and size for position make him an intriguing prospect to keep track of. These two young men fit in well to the NPH national rankings of 2016 and 2017 and the list continues to grow.
Another year at Adidas Top 40 camp is in the books and the K-W region continues to produce a crop of budding new talent that is more motivated today than ever to pursue goals of playing at the post secondary level and beyond.
Adidas Top 40 Camp All-Stars
- Heanok Abara (St. Mary’s)
- Craig Valeriote (Lourdes)
- Miro Iliev (Grand River)
- Adham Eleeda (St. Mary’s)
- Shamar Decoteau (Waterloo Collegiate)
