That’s where Swish Theory’s in-person scouting reports come in.

In-person scouting reveals tons of golden nuggets not seen on film, such as aspects of a player’s mindset:

How does a player react after making a mistake, or when they’re having a bad game or shooting poorly?

How does a player interact with his or her teammates; do they celebrate the good, do they shame the bad, do they uplift others after a mistake, do they keep a level head?

What gives the player joy and fuels their energy – making winning plays to help the team, or getting buckets?

The goal of these scouting reports is to highlight the skills that these players possess that are likeliest to translate to the next level and beyond, while collecting every nugget of intel from any given event into one easily accessible place – combining quotes, notes, film, and data as a resource for basketball evaluators to see what happened, how it happened, and who made it happen in these limited-access gyms.

By attending the event in person, I’m able to meet coaches, scouts, players and folks circling the basketball industry, to hear others’ perspectives on prospects’ games, learn about the athletes as people off the court, and see them as teammates on it. That’s how I ended up talking to AJ Dybantsa’s father, Ace, who humorously provided an update on his son’s preferred landing spots: “He’s full of sh*t because he doesn’t know how it works (chuckles). He’s gonna go wherever the ping pong balls tell him to go.” (Scroll to the bottom for the full interview along with 12 more interviews with players from the event)

Use my 2025 Montverde Invitational (M.A.I.T.) Scouting Report as a resource on these marquee matchup data points to find out which teams played best at the event; which players stand out most; which prospects flashed potential; how the stats factor into evaluation; what happened on the court via scouring notes and stats; how and why things happened on the court through film; and how players describe their own mindsets, development goals, and thoughts on playing with their respective teammates.

Featuring high-level high school hoopers, committed college players, and a handful of potential pros, some of whom project to be first-round picks.

The Teams

Montverde Academy
CIA Bella Vista
Utah Prep
AZ Compass Prep
Sagemont Prep
Calvary Christian Academy
Riviera Prep
Windermere Prep

The Standout Players

1st-Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK

Dante Allen
Matt Able
AJ Dybantsa
Shon Abaev
Davis Fogle

2nd-Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK

Miles Sadler
Hudson Greer
Kevin Thomas
Patrick Liburd
JJ Mandaquit

3rd-Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK


CJ Ingram
Anthony Knowles
Brandon Bass Jr.
Trent Sisley
Anthony Felesi

5 More Prospects to have on your radar from @BeyondTheRK

Paul Osaruyi
Kalek House
Rokiem Green
Collin Paul
Sam Hallas

Tournament MVP
Dante Allen – Montverde Academy

Official 2025 MAIT All Tournament Team
Shon Abaev – Calvary Christian
Matthew Able – Sagemont Prep
AJ Dybansta – Utah Prep
CJ Ingram – Montverde Academy
Jaion Pitt – CIA Bella Vista
Miles Sadler – CIA Bella Vista

The Stats – Cerebro Sports Data Visualizations

*Note – Cerebro only has 2gp recorded for Cia Bella Vista & Windermere, with only 1gp for Riviera, so Riviera players were not included in the following data viz due to lack of available data. Click here to see how Cerebro Sports defines its stats*

Two-Way Impact – Measuring Overall Impact vs. Defense & At The Rim

Dante Allen stands out as the best two-way player in the 2025 Montverde Invitational by being the only player to rate Top-3 in Defense & Overall impact, via Cerebro.

Matthew Able (11.1 C-RAM, 88 DSI), AJ Dybantsa (11.1 C-RAM, 78 DSI), and Patrick Liburd (10.0 C-RAM, 72 DSI)) stand out next for elite overall impact on par with Dante’s, yet lower defensive impact.

Hudson Greer, Patrick Liburd, Sam Hallas, Davis Fogle, Kevin Thomas stand out next for their defense (92-103 DSI), and very high overall impact (8.2-9.7 C-RAM)

A cluster of Shon Abaev, Kalek House, CJ Ingram, Anthony Felesi are grouped together in a high-right positive quadrant of great defense (84-89 DSI) and great impact (7.7-8.4 C-RAM)

Utah Prep teammates JJ Mandaquit and Xavion Stanton jump out next (77-83 DSI & 7-7.9 C-RAM) for their high two-way impact

Rokiem Green (100 DSI) and Hakeem Weems (91 DSI) made their mark on the defensive end, yet both fell below 6.5 C-RAM in overall impact.

Noah Francois, KJ Francis, Jeremiah Green, Anthony Knowles, Miles Sadler, Trent Sisley, Jaion Pitt, Kaden House, Isaiah Gillard, Paul Osaruyi, Samuel Shoptaw, Cayden Daughtry, Collin Paul, King Gibson, Jaden Vance, Ausitin Goode, Malachi Martis round out the group of names that rated average in defense and overall impact, via Cerebro.

Scoring Creators – Potential Offensive Engines, Scorers, & 3pt Connectors

Matthew Able and AJ Dybantsa pop off the page for their top-2 scoring, usage, and 3pt shooting abilities, while both rating above average as playmakers, making them each ideal candidates to become potential scoring creators, offensive engines, or 3pt connectors.

Dante Allen jumps out next for his scoring and playmaking, rating 4th as a scorer and 2nd as a passer in the entire event.

Patrick Liburd (3rd in PSP), JJ Mandaquit (1st in FGS), Hudson Greer, Anthony Knowles, and Miles Sadler each rate next best in these categories as the best scorers and passers from this tournament.

Davis Fogle, Kevin Thomas, Shon Abaev, Kalek House, Anthony Felesi, CJ Ingram, Cayden Daughtry, Jeremiah Green, and Brandon Bass Jr. are next up in these categories, each rating great in one or both areas (57-76 FGS & 52-71 PSP)

Trent Sisley, Rokiem Green, Samuel Shoptaw, KJ Francis, Jaden Vance, Isaiah Gillard, Malachi Martis, Dhani Miller, King Gibson, Jaion Pitt, Kaden House, Austin Goode are the remaining names that rated average or better in scoring and playmaking.

The best 3pt shooters add perimeter shooting gravitational pull to their scoring gravity, dragging defenses out of the paint. These players will be even more effective at creating advantages because their jump shot opens up the rest of their game.

Matt Able (117 3PE) and Patrick Liburd (113 3PE) shot the lights out of the gym.

Dante Allen (98 3PE), Brandon Bass Jr. (97 3PE), AJ Dybantsa/Kalek House (95 3PE) showed they can splash jumpers with the best of them.

Rokiem Green (92 3PE), Hudson Greer (91 3PE), Jeremiah Green (87 3PE), Anthony Knowles (86 3PE) rounded out the Top-10 best 3pt shooters from the 2025 MAIT.

Next Best 3PE Rankings:
11. Samuel Shoptaw (82 3PE)
12. Aliou Dioum (79 3PE)
13. Cayden Daughtry (76 3PE)
14. Jaden Vance (75 3PE)
T-15. Shon Abaev/Kevin Thomas/KJ Francis/Noah Francois

*note, only THREE players rated 65+ in every category: AJ Dybantsa, Dante Allen, Hudson Greer

2025 MAIT Scouting Notebook

1st Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK

Dante Allen
Matt Able
AJ Dybantsa
Shon Abaev
Davis Fogle

#30 Dante Allen
6’4″ Guard (2025)
Montverde Academy

Dante Allen won MVP of the 2025 Montverde Invitational for good reason, leading his Montverde team to win the tourney.

Dante’s downhill force of nature is hard to slow down, let alone contain; he penetrates the paint with ease, finishes at the rim with touch, and constantly looks to kickout to open shooters before acutely relocating beyond the perimeter.

Allen’s playmaking vision, team-first decision-making, and passing chops help him rack up assists and potential assists to teammates, always looking for the best play for his team; Dante posted a wild 13 AST / 1 TO ratio (!) on the weekend.

What stands out most about Allen’s game, though, is Dante’s Inferno – his frenetic defensive energy. Allen swarms the opposing guard at point of attack, switches onto the next wing with ease, and is strong, fast, and mobile enough to switch positions on the perimeter, even hold his own on the block in postup-D and in help-D swatting shots protecting the rim.

Dante on the mentality he brings to the game: (scroll to bottom of this page for full interview)

My first goal always is definitely win and try to impact that in multiple ways.

For me, it starts on defense, like definitely make an impact there, because that definitely earns a lot of trust from my coaches as someone who needs to be out there.

Now, offense, being able to facilitate for others, something I think I’ve been able to do better. And if that time comes, be able to get a couple points for myself also.

And even if the offense struggles sometimes, if I can make my presence known on defense, then it makes it tougher for coaches to sub me out. So I think that’s definitely something I try to emphasize if I want to be able to make an impact throughout the whole game for my team.

The Fuentes Brothers (Riviera Prep) describing Dante Allen as a former teammate and player:

Mason Fuentes – I mean his motor was second to none. Obviously, we won a state championship out of it, two actually. The chemistry was good. Us three on the court were probably the hardest defensive team out there. No one plays harder than all of us. So, I mean, it worked.

Myles Fuentes – For sure, pretty much what he said. You know he’s a great person on the court and off the court. And you know playing with him he’s even better. He does pretty much almost everything on the court. When he draws two, since he’s such a noticed player on the court, when he draws two and hits you, he makes the game easy for everyone. So it was great playing with him, and sadly he came here, but you know.

Allen shot a lights-out 9/18 3P on the weekend, along with hitting 3/4 FT and 5/10 2P.

Dante ranked Top-4 in every category tracked by Cerebro Sports other than At The Rim, where ranked 11th:

2nd in Passing (80 FGS)
3rd in Overall Impact (+10.9 C-RAM)
3rd on Defense (102 DSI)
3rd in 3pt Shooting (98 3PE)
4th in Scoring (76 PSP)
T-11th in At The Rim (65 ATR), on relatively low usage (25th, 19.7 USG%)

Allen will close out hard, swivel the hips to get back in position, and close out again. He’ll contest a shot, run through a screen and dive for the loose ball.

Dante Allen is the type of player everyone wants to play with and no one wants to play against: toughness personified, like a running back blasting through the a-gap spamming HB Dive because the defense simply can’t stop it.

Nonstop hustle, efficient scorer, lights out 3pt shooter on and off the ball, Dante Allen practically threw a perfect game vs Windermere: 18 PTS on 5/5 3P with a 6 AST / 0 TO ratio and 3 STL

Opens the game with back-to-back steals and a lob pass to Trent Sisley.

Drills back-to-back catch-and-shoot threes in the first, a third in the second.

A dominant 6 PTS, 2 3PM, 3 STL, and 1 Alley-Oop Lob in the first quarter for Dante.

Against Calvary Christian the following night, Dante helped his team will a late comeback victory with 12 PTS, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, and a 5 AST / 1 TO ratio.

Allen continued to make good team-first decisions, hustle hard and wreak havoc defensively.

Calvary’s backcourt of Shon Abaev and Cayden Daughtry shot a combined 9/32 FG, thanks in part to the pesky point-of-attack defense from Allen and CJ Ingram on the perimeter.

In the tournament title game victory over CIA Bella Vista, Dante Allen showed visible frustration with his performance at times, yet never hung his head and continued to impact the game. holding his own with 10 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST.

Dante drilled a pull-up triple and a catch-and-shoot triple early in the game. Allen also turns turnovers into points quickly, looking to accelerate the pace anytime his team forces a turnover, this time scoring layups off blocked shots from Hakeem Weems and Hudson Greer.

Development Areas:

There aren’t many guards in the sport who play as consistently hard as Dante Allen does every single possession, full stop.

If there’s an area for improvement for Dante, who already brings an impressive all-around skill-set, its simply to slow down at times and let the game dictate his next decision.

Allen can be so explosive, strong, forceful when sprinting north-south with the ball in his hands, that it can lead to offensive fouls, unforced turnovers, and tough shots.

Finding that last deceleration step, fine-tuning the rim-finishing skills, and continuing to develop the read-and-react feel to take what the defense gives him will help Allen take the next leap, and those decision-making reps should help this development over time.

Dante on his Development at Montverde and future skill development:

With Montverde, I’ve been able to develop a lot, but I think the one thing that they’ve been really good about is noticing the strengths that I came with before and making sure that those are things that I kind of maintain, not trying to work on things and like stray away from the things I was good at before.

So definitely like improving like shooting, being a better ball handler, a better guard per se. But also like getting to the basket, pushing the pace, like those things, not getting away from those things or making sure that those are a key part of my game that I still keep around.

…I would just say my patience and just kind of having a better feel for the game, especially when it’s more fast paced.

Being able to just kind of slow things down, being able to read the defense, being able to read my teammates, and just overall be able to make better plays for myself or others in any kind of situation that I may have not been able to before.

#3 Matt Able
6’5″ Guard (2025)
Sagemont Prep

Matt Able goes Gamebreaker mode anytime he wants; Able makes tough shotmaking look straight out of a video game.

Able is the real deal out on the hardwood with the rock in his hands. Smooth shooting touch, tight handle, tough shot making skills allow him to get to just about any spot to make just about any shot he wants; a definition of a walking bucket.

Matt Able popped off the Cerebro Sports chart, making a case as the most impactful player in the entire tournament.

Able ranked T-1st with Dybantsa in Overall Impact (+11.1 C-RAM), 1st in Scoring (106 PSP), 1st in 3PE (117 3PE on 16/28 3P), T-6th At The Rim (70 ATR), 11th on Defense (88 DSI) with a tournament-leading 8 STL(!), and T-16th in Passing. (64 FGS)


In an epic head-to-head matchup with AJ Dybantsa, Matt Able was throwing down sick slams and splashing insane threes, finishing with a staggering line of 39 PTS on 60% TS% with 7 3PM, 6 REB, and 4 STL.

Against Riviera, Able continued to shine – 19 PTS on 7/13 FG and 4/6 3P, 6 REB, 2 STL, and a 4 AST / 1 TO Ratio.

Matt drills the pull-up three, shows off a clean shooting stroke against Riviera, hitting deep catch and shoot threes.

Versus AZ Compass, Able continued to put on a show, leading all scorers with 27 PTS on tough shots, pull-up and catch-and-shoot 3s (5/7 3P in total), drawing fouls (4/5 FT), and scoring below the arc (4/10 2P), snagging 7 REB, 2 STL, and a 1 AST / 2 TO ratio.

Noted winning plays:

Semi-transition into the high pick-and-roll, draws the switch, slick crossover in multiple bumps-and-finish up and under contact through 2 defenders, somehow sneaking in the lay-in past the 6’10” Miikka’s outstretched arm for the AND1.

Insane fadeaway swish shotmaking backing down out of the midrange

Crazy pull-up jump shot.

Keeps an eye open for teammates making the right plays.

Pressure defense off turnover forces timeout.

Draws fouls attacking the rack.

Throws down the highlight hammer.

Bump-and-finish through Fogle contact for finger roll, a pull-up three, another deep pull-up fadeaway three, a drive downhill (miss FGA) into drawing ofoul on the putback for the AND1

Development Areas:

This was as close to a perfect weekend as one could ask for Matt Able; discussing weaknesses here would mostly be nitpicking, but there’s always ways for any player to improve their game

Matt’s 8 Steals led the tournament by a wide margin, but his 10 personal fouls mitigated some of those payoffs. While Able was able to create 8 Assists, he racked up 6 Turnovers as well. His 2P% was low compared to his staggering 3P%, just making 12/30 2P, yet also converting 13/16 FTA from the line.

Able continuing to grow as a scoring creator on the ball will help him refine his decision-making feel, to further his growth as a one-man offensive engine for any team as the game slows down for him. Working on not gambling for steals, finding the right mix of anticipation, hands, and timing to force turnovers without fouling, would make him an even more impactful defender.

Matt Able on if he prides his game on the crazy tough shotmaking shooting touch:

I think that’s the most developed part of my game, for sure, I think I’m an elite shooter. I pride myself on being able to shoot, but I would also say defensively and I think I’m trying to start rebounding a lot more. That was a weakness I had, and I’m starting to change that, you know just become a way better rebounder.

Matt Able on his development goals:

I would definitely say rebounding is something that I’ve been working on, I’ve gotten better, but it still needs to get more improved.

And then I’d also say probably just playmaking in terms of pick-and-roll reads, sometimes I get a little sped up and rushed in the pick-and-roll, so just being calm and making the right read in the pick-and-roll is a big thing for me as well.

Matt Able on if any players inspire his game, or that he might ‘steal’ a move from by watching them play

I wouldn’t say there’s a specific player that inspires me. I have some favorites, like I love watching Donovan Mitchell play, I love watching Anthony Edwards play, those are two of my favorite players just to watch, so I wouldn’t say I inspire my game after them, but I definitely watch and take certain things from their game.

Kevin Thomas describing Matt Able as a teammate:

Oh he’s a great teammate. He’s really funny. He keeps us motivated every time on and off the court.

When asked if any opponents impressed them this weekened, 3 AZ Compass Players (Kaden House, Jaden Vance, Nicholas Randall) answered Matt Able, Shon Abaev, and Brandon Bass

AZ Compass players – The guy we just played against, Matt Able. Yeah he was smooth. Just had about 27. Yeah I tip my hat off to him. He’s nice though. Shon Abaev, he’s nice too. Brandon Bass, he’s nice. Just nice going against top players in the country.

#3 AJ Dybantsa
6’9″ Forward (2025)
Utah Prep

Day 1 Walking Top-10 Sportscenter Highlight Dunk & Tough Shot Making Machine

AJ Dybantsa shows clear star potential on both ends of the floor – as a scorer, defender, rebounder, 3pt shooter, foul-drawer, and even as a playmaking creator for others, when he wants to.

Incredibly dynamic athlete, great body control, decelerating and exploding on a dime, good footwork winding through traffic

Tall tough shotmaker, clean C&S 3pt jumper, rim finishing skills, soft touch FLOATA

Generally good vision playmaker who sometimes forces tough shots over double teams

AJ spent these three days deflecting everything in sight.

On the highest Usage Percentage in the tournament (38.3% USG%), Dybantsa rated highly in nearly every category.

T-1st in Overall Impact (+11.1 C-RAM)
1st in At The Rim (80 ATR) hitting 22/41 total 2PA
2nd in Scoring (103 PSP) hitting 13/16 FTA with 61% TS% on the highest usage of any player
T-5th in 3PE (95 3PE) shooting 10/23 3PA
14th in Passing (66 FGS) with a 10 AST / 14 TO ratio
20th in Defense (78 DSI) with a 8 STOCKS / 9 Fouls ratio (5 STL + 3 BLK)

In a tight 3pt win over Sagemont, AJ Dybantsa dropped a crazy efficient 35 PTS on 80% TS%(!) with a shooting line of 13/21 FG – 7/8 3P – 2/2 FT while racking up 15 DREB, 3 STL, 1 BLK, and a 5 AST/8 TO ratio on high usage in 32 MIN.

AJ was making good reads and jump passes to open teammates on cuts, transition, and out of postups, while splashing tough jumpers flying around on the fast break

Drawing fouls with ease throughout the game. In the 4th quarter, AJ showed off the clean 3pt shooting stroke hitting nothing but net on tough jumpers, making more nice reads to help his team win in clutch time.

On Day 2 against CIA Bella Vista, Dybantsa continued his dominant all-around performance at the Montverde Invitational, dropping 33 PTS on 60% TS% and 7/8 FT with 12 REB , 2 BLK, 1 STl, and a 4 AST / 3 TO ratio.

Dybantsa’s athleticism makes him look downright dominant at times, exploding to the rim for soft touch finishes, grabbing rebounds out of thin air, appearing out of nowhere with active hands deflections, pace-pushing a never-ending downhill attack.

In the close 3rd place loss to Calvary Christian, Dybantsa was contained to 19 PTS on 19 FGA and a 1 AST / 3 TO ratio, yet he recorded 6 FTA, 5 REB, 1 STL.

Dybantsa’s dynamic body control and smooth finishing touch is on display in a methodical midrange action, breaking the zone with the shot the defense and Dybantas both want him to take.

Transition, semi-transition, and off-ball head of steam hesitations provided opportunities for the sick up-and-under reverse, downhill drive putback, and runner, and a strong flying offensive rebound putback through contact and traffic late in the game.

AJ looked for teammates for (potential) assists on drive-and-kicks, dunker spot bounce passes, hitting cutters, lookaheads in transition, despite not many teammates’ shots going in.

Drills a catch-and-shoot corner three early, follows it up with two deflections and one becoming a loose ball steal.

Closes with a perfectly-timed deflection that led to a steal late in the game that gave his team a chance to come back, though he missed the followng three-point attempt right after.

Development Areas:

AJ can get to any spot on the floor he wants with his incredible start-stop athleticism and solid enough handle to keep the dribble alive, with a tall shot release allowing him to get his shot over multiple defenders, but on many occassions he will predetermine to shoot his go-to contested turnaround fadeaway even when he’s not remotely open.

Decision-making can improve with more primary reps, and its hard to blame him when he can get his shot off over anyone, and he sees it go through the net enough where one could argue just about any shot is a good shot for him. Still, there’s a time and place where good shot creation can become the advantage that leads to a great shot for the team.

Allowing emotions to overtake your mentality in a game can hurt your team and teammates; finding leadership qualities that lift teammates up to downplay the bad plays help everyone keep a level head through the ups and downs of a basketball game.

AJ refining his handle, halcourt playmaking, and team-first decisionmaking could go long way to help him develop from “potential star” to “potential superstar”

#1 Shon Abaev
6’8″ Guard/Forward (2025)
Calvary Christian

Shon Abaev keeps his head on a swivel as a tall point guard who wants to either find the open man or hit a tough shot.

The handle, the creative passing, the tough shot-swishing – this adds up to effective flare that Shon can use to manipulate the defense while leaving the audience in awe.

Shon Abaev on his game mentality:

You know, just trying to win every game.

Everybody in the country know I can score, so I don’t try to force my spots anymore, I let it come to me. I do what my team needs me to do to win the game.

So at the end of the day, if my team wins, we all happy. So, that’s all I want.

Shon Abaev ranked T-9th in Scoring (71 PSP) on the 4th-highest usage of any player along with rating 10th on Defense (89 DSI), T-11th in Passing (67 FGS), T-11th in Overall Impact (+8.1 C-RAM), T-15th in 3PE (6/21 3P), and 20th At The Rim (61 ATR).

Against AZ Compass, Abaev posted 17 PTS – 3 STL – 5 REB – 5 AST / 2 TO ratio.

A look-ahead pass transition, a pull-up elbow middy, a contested C&S corner 3, a breakaway slam dunk off the team’s forced turnover, an alley-oop lob, Shon Abaev is a walking skill ball highlight, playing with the joy and creativity of a LaMelo Ball.

Insane shotmaker from any spot on the floor, a swish is theor(y)etically possible from anywhere.

Incredible vision and playmaking chops create situations where the reciever doesn’t even see the pass coming.

Hustles for loose balls; Draws fouls forcing contact with hands and hips on drives.

In a 3rd place win over Dybantsa’s (19 PTS) Utah Prep, Shon Abaev dropped a monster 32 PTS on 60% TS% (9/17 2P – 3/7 3P – 5/6 FT) with 4 REB, 3 STL, 2 BLK, and a 1 AST / 3 TO ratio, a dominant two-way scoring and turnover-forcing performance.

Shon defended Dybantsa in some matchups, and AJ returned the favor in others. Abaev forced a turnover in a trap alongside KJ Francis, anticipated a steal by jumping a passing lane, made a deflection against AJ, and picked up a loose ball steal.

Abaev always stays ready for highlight jams and finesses finishes at the rim.

Shon kept his head up for (potential) assists to the open rim-roller, cutter, shooter; plays that teammates will finish on the next level.

After one mistake from a teammate who appeared frustrated afterward, Shon consoled him and lifted him up with positivity and hype, reminding him its just one play; a positive note for Abaev’s chemistry and communication with his teammates.

Abaev showed off the total scoring versatility shot profile package from beyond the arc, in the deep midrange, the short floater game, drawing fouls and the finishing package at the rim:

the contested stepback pull-up triple(s)
the off-screen blob double-stutter rip catch-and-shoot corner three
the explosive breakaway slam
the crafty driving jump stop contested midrange FLOATA
the closeout-attacking pump-and-driving double-clutch runner and reverse
the double drag dribble-around-the-ring lay-in
the crossover bump-and-finish
the winding downhill finger rolls

How about the turnaround pull-up buzzer-beating 3pt dagger to go up 7 with 2 MIN to play – Shon is Showtime!

In another winning sequence, Shon contests Dybantsa’s shot, blocks Stanton, then draws the foul.

Development Areas:

Shon can fall in love with the tough shots at times. While he’s fully capable of splashing just about any shot he sees, there’s always a give and take of giving up good shots for great shots for the team. Abaev’s feathery jump shot and pristine vision are on display consistently; a true tall point playmaker who can hit shots from anywhere on the court.

Finetuning that decisionmaking feel of when to attack with the shot versus when to set up teammates will go a long way to his consistency as a scoring creator offensive engine. Developing his finishing touch at the rim will increase efficiency and further draw defenses into the paint to open up opportunity for kickouts.

Shon Abaev on his Development since the 2024 Top-100 Camp:

Just polishing my game. Just trying to play with less dribbles. Just being able to play with more pace and stuff like that. Just keep working on my shot. That’s what I do best.

#11 Davis Fogle
6’7″ Guard/Forward (2025)
AZ Compass Prep

Deflections, blocks, steals, boards, dimes, team-first decisions, efficient scoring – Fogle brings a complete approach to the game that translates to his team winning.

Despite playing the 4-man for AZ Compass, Fogle say he views himself a “2, and I can play the 1. I feel like I’m a combo guard that can score and then also get his teammates involved.”

Inspired by the playstyle of Devin Booker, the work ethic and will to win of Kobe Bryant, and the feel for the game of Steph Curry, Fogle does a lot of little things that add up to winning possessions throughout a basketball game.

Davis Fogle on his Development since the 2024 NBPA Top-100 Camp:

Since then just really been working on my strength. Then also kinda just like playing off two feet in the paint, and just being able to impact the game from everywhere, not just scoring the ball, but being able to make everyone around me better.

And on the defensive side, just be able to guard multiple positions, and then rebound both offensively and defensively, along with like still keeping my aggressiveness on the offense end.

Davis Fogle ranked 7th in Overall Impact (8.9 C-RAM), T-4th in Passing (75 FGS), T-6th in Defense (94 DSI), T-16th At The Rim (63 ATR), T-17th in Scoring, showing how one can impact the game in a multitude of ways even when the jump shot isn’t falling.

Vital in the win over Sagemont Prep, Davis Fogle led @AZCompass_Prep with 18 PTS – 5 AST (0 TO) – 6 REB – 2 BLK – 1 STL shooting 9/13 FG by attacking the rack downhill, pulling up for the elbow jumper, looking to set up open teammates.

Fogle took over with the middy pull-up at the elbow, the paint-and-spray kickout 3pt assist, the coast-to-coast dunk, the hard work grinding inside in traffic for a postup bucket, the soft touch with the FLOATA in the paint, the tough take to the rack; Davis did a little bit of everything to help his team secure the win.

Against Calvary, strong take baseline drawing fouls through bump-and-finish contact in the post.

Uses height and length effectively to contest bigger opponents down low, grab rebounds in traffic.

Tall guard with handle to push the pace, find open man in transition, connective passer.

Against Windermere, Fogle scored a solid 10 PTS on 4/7 FG with 6 REB, 2 STL, and 2 AST with 0 TO.

Fogle slashed through the lane for a strong downhill attack, showing how to use his size, length, and footwork to get to the rim and finish effectively.

Fogle just knows where to be to make plays, sees where the rebound is going before it bounces, soft touch on putbacks and finishes at the rim in the paint, effective player on both ends with high two-way feel.

2nd Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK

Miles Sadler
Hudson Greer
Kevin Thomas
Patrick Liburd
JJ Mandaquit

#1 Miles Sadler
6’1″ Guard (2026)
Cia Bella Vista

A natural tough shotmaker who was born to score the rock, Miles Sadler puts the ball on a string whether he’s breaking out his impeccable handle or incredible shooting touch.

Sadler gets to the rim with quick burst and finishes in Kyrie-esque fashion, flipping the shot up onto the backboard with just the right amount of english to drop through the net. Miles jumpshot is pure, rising and firing in one motion, with such touch the net doesn’t even move.

Miles consistently shows off the feathery touch, tight handle, and fluid body control taking and making any shot he wants: pull-up threes, clean catch-and-shoot looks, and driving finishes from crafty reverses, smooth spin moves to the rim, and shifty downhill finger rolls.

Sadler penetrates paint at will and looks for well-timed dumpoff passes to teammates lurking in the dunker spot, bigs rolling, and cutters cutting.

Miles ranked 7th in Passing (73 FGS), T-11th in Scoring (69 PSP), 23rd in Overall Impact (+6.8 C-RAM)

Despite the jump shot looking aesthetically clean, Sadler did nearly all of his damage below the arc, missing most of his 3s. Miles shot 1/10 3PA on the weekend but scored at will on 2s, hitting 12/18 2PA and making 4/7 FTA.

Still, its Sadler’s quick first step, incredible finishing at the rim, and savvy ball skills that stand out as special skills.

Against Riviera, Sadler proved to be a crafty driver and finisher converting up and under finger rolls, tough spinning shots, breakaway layups off turnovers, while staying patient for drive and dumpoff passes to baseline cutters.

Miles’ driving body control and finesse finishing was impressive, with endless finger roll at the rim

A smart decision maker, Sadler flashed his high feel on an unselfish give-and-go fast break opportunity.

In a win over Utah Prep, Miles Sadler was electric.

Sadler showed how he can take over a game with his scoring, leading his team in scoring and to a win over Dybantsa’s Utah Prep. (Tied with Rokiem Green’s 15 PTS)

Sadler dropped 15 PTS on 6/10 2P, drawing 6 FTA, pulling down 6 REB, and racking up a 5 AST / 3 TO ratio.

In the close 1st place loss to Montverde, Miles Sadler still found a way to light up the court, dropping 16 PTS on 7/14 FG with 3 REB, 1 STL, and a 4 AST / 5 TO ratio.

Sadler was effective on both ends, using active hands and anticipation to force multiple deflections, with one sequence where he pickpockets the steal at point-of-attack and converts the layup off the turnover for a good ol’ 4pt swing.

Looking for teammates, tosses the alley oop lob, makes a nice dumpoff pass to the cutter, pushes the pace and finds Neto in transition. Sadler would have tallied twice as many dimes if his teammates hit their good shots, instead just “potential” assists, which still shows off his vision, decisionmaking, and playmaking prowess.

#10 Hudson Greer
6’6″ Guard/Forward (2025)
Montverde Academy

Hudson’s shooting is a special skill, swishing everything in open catch-and-shoots this weekend.

Knockdown 3pt shooter with high feel, soft touch, tons of ball skill, good team-first decisionmaker

Dante Allen on Hudson Greer as a teammate on and off the court:

Hudson? Hudson’s a great person. Goofy, but just overall a good person.

Somebody who’s always positive, like rarely will you ever see him with a frown on his face, just somebody who you just always want around you.

Then that’s something that definitely translates, somebody who you really enjoy being with off the court to somebody who you really enjoy being on the court.

So Hudson’s like definitely up there with the guys who you just like always want around you, especially just the kind of way he carries himself.

Sneaky smart defender racked up 4 blocks, 2nd most of any player in the tourney, and even more deflections.

Greer was one of three players to rank 65+ in every Cerebro Sports tracked category (AJ Dybantsa, Dante Allen)

5th in Overall Impact (+9.7 C-RAM)
6th in Passing (74 FGS)
8th in Defense (92 DSI, with 5 Stocks to just 2 Fouls all weekend)
8th in 3PT Shooting (91 3PE, hitting 42% 3P% on 19 total 3PA)
9th in At The Rim (68 ATR)
T-11th in Scoring (69 PSP)

Drilled 2 3PM vs Calvary with 2 AST / 0 TO and 1 BLK, converts a driving finger roll and throws down a big-time dunk.

Vs. Windermere, Greer added 12 PTS on 5/10 FG with 2 3PM , 3 REB, 1 BLK, 1 STL, and a 4 AST / 0 TO ratio.

Arguably Hudson Greer’s best performance of the weekend arrived in the finale to the tune of 16 PTS on 4/7 3PM and 2/4 2P with 8 REB, 2 BLK, and a 2 AST / 0 TO ratio.

Running the floor hard, Greer got up for a highlight alley oop jam; he made a mean block early in the game leading to a 4pt swing after Dante’s driving layup, and forced another deflection to open the second half.

Hudson keeps his head on a swivel, looking to make connective passes to open teammates – a shuttle to a cutter, a swing to a shooter

Don’t sleep on Greer’s defensive instincts – Hudson uses active hands, anticipation, timing to rack up deflections, block shots in help defense, force steals jumping passing lanes. Good two-way feel and touch to round out his all-around ball skills.

Hudson came up huge in the clutch initiating the final scoring sequence of the game where he nearly loses the ball to Sadler’s pressure defense, before launching a hail mary pass to anyone near his team’s basket from the opposite baseline that led to the highlight of the night – a CJ Ingram to Hakeem Weems game-clinching tournament-winning alley-oop.

#4 Kevin Thomas
6’8″ Guard/Forward (2026)
Sagemont Prep

A high-flying defensive playmaker uber athlete, Kevin Thomas makes impact winning plays that help his team win while making highlight slams look routine.

Kevin Thomas took home the “Monster Dunk Jam Trophy” award, which I hope the tournament made up on the spot just to acknowledge this absolutely insane breakaway through-the-legs in-game dunk. Who tries this? Kevin Thomas, that’s who.

Kevin Thomas on his in-game highlight jams:

Yeah, when I have a chance to, I do it a lot. So coach give me the green light because he know I’m consistent with it.

Matt Able on Kevin Thomas as a teammate:

Oh, man, he’s funny, that’s my guy right there. He’s hilarious, really good dude.

I think we have really good chemistry, as a team and me and him, I think we gel pretty well. I think he has a lot more potential that he can untap, because he’s only a junior, so I think the sky’s the limit for him, he’s gonna be great.

Kevin Thomas revealed a 3&D floor with dynamic all-around potential as a toughshotmaking uber athlete.

Thomas rated as 5th in Defense (98 DSI), 10th in Overall Impact (+8.2 C-RAM), T-12th in Passing (67 FGS), 14th in Scoring (63 PSP), T-15th in 3PE (74 3PE), and 26th At The Rim (57 ATR) on relatively low usage.

Versus Utah Prep, Thomas impressed with how he uses his size, big wingspan, and strength to overwhelm opponents on the defensive end, while bringing an explosive vertical and powerful downhill threat to the rim who can hit tough 3pt jumpers too.

Kevin Thomas drilled tough off screen relocation C&S 3s, C&S 3s, pull-up 3s, and threw down monster highlight dunks throughout the weekend.

Against Riviera, Kevin Thomas continue to dominate on both ends of the floor – 13 PTS on 6/13 FG, 4 REB, 4 STL, 2 BLK, and a 7 AST / 0 TO Ratio.

In addition to his Sportscenter Top-10 duh-nuh-nuh, duh-nuh-nuh gamebreaker slam dunk, Thomas also showed good body control and flashed clean finishing touch at the rim on a eurostep drive and an under-control up-and-under finish.

Against AZ Compass, Kevin dropped 15 PTS on 6/10 FG and 3/5 3P with 2 REB, 2 STL, and a 1 AST / 2 TO ratio.

Thomas posted an incredible two-way sequence moving on defense, deterring passes and jumpers, grabbing the board and pushing the pace, dropping defenders with hesis and a smooth finish

Everywhere defensively, using motor, length, instincts, Kevin Thomas’s pressure is constantly felt by the opposing team.

Thomas made a highlight block from behind that led to a C&S transition three for Liburd.

Kevin Thomas on what he prides his game on and his development goals:

I get a lot of open shots because my teammates set me up for it and I’m starting to attack way more and my defense is getting way better throughout the season.

Definitely improving on my craft and my perimeter defense and my aggressiveness getting to the paint.

#5 Patrick Liburd
6’6″ Guard/Forward 2025)
Sagemont Prep

Patrick Liburd came to play this weekend, helping his team finish 3rd overall, showing consistent scoring ability, team-first shot creator potential, impressive 3pt shooting, and did so on relatively low usage.

According to Cerebro Sports, Liburd had one of the best all-around performances of any player, leading all players with 18 Free Throw Attempts (18 FTA) while rating Top-5 in Overall Impact (+10 C-RAM), Scoring (90 PSP), and 3pt Shooting (113 3PE), while also ranking 9th in Passing (71 FGS), T-18th At The Rim (62 ATR), and T-25th on Defense. (72 DSI)

Liburd did all this while producing on insane efficiency: 72.5% TS% on 30 FGA, 53.3% 3P% on 16 3PA, 78% FT% on 18 FTA.

Downhill force who uses his power and graceful mobility to penetrate the paint, attack the rack, and kick to shooters.

Draws fouls, quick first step, sound ball control, huge strength advantage with the handle help Liburd get into the paint with ease to attack the rack over and over, drawing bump and finish contact.

Drills catch-and-shoot 3pt jump shots throughout the tournament.

Against Utah Prep, Liburd helped his team fight a close battle with 16 PTS on 65 TS% with 4 3PM, 2 STL, and a 4 AST / 2 TO ratio.

Liburd dominated Riviera with 26 PTS on 8/13 FG – 6/7 3P – 4/4 FT, 4 REB, 2 BLK, and a 6 AST / 2 TO ratio, showing off the catch-and-shoot 3pt jump shot form.

Against AZ Compass, Liburd drew free throws with no abandon (8/11 FT), scoring 13 PTS with 4 REB and a 1 AST / 1 TO ratio.

#23 JJ Mandaquit
6’1″ Guard (2025)
Utah Prep

High feel point guard with great vision to execute offense, lives in midrange with a masterful floater, brings pesky defense at point of attack, looks to push and control the pace.

Mandaquit put together a strong all-around outing all weekend, thriving as the lead playmaking point guard for Utah Prep.

Among all players who played at least 2 of the 3 games, JJ rated 1st in passing (85 FGS), T-13th At The Rim (64), 14th in Overall Impact (+7.9 C-RAM), 16th in Scoring (61 PSP), T-21st on Defense (77 DSI), on relatively low usage.

JJ showed off his midrange pace-pushing scoring creator potential in the matchup against Sagemont, scoring 15 PTS on 7/10 2P with an 11 AST / 4 TO ratio plus 6 REB, 1 STL, and 1 BLK.

Against CIA Bella Vista, Mandaquit kept the pace pushing and ship steady in a close loss, scoring 14 PTS on 6/15 FG with 4 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, and a 5 AST / 3 TO ratio.

Mandaquit showed off the soft floater touch, the masterful handle and ball control he uses to create space, the heads up vision to look for open shooters for (potential) assists, the two-way feel to jump passing lanes and dig in on drivers with active hands to force turnovers for steals.

In the close 3rd place game loss to Calvary Christian, JJ scored 6 PTS on 3/8 FG with 7 REB, 1 STl, and a 5 AST / 3 TO ratio.

Mandaquit swished his signature floater, converted another contested putback floater, made one of the highlight plays of the game with the alley-oop lob pass to big man Xavion Staton, and made a heads up play saving the loose ball off the opponent.

JJ consistently puts pressure on the defense in the paint, stays pushing the pace and moving the ball, connecting teammates, hitting open shooters.

In this matchup, he finds a drive-and-kick corner 3pt assist and makes multiple skip passes to the corner over traffic.

JJ Mandaquit on what he prides himself on when on the court, his shooting touch, mid range floater game, and controlling the pace:

Yeah, I mean, the same things that you just said – just pushing the pace, being able to control it – but even more than that, just the little things on the other side of the court. Just working on trying to pick up people, just really push myself on the defensive end, be more involved off the ball, and just working on those little things.

3rd-Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK

CJ Ingram
Anthony Knowles
Brandon Bass Jr.
Trent Sisley
Anthony Felesi

#11 CJ Ingram
6’6″ Guard (2025)
Montverde Academy

CJ Ingram’s standout skill is his downhill explosiveness; the mix of his quick first step burst, rising verticality, and strong play-finishing creates a downhill-force that’s extremely effective when running the floor in transition or moving off the ball for cuts.

Despite not seeing any 3balls drop through the net this weekend, Ingram still rated 8th in Scoring (72 PSP) and T-11th in Overall Impact (+8.1 C-RAM) with the 8th-highest usage of any player (27% USG%).

Dante Allen on CJ Ingram’s game:

CJ a guy getting downhill, he’s going to attract a lot of attention, so if he’s not getting down there scoring, then he’s someone who can also get a lot of guys open.

Which areas did CJ thrive?

Ingram ranked T-6th At The Rim (70 ATR), 14th on Defense (85 DSI), and 2nd in Free Throw Attempts (17 FTA), despite playing on the wing, which reveals his north-south effectiveness, especially off force turnovers. Ingram also rated 27th in Passing (57 FGS), an area to improve.

CJ Ingram’s presence was felt throughout just 20 MIN against Windermere: recording 8 PTS on 3/5 FG, 5 REB, 2 BLK, 2 STL, with a 2 AST / 6 TO ratio.

CJ made a ton of winning plays in this one, impressing with body control, playmaking chops, and defensive impact:

Blow by burst of speed for the drive-and-kick to King Gibson for the C&S triple

Explosive block from behind, good timing, anticipation, instincts

Decelerating tough finish through contact

Throws down alley-oop slam

Slick wraparound pass great vision to find Sisley for a dunk

Forcing turnovers, grabbing steals, diving for loose balls

CJ later helped will a comeback win over Calvary Christian, with Montverde trailing all game until an 18-8 fourth quarter behind Ingram (16 PTS), Trent Sisley (13 PTS), and Dante Allen (12 PTS)

Ingram totaled 16 PTS on 7/10 FG with 7 REB, 2 STL and a 3 AST / 1 TO ratio vs Calvary Christian.

Ingram played hard on both ends in the title game win over CIA Bella Vista, scoring 13 PTS on 5/9 FGA and 3/6 FTA with 6 REB, 2 STL, and a 1 AST / 3 TO ratio.

CJ made one of the biggest plays of the tournament, hauling in a hail mary pass from Greer before the other team could recover the loose ball, immediately turning around and finding Hakeem Weems for the tournament-securing alley-oop lob.

Kicking to open shooters, CJ had at least 3 potential assists to open 3pt shooters that could’ve resulted in 9 PTS if his teammates’ shots went down; these are still good decisions, revealing his feel for the game.

Development Areas:

CJ Ingram is an incredible athlete, a football player who shows a clear athletic edge over his peers.

Ingram has clearly improved as the season goes on, especially in his confidence with the ball in his hands, and that quick development curve is a positive indicator for his rise to continue.

Refining the handle, rim finishing touch, and decision-making consistency could go a long way to help CJ build out his offensive repertoire; when defenses know they can’t stop you from getting downhill, use that to your advantage to create the three most efficient shots in basketball – rim shots, free throws, and corner threes.

#12 Anthony Knowles
6’0″ Guard (2025)
Sagemont Prep

Anthony Knowles offers one of the most complete skill-sets of any player at this event.

Knowles brings tough shot making to the table with bump and finish AND1s, smooth floater touch, and elbow middy pull-ups, on top of good vision looking for the open man and keeping an eye up the floor for the outlet and transition dumpoff three when pushing the pace.

Anthony ranked 10th in 3PE (86 3PE, hitting 46% 3P% of his 13 3P), 5th in Passing (75 FGS with 14 AST / 6 TO ratio), 6th in Scoring (73 PSP scoring 13 PPG on 68.4% TS%), T-11th Overall Impact (+8.1 C-RAM), and T-23rd in At The Rim (58 ATR)

Versus Utah Prep, Anthony scored 10 PTS on 3/5 FG and 3/4 FT, grabbing 3 REB and dishing out a 6 AST / 2 TO ratio.

Knowles lit up the box score against Riviera – 22 PTS on 7/10 FG – 4/6 3P – 4/4 FT, 3 REB, 1 STL, and a 4 AST / 1 TO ratio.

Against AZ Compass, Knowles added 7 PTS with 2 REB and a 4 AST / 3 TO ratio, hittig the middy pull-up, drilling a catch-and-shoot corner three, making a winning play deflection.

Well-timed rip for the deflection and steal, good defensive instincts and two-way feel.

#1 Brandon Bass Jr.
6’5″ Guard (2026)
Windermere Prep

One of the few bright spots for Windermere this tournament, Brandon Bass Jr. showed off his clean 3pt shooting stroke with a tight handle, mean pull-up game, and feathery smoother jumper.

Bass was the most one-way player in the field, by the numbers: Brandon ranked 4th in 3pt Shooting (97 3PE on 7/16 3P), T-9th in Scoring (71 PSP), T-16th in Passing (64 FGS), T-18th in Overall Impact (+7 C-RAM), with the 5th-highest usage percentage (36% USG%), average at the rim (57 ATR), despite rating as the lowest impact defender (0 DSI)

Scoring 16 PTS on 4/10 3P with 5 REB and a 3 AST / 3 TO ratio against Montverde, Bass showed off that handle on a beautiful stepback pull-up three in the 2nd, another late pull-up three in the 4th, and a clean catch-and-shoot look from deep in the 1st.

Turnovers arrive sometimes when missing open teammates, or trying to weave through too much traffic.

Against Riviera Prep, Bass once again showed off his scoring prowess, dropping 28 PTS on 19 shots and drawing fouls with ease (7/14 2P, 2/5 3P, 8/10 FT), grabbing 7 REB, forcing 3 STl, and posting a 4 AST / 4 TO ratio.

Against AZ Compass, Bass dropped 19 PTS on 6/16 FG – 3/6 3P – 4/4 FT with 6 REB and a 3 AST / 2 TO ratio.

Bass showed shifty drive body control and soft touch on a finger roll, and impressed with crazy tough pull-up 3s off the dribble creating space for himself on back-to-back possessions early in the game.

When Brandon’s feeling it, the pull-up three comes out like clockwork, and they often go in. Bass keeps a heads up for open shooters, finding Shoptaw a few times for off screen and off-ball three pointers. Brandon draws fouls by never giving up on possessions, attacking at will with dribble moves to create space or draw contact.

Development Areas:

Playing harder on defense, simply put. One can be the best offensive player on the court, but if you can’t get a stop, it’s going to be difficult to outscore your opponent every night out. Maybe that wins a battle on occasion, but it will never win the war.

Effort goes a long way on the defensive end; you don’t need talent to play hard and bring energy.

Decision-making feel and improving his finishing skills at the rim would help further build out Bass’ bucket-getting skill-set.

#12 Trent Sisley
6’8″ Forward (2025)
Montverde Academy

Trent Sisley impacts the game in an all-around way: forcing turnovers, making good safe team-first decisions with the ball, attacking the rack as an energetic play-finisher who can dribble, pass, and shoot.

Potential two-way versatility lies in this skill-set, which when combined with quick processing, effective length, and dribble-pass-shoot ball skills, together translates to valuable winning impact at every level.

Dante Allen on Trent Sisley’s game:

on Trent, maybe like an undersized big who can step out and shoot the three really well.

You know he’s there somewhere looking for his shot too.

Sisley ranked 5th in Scoring (75 PSP) on relatively low usage, T-11th At The Rim (65 ATR), 17th in Overall Impact (+7.6 C-RAM), T-21st in 3PT Shooting (64 3PE), 33rd in Passing (46 FGS).

Sisley’s 75% TS% was 2nd-highest scoring efficiency of any player with 2+ games played, behind just Sam Hallas (86.2% TS%)

Helped his team force a late comeback win over Calvary with 13 PTS, 4 REB, 1 BLK, 1 STL, and a 5 AST / 1 TO ratio.

Solid handle, goes coast-to-coast for a drive in transition, throws down big slams as a strong play-finisher at the rim.

Sound defensive effort, constant movement, good hips/hands/footwork in on-one-one.

Shows soft touch in post-ups, putbacks, and finishes near the rim.

Find someone who brings the fire that Trent Sisley does on a basketball court for your roster and your team’s energy levels will never be better. Sisley’s motor, intensity, energy is contagious, his teammates play harder just by playing alongside him.

This first clip below revealing his competitive fire must be how Trent won the official Sportsmanship Award of the tournament…

Development Areas:

Defense, Playmaking, 3PT Shooting. Sisley brings great energy and shows good ball instincts; becoming a more consistent defender would go a long way to him proving legit high-level two-way impact to help his team win. Getting more reps as a connective passer and catch-and-shoot 3pt threat could help him round out his offensive arsenal.

#1 Anthony Felesi
6’5″ Forward (2026)
Utah Prep

Anthony Felesi adds an all-around skill-set with intensity and downhill burst athleticism to any equation.

Anthony Felesi on his current skill development goals:

I think mostly my outside game, really extending my range, trying to get that three pointer down.

Felesi ranked 3rd in At The Rim (73 ATR), 16th in Overall Impact (+7.7 C-RAM), T-15th in Defense (84 DSI), T-17th in Scoring (59 PSP), and T-20th in Passing (61 FGS).

Improving as a 3pt shooter to be a threat from deep is the next skill to develop for Felesi’s nearly complete all-around skillset.

What stands out most about Felesi is his frenetic energy, vertical athleticism defensive instincts, and north-south explosiveness.

FelesiAgainst Sagemont, Felesi poured in 15 PTS shooting 5/10 FG – 1/5 3P – 4/4 FT with 5 REB, 1 BLK, 1 STl, and a 4 AST / 2 TO ratio.

Felesi impressed in many areas, from finishing in transition, making connector passes, to hitting deep jumpers.

The soft touch finish for the AND1 at the rim.

Heads up drive and dumpoff vision to Dybantsa for the transition slam.

Felesi drilled an off screen 3pt splash jumper, smartly cut to the rim for a bump and finish AND1, and flashed good defensive instincts on a deflection.

Felesi’s tenacity was on full display against Calvary Christian, attacking the rack, paint, and glass relentlessly for 14 PTS, 13 REB, 11 FTA, 2 BLK, 1 STl, and a 2 AST / 0 TO ratio.

The mean chasedown block off his own free throw attempt summed up the night; make a mistake, clean it right up.

Anthony was a one man wrecking crew, attacking the rack nonstop, protecting his own basket moving around like a wavy inflatable arm man, forcing his will on the opponent, racking up boards in traffic, putbacks through contact, lurking in the shadows for the next hustle play.

When he could get downhill, he will, whether it be running the break or slicing and dicing the defense on cuts through the paint.

5 Interesting Prospects to put on your radar

Paul Osaruyi
Kalek House
Rokiem Green
Collin Paul
Sam Hallas

#25 Paul Osaruyi
6’10” Forward/Center (2027)
Cia Bella Vista

Really impressive big man prospect, especially as a mobile rim-protecting rim-roller.

Powerful, explosive, skilled big who finishes strong in the paint and soft at the rim

Dunker spot playfinisher, post-up threat, midrange floater, rebounding rimroller

Throwing down lobs, rim-rolls, power slams with ease; a point guard’s dream lob threat.

Osaruyi runs the floor hard as a strong playfinisher cleaning up mistakes on the glass and hammering home slams for his team.

Paul is an active, mobile, tall, long, versatile defender who moves his feet, hips, and hands whether he’s switching out on the perimeter or protecting the rim.

Osaruyi ranked T-4th in At The Rim (71 ATR), 36th on Defense (T-62 DSI), and 27th in Overall Impact. (+5.7 C-RAM)

Paol Osaruyi shows off the athleticism, size advantage, postup footwork and hook shot skills vs Riviera Prep

A little wild at times until he refines his ball skills, on plays had a good drive, but a bad pass that became an unforced turnover.

Strong rebound in traffic to finish the defensive possession and force the stop in the clutch up 4 PTS with 30 seconds to play versus Utah Prep, finishing with 9 PTS, 6 REB, 1 BLK overall in 17 MIN.

In a close loss to Montverde in the tourney title, Paul Osaruyri added 4 PTS with 8 REB and 1 BLK in 13 minutes, yet Paul popped out every time he stepped on the court.

Osaruyri looked the part, impressing with explosive athleticism, monster alley-oop jams, a poster power slam over Sisley, and a big block in help defense.

Here’s Paul throwing down a big one-handed alley-oop jam on the fast break:

#5 Kalek House
6’3″ Guard (2026)
AZ Compass Prep

Legit 3&D Guard, knockdown 3pt shooter, smart impactful defender

The House House knows a thing or two about three-pointers; Kalek and his twin brother Kaden are sons of Boston Celtics legend, Eddie House.

Kalek hit his threes all weekend with his smooth jump shot, and forced turnovers to boot, flashing 3&D upside and tenacity, yet House also flashed a well-rounded skill-set with few holes in his game, revealing a potential connector who can slide into just about any lineup.

Kalek ranked 9th in Overall Impact (+8.4 C-RAM), T-5th with AJ Dybantsa at 3PE (95 3PE shooting 44% 3P% on 23 3PA), T-11th in Scoring (69 PSP) on relatively low usage, T-12th in Defense (87 DSI recording 5 STL + 1 BLK with 6 Fouls) T-13th in At The Rim (64 ATR), T-20th in Passing (61 FGS)

Kalek showed off his clean shooting stroke from deep in every matchup, including 3 3PM against Windermere, 4 3PM against Calvary, and 3 3PM against Sagemont.

What stands out most for Kalek is not just his 3pt jumper, but his nose for the ball; House always seems to be in the right place at the right time, contesting shots, active hands forcingdeflections, moving his hips, coming up with 2 STL vs Windermere.

Kalek House on his current skill development:

Just my shot and like my handle, I need to get my handle right. I’ma be valid, I’ll be smooth.

Kalek House on any former or current players who inspire his game or steal a move from:

Jrue Holiday, he’s a good defender, he plays the point guard. I’m playing point guard next year more, like he just facilitates really well, he can shoot the ball. I just want to be like him.

Jaden Vance describing Kalek House as a teammate:

He’s a great teammate, you know what I’m saying? Always joking around. Always boosting up his teammates.

Nicholas Randall describing Kalek House as a teammate:

He’s never in his feelings. Never gets mad.

#0 Rokiem Green
6’2″ Guard (2026)
Cia Bella Vista

Legit D&3 Guard, quick-trigger catch-and-shoot 3pt jump shooter, instinctual anticipatory defender.

Green showed incredible understanding of the game, where to be, how to deflect as many balls as possible. Beyond just nailing his three pointers, Rokiem showed a willingness to attack the rack to score for his team – adding on-ball reps could help him improve his offensive decision-making feel and playmaking skills, where the goal should be to develop into a 3pt Connector who can use his shooting gravity to bend the defense and help create open shots for his team.

Rokiem ranked 7th in 3pt Shooting ( 92 3PE shooting 5/11 3P), 4th in Defense (100 DSI with 3 blocks in 3 games and a myriad of deflections as a 6’2″ guard), 15th in Scoring (62 PSP), and 27th in Overall Impact (+6.4 C-RAM)

Splashing at least 3 C&S 3PA and 1 Pull-Up 3PA in transition vs Riviera Prep, Rokiem clearly has the Green light from deep.

Another possession, he made a winning play by timing up a dig to rip away the ball from the driver for a steal.

In a huge win over Utah Prep, Green dropped 15 PTS in 13 MIN on 4/6 3P, even showing the awareness to rip through defenders contesting arms in front of him to draw a foul on a pull-up middy, a veteran move.

Green showed off his 3pt shooting versatility with an off-the-dribble stepback and multiple catch-and-shoot jumpers from deep.

Against Montverde in the title game, Rokiem’s presence was most felt on the defensive end, where he made a deflection and racked up 3 STL, while on the other end Green added 7 PTS on 3/11 FGA with 1 REB and 1 AST.

Over and over again, Rokiem Green’s defense pops out in person and on tape due to his defensive instincts leading to anticipatory deflections, steals, and loose ball recoveries, including 3 STL in the title game vs MVA (7 PTS). Green often turns those turnovers into points by flying to the basket when the moment strikes.

#5 Collin Paul
6’7″ Forward (2025)
Calvary Christian

Collin Paul is a strong driver, capable C&S 3pt range shooter, sound defender, backdown postup tough shot maker, with a solid handle that allows him to glide through the paint with no one wanting to step in his way.

Paul rated T-13th At The Rim (64 ATR), T-20th in Scoring (58 PSP), 31st on Defense (68 DSI), T-32nd Overall Impact (+5.9 C-RAM).

Paul scored 8 PTS versus AZ Compass on 4/9 FG with 4 REB, 1 STl, and a 2 AST / 2 TO ratio. On this play against a good defender in Fogle, Paul hesis his way into the paint with good body control to avoid the charge for a finger roll.

Paul was able to score efficiently, get downhill with strength, draw fouls against Montverde, scoring 15 PTS on 4/9 FG and 7/8 FT with 3 REB and 1 TO.

Against Utah Prep in the 3rd Place Win, Collin Paul posted 12 PTS on 5/11 FG with 11 REB, 1 BLK, 1 STL, and 2 TO.

Paul showed off his strong downhill force quick burst explosiveness, his frenetic shot-contesting defensive effort, and his relentless mindset by powering through the lane for loud putbacks, glass-crashing boards, and smooth driveby finishes.

Collin flashed soft touch tough shot making on the finger roll and fadeaway, solid handle and handoff timing, heads up vision looking for open shooters after creating the advantage, creating the overall ability to penetrate the paint, draw fouls, and create good shots for his team from the north south physicality he uses.

Paul’s sound defense on Dybantsa forces tough passes and contested shots.

#4 Sam Hallas
6’7″ Forward (2026)
Calvary Christian

Sam Hallas was arguably the most impactful defender at the 2025 Montverde Invitational, ranking 2nd in DSI (103 DSI) behind Ezra Gelin.

Hallas ranked T-4th in in Blocks (1.3 BLK/gm) and T-4th in Steals (2 STL/gm)

Against Montverde alone, Hallas racked up 5 Stocks (3 STL + 2 BLK) to 4 personal fouls; Sam scored 4 PTS on 2/2 FG.

A strong play finisher who plays through contact, Hallas was by far the most efficient scorer among qualified players in this tournament, scoring 86% TS% overall and making 91% of his 33 FGA, ranking him as the T-6th best Scorer (73 PSP)

Between his impactful defense and efficient scoring, it’s no wonder Hallas ranked 6th in Overall Two-Way Impact (+9.4 C-RAM).

Big dunk off the baseline cut, two power slams, well timed baseline cut for reverse layup, Sam Hallas brought his play-finishing game to the AZ Compass matchup, scooring 17 PTS on 8/9 FG with 6 REB, 2 BLK, 2 STL, and 1 TO.

Scouting The Best of The Rest

Riviera Prep

#0 Myles Fuentes
6’0″ Guard (2027)
Riviera Prep

Myles showed tenacity and willpower to score, confident shooter, pushes the pace, finesse finishing in traffic, and provides intense full court pressure on defense.

Legit two-way impact between his quick burst first step penetrating the paint and his clean footwork and energy creating a swarming defender.

Myles Fuentes on his approach to the game and development goals:

The thing I’m focusing on most is more consistent shooting. But I always take pride in my defense, always. So that’s the first thing I always take pride in. Just working hard and keeping my shot as consistent as possible.

Mason Fuentes describing his brother as a teammate:

I mean, on the court, we’ve been playing with each other our whole life. So our chemistry is second to none. Like we have little signals on the court, like when to back door, when to ghost the screen. So it’s just, the chemistry’s on a thousand.

And that off the court stuff, everything we do is together, we’re one year apart. If I’m going here, he’s going there. If I’m working out, he’s working out with me. So it’s just that Brotherly love.

Myles added 14 PTS on 5/5 FT with 10 REB, 1 STL, and a 4 AST / 3 TO ratio in a loss on the final day to Windermere.

Against CIA Bella Vista, Myles shows good defensive instincts, anticipation, timing for deflections and steals.

Myles stretches the floor with catch-and-shoot 3pt shooting and uses that gravity to attack the rack while looking for the open man for (potential) assists.

Showing impressive live ball handles, ball control, and body control to maneuver to the rim, Myles is a strong driver who flashes soft floater touch and tough bump-and-finish finger roll skills over contests.

#2 Mason Fuentes
6’2″ Guard (2026)
Riviera Prep

Mason’s finishing at the rim, midrange, beyond the arc was impressive.

Mason Fuentes on his approach to the game and development goals:

I’m a competitor, man. Mainly, I just want to win. I don’t care how I do it, or what’s done in it.

Like if we win and I have 2 points, 20 assists, I’m happy, I’m excited with the team, I’m a pass-first point guard. That’s my job to get everyone involved, and then eventually, my time’s gonna come to get mine, so I just win at all costs.

Myles describing his brother as a teammate:

Pretty much what (Mason) said, he always knows when to find me, when to throw a lob of me. Like the little signals he said, he knows when I need a back door, when I need to get a bucket, or if I have a mismatch, he’ll hit me. It’s just like that brother chemistry.

In the 7th place game against Windermere, Mason tallied 16 PTS on 3/5 3P and 5/6 FT with 5 REB, 2 STL and a staggering 11 AST / 6 TO ratio.

Against CIA Bella Vista, Mason Fuentes proved to be a crafty finisher at the rim who gets to his spots using impressive body control, fundamental driving footwork, heads up vision to find cutters, while showing defensive instincts to time up deflections.

Mason made a great block from behind to force a turnover before hitting the lookahead pass in transition, he had a nifty driving finish, and made a headsup plays finding Alonzo Mets for a C&S corner three out of a baselines out of bounds set.

#15 Jaion Pitt
6’7″ Forward (2025)
Cia Bella Vista

Pitt acted as an imposing shot-swatting rim-detterent and powerful dunker spot playfinisher for CIA Bella Vista the entire tournament.

Drawing fouls and AND1s in the paint, throwing down powerful jams, showing sound rim protection defensive instincts timing up multiple blocks (4 or 5, by my count) at the rim, in transition, in help defense during a 30pt smackdown against Riveria Prep where Jaion led all scorers with 14 PTS.

Flashes heads up connector vision shown on a rip through driving dumpoff pass to Paul Osaruyri for the power slam.

One possession, Jaion forced a stop with good contain defense forcing the baseline trap, a winning defensive play even if that doesn’t show up in the box score.

Against Utah Prep, Pitt got to the free throw line at will (13 PTS on 6/7 FT), making his presence known in the paint with methodical footwork and sound body control to manuever through traffic and draw contact on the shot attempt.

In a close loss to Montverde in the title game, Jaion Pitt dished out 3 AST to 1 TO with just 5 PTS and 5 REB, yet Pitt’s presence was felt through out, especially on defense forcing deflections and as a connector kicking out to open teammates.

Pitt racked up even more potential assists where teammates missed a good look.

Jaion’s defensive activity must be highlights, as his effort, awareness, instincts on that end lead to many stops, deflections, and forced turnovers.

#32 Xavion Staton
6’9″ Center (2025)
Utah Prep

Big man with great defensive instincts, active rebounding effort, natural rim-protector, strong play-finisher.

Staton rated 2nd in At The Rim (80 ATR), T-20th in Overall Impact (+7 C-RAM), and 23rd in Defense. (83 DSI)

Crashes glass in traffic for putbacks, to draw fouls, and kickout to shooters

Protects rim blocking shots in the paint, contesting in post and help defense

Arguably Staton’s most impactful game came in a close 3rd place loss to Calvary Christian, where Xavion put up 8 PTS on 4/6 FG with 2 REB, 3 BLK, 1 STL, and 1 TO.

Staton’s rim-detterence was felt every possession out there, blocking everything in sight, contesting everyone, before running the floor hard for loud finishes at the rim.

Staton threw down one a highlight alley-oop from JJ Mandaquit, and stayed ready in the dunker spot for shuttle passes and quick feeds for good looks at the rim.

#10 Kaden House
6’3″ Guard (2026)
AZ Compass Prep

Strong driver to the cup, impressive body control, acceleration and deceleration, spinning footwork, heads up vision for dumpoff passes, tough shot making skills.

Showed tight handle, good playmaking skills, soft finishing at the rim, can take a hit for a bump-and-finish, able to maneuver through defenses with crab dribbles and spin footwork.

Throws in 16 PTS on a perfect 8/8 FT , 2 reb, 3 AST / 3 TO ratio and 1 STl vs Windermere with continuous downhill attacks, one breakaway explosive POWER slam, an alley-oop lob pass, drawing fouls penetrating the paint at will. Sound footwork and smooth finishing at the rim.

#4 Aginaldo Neto
6’1″ Guard (2025)
Cia Bella Vista

Showed sound defensive instincts, racking up deflections and steals throughout the weekend, being in the right place at the right time often for turnovers, rebounds, cuts.

Neto rated as the 10th-best defender in the event. (94 DSI)

In a close loss during the title game vs Montverde, Neto scored an efficient 8 PTS on 4/8 FG with 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0 TO, and multiple deflections.

Shows quick burst penetrating the paint pushing the pace and soft touch finishing at the rim, able to flip the direction of the court on a dime and arrive to the rim at will.

Given Neto’s ability to attack the rack, it’s a little surprising the team didn’t go back to that option more often; no one on MVA was stopping Neto from getting to the rim. Aginaldo flashed good passing touch on a dime to the rolling Pitt in side P&R.

#3 Cayden Daughtry
6’0″ Guard (2027)
Calvary Christian

High feel point guard who makes winning plays for his team, despite being just 16 years old playing at a higher level.

Cayden ranked 10th in Passing (72 FGS), 17th in 3PE (76 3PE), T-32nd in Overall Impact (+5.9 C-RAM), 39th in Defense. (69 DSI)

Shot the lights out from deep against Montverde, scoring 18 PTS on 4/8 3P, despite just shooting 2/9 2P, Daughtry helped give his team a lead through three quarters with 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, and a 2 AST / 2 TO ratio.

12 PTS on 79% TS% with an 8 AST / 4 TO ratio, 4 REB, 2 BLK from Cayden Daughtry helped his team defeat AZ Compass by 9 points.

Uses quick first step burst to hunt for open teammates on drives, dumpoffs, kickouts, swings, skips.

Against Utah Prep, Cayden struggled with the overwhelming size of the opponent, but found a way to make his mark.

Daughty stayed moving off ball as hard as anyone on cuts and fast breaks, and was able to get to his spots with a tough middy pull-up fade, a dunker spot floater, along with hectic defense forcing stops, deflections, and steals, even taking a charge.

#5 Austin Goode
6’6″ Guard/Forward (2025)
Cia Bella Vista

Tough Shot Maker

Throws down the hammer with 16 seconds to play in the title game vs Montverde to cut the lead to 2 PTS, and drills a clean catch-and-shoot corner three earlier in the game.

Nice postup footwork and fundamental hook shot, midrange stutter rip fadeaway off an OREB, counters the handoff from Aginaldo Neto using quick burst into decelerating drive finger roll for 8 PTS on 4/6 FG in a win over Utah Prep.

#11 Jackson Rasmussen
6’7″ Forward (2025)
Utah Prep

Good defender, strong play finisher, connective passer

Despite a few turnovers, Jackson filled his dunker spot playfinisher role cleanly, scoring 9 PTS on 4/6 FG and 1/2 FT versus Sagemont.

Good positioning postup, putback boxout secured, AND1 and solid contests on defense against tough shot makers.

Against Calvary Christian, Jackson added 7 PTS, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, and a 3 AST / 2 TO ratio.

Over and over, Rasmussen showed connective big to big passing down low, finding his frontcourt mate at Center Xavion Staton under the rim with shuttle passes, swing passes, wraparound passes, after first drawing the defense’s attention.

Jackson stepped into a midrange jumper, ran the floor hard to finish plays off the team’s creators, and kept his hands active to contest, block, and steal.

#1 Miikka Muurinen
6’11” Forward (2026)
AZ Compass Prep

Miikka Muurinen brings imposing size and length to help put a lid on the rim, when he wants to.

Mikka struggled with physicality at times in this tournament, though, getting outworked on the glass, in the post, losing the big man battle to smaller opponents.

Made a midrange jumper, threw down a powerful jam, fought for the putback in traffic, using his height and length to effectively stay straight up for stops on the defensive end against Windermere.

Against Sagemont, the flashes for Miikka impressed – a loud putback slam, a swat heard ‘round the world, blocking a 3pt shot, a nice closeout-attacking drive and hook dump off pass to the cutter.

#2 Jeremiah Green
6’3″ Guard (2025)
AZ Compass Prep

Jeremiah Green proved to be an excellent connective hub running point for AZ Compass, constantly looking to set up teammates for the open shot first, scoring when needed second, and hitting open 3pt catch-and-shoot jumpers that came his way.

Using that 3pt gravity, he’d pumpfake and attack the closeout for the drive and kick, showing good all-around connector tendencies throughout the game against Sagemont, putting up 13 PTS on 3/4 3P with 5 REB 1 STL an a wild 9 AST / 0 TO ratio.

Against Calvary Christian, Green made a few highlight plays: drilling a pull-up three, answer Shon’s big dunk with a big dunk of his own, looking for outlet hit-ahead passes to push the pace.

#13 Jaden Vance
6’6″ Guard/Forward (2025)
AZ Compass Prep

Jaden Vance showed smooth scoring touch and tough pull-up jumper, good defensive insincts with a mean helpside block, sound off-ball movement instincts for a baseline cut and jam.

Against Windermere, Vance got up for the highlight alley oop slam and drew a foul with relentless drives to the rack.

Vance scored efficiently from all over the court against Sagemont, posting 16 PTS on 6/11 FG and 3/4 3P with 4 REB, 1 BLK, and a 3 AST / 1 TO ratio.

Jaden Vance on what he prides his game on:

I mean my defense, you know what I’m saying, always consistent you feel me? My whole life consistent. You feel me?

Jaden Vance on his current skill development:

I mean, it’s all mental in the game. I mean, you got to stay locked in with your mental, so you can stay on your stuff. You can’t always get off track and get in your head.

Jaden Vance on any players who may have inspired his game or who he’s taken a move from:

I like to watch Shai, JDub, you know what I’m saying? We have similar play-styles. So, I always study his game a lot.

#23 Noah George
6’4″ Guard (2025)
Cia Bella Vista

Tough shot maker, off-ball mover, bump-and-finish driver

Drills contested, midrange fadeaway, hits C&S three, cuts through lane against Riviera Prep.

Drew a foul on Allen, keeps the ball moving looking for teammates against MVA.

#2 KJ Francis
6’4″ Guard (2026)
Calvary Christian

Patient driving transition, good footwork and finishing.

Pesky defense.

In the 3rd place win over Utah Prep, KJ Francis chipped in 10 PTS on 4/7 FG with 8 REB, 1 STL, and a 1 AST / 1 TO ratio.

Francis pulled up for two midrange jumpers, stayed ready for the OREB putback, and played hard defense, even trapping Dybantsa for a forced turnover alongside Shon Abaev.

#24 Nicholas Randall
6’10” Forward/Center (2025)
AZ Compass Prep

Nicholas Randall was playing physical down low when his team needed a burst of energy and physicality, moving his feet on perimeter defense, playing strong off the bench in a pinch.

Randall piled in a quick 8 PTS on 4/5 FG in 11 MIN against Sagemont.

Randall continued to bring physicality when given the opportunity against Windermere, fighting through contact for a tough finish on the putback in the paint.

Nicholas Randall on what he prides his game on:

What do I pride my game on? Just being a great teammate. I take a lot of pride in defense though. I’ve learned to get me where I want to go in life, I just gotta play a lot, I gotta play hard defense, be a leader, be coachable. But just staying in in the gym working on my game every day.

Nicholas Randall on his current skill development

Me right now I’m just trying to tune a little bit of everything so I can just stay good at everything for real because I think that’s what I’m gonna need at the next level.

Nicholas Randall on any players that inspired his game:

I like to watch Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Ingram, Jayson Tatum, people like that.

#23 Ezra Gelin
6’2″ Guard (2028)
Sagemont Prep

#1-rated defender in the tournament (111 DSI) and a connective passer.

Jumps a pass for a steal against Riviera Prep, another example of anticipation, timing, and defensive instincts.

Another nice steal timing jump passing lane defensive instincts against Utah Prep.

#30 Noah Francois
5’11” Guard (2027)
Sagemont Prep

One the better D&3 players in the tournament, rating 73 3PE and 81 DSI.

Nice drive and kick decision making feel shown on a kickout to Liburd for the C&S 3pt assist against Utah Prep.

#10 Peter Okechukwu
6’8″ Forward/Center (2025)
Riviera Prep

Peter Okechukwu brought the energy and racked up the hustle stats – fights in traffic for a tough putback, makes winning play forcing jump ball, grabs 6 boards in 15 min off the bench and gets a shooter’s bounce on a midrange catch-and-shoot jumper foor good measure against CIA Bella Vista.

#23 Laron Mack Jr.
6’7″ Guard/Forward (2028)
Riviera Prep

Laron Mack Jr. took over the scoring load against Windermere, putting up 24 PTS on 13 shots (8/9 2P – 2/4 3P – 2/2 FT) with 8 REB, 1 BLK, and 3 TO

#2 Dhani Miller
6’3″ Guard (2026)
Montverde Academy

Dhani Miller offers an all-around skillset as a guard who can splash threes, make connector passes, and bring two-way feel to the game as a decsion-maker and defensive disruptor

Miller added 7 PTS with 7 REB, 2 3PM, 2 REB, 2 STL, and a 3 AST / 0 TO ratio in the opener against Windermere.

Dhani draw fouls by playing strong in the pain, showed off the 3pt shooting touch by splashing a C&S three, and stays attacking downhill in transition and off turnovers.

#3 King Gibson
6’5″ Guard (2027)
Montverde Academy

Clean shooter off the catch and the pull

Point guard instincts looking for open teammates, finds Greer with the alley-oop lob pass.

Hustles hard, diving on the floor for a loose ball, racking up deflections, even blocking Miles Sadler on the would-be game-tying shot at the buzzer.

#13 Hakeem Weems
6’10” Forward/Center (2025)
Montverde Academy

Tall, wiry frame

Soft touch finish in the paint

Plays strong protecting the rim

Active on the glass fighting for rebounds in traffic.

Weems threw down the highlight hammer alley-oop dagger with under 10 seconds to play to secure the 4pt lead over CIA Bella Vista in the 2025 MAIT title game.

#21 Kayden Allen
6’6″ Guard (2026)
Montverde Academy

Tough shotmaker with a go-to middy pull-up

Smooth shooting stroke, high release point on jump shot

Connective passer, swings to open man

Kayden Allen on his shooting touch and natural fadeaway shot release:

I do work on it, but I would say that’s a God-given gift, for sure. I’ve always had it, but I still continue to work on it and try to perfect it. And just my mechanics, holding my follow through and stuff.

Kayden Allen on his Development goals:

I’ll probably say my handles, for sure, I want to get a tighter handle, become more of a combo guard, just in case I need to be the one at moments.

And I’d say probably on-ball defense, like really looking at they waist, being in spots, and being able to move lateral.

Kayden Allen on any former players who inspired his game:

I’d probably say DBook because of his fluidity. Like, just getting to certain spots and if you’re ISOing within a certain amount of dribbles. So I’ll probably say DBook.

Dante Allen on Kayden’s game:

Kayden, just overall on offense, just all around a really, really talented player.

And a guy who, if he’s coming off the bench or starting, he’s always coming in looking to leave an impact.

#3 Aliou Dioum
6’11” Forward/Center (2026)
Cia Bella Vista

Great length, wiry athlete, quick feet

Defends on ball well, contests shots, uses length effectively.

Raw offensively, probably needs more game reps to gain confidence to play stronger with the ball in his hands.

Defends Dybansta well at times, here not falling for any tricks, staying straight up on the contest on the drive.

#6 Lucas Toukam
6’8″ Forward (2026)
Cia Bella Vista

Great defensive instincts to force turnovers

Mean chasedown block sprint back from way behind

One of the biggest plays of the 3rd place game against Utah Prep was 6’7″ Forward #0 Draydne McDaniel (Calvary Christian) flying in for a third chance offensive rebound putback with under 2min to play to extend the lead back to six.

Windermere Prep

#12 Isaiah Gillard (6’2″ Guard, 2026) is comfortable getting to his spots and hitting shots in the midrange, keeping his hands active for deflections.

#11 Malachi Martis (6’6″ Guard/Forward, 2025) chipped in 11 PTS on 5/9 FG vs MVA, and 10 PTS on 5/11 FG and 2 deflections vs Riviera.

#23 Samuel Shoptaw (6’2″ Guard, 2025) is not afraid to light it up, drops 3 3PM vs AZ Compass, 1 3PM vs Riviera.

Interviews & Quotes

Below are my full interviews with 13 players and 1 player’s father from the 2025 Montverde Invitational:

Dante Allen, Shon Abaev, Matt Able, Kevin Thomas, Davis Fogle, Myles Fuentes, Mason Fuentes, JJ Mandaquit, Anthony Felesi, Kayden Allen, Kalek House, Jaden Vance, Nicholas Randall, and AJ Dybantsa’s dad, Ace.

My interview with Dante Allen of Montverde Academy

RK – How’s your development going now that you’re playing at Montverde?

Dante Allen – With Montverde, I’ve been able to develop a lot, but I think the one thing that they’ve been really good about is noticing the strengths that I came with before and making sure that those are things that I maintain, not trying to work on things and stray away from the things I was good at before.

So definitely improving shooting, being a better ball handler, a better guard per se. But also like getting to the basket, pushing the pace, like those things, not getting away from those things or making sure that those are a key part of my game that I still keep around.

RK – Are there any different skills that you hope to continue developing, say over the next year or so as the college process comes around?

Dante Allen – Yeah, I would just say my patience and just kind of having a better feel for the game, especially when it’s more fast paced.

Being able to just kind of slow things down, being able to read the defense, being able to read my teammates, and just overall be able to make better plays for myself or others in any kind of situation that I may have not been able to before.

RK – I interviewed the Riviera brothers, your former teammates at Riviera Prep, about their games, experience with Puerto Rico national team, and playing with you. what was it like playing together, how would you describe them off the court as well?

Dante Allen – Playing with them is a luxury that a lot of people don’t have.

You got Mason, who’s a high-level playmaker, who’s also a good scorer, so you know he can get his, but also you know he can create for a lot of people, which is a lot of help for a lot of guys to get some easier ones. You don’t have to do a lot with the ball to be able to play off him.

Miles is another really high skilled guy, very tough on the defensive end, who can guard, you know, can pick anybody up on the ball. On offensive end, a really talented scorer. You know what I mean? Every team’s got to be on the look out for, definitely somebody who you have to send your best or at the very least your second best defender out for.

Both two guys, they’re both tough, too. Like, both not guys who can just be punked, both guys who are tough, who want to win, and overall, two guys as I said before, I’m very lucky to play with. Definitely guys we wouldn’t be able to win two state championships, played a lot of big games, win a lot of big games without.

And then off the court, just two guys you just love being around. They don’t take themselves too seriously, funny, and overall just two guys who like, I just always enjoyed being around. It was really good catching up with them too at the MAIT, you talk about some sports, but just to be able to catch up as friends a little bit, too.

RK – Speaking of the 2025 Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament, you won the MVP of the whole thing. And you mentioned back at the 2024 NBPA Top-100 camp that what excited you most about the transfer was just the chance to play against the best high school competition there is to offer. What are you most proud of from this season winning that MVP? And do you feel like you’ve gotten to prove what you can do against the best that are on this level?

Dante Allen – Yeah, I think it has definitely, so far this season has has its ups, had a couple of downs, but I think so far, yeah.

I mean, every game is obviously something big, another few games being able to play at home. Being able to play in those last two games, like two close competitive, tough, grind out wins and be highly recognized for it feels great. There’s a good accomplishment to kind of have going forward. getting into another tough part of the season.

Overall on the season, look at the standings, definitely above 80, 90% of the top-15 teams in the country we played against. Win or loss, been in a close game with those teams, and I think in a lot of them I’ve been able to show the things I’m good at and also some of the things that I’ve improved on as well.

RK – Yeah, a whole lot of competition there. In terms of the games, it’s always your defensive instincts that stand out to me; no matter what context you’re playing in, whether it was with Riviera or at Top-100 Camp or now with Montverde, that always jumps out. I think you had like three steals in the first five minutes, and almost a fourth, in the first game of the tournament against Windermere Prep. Just lighting them up with a whole lot of catch-and-shoot threes. I think you’ve shown a lot of development in your on-ball game as well like pick and roll development. How do you feel about your pick and roll development initiating everything as opposed to what you bring off the ball as a play-finisher and a shooter?

Dante Allen – One thing definitely from Riviera that I was able to grow at was in the pick-and-roll, something we did a lot. I think coming here (Montverde) definitely shows me how to play against different kinds of defenses, being able to score a little bit better, being able to like to read the defense, how they’re playing, being able to see what my teammates are doing also.

It’s definitely been something that I’ve been comfortable with for a little bit, definitely a strength. But I think when you go to Montverde, you’re playing against bigger teams, better teams, teams that are more well prepared for it. It’s definitely something that I had to get better against.

Overall, the steals, if it can lead to open transition, lead to easier buckets, that’s always something that I’m trying to do. And also, you can gain some good momentum, to just get the stop on defense and then be able to get an easy bucket on the other end for our team.

RK – Yeah, no doubt, those 4pt swings are big momentum shifts, those are big plays that can define a game, and you definitely make plenty of them. So how would you describe your mindset, your approach preparing for the game, or your mentality that you bring to the game?

Dante Allen – My first goal always is definitely win and try to impact that in multiple ways.

For me, it starts on defense, like definitely make an impact there, because that definitely earns a lot of trust from my coaches as someone who needs to be out there.

Now, offense, being able to facilitate for others, something I think I’ve been able to do better. And if that time comes, be able to get a couple points for myself also. And even if the offense struggles sometimes, if I can make my presence known on defense, then it makes it tougher for coaches to sub me out. So I think that’s definitely something I try to emphasize if I want to be able to make an impact throughout the whole game for my team.

RK – On your team, I won’t ask you to describe every teammate, but tell me about Kayden Allen, CJ Ingram, Trent Sisley, some high impact guys for your team. How would you describe them off the court just as people and teammates?

Dante Allen – Yeah, teammates, definitely growing up with some of them. CJ got here later, but I think we’ve been able to establish a really good off the court bond, you know, like staying up at school, being around each other a lot, being able to kind of develop a bond, and I think that actually has helped a lot on the court, I think we trust each other a lot more, nobody’s holding a grudge or anything against anybody else. So everybody enjoys being with everybody off the court.

And then when that gets to on the court, you kind of learn what they’re best at:

Trent like, maybe an undersized big who can step out and shoot the three really well. You know he’s there somewhere looking for his shot too.

CJ a guy getting downhill, he’s going to attract a lot of attention, so if he’s not getting down there scoring, then he’s someone who can also get a lot of guys open.

then Kayden, just overall on offense, just all around a really, really talented player. And a guy who, if he’s coming off the bench or starting, he’s always coming in looking to leave an impact.

So it’s like kind of things you’re able to pick up a little bit and be able to understand guys better because we’ve definitely gotten closer as the time and as the season has gone on.

RK – All interesting talents. Trent Sisley makes a lot of winning plays. On the Cerebro Sports data viz I made of the Montverde events, you and Sisley rank very highly in basically every category, Kayden highly on some as well. What about Hudson Greer, what’s he like as a teammate off the court?

Dante Allen – Hudson? Hudson’s a great person. Goofy, but just overall a good person. Somebody who’s always positive, like rarely will you ever see him with a frown on his face, just somebody who you just always want around you. Then that’s something that definitely translates, somebody who you really enjoy being with off the court to somebody who you really enjoy being on the court. So Hudson’s like definitely up there with the guys who you just like always want around you, especially just the kind of way he carries himself.

RK – Is there anything that really interests you outside of basketball? Whether it’s just hanging out with friends or you’re doing stuff with family or hobbies or even a subject in school that you like to focus on?

Dante Allen – Yeah, off the court, you know, us being at school, us teammates definitely like hanging out with each other as much as we can. Hop on the Xbox and PS5 sometimes you know when there’s not much to do.

And also, up at school (Montverde), we got a lot of other good sports teams up there. So sometimes being able to just get out the room, go and support like some other friends from school in other sports is also something that a lot of us really enjoy doing when where up there.

RK – Yeah, always good to support. What games are you all playing? Some 2K?

Dante Allen – Yeah, some (NBA) 2K sometimes, college football, maybe a little bit of Fortnite, Call of Duty, stuff like that. Everybody has the stuff they’re good at, everybody has the stuff they need to work at too. It’s good, there’s always something to do, even if some people on the outside may not feel like it sometimes.

My interview with Shon Abaev of Calvary Christian Academy

RK – So I caught your game at 2024 NBPA Top-100 Camp last year. Congrats on the big dub there, your team was loaded. Super cool to see you do your thing, really impressed by your point forward skills, with that size and that skill, just creating offense, the smooth pull-up jumper. What have you been working on since then?

Shon Abaev – Just polishing my game. Just trying to play with less dribbles. Just being able to play with more pace and stuff like that. Just keep working on my shot. That’s what I do best.

RK – So congrats as well on the Cincinnati decision. What went into that final decision through the recruitment process?

Shon Abaev – I just felt like it was the best fit for me to achieve my goal, which is go to the NBA after one year.

RK – And I got one other congrats for you, McDonald’s All-American! Big time. You’re projected top 25, top 30 on all these rankings. How does it feel to kind of get that recognition for all the work you put in?

Shon Abaev – You know, it was a blessing. It’s a dream come true to be on McDonald’s All-American. It’s a goal I had since I was a little kid. When I found out that I had achieved it, it made me happy, it made me feel like all my work that I put in is showing. I’m not doing it for nothing. I’m doing it for my family. All the sacrifice they put for me is paying off. So, happy for it.

RK – Absolutely, happy for you as well. So, how would you describe your game, your mentality? What approach do you bring to the game?

Shon Abaev – You know, just trying to win every game. Everybody in the country know I can score, so I don’t try to force my spots anymore, I let it come to me. I do what my team needs me to do to win the game. So at the end of the day, if my team wins, we all happy. So, that’s all I want. And at the end of the day, my team is undefeated, our Calvary team’s undefeated, so I’m trying to keep it like that for the rest of the year. Go undefeated for the whole year and win the state championship and hopefully win Geico’s as well.

RK – Off the court, any sort of hobbies you like to do for fun? What interests you off the court?

Shon Abaev – Just being around my family, hanging with my friends. Not too crazy. I don’t like to do certain things, because I don’t try to get distracted from my main goal. So, you know, just have fun with my friends, have fun with my family. My siblings, my little sister, my older brother. So just doing stuff like that. Not too crazy.

My interview with Matt Able of Sagemont Prep

RK – How you doing today Matt?

Matt Able – I’m good. Tough loss, but you know, it was a pretty good game.

RK – No doubt! You’re showing incredible shooting touch to me, and I’m sure everyone that watches you play, I think you just dropped 27 points. You were hitting some crazy pull-up threes, some turnaround fadeaways, just incredible shooting touch, is that what you pride yourself on with your game?

Matt Able – I think that’s the most developed part of my game, for sure, I think I’m an elite shooter. I pride myself on being able to shoot, but I would also say defensively and I think I’m trying to start rebounding a lot more. That was a weakness I had, and I’m starting to change that, you know just become a way better rebounder.

RK – And on that point, are there any skills that you’re hoping to really focus on in practice and develop over the next year, what those might be?

Matt Able – Yeah, I would definitely say rebounding is something that I’ve been working on, I’ve gotten better, but it still needs to get more improved.

And then I’d also say probably just playmaking in terms of pick-and-roll reads, sometimes I get a little sped up and rushed in the pick-and-roll, so just being calm and making the right read in the pick-and-roll is a big thing for me as well.

RK – Are there any players, current or former, that might inspire your game a little bit, or that you might steal a move from here and there?

Matt Able – I wouldn’t say there’s a specific player that inspires me. I have some favorites, like I love watching Donovan Mitchell play, I love watching Anthony Edwards play, those are two of my favorite players just to watch, so I wouldn’t say I inspire my game after them, but I definitely watch and take certain things from their game.

RK – Absolutely. What’s Kevin Thomas like off the court as a teammate?

Matt Able – Oh, man, he’s funny, that’s my guy right there. He’s hilarious, really good dude. I think we have really good chemistry, as a team and me and him, I think we gel pretty well. I think he has a lot more potential that he can untap, because he’s only a junior, so I think the sky’s the limit for him, he’s gonna be great.

RK – Are there any off the court interests or hobbies that you like to do with your free time?

Matt Able – Yeah, I would probably say I play a lot of video games. I’m on NCAA a lot, that’s my main game; I play some Fortnite here and there

My interview with Kevin Thomas of Sagemont Prep

RK – How you doing today Kevin?

Kevin Thomas – I’m doing good. How are you?

RK – Doing well. Good games out there. You played hard. That dunk yesterday though, that through-the-legs dunk you just hammer home, what that feel like throwing that down? You do that often in a game?

Kevin Thomas – Yeah, when I have a chance to, I do it a lot. So coach give me the green light because he know I’m consistent with it.

RK – So what do you pride yourself on? How do you see your game and your style of play out there?

Kevin Thomas – I get a lot of open shots because my teammates set me up for it and I’m starting to attack way more and my defense is getting way better throughout the season.

RK – What have you been focused on with your development? What skills are you looking to continue to improve going forward?

Kevin Thomas – Definitely improving on my craft and my perimeter defense and my aggressiveness getting to the paint.

RK – Your teammates with Matt Able as well, what’s he like off the court as a teammate?

Kevin Thomas – Oh he’s a great teammate. He’s really funny. He keeps us motivated every time on and off the court.

RK – You going through any recruitment talks yet, you’re thinking anywhere, what’s going to play into those factors ultimately?

Kevin Thomas – Well the few colleges I’ve been keeping in touch with lately has been BYU, Tennessee, and SMU.

RK – What interests you off the court? What kind of hobbies or interests might you have that you like to do with your free time?

Kevin Thomas – I like to hang out with my friends. I like to eat, just chill.

My interview with Davis Fogle of AZ Compass Prep

RK – Great game out there today. I caught your game at 2024 NBPA Top-100 Camp, me and a lot of scouts and media out there were really impressed by your hustle and your effort, you were one of the standout players. So I wanted to give you a shout for that. How was that experience like and what have you kind of been working on developing skill wise since then?

Davis Fogle – Yeah well, I appreciate that, thank you. Yeah I mean, kind of since then just really been working on my strength. Then also kinda just like playing off two feet in the paint, and just being able to impact the game from everywhere, not just scoring the ball, but being able to make everyone around me better.

And on the defensive side, just be able to guard multiple positions, and then rebound both offensively and defensively, along with like still keeping my aggressiveness on the offense end.

RK – Absolutely. What kind of position do you consider yourself? What do you consider the strengths in your game, whether it’s more of a point forward or how do you see your game?

Davis Fogle – Yeah I mean, with my high school team right now, we kind of go a little small, so I’m kind of playing like the three/four, but in reality I’m like a two, and I can play the one. I feel like I’m a combo guard. I think my passing is pretty underrated. But yeah, I think I’m definitely a combo guard that can score and then also get his teammates involved.

RK – Yeah, at the camp especially I remember you getting downhill, showing some crafty moves, and then being able to dump off and find the open man moving, so that definitely stands out. So you’re off to Gonzaga next, what went into that decision?

Davis Fogle – When they recruited me, obviously you hear about Gonzaga, especially me being from the state, like it’s a very good program, very good coach, Coach Few.

I mean I was obviously interested in a lot of other schools, and then when I just went on my visit, when I saw the guys and the culture they had with their whole program, the community in Spokane, and then also just the plan they had for me, I mean they really laid it out. They’ve shown guys like me at my position, how they’ve developed over the years, then they’ve shown me that those guys have made it to the league and they’ve been successful. So I just thought it was the perfect fit and I decided that’s where I want to go.

RK – Are there any players that you are inspired by, or maybe you model your game after; it could be even one player, one skill from a guy, former players, legends, or current guys in the league today?

Davis Fogle – Yeah I mean obviously I love Kobe, just his work ethic and his will to win and then right now, I like Devin Booker a lot. Then also obviously there’s some guys that don’t play my position, but like Curry, I love Curry, just his feel for the game, and also a young guy I like is Jalen Green too, feel like he’s pretty underrated.

RK – Off the court, what might interest you off the court, what are some of your favorite hobbies?

Davis Fogle – Yeah, just hanging out with friends. Last summer, me and my friends we played a lot of pickleball, so I got pretty good at that with one of my close friends.

My interview with the Fuentes brothers, Myles and Mason, of Riviera Prep

RK – How y’all doing today? Great game out there. So what was the experience like with the Puerto Rican national team and kind of getting some development reps there?

Myles Fuentes – Doing great. Doing well. I mean, it was a big difference from regular high school basketball or any travel basketball we’ve ever played because we’re playing against different countries, and like the style of basketball is way more physical, you don’t get as much calls, and also playing with the FIBA ball is much different. But it was a great opportunity to play for our country and represent them.

Mason Fuentes – Yeah, first and foremost, not many people get this opportunity, so we don’t take it for granted. Like he said, playing against these different countries, it’s a different type of basketball. So to have both sides, the American basketball and then now you’re overseas playing with a FIBA ball. So it’s just good to know both ways how to play.

RK – Yeah, different style of play, different rules, the ball itself. That’s a lot of factors, but I’m sure that helped your development in general. So, how would you guys describe each other as teammates on the court and then obviously just as brothers off the court?

Mason Fuentes – I mean, on the court, we’ve been playing with each other our whole life. So our chemistry is second to none. Like we have little signals on the court, like when to back door, when to ghost the screen. So it’s just, the chemistry’s on a thousand.

Myles Fuentes – Pretty much what he said, he always knows when to find me, when to throw a lob of me. Like the little signals he said, he knows when I need a back door, when I need to get a bucket, or if I have a mismatch, he’ll hit me. It’s just like that brother chemistry.

Mason Fuentes – And that off the court stuff, everything we do is together, we’re one year apart. If I’m going here, he’s going there. If I’m working out, he’s working out with me. So it’s just that Brotherly love.

RK – Yeah, kinda sounds like me and my brother back in the day, We called it The Kaminski Show, we were running handoffs before we even knew what a DHO was, that brother telepathy, just when to cut and all that. I’m sure it’s fun getting to play with each other. Saw you guys talking to Dante (Allen) a second ago, what was it like playing with him? What’s he like as a teammate off the court?

Mason Fuentes – I mean his motor was second to none. Obviously, we won a state championship out of it, two actually. The chemistry was good. Us three on the court were probably the hardest defensive team out there. No one plays harder than all of us. So, I mean, it worked.

Myles Fuentes – For sure, pretty much what he said. You know he’s a great person on the court and off the court. And you know playing with him he’s even better. He does pretty much almost everything on the court. When he draws two, since he’s such a noticed player on the court, when he draws two and hits you, he makes the game easy for everyone. So it was great playing with him, and sadly he came here, but you know.

RK – So how would you describe your own approach to the game and what kind of development skills are you focusing on to really fine tune your game?

Myles Fuentes – The thing I’m focusing on most is more consistent shooting. But I always take pride in my defense, always. So that’s the first thing I always take pride in. Just working hard and keeping my shot as consistent as possible.

Mason Fuentes – I’m a competitor, man. Mainly, I just want to win. I don’t care how I do it, or what’s done in it. Like if we win and I have 2 points, 20 assists, I’m happy, I’m excited with the team, I’m a pass-first point guard. That’s my job to get everyone involved, and then eventually, my time’s gonna come to get mine, so I just win at all costs.

My interview with Anthony Felesi and JJ Mandaquit of Utah Prep

RK – Great game yesterday. Wanted to ask you guys about your development a little bit. So, Anthony, what kind of skills are you working on these days to continue developing your game?

Anthony Felesi – I think mostly my outside game, really extending my range, trying to get that three pointer down.

RK – Yeah, I enjoy watching your touch near the rim, the shooting touch, and you as well (JJ) with the floater game, the mid range game, pushing the pace, really seem to control pushing that pace, what do you take pride on when you’re out there playing JJ?

JJ Mandaquit – Yeah, I mean, the same things that you just said – just pushing the pace, being able to control it – but even more than that, just the little things on the other side of the court. Just working on trying to pick up people, just really push myself on the defensive end, be more involved off the ball, and just working on those little things.

RK – Off the court, how would you describe each other as teammates and people, what’s it like playing together?

Anthony Felesi – I think it’s amazing, I think our bond is really good, all of us are brothers, so I think it’s a really strong bond together.

JJ Mandaquit – Yeah it’s a lot of fun, I mean, we do everything together. We spend almost too much time together with all this travel and everything, but it’s fun, you know these memories are going to last forever.

RK – You have any hobbies or interests outside of basketball when you’re off the court?

Anthony Felesi – I like to play pool. I’m not really good, but I like to play it.

JJ Mandaquit – I like playing cards. I’ve been playing a lot of a card game called ‘Trumps’ recently.

My interview with Kayden Allen of Montverde Academy

RK – How you doing today, Kayden? You excited for the game tonight?

Kayden Allen – I’m doing good. Yeah, I’m excited. I feel like it’s going to be a good crowd and a good environment since we’re playing close quarters here.

RK – I caught your game at the Sunshine Classic about a month ago, really love your game – the pull-ups, the mid-range touch, incredible shooting touch and that little fade you got on like every shot is too smooth with it. Is that something that comes natural to you or you work on that a lot?

Kayden Allen – I do work on it, but I would say that’s a God-given gift, for sure. I’ve always had it, but I still continue to work on it and try to perfect it. And just my mechanics, holding my follow through and stuff.

RK – And beyond your shot, what else have you been working on these days? What are your developmental goals with your skills at this point?

Kayden Allen – I’ll probably say my handles, for sure, I want to get a tighter handle, become more of a combo guard, just in case I need to be the one at moments. And I’d say probably on-ball defense, like really looking at they waist, being in spots, and being able to move lateral.

RK – Are there any players that you look up to that might have inspired parts of your game? Could be a former or current pros or legends? Anybody that you try to steal a move from here and there?

Kayden Allen – I’d probably say DBook because of his fluidity. Like, just getting to certain spots and if you’re ISOing within a certain amount of dribbles. So I’ll probably say DBook.

RK – So how’s the recruitment process going for you? Who have you been talking to and what’s going to go into that decision?

Kayden Allen – I’ve been talking to a good amount of coaches. I haven’t came down to a certain list yet. But like, one’s most in touch are like Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia… Auburn, Georgia Tech. So I haven’t cut it down yet. I’m going to focus on that this summer.

RK – Off the court, do you have any interest or hobbies like playing video games with friends or spending time with family, anything really that catches your interest?

Kayden Allen – Yeah, I like listening to music a lot. Just spending time with my friends competing on (NBA) 2K.

RK – What’s your team or your player go-to on (NBA) 2K?

Kayden Allen – DBook, or Shai

My interview with Kalek House, Jaden Vance, Nicholas Randall of AZ Compass Prep

RK – So, tough first game, but you guys bounced back with back-to-back wins, you took it to them. Did any other players impress you this weekend?

The Group – The guy we just played against, Matt Able. Yeah he was smooth. Just had about 27. Yeah I tip my hat off to him. He’s nice though. Shon Abaev, he’s nice too. Brandon Bass, he’s nice. Just nice going against top players in the country.

RK – So, Kalek, what’s it like being Eddie House’s son, first of all?
Kalek House – It’s regular. Yeah he’s regular.

RK – So what kind of skills are you working on, hoping to continue your development?
Kalek House – Just my shot and like my handle, I need to get my handle right. I’ma be valid, I’ll be smooth.

RK – So what do you guys like to do off the court? Any hobbies or interests like that?
Kalek House – We just be chilling, team bonding, stuff like that, to get closer.

RK – What’s Jaden Vance like as a teammate?
Kalek House – Good, good teammate. He’s been improving recently, you know came in mid-season, so he’s been adapting well.

RK – Are there any former or current players that kind of inspire your game or you try to model your game after, steal a few moves from?
Kalek House – Jrue Holliday, he’s a good defender, he plays the point guard. I’m playing point guard next year more, like he just facilitates really well, he can shoot the ball. I just want to be like him.

RK – What do you pride your game on, Jaden?
Jaden Vance – I mean my defense, you know what I’m saying, always consistent you feel me? My whole life consistent. You feel me?

RK – What kind of skills are you working on these days to continue your development?
Jaden Vance – I mean, it’s all mental in the game. I mean, you got to stay locked in with your mental, so you can stay on your stuff. You can’t always get off track and get in your head.

RK – What’s Kalek House like off the court, as a teammate and as a person?
Jaden Vance – He’s a great teammate, you know what I’m saying? Always joking around. Always boosting up his teammates.

RK – Are there any former or current players that kind of inspire your game or you try to model your game after, steal a few moves from?

Jaden Vance – I mean I like to watch Shai, JDub, you know what I’m saying? We have similar play-styles. So, I always study his game a lot. So, it’s cool.

RK – What do you pride your game on, Nicholas?

Nicholas Randall – What do I pride my game on? Just being a great teammate. I take a lot of pride in defense though. I’ve learned to get me where I want to go in life, I just gotta play a lot, I gotta play hard defense, be a leader, be coachable. But just staying in in the gym working on my game every day.

RK – Any skills in particular you’re working on to really help you improve your development?

Nicholas Randall – Me right now I’m just trying to tune a little bit of everything so I can just stay good at everything for real because I think that’s what I’m gonna need at the next level.

RK – What’s Kalek like off the court, as a teammate and as a person?
Nicholas Randall – He’s never in his feelings. Never gets mad.

RK – Are there any former or current players that kind of inspire your game or you try to model your game after, steal a few moves from?
Nicholas Randall – I like to watch Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Ingram, Jayson Tatum, people like that.

Interviewing AJ Dybantsa’s father, Ace.

RK – So I caught on one of your interviews that you might have interest in maybe the Spurs or the Suns or the Magic as some teams that could interest you and your family and your son to play for. So what draws you to Orlando?

Ace Dybantsa – That’s AJ’s opinion — he’s full of sh*t because he doesn’t know how it works (chuckles). He’s gonna go wherever the ping pong balls tell him to go.

RK – So growing up, did you have any specific developmental goals for your son as a basketball player, or was it more just about letting him loose, letting him have fun, and learn as he plays?

Ace Dybantsa – My goal was for all my kids, be great in sports, get a scholarship so Daddy don’t have to pay for school. That was my goal.

RK – How would you describe your son off the court as a teammate, as a person?

Ace Dybantsa – Very humble kid, just a regular teenager, 18 yesterday. You know kids, everyday kid, likes to play with his friends. Other than that, I mean, he’s a pretty boring kid because all he does is watch basketball, play basketball, and books.

RK – On the court, what kind of mentality and development goals does he have as a basketball player? What’s he working on these days in practice and what specific skills, if you’re aware of any specific skills, that he’s working on the most?

Ace Dybantsa – Grab more rebounds, he’ll be alright!

RK – Lastly, what led to the BYU decision? That’s a really great program. They’re getting better every year, got big prospects. What drew you and your family to BYU?

Ace Dybantsa – Coaches, KY (Kevin Young), made a difference.

The post 2025 Montverde Invitational Scouting Report appeared first on Swish Theory.

This new approach has been interpreted by many as an abandonment of the high school athlete, it’s as though college programs are openly saying, “why recruit an 18-year-old unknown when there are reliable veterans available?” And while some teams may subscribe to this thinking, in reality, it’s a deeply flawed approach and ultimately the wrong takeaway from this era of college basketball. The two most recent national champions, for example, both featured relatively unheralded freshmen in Thomas Haugh from Florida and Alex Karaban at UConn, both of whom made significant contributions to their title efforts.

Both teams recognized the futility in basing their recruiting strategy on the number of stars a player had next to their name. With the level of roster churn in college basketball, finding freshmen who could fit their system and adapt to whatever shape the roster takes year over year was the winning formula in today’s age. With this in mind, I made it my goal to write about players who stood out not solely because of their tantalizing upside, but because of their proven ability to contribute to winning. By analyzing stats and film from the three major grassroots circuits, here are 6 players I believe have the biggest standouts of the grassroots season so far.

Class of 2026

Anyone familiar with my writing probably understands that a good deal of my evaluations heavily feature statistical analysis, which leads to higher quality work but probably doesn’t make for the most riveting reads. In the interest of engaging the reader, I present the table below. For context, 4 of 5 players below were one-and-done bigs, and one is a big man in this current class – based on these statistical profiles, which player would you prefer?

Now for the reveal: players B-E were all top 20 picks after their freshman years, and player A is 7’0″ Guinean center Arafan Diane.

Arafan Diane: A Modern Throwback

Rankings (As of 7/10/25)

• ESPN: 34
• ON3: 22
• 247: 15

Arafan Diane is comfortably the highest-rated player included in this article and has been one of the biggest risers in the 2026 class this summer. Diane first caught my attention playing for the Guinean team during the 2024 U17 World Cup; his combination of size, strength, and soft touch set him apart from other bigs at the event. Although Guinea were decisively beaten by Spain in the Round of 16, I’d designated Diane as a player to watch. For a big at that age, even demonstrating infrequent flashes of coordination is notable, and Diane displayed reliable touch around the basket and from the free-throw line, where he shot 73.8% on 42 attempts. Despite my optimism, I would not have predicted that this would be Diane’s worst outing over the next calendar year, and the World Cup would mark the beginning of Diane’s rapid ascension towards the top of the class.

Diane’s improvement across the board this year has been staggering. Arafan still doesn’t have the most expansive repertoire of post moves and he’s extremely reliant on getting to his right-hand, confining him to turning around over his outside shoulder on the right block and his inside shoulder on the left. But Diane’s ability to apply physicality and create finishing windows has grown immensely.

Take the clips below, for instance. About a year ago, if Diane didn’t receive an entry pass directly over the block, he’d have significant struggles backing his man down and elevating through contact. Diane was obviously still a BIG player at the time, but not necessarily the strongest.

Fast forward to roughly a year later. If Diane was denied a deep post-entry, he could make the catch in the short corner and back his man down into the basket. The patience with his footwork and balance on these attempts is a night-and-day difference.

I’d referenced the lack of counters currently available to Diane, but the few options Diane had shown an affinity towards have also gotten much sharper. On the right block, if Diane couldn’t get to a hook shot over his outside shoulder, he’d typically spin baseline. In the first possession of this clip, you can see how that move would typically lead to disaster, but by the end of Diane’s high school season he could spin baseline, process the help, and decelerate quickly enough to create a clean look at the rim.

In the second possession of that compilation, Iowa United ran ‘Flex‘ action, which was a staple of their playbook during both their prep and AAU seasons. Over the year, Diane grew comfortable making reads out of this play and generally recognizing help off his post-ups.

Maybe the most consequential development for Diane’s game has been his improved conditioning and the impact it has had on his mobility. Comparing the clip below exemplifies how much more dynamic Diane has become. From laboring in the to complete the press break in the first clip to confidently driving off the DHO keeper in the second clip.

Becoming better conditioned has provided Diane with a wealth of easy baskets from just running the floor. In the following play, Diane beats incoming SMU big man Jaden Toombs up the floor for an easy dunk, and Toombs is undoubtedly one of the best defenders in the country!

Continuing to work on his conditioning could put Diane in an incredibly rare class of big men. It may sound like hyperbole, but there simply have not been many players in the modern history of the NBA who possess Diane’s size and movement skills. This February at this year’s Basketball without Borders Camp, Diane measured in with a 9’4.5″ Standing Reach and weighed 313 pounds. Using Mark C’s Draft Combine App, I found all the players who had recorded similar numbers at the Combine and listed them below.

The fact that Diane is comfortably the youngest of these players and is still within striking distance athletically bodes well for his translation to the next level. But the department where Diane could stand to improve the most is definitely his lateral movement. Arafan’s limited backpedaling and change of direction are preventing him from being an impactful rim protector; correcting these issues and erasing reps like the plays below could be what separates him from the rest of the big men in the 2026 class.

Overall, though, I have little doubt Diane will walk into college as one of the best offensive bigs in the country. The aforementioned physical tools and touch give him such a strong foundation on this end. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Diane is shooting at a decent volume from the midrange or even from 3 by the time his freshman year comes around. Outside of his stellar free-throw shooting, Diane routinely hits these high-degree-of-difficulty touch shots…

…which is a common sign for latent shooting potential. However, even if the shooting doesn’t immediately materialize, the strides Diane has made in such a short time easily qualify him as one of the 10 best prospects in the 2026 class.

Colben Landrew: The Prototype

Rankings (As of 7/10/25)

• ESPN: 68
• 247: 62
• ON3: 71

When I think of national recruiting sites’ perception of Colben Landrew, the first and only word that comes to mind is ‘confusing.’ Before getting into the details of Colben Landrew’s game, if I were to tell you a player had posted these kinds of numbers…

…had just been named the player of the year in the highest classification in Georgia, all while standing 6’6 in shoes with a 6’11 wingspan, you would also probably find it hard to believe that consensus opinion amongst industry experts is that there are at least 60 players better than the player I had just outlined. But therein lies the rub with Colben Landrew, who, in my opinion,n is without a shadow of a doubt the most underrated player in the class of 2026.

The reasoning behind titling Landrew’s section ‘The Prototype’ is that, as it stands, I cannot think of a single team at any level who turns down a wing with Colben Landrew’s skillset. Per Cerebro Sports, Landrew has shot 39% from three (200 attempts) and 77% from the line (122 attempts) over the past two years. A sterling shooting resume for any high school player, never mind one of Landrew’s size.

But what’s especially enticing about Landrew’s game goes well beyond being a wing with shooting touch and defensive chops; Landrew’s game is much more in step with what is increasingly being demanded of wings, namely that they create their own shot.

Similar to the dynamic mentioned with Arafan Diane, Landrew’s high school (Wheeler) and AAU team (Game Elite) are not too dissimilar. In both settings, ’27 guard Kevin Savage, a fantastic player in his own right, runs the show, and Landrew is deployed more frequently as a forward than a guard. Instead of running a high volume of PNRs, the plays typically called for Landrew are ‘Pistol’ and variants of it, such as ‘Pistol Miami‘, both of which can be seen below.

Or Landrew will operate out of ‘Horns’ alignments where he’s adept both driving to the middle of the floor and making reads, or being the trigger man for sets from the elbow.

And while Landrew has been effective out of these playtypes and as a complementary offensive player in general, I think this utilization has somewhat masked, or at least muted, how high-level of a creator he is.

Of the 826 possessions Synergy has logged for Landrew, only 6% of them consist of PNR Possessions. Considering how gifted Landrew is as a ballhandler and driver, this is not a trend I expect to continue wherever his next stop may be.

What gives me confidence that Colben Landrew will become a featured ballhandler at the next level is how effective he already is creating without a screen. The lack of PNR reps in Landrew’s career to date has forced him to create against set defenses often, and even under these difficult circumstances, Landrew has routinely risen to the challenge. Although Landrew doesn’t have the most electric burst, he’s constantly changing speeds, is always the first to initiate contact on drives in order to keep his defender off-balance, and has the vision to find his teammates when he collapses the defense.

Unlike the majority of players his size, Landrew thrives navigating tight spaces, his ability to stop on a dime and create driving angles out of nothing is truly an outlier skill within the class.

Circling back to Landrew’s stat profile from the beginning of the section, his free-throw and dunk rates have surged this year in large part because of the advancements he’s made athletically and as a ballhandler. The aforementioned ability to decelerate in concert with the threat of Landrew’s pull-up jumper and his overwhelming strength as a ballhandler should see his foul-drawing translate in virtually any setting.

This skillset makes Landrew uniquely qualified to take on a much greater diet of ballscreen actions, and judging by the limited sample we do have available, he will handle this responsibility well.

Terrence Hayes Jr.: Utility Guard

Continuing with the theme of profiling players where the perception doesn’t match the production, there may not be a more underappreciated ’26 in the country than the 6’2 Gary, Indiana, native, Terrence Hayes Jr.

Rankings (as of 7/10/25)

• ESPN: N/A
• 247: N/A
• ON3: N/A

The fact that the buzz around Terrence Hayes Jr.’s recruitment hasn’t at all reflected his level of play this summer isn’t necessarily the biggest surprise. Hayes’ game is unique, and doesn’t exactly resemble what many evaluators associate with elite guard play. For Indiana Elite, Hayes’ backcourt partner Luke Ertel handles a lot of the traditional point guard duties, consensus 5-star wing Anthony Thompson demands his own touches (for good reason), and Hayes is asked to fill in the gaps.

For the majority of scouts and coaches who watched Indiana Elite, I’m assuming they saw a smaller player playing off the ball in a complementary role and immediately wrote him off. Conventional thought dictates that in order to play basketball at a high level, a guard needs to be proficient in the PNR, and any player incapable of running a high volume of ballscreens at the high-school level doesn’t deserve serious consideration. That line of reasoning is not only antiquated, but in Terrence Hayes’ case, extremely wrong! What makes Hayes a special player and the kind of guard who should be the MOST sought after is exactly what many probably see as his greatest weakness. That Hayes drastically impacts the game WITHOUT needing a heavy diet of ballscreens is exactly what makes him special

For starters, Terrance Hayes (#10 in the clips below) is an ELITE rebounder for his position; as I write this, he is averaging 2.4 offensive rebounds per game. Hayes’ timing, willingness to play through contact, and exceptional leaping separate him from the majority of guards on the glass.

Hayes’ activity on the glass helps mitigate any limitations he may have as a spacing threat at the moment. But when Hayes is placed on the ball, he utilizes a dynamic first step to get downhill — he’s especially effective rejecting ballscreens and consistently kills ICE coverages.

Even with Hayes’ inconsistencies as a shooter, he has no issues creating in the halfcourt when his drives are walled off. Shooting 45.6% (21/46) on non-rim 2s, Hayes has reliable scoring counters when he can’t get all the way to the rim.

Another grassroots scout described Hayes’ approach on the defensive end as ‘he plays with a mean streak’, and I don’t think there’s a more apt description for Hayes’ style. Despite having a thinner frame, Hayes will frequently switch onto larger guards or frontcourt players and oftentimes dissuades them from attempting to exploit the ‘mismatch’ with his quick hands.

With Hayes’ athleticism and situational awareness, he’s able to make plays from all areas of the court and in a variety of roles. Off-ball, Hayes’ presence turns driving lanes into danger areas for opponents.

The intersection of downhill explosiveness and ballhawking ability on defense allows Hayes to make the most of the havoc he creates on defense. There are only a few players who can keep up with Hayes in the open court and the steals he accrues are consistently converted into points.

All in all, while he is not without his flaws, Terrence Hayes Jr. embodies what should be considered above all else when it comes to evaluating guard talent. Hayes contributes to the possession battle on both ends of the court, and to a degree where I struggle to see him not being a significant contributor at whatever level of college basketball he decides to play.

Class of 2027

Jalen Davis: Changing of the Guard

Rankings (as of 7/10/25)

• ESPN: Unranked
• 247: 34
• ON3: 44

When I first saw Jalen Davis play a little over a year ago, and went to talk to others about his game, someone had told me he was ‘laconic’. And I was extremely jealous because there really wasn’t a better way to sum up his game, on the court Jalen Davis is all about getting to the point.

Through his first two years of grassroots basketball, Jalen Davis has been ruthlessly efficient, and the numbers reflect his playstyle.

To contextualize how impressive Davis’ scoring has been, below are the only players across the three major shoe circuits to score over 20 ppg. Davis is tied for 3rd in scoring, and on comfortably the highest efficiency.

But, closer examination of each player’s playtype distribution would show Davis is scoring in a much different fashion than his peers.

What’s behind these numbers makes Jalen Davis such a dynamic offensive threat, and a player whose game is uniquely tailored for the next level.

The foundation of Davis’ offense is his jumpshot. Possessing pristine mechanics to match the stellar shooting indicators, Davis is 92.6% (101/109) from the line in AAU so far. Additionally, Jalen’s process on the catch is fat-free: there’s almost no unnecessary movement or clock wasted pounding the ball.

Davis’ team frequently calls ‘RAM PNP’, where Davis receives a down-screen before setting a ballscreen which he may ghost depending on the coverage. In the plays below, Davis’ defender lingers on the ballhandler (or miscommunicates the switch) and Davis pops for the 3.

Eventually though, defenses adjust, and when it comes to high-caliber shooters, their default response will be to run shooters off the three-point line. What makes Davis such an exciting offensive player is how consistent his decision making is in these situations. Where high school players typically fall apart, Davis thrives. Despite being just a high school junior, Davis is already reading closeouts at a college level.

Overall, Davis’ halfcourt offensive refinement is well beyond his years. Beyond the efficiency, Davis is deployed in a variety of actions and his comfort toggling between playing on- and off-ball is a trait shared with the best offensive players at the next level. Whether Davis is running ‘Zoom‘ action…

Or asked to ‘Replace the Roll‘

Davis’ description is beyond that of just ‘primary ballhandler’; he’s forced to problem-solve in every area of the court and answers the call to do so consistently.

Jalen Davis’ feel for the game is rare without mentioning his defensive impact. Almost more impressive than the number of steals he acquires is how controlled Davis’ aggression is. Boasting a Stock (steals + blocks) to Foul ratio of 4.7 Stocks to 1 Foul is incredible. Even accounting for the amount of zone Davis’ team, Beauchamp Elite, runs this is a level of mistake-free defensive production I have yet to see from another player Davis’ age. Plays like the one below exemplify how decisive Davis can be when he sees an opportunity to take the ball from an opponent.

To put a bow on it, the past two summers Jalen Davis has put together is unequivocally one of the best two-way resumes in the country. Anyone with this shooting ability or defensive instincts alone would make for an impressive prospect. Pairing the two together places Davis firmly amongst the names to know nationally in the 2027 class.

Isaiah Hill: Rim Protector+

6’11 big Isaiah Hill has been among the most dominant rim protectors regardless of class, and possesses shot-blocking instincts and discipline well beyond his age. Hill currently leads all EYBL age groups in total blocks, and no matter where Hill is positioned he has the range to defend the rim from various areas of the court.

A major differentiating factor between Hill and his peers at the position is the coverage versatility he’s already shown at such a young age. Hill is fluid enough on the perimeter to play at the level in ballscreen coverages, disrupting the timing and comfort of opposing ballhandlers while preventing the offense from generating downhill momentum.

At this stage Hill seems to actually relish the opportunity to play on the perimeter defensively. Take the plays below, for example. Hill trusts himself to recover to the ballhandler, not overextending which would allow a mismatch to form.

Patience is a common theme of Isaiah Hill’s defense. It’s rare not only compared to his contemporaries, but relative to all highly regarded big-men of the past few high school classes.

As you can see, Hill is not only the most prolific shotblocker in this group of highly recruited bigs, but also has the third best Block/Foul ratio of the group. Being the least mistake prone rim protector while accumulating the most blocks is an extremely rare combination.

Hill’s comfort on the perimeter is noticeable on the offensive end as well. He’s comfortable stringing together multiple dribbles on drives to the rim when the opportunity presents itself.

There are subtler indicators of Hill’s coordination for the position, like the play below, where Hill seamlessly transitions from securing a pocket pass to finishing on a roll to the rim.

And perhaps most intriguing in Hill’s offensive game is his willingness to shoot from three. Hill currently boasts a robust 0.38 three-point rate, and while the efficiency isn’t particularly stellar he has projectable shot mechanics.

As the AAU season comes to a close, I can’t help but think Isaiah Hill was one of the biggest snubs from the USA U16 Americas team. A center with his size and skill is exceedingly rare, and when you account for him being one of the youngest players in his class (will not turn 16 until August), it becomes abundantly clear that few players share the long term potential of Isaiah Hill.

Carson Crawford: Keeping it Simple

Of all the players covered in this article, none have undergone a bigger improvement over the past year than 6’7 Orange Park wing Carson Crawford. A quick look at Crawford’s stats will verify as much:

What’s made Crawford’s leap so impressive isn’t any particular isolated skill improvement, as you can see Crawford hasn’t exactly exploded as a three-point shooter. It is that Crawford has become an expert in getting opportunistic buckets. Crawford seldom has his number called, as per Synergy over 75% of Crawford’s offensive possessions consist of Transition, Cut, or Putback buckets.

The sequence below is an apt representation Crawford’s role and how he has, in many ways, become the lynchpin of a Florida Rebels team with the second-best point differential in EYBL’s 16u age group. Crawford gets the helpside block on the defensive end, runs the floor, and finishes the dumpoff pass on the other end.

Unlike most dynamic wings his age, Crawford is perfectly content doing the dirty work on both ends. Currently sitting second in all EYBL age divisions in double-doubles with ten, Crawford is relentless on the glass and frequently finishes his offensive rebounds with putbacks above the rim.

But again, Crawford is a selfless player and doesn’t hunt offensive rebounds solely with the intent of scoring. Crawford subscribes to the Houston Cougar’s school of offensive rebounding — when he cannot secure the rebound for himself Crawford will tip out the ball just to keep the possession alive.

As with any wing though, what will ultimately determine Crawford’s offensive ceiling is whether or not he will develop into a reliable spacer from the 3-point line. At the moment, Crawford doesn’t have a significant three-point rate, but his consistent touch from the line (over 70% for his career) along with the comfort from the midrange…

…bodes well for him eventually developing into a consistent shooter from deep. Even without being a volume shooter, Crawford has been one of the most productive players in his age group, and I do not see this changing no matter how long it takes for his three-point shooting to materialize.

Conclusion

With this being the first installment of my grassroots series, I want to again reiterate that this isn’t a ranking or a pro projection, but rather I wanted to spotlight players who should be highly sought after because of how they contribute to winning. The combined team record of the players covered in this piece is 67-17, as, regardless of the holes in each player’s respective game, they’ve shown an aptitude for contributing to team success. And because of this, no matter their current ranking, each of these players is currently underappreciated.

The post Swish Theory Summer Standouts: Names to know from the grassroots season so far appeared first on Swish Theory.

BOOMSHAKALAKA!

Joshua Lewis makes the highlight poster dunk of the weekend

Postgame Interview with Joshua Lewis (Blake)

Great game out there. Crazy poster slam! What that feel like?

“Yessir! That felt great, I think that’s the best one I got so far in my career, so that felt really good to get a good one.”

What’s your mentality like entering games?

“Just be locked in. Bring energy. Help lead my team. Especially since we’re in a tough situation with our coach being out right now, so I definitely got to step up and be a big leader on the floor.”

What kind of skill development are you working in practice the most; what are you doing now and what do you hope to develop in the future?

“Just continue to get my handle better and get stronger, stay in the weight room; those are probably the two biggest things I’m working on. And just getting my shot more consistent, for sure”

Are there any players, former or current, that you study, that might inspire your game or model some of your skills after?

“Yeah, recently I’ve been watching a lot of Shai, I really like the way he moves on the court. But just any big guard that’s my size, handles the ball, you know those guys like Kevin Durant, Brandon Ingram, Paul George, Shai, all those type of players, I watch all of them for sure.”

Any recruitment updates? You thinking anywhere, eyeing anywhere?

“Yeah I’ve been talking to Iowa a lot, they’ve been on me a lot. I’ve been talking to Michigan some, Marquette some. I’ve been having some good recruitment, N.C. State some, Texas A&M, just to name a few.”

What’s going to lock it in for you?

“That gut feeling, that’s it. I feel like when you know, you know.”

The Teams

Oak Ridge
Duncanville
Blake
North Broward Prep
Pepperville
Southeastern Prep

The Standout Players

Jamier Jones
Kayden Edwards
Joe Philon
Beckham Black
Jalen Reece
Joshua Lewis
Jason Johnson
Cam Smith
Christopher “Deuce” Hunt
Chudier Dew yak
Ryan Baxley
Zyree Brown

Day 2 Game 3 – Oak Ridge vs. Duncanville

Kayden Edwards and Jamier Jones traded blows back and forth like they were in a heavyweight fight, each dropping 40+ points before the final bell!

In the marquee matchup of the weekend, Duncanville outlasted the host team, Oak Ridge, in double overtime late into Saturday night, winning 95-90.

Jamier Jones used his mobility, power, and touch inside to create a walking mismatch near the rim, recording a new career-high 41 PTS & 11 REB.

Kayden Edwards showed out as the highlight prospect of this event, dropping 45 PTS against Oak Ridge after a 30 PT outing the day before against Pepperidge.

Duncanville

#5 6’3” Guard Kayden Edwards – 45 PTS – 5 REB – 3 AST – 2 STL (14/23 FG – 4/10 3P – 13/14 FT)

Explosive quick first step burst. Soft touch finishing at the rim. Money pull-up jumper. Tough shot maker any spot on the court. Tight ball control. Defensive instincts, jumping passing lanes, timing up deflections. Great awareness when to use pump-fakes. Good feel playmaker. Draws fouls attacking the rack and threatening the pull-up.

Kayden Edwards stayed hot shooting all weekend. After a 30 PTS & 10 REB win over Blake the day before, Kayden lit up Oak Ridge for 45 PTS – 5 REB – 3 AST – STL, hitting tough bucket after bucket from every angle, drawing fouls and getting downhill with ease, converting 14/23 FG from the field, 4/10 3P from downtown, and 13/14 FT from the pinstripe.

Kayden’s tough shot making off the dribble and ability to burst to the rack with ease was on full display as his standout skills, making any shot from anywhere on the floor.

In the first half of the final game against Oak Ridge, Kayden Edwards got to the rim, hunted contact, and showed off shooting touch at every level: a pick six layup, quick burst to the rim drawing a foul, a strong take to the rim for a finger roll, a clean running FLOATA, a corner triple, a bump and finish at the basket, an AND1 putback in the paint, and a bailout putback middy.

The buckets didn’t slow down in the second half: Kayden drilled a pull-up three, splashed a catch-and-shoot triple, hit a defender with a killer crossover into a layup, made good team-first read extra passes, drew a foul on a pull-up jumper.

His instincts impressed on the defensive end, making a deflection to block a shot under the rim to stop a layup, and even stealing the tip off in an overtime period and getting a defender to leave his feet on a pump-fake.

#0 6’2” Point Guard Beckham Black – 8 PTS – 7 AST – 7 AST – 2 STL (2/5 3P)

Beckham Black, Kayden’s Duncanville backcourtmate and brother of the Orlando Magic’s Anthony Black, impressed with good two-way feel for the game, forcing deflections with defensive instincts, making good reads with the ball, and even pulling up for a handful of off-the-dribble three pointers with one falling through the net in clutch time of a double-overtime victory.

I asked Anthony Black after the game how he would describe his brother, Beckham, as a person off the court:

“Funny guy. Shoot, he’s a kid, so still growing up.

It’s cool to see him maturing, but, a good kid.

Loves basketball, loves to compete. Super proud of him.“

While his teammates filled up the box score, Beckham Black showed his incredible two-way feel for the game.

Looking to make the best decision for the team every time down. Hitting pull-up 3pt jump shots when needed. Active hands deflections timing up forced turnovers. Downhill driver finishing at the rim and looking for open shooters. Racking up assists finding open teammates. Running the offense creating drive and kicks, hockey assists, and potential assists moving the ball after creating advantages.

Black’s vision was on full display in the first half, making a drive-and-corner-kick 3pt assist, a hockey assist that led to a triple, team-first reads for extra passes, a potential assist to the top of the key out of a baselines out-of-bounds set, and a kickout off an offensive rebound to Kayden, even showing off the handles with a killer crossover into the finger roll for good measure.

In the second half, Beckham’s two-way feel for the game was made evident: A wraparound pass to a cutter, a swing pass 3pt assist to Kayden, a drive-and-kick 3pt assist to Deuce, a sick swing pass overhead, a lead pass to the roller in pick-and-roll.
Beckham hit a pair of big threes, one after forcing a steal and walking up to the 3pt line for a pull-up jumper, and another that tied the game late to send it to overtime.

#2 6’1” Guard Christopher “Deuce” Hunt – 23 PTS – 5 REB – 4 STL – 2 AST (8/14 FG – 5/6 3P)

Knockdown C&S 3pt shooter (at least 4 3PM). Active hands digs for steals without fouling. Lookahead passer.

Deuce Hunt brought a reliable scoring option for Duncanville throughout the weekend, posting 18 PTS – 7 REB – 4 AST – 3 3PM against Blake on Day 1 and balling out on both ends against Oak Ridge on Day 2, dropping 23 PTS – 5 REB – 4 STL.

Deuce showed shooting touch in the clutch, hitting two big free throws to go up by 4 points with 36 seconds left, drilling a catch-and-shoot triple late in overtime, and splashing triples throughout the game.

#4 6’7” Forward Cam Smith – 6 PTS – 2 AST – 4 BLK – 1 STL – 3 Deflections

Shot blocking rim-protection. Quick second jump. Great timing defensive instincts. Smooth stroke 3pt shooter. Grab-and-go handles to bring the ball up the floor. Long length used effectively. Active hands deflections. Good vision passer.

Putting a lid on the rim throughout, Cam Smith came up big on both ends, bringing real D&3 impact, racking up at least 4 blocks, 1 steal, and 3 deflections. Cam dominated one possession with defensive instincts, timing up a block at the rim and recovering with a quick second jump to block another shot right after. Later in the game he even blocked a 3pt shot, somehow extending to the shooter from the paint.

Cam is only credited with 6 PTS, but he stayed ready from behind the arc, knocking down one catch-and-shoot triple, and he made a good play at the rim in transition with a bump-and-finish AND1, scoring three the old fashioned way. Smith kept his head up, finding an open shooter on the drive and kick and an open cutter slicing down the middle of the paint.

#10 6’1 Guard Gary Jones – 6 PTS – 4 REB – 2 STL

#3 6’3” Guard Jirehn Mitchell – 5 PTS – 2 REB

#11 6’0” Guard Chris Gooden Jr. – 2 PTS

Jirehn Mitchell showed touch passing vision on a pass he caught and immediately swung while still in the air and got a stop contesting Jamier Jones by moving his feet and staying long and tall without fouling. In double overtime, Jirehn drew a foul rolling to the rim, while Chris Gooden Jr. made a big winning play taking a charge against Jalen Reece. Gary Jones made smart cuts and tough baskets underneath the rim.

Oak Ridge

#1 6’6″ Forward Jamier Jones – 41 PTS – 11 REB – 4 AST – 4 STL – 2 BLK (18/26 FG)

Tough shot making at the rim. Body control in the post. Controlled driver. Mobility. Agility. Dexerity. Strong and finesse finisher at the rim. Defensive instincts with effective length. Heads up connector passing. Draws fouls driving downhill and in the paint.

Oak Ridge’s Jamier Jones was a walking mismatch against Duncanville. Whether it was securing early post up positioning on the block, accelerating into drives from the perimeter, or timing up self-alley layups to himself, there was nothing Duncanville could do to stop him from putting the ball in the hoop, scoring a career-high 41 PTS on the night on 69% FG% and pulling down 11 REB to boot with a physical, athletic advantage able to reach a higher point than anyone else on the court.

Scoring in different ways, especially on the move, like in a stampede action already running off a screen before catching the pass on the drive to the rack. Pulling up for a tough contested middy. Grab-and-go coast-to-coast through the defense. Sweet drives into the paint with smooth finishes inside. Powering through mismatches with a big man size advantage. Good footwork down low with a strong move through contact for an AND1 finish in the paint. Power slam after power slam. Whether it was downhill off the dribble or early post-up positioning, Jamier Jones got to the rack with ease.

Jamier brought real defensive impact between guarding the ball at point of attack and forcing Beckham Black to pass the ball, to tools like anticipation and timing with the athleticism to force a pick six steal into a breakaway slam.

Flashed nice vision on a pass underneath the basket. Handled clutch time, drilling a free throw in the final minute of a close game. Drew fouls attacking the rack with an AND1 drive below the rim to cut the lead to two late in the contest. Converted a bump-and-finish layup through contact to extend a late lead.

#2 6’0″ Guard Jalen Reece – 16 PTS – 9 AST – 4 REB – 3 STL (3/7 3P)

Natural point guard. Pull-up jump shooter. Soft touch FLOATA finishing at the rim. Runs the offense, directs traffic. Finds and feeds mismatches. Post entry bullet passes and clean kickouts to open shooters. Effective flare handles.

Jalen Reece flashed creative vision and tight ball control, setting up teammates with post entry passes throughout, looking for his teammates with quick-trigger passes and highlight dimes, finishing with 16 PTS & 9 AST.

Sending a bullet overhand pass to open teammates and quick post entry passes all night, Jalen found Jamier Jones for highlight connections including one clutch no-look pass for a power slam in overtime.

Reece showed off the handles and touch with a mean crossover into a finger roll finish, spinning into a running FLOATA and splashing a catch-and-shoot triple, all in double overtime.

Jalen used active hands and good timing to create deflections, too.

#3 6’3” Guard Will Jackson – 11 PTS – 5 REB – 2 AST – 2 STL (3/5 3P)

Will knocked down a couple of three pointers with at least one coming off the dribble before hitting two clutch free throws late in the game. Brought good energy, took a charge on a hustle play, flew in for an offensive rebound in traffic.

#4 6’7” Wing Treyvon Maddox – 12 PTS – 8 REB – 3 AST – 2 BLK (3/5 3P)

Treyvon played with high motor and toughness. Active hands defense created a deflection and steal. Energy on the glass led to an offensive rebound where he drew foul shots on the putback attempt. Driving strong to the rack, drawing two free throws, and knocking one down to extend his team’s lead to three with 37 seconds left in overtime. On top of his energy, Maddox showed deep shooting range, drilling a contested pull-up three and a catch-and-shoot triple.

#5 6’7” Forward CeZanne Mosley – 10 PTS – 5 REB

CeZanne took advantage of his size mismatch down low, finishing strong in the paint, showing fundamental footwork on the spin moves in the post, drawing the AND1 foul out of a baselines out-of-bounds set. Nice vision on high-low passes.

Entering the weekend at home, Oak Ridge was coming off two losses against fellow Marquee Florida High School Basketball Programs, Montverde and IMG Academy.

Losing to Duncanville was the fourth loss in a row for Oak Ridge, as the host team was taken down by Pebblebrook on Day 1 of the weekend, where Jalen Reece posted a statline of 28 PTS – 8 AST – 5 STL – 3 3PM and Jamier Jones finished with 14 PTS – 6 REB – 3 AST – 4 STL.

Pebblebrook’s #14 6’3” Guard Jaylen Humphrey led the way with 17 PTS & 6 REB; #2 5’10” Guard Zyree Brown scored 13 PTS; #15 6’10” Center Fallou Dioum scored 12 PTS in the matchup.

Against Southeastern Prep, Dioum showed good timing on a block while #20 6’7” Wing Anthony Moon knocked down a catch-and-shoot triple.

Southeastern Prep’s #23 (no roster listed) impressed in the fourth quarter of a blowout win against Pebblebrook. Flying up and down the court, throwing down high-flying slams, popping out of the gym athletically on his dunks, rebounds, and contests.

In the opening game on the first day of Hoopfest Florida, Blake’s 6’7” Wing Joshua Lewis scored 32 PTS – 4 STL – 1 BLK and 6’8” Guard Joe Philon scored 16 PTS – 8 REB – 3 STL against Duncanville.

Against Blake, Beckham Black dropped 11 PTS – 3 REB -3 AST -3 STL, “Deuce” Hunt posted 18 PTS, and Kayden Edwards went off for 30 PTS – 4 REB – 3 AST – 2 STL.

In the second game on Day 2, Joshua Lewis and Joe Philon led Blake to a victory over North Broward Prep, while Chudier Diew yak stood out the most for his team in defeat.

Day 2 Game 2- North Broward Prep vs Blake – Standout Players

Blake

#1 6’9” Wing Joe Philon – 7 PTS – 7 REB – 4 AST – 3 BLK – 2 STL (4.0 A/TO)

Joe Philon impressed with all-around athleticism, versatility, and two-way feel. Philon showed incredible defensive instincts making a block off a quick second jump, swatting another shot from behind on a different possession, poking the ball away for a steal at one point, and trapping an opponent in the corner to help force a deflection.

Philon flashed soft touch by splashing a catch-and-shoot corner triple and convering a tough driving bump-and-finish lay-in.

One aspect Philon could improve was decision-making in transition, where he forced one or two errant passes at teammates’ feet that probably could have been easier to catch in stride rather than trying to perfectly time a bounce pass on the run.

#5 6’7” Guard/Wing Joshua Lewis – 13 PTS – 8 REB – 2 AST

Joshua Lewis made the SportsCenter Top-10 worthy highlight of the night: rising up, climbing the ladder, floating even higher after making contact, and throwing down the poster slam.

Lewis pulled up for at least three elbow middies, swished in a running FLOATA, drew the foul hunting contact beneath the rim, hit the skip pass to the corner, made a well-timed cut off ball for the rim finish, and pushed the pace when opportunity struck.

#20 6’6’ Forward Jason Johnson – 18 PTS (7/9 FG) – 7 REB – 2 AST – 3 STL – 2 BLK

Jason Johnson impressed in many facets of the game.

Jason knocked down a triple, made a huge block, showed swarming defense with a full court press steal leading to a breakaway bump-and-finish AND1 runner, all in the first half. In the second half, Johnson threw down monster dunks, made multiple soft touch finishes at the rim with one drawing a foul, and knocked down a jumper running off a screen.

#2 6’0” G Rashif Sinkfield – 2 PTS – 3 REB – 2 AST – 1 STL
Rashif flashed good feel with the drive-and-kick corner 3pt assist and crafty finishing at the rim.

#3 6’0” G Marion Ward – 11 PTS – 3 3PM – 2 AST – 2 STL
Marion showed of the jumper pulling up for a transition triple and splashing in a corner three, the defensive instincts forcing a turnover, and the finishing touch on a breakaway layup.

#4 5’11” G TJ Daniels – 8 PTS – 2 REB – 1 AST – 2 STL
TJ brought good effort trapping a defender in the corner to force a deflection, showed off nice vision with a no-look dumpoff pass, and flashed the 3pt shot with a catch-and-shoot corner three.

#12 6’3” G Jordan Mickens – 2 PTS – 5 AST – 2 STL
Jordan showed good vision with a solid drive-and-kick read for the corner 3pt assist.

North Broward Prep

#3 Guard Ryan Baxley – 9 PTS – 5 AST – 4 REB – 1 STL

Ryan Baxley flashed his soft touch at the rim with a floater, clean shooting range drilling catch-and-shoot threes in the corner and in transition, vision on a nice look-ahead pass, and good defensive instincts on closeouts and loose balls forcing a turnover.

#5 6’9” Wing Chudier Diew yak – 8 PTS – 3 REB – 1 BLK (2/4 3P)

Chudier Diew yak impressed with shooting touch at the rim and beyond the arc, drilling multiple catch-and-shoot threes and finishing an up-and-under cleanly.

Chudier brings a high motor on hustle plays, pulling down a big rebound in traffic, fighting for loose balls to force the turnover, and using the length effectively as a rim deterrent.

#10 6’5” Wing Luigi Borio – 6 PTS – 5 REB – 1 AST – 2 STL – 1 BLK
Luigi added a catch-and-shoot triple of his own and even timed up a nice block on a floater attempt.

#24 Big Francesco Borio – 4 PTS – 5 REB – 1 AST – 2 BLK – 1 STL
Francesco finished strong a the rim with a bump-and-finish through contact and a mean AND1 putback.

#30 Gavin Gorman 6 PTS (2/4 3P) – 2 REB – 1 AST
Gavin splashed a few catch-and-shoot triples

The post Scouting 2024 Hoopfest ft. Oak Ridge, Duncanville, Blake appeared first on Swish Theory.

Interview with Preston Fowler, Sebastian Wilkins, and Ebuka Okorie from Brewster Academy

Preston Fowler

Q. Preston, are there any current or former pros you model your game after?

Preston – “I wouldn’t say I model my game after a specific person, I’d call myself pretty unique.”


Q. I really liked your defensive instincts and the 3pt shot, 4 blocks by my count last night. Where does that come from, do you take pride on the defensive end like that?

Preston – “Yeah, I would just say I don’t want to let anybody get any easy buckets. I pride myself on not letting anybody score, because in the past I’ve been called a lazy defender, so I would just say I just have to do what I have to do.”

Q. So you’re off to James Madison, what led to that decision?

Preston – “I would just say it was a very family atmosphere. As soon as I got on campus it just felt like home. So it was a place I wanted to be a part of.”


Q. Do you have any other skills that you’re trying to work on over the coming years?

Preston – “I would just say definitely my ball handling. My ball-handling, that’s a big part of basketball, so as soon as I get that under wraps, I should be good to go.”

Sebastian Wilkins

Q. Sebastian, I actually caught your game as the NBPA Top-100 Camp, you were explosive downhill, moving fast, do you pride yourself on using your athleticism and do you base your game off any former or current pros?

Sebastian – “I wouldn’t say I base my game off anyone, I just like playing in transition, running the floor, hitting the open shot, getting a lot of easy shots, and just playing with high intensity and great pace.”


Q. Any skills you hope to continue developing over the coming years?

Sebastian – “I’ve been shooting really well over the summer, so I’m just going to continue trying to grow in that and work on my handles.”


Q. You’re mulling over a few different offers like Florida State, Alabama. Are you leaning any certain way? What’s going into that decision?

Sebastian – “Well, just like who communicates with me the most and gives me like a family aspect, and who really wants to see me develop and grow as a player and as a person, that’s really going to help me lead to my decision.”


Q. Are there any hobbies that you have outside of hoops?

Sebastian – ”I be playing the game a lot with my friends back home, I’m just like a very friendly person. I like hanging out with my family and stuff, just spending time with them.”

Ebuka Okorie

Q. Ebuka, I really like your decision-making out there, your patience, your jump shot. Are there any players you steal moves from or model your game after?

Ebuka – “Yeah, I just like watching top guards like Kyrie Irving and Steph Curry, obviously. I also like watching just any All-Star guards.”


Q. You’re off to Stanford, what led to that decision?

Ebuka – “It’s a really good school in terms of academics and obviously basketball, so I just felt like it was the best fit for me.”


Q. I really liked the patient decision making, your ability to read the floor. How would you describe your mindset when you’re in the game?

Ebuka – ”I’m just playing to win and just help my team however I can to just get the win.”


Q. What kind of skills are you trying to develop and add to your game over the coming years?

Ebuka – “I’m just trying to develop all parts of my game. Getting stronger, quicker, just like all parts of my game, just still working hard.”

Q. How would you all describe yourselves as teammates off the floor?

Preston – “I would say we’re all great teammates. We all hang out outside off the court. We all hangout around campus. We all talk like friends would.”

Sebastian – “These are my brothers. We communicate off the court. We all make like jokes about each other, we all like communicate, and that’s why we play so good together in my opinion.”

Ebuka – “Yeah, I’d say like we’re just around each other all the time, and our chemistry just keeps going up every single time, every day.”

Q. One last question. Your teammate, Dwayne Aristode, wasn’t able to make this trip; he’s dealing with an injury. How would you describe him as a teammate and a person?

Sebastian – “He’s a dawg. He plays with a lot of aggression. He just brings like a winning aspect to the game.”

Preston – “I would say the same thing. It makes our job definitely a whole lot easier. He always wants to guard the best player on the court, which is a good thing at times, and he’s just good to be around.”

Ebuka – “Yeah, obviously he’s a great player. He’s also a great teammate, like he’ll pick us up like if we’re having a bad practice or something, he’s always here for us.”

2024 Sunshine Classic Standout Players

Brewster:
Sebastian Wilkins
Preston Fowler
Ebuka Okorie
Antonio Pemberton
Kilyan Toure

LuHi:
Kayden Mingo
Dylan Mingo
MJ Madison
Nigel James
Nico Onyekwere

MVA:
Kayden Allen
Dante Allen
CJ Ingram
Trent Sisley
Dhani Miller
Hakeem Wicks

Orangeville:
Harmon Hailemichael
Sergio Corta
EJ Horton
Lukas Jendrusiak
Isaiah Lukusa

Sebastian Wilkins, Dante Allen, and Kayden Mingo lived up to the hype as highly touted prospects, likely creating the most winning impact for their teams on both ends of the floor.

Ebuka Okorie, Kayden Allen, and Nigel James popped out with their respective decision making, passing chops, and tough shot making at the rim and on pull-up jumpers, with decisive feel and defensive instincts leading to routine winning plays.

Preston Fowler, CJ Ingram, Trent Sisley, and Dylan Mingo impressed by flashing athleticism and two-way impact.

Harmon Hailemichael hardly played, but stood out as the most impressive potential prospect on Orangeville.

Kayden Allen possesses an incredibly clean jump shot 3pt and middy pull-up, the smoothest shooting stroke from the weekend.

Ebuka Okorie’s crafty finishing at the rim, decision making feel running the show, splashy pull-up 3pt range, anticipation jumping passing lanes for steals and timing up blocks for turnovers deserves to be highlighted.

Nigel James put on a show making highlight after highlight in the marquee matchup between LuHi & Montverde, penetrating the paint with ease, dropping no look dimes, hustling to force turnovers, and converting tough shots at the rim and beyond the arc.

The Data via Cerebro Sports

Overall Impact

Dante Allen, Ebuka Okorie, and CJ Ingram were the standout prospects in overall impact (C-RAM) via cerebro sports, all registering over 10+ C-RAM respectively.

Kayden Allen, Antonio Pemberton, Trent Sisley, Sebastian Wilkins, Nigel James, and Gabe Weis rated as the next most impactful players, each rating betwee 7.0-8.0 C-RAM, despite some playing more than others.

The following players rated between 5.4 C-RAM and 6.6 C-RAM:
Dylan Mingo
Hakeem Weems
Isaiah Lukusa
Preston Fowler
Killyan Toure
Darien Moore
Kayden Mingo
Dhani Miller
MJ Madison
Sergio Corta

While these players rated between 3.9 C-RAM and 4.8 C-RAM:
Lukas Jendrusiak
EJ Horton
Harmon Hailemichael
Nico Onyekwere

Defense

Antonio Pemberton (135 DSI) and CJ Ingram (124 DSI) jumped off the charts in Defense via Cerebro’s Defensive Statistical Impact rating.

Dhani Miller, Dante Allen, Ebuka Okorie rated very highly on the defensive end as well, finishing between 97-99 DSI ratings respectively.

The following 5 players rated highly defensively, between 75-81 DSI, respectively:
Trent Sisley
Killyan Toure
Preston Fowler
Nigel James
Sebastian Wilkins

Around The Rim

CJ Ingram stood alone as the most impactful player around the rim, rating 80 ATR via Cerebro Sports.

Sebastian Wilkins and Gabe Weis were the next most effective players at the rim, each rating 71 ATR.

Hakeem Weems, Dante Allen, MJ Madison, Trent Sisley were the next best-rated at the rim, finishing between 67-69 ATR.

One note to remember is that Cerebro defines ATR as: “a rim presence metric that combines assist rebounding and rim protection efficiency (offensive rebounds, blocks, fouls) to show the best big men.”, so this metric reveals rebounding and rim-protecting instincts, traditionally brought by big men.


In total, Dante Allen, Ebuka Okorie, CJ Ingram stood out the most in the tournament statistically by their overall impact and defense, with the montverde duo also rating highly in rebounding/rim-protecting measures.

Sebastian Wilkins and Trent Sisley stood out by ranking Top-10 in all three of these metrics.

Nigel James and Antonio Pemberton rated in the Top-10 in Overall Impact and in Defense.

Gabe Weis brought big impact within his role, yet it should be noted that he played 15 minutes in 1 game, and Antonio Pemberton played 13MPG in 2 games, while most others in the Top-20 of C-RAM played 25-30 MPG in 2 games.

Scoring

Dante Allen (94 PSP) and Ebuka Okorie (88 PSP) were the Top-2 rated scorers at the 2024 Sunshine Classic, via Cerebro.

Kayden Allen (76 PSP), Sebastian Wilkins (75 PSP), Nigel James (68 PSP), and CJ Ingram (65 PSP) were in the next tier ranking as the Top-6 most impactful scorers at the event.

Kayden Mingo (61 PSP), Dylan Mingo (59 PSP), Hakeem Weems (59 PSP), Trent Sisley (57 PSP) rounded out the Top-10 rated scorers by Cerebro’s Pure Scoring Prowess metric at this event.

Passing

Antonio Pemberton stood out amongst the field with his playmaking numbers, rating 96 in FGS, Cerebro’s Floor General Skills metric.

Ebuka Okorie (79 FGS), Kayden Allen (76 FGS), Nigel James (73 FGS) were the next highest rated playmakers at the 2024 Sunshine Classic.

Killyan Toure, Trent Sisley, Lukas Jendrusiak, Dylan Mingo, and Gabe Weis rated between 65-71 FGS at this event.

3pt Shooting

Hakeem Weems (96 3PE) and Gabe Weis (94 3PE) were the two most effective 3pt shooters via Cerebro Sports at the 2024 Sunshine Classic.

Sebastian Wilkins (85 3PE), Dante Allen (82 3PE), and Ryder English (80 3PE) ranked Top-5 3pt Shooters at the event.

The following players rated between 76-79 3PE as Top-10 shooters at the event:
Tyler Bayne 79
EJ Horton 78
Isaiah Lukusa 78
Antonio Pemberton 76
Javion Tyndale 76

Darien Moore 74, Ebuka Okorie 72, and Nigel James 71 made up the next tier of 3pt shooters.


The following players rated between 57-67 3PE to round out the Top-20 shooters at the event:
Kayden Mingo 67
CJ Ingram 65
Kayden Allen 65
Preston Fowler 64
Killyan Toure 62
Dhani Miller 60
Lukas Jendrusiak 57

Dante Allen and Ebuka Okorie again stand out on this chart of offensive engines, rating among the best as scorers, playmakers, and 3pt shooters, showing they could be the most reliable scoring creators from the 2024 Sunshine Classic.


Kayden Allen, Nigel James, and CJ Ingram rated highly in all three categories, showing their potential as scoring creators, their decision making feel for the game and positive impact on offense scoring, passing, and shooting.

While Antonio Pemberton stood out for his playmaking, and Sebastian Wilkins stood out for his scoring, and both rating highly as 3pt shooters, they could be some of the more reliable scoring creators from this event.

Dylan Mingo, Killyan Toure, Gabe Weis are the next players to stand out in this chart, each with varying levels of 3pt shooting, but all three rating as positive passers and capable scorers.

Preston Fowler was 1 of 9 players to rate over 50 in all three categories, which could be a positive sign for potential scoring creator development.

2024 Sunshine Classic Scouting Reports
with Film + Notes

Brewster Academy (NH)

#2 Ebuka Okorie (Stanford)
6’2″ Guard 2025

Incredible decisonmaking feel
Crafty finisher around the rim
Real two-way impact forcing turnovers
Clean Pull-Up and C&S 3pt jumper rhythm shooter
Great vision executing halfcourt offense finding open teammates
Willing passer giving up good shots for better shots
Defensive instincts timing up steals and blocks

19 PTS – 3 AST – 1 REB – 2 BLK – 8/11 FG (26 MIN)
vs. LuHi

Crafty finish up-and-under hanging in the air at the rim
Soft touch finger roll high off the glass
Good body control deceleration
Tough contested finish at the rim with soft touch
Nice block timing
Crafty finishes all around the rim all game long
Up-and-under reverse
Beats buzzer through contact for tough finish at the rim with defender draped all over him and no foul called

15 PTS – 6 AST – 3 REB – 4 STL – 3/7 3P – 5/10 FG (29 MIN)
vs. Orangeville

Good anticipation on Steal
Smooth stroke pull-up triple
Patient decision making, good feel and decision to shoot of the handoff
Unselfish pass from good to shot to great shot in open corner shooter
Smooth C&S 3 off screen, playcall seems to be named “leg”
Nice decision dumpoff pass

#11 Sebastian Wilkins
6’7″ Forward (2026)

Fluid Big Wing Scorer
Long Versatile Defender
Active Rebounder
Strong Play-finisher
3pt shooter in pull-ups and C&S
Makes good decisions connective passer
Soft touch finishing at the rim
Runs the floor hard in transition

8 PTS – 9 REB – 1 BLK (27 MIN)
vs. LuHi

Soft touch finish, nice reverse at the rim, times up defensive board next play

22 PTS – 5 REB – 1 AST – 2 STL – 8/13 FG – 4/6 3P (27 MIN)
vs. Orangeville

Drills Pull-Up 3
Nice anticipation steal on ball at point of attack defender into a pateint eurostep defcelerating footwork on drive, draws foul
Drills C&S 3 in semi-transition
Smooth stroke shooter drills pull-up 3
Nice find hitting cutter with assist
Transition slam
Strong finish outmuscles opponents down low out of BLOB set

#13 Preston Fowler (James Madison)
6’7″ Forward (2025)

Tall 3pt Shooter with Relocation Off-Ball Gravity
Great Defensive Instincts
Active Hands Deflections
Help-side Shot Blocker
Breaks up passing lanes for steals
Soft touch putbacks and post moves scoring near the rim
Playfinisher who runs the floor hard in transition
Versatile Defensive Forward who can screen, dribble, pass, shoot, sprint

13 PTS – 3 REB – 2 AST – 1 BLK – 1 STL – 5/12 FG (27 MIN) (4 blocks by my count)
vs. LuHi

Big strong block
Good active hands for deflection
Racks up 2 block in one possession, nice defensive instincts
Soft touch putback at the rim, good timing on rebound
Clean C&S 3pt jump shot in semi transition

8 PTS – 7 REB – 1 STL – 3/8 FG – 2/6 3P (30 MIN)
vs. Orangeville

Times up tip-in rebound in traffic
Attacks closeout, draws foul on the floor
Drills C&S 3
Makes Deflection next play
Impressive move – Strong rebound, power dribble, spin hook shot down low
Good idea to throw alley oop lob, just mistimed with teammate
Misses gamble for steal, gives up dunk
Picks up loose ball and finds teammate in transition

#23 Kilyan Toure (Iowa State)
6’3″ Guard (2025)

Scorer 2-Guard, Playfinisher
C&S 3pt Range Shooter off-ball gravity
Active hands ball pressure wreaking havoc, creates a lot of deflections
Clean finisher at the rim
Middy pull-up flashes

9 PTS – 5 REB – 1 AST – 1 STL – 1 BLK – 1 3PM (25 MIN)
vs. LuHi

shows fundamental footwork in a strong postup, draws foul
finishes clean at the rim in traffic

7 PTS – 3 REB – 6 AST – 1 STL – 1 BLK (21 MIN)
vs. Orangeville

forces a steal at point-of-attack
swishes the middy fadeaway after driving into the paint
strong sequence forcing a steal and finishing strong through contact for an AND1

#0 Antonio Pemberton
6’1″ Guard (2027)

Incredible defensive instincts ball hawk
Pull-up and Movement 3pt shooter off screens
Hustles for loose balls, rebounds, deflections
Attacks closeouts with shot, pass, drive when available
Point Guard traits looking for open teammates running the floor

10 PTS – 6 AST – 3 STL – 2 3PM (16 MIN)
vs. LuHi
takes smart charge
converts a lefty finish on the strong take through traffic
drills a splashy pull-up triple
drills the clean buzzer beater 3 C&S movement shooter 3pt shot off screen

3 AST – 5 STL – 1 REB (10 MIN)
vs. Orangeville
credited for 5 STL in 10 MIN!
brings good hustle leading to a steal diving on the floor for the loose ball
drawing a foul
grabbing the board in traffic

6’9″ Forward (2026) #10 Ater Bol meen shows nice gliding eurostep footwork vs. LuHi

6’2″ Guard (2026) #1 Darien Moore drills the C&S triple, hits a smooth FLOATA, makes a big block at the rim vs. Orangeville

6’5′ Guard/Forward (born 11.23.08) #4 Giannis Odzebe makes the connector extra pass in transition, nice vision and passing flashes on the drive baseline and jump pass corner kick potential assist vs. Orangeville

6’4″ Guard (2025) #22 Jack McMahan drills 3pt shot in transition vs. Brewster
6’8″ Forward (2025) #12 Nnadulu Noble forces a steal and finds Ebuka on fast break

Long Island Lutheran (NY)

#4 Kayden Mingo (Penn State)
6’3″ Guard (2025)

Downhill decelerating body control draws fouls attacking the rim
Soft touch floaters and finger roll finishes in the paint
Knockdown 3pt shooter on rhythm Pull-Ups and C&S
Drive and kick vision
Willing to sacrifice body to take charges
Times up digs for deflections
Nice handle maneuvering through defenses

10 PTS – 1 STL – 3 REB – 5/12 FG (28 MIN)
vs. Brewster
Soft touch Floater
Decelerating finger roll, nice touch

15 PTS – 3 REB – 3/8 3P – 5/12 FG (32 MIN)
vs. Montverde
Wild 3rd quarter scoring sequence with a bucket, a pull-up transition 3, and a C&S 3 in a shootout practically playing horse with Kayden Allen

#5 Dylan Mingo
6’5″ Guard (2026)

Defensive instincts jumping passing lanes for steals
Strong north-south attacks into the paint
Draws fouls with downhill drives at high volume
Soft touch bump-and-finishes near the rim
Paint-and-spray 3pt kickout Vision
Attacks closeout/screens with stampede half step decisive advantage
Good handle weaving through traffic
C&S 3pt range shooter

14 PTS – 8 REB – 2 AST – 8/10 FT (31 MIN)
vs. Brewster
Strong take to rack, draws foul
Bump and Finish AND1 FLOATA draws foul

14 PTS – 5 REB – 4 AST – 2 STL – 5/11 FG (29 MIN)
vs. Montverde
Off screen, attacks defender with half step advantage driving through paint for reverse
C&S 3 off scramble play
Nice take to the rack, soft touch finish

#10 Nigel James (Marquette)
6’0″ Guard (2025)

Insane start-stop change of pace deceleration brakes acceleration gas pedal body control
Smooth finisher on tough shots at the rim
Clean 3pt range pull-ups and catch-and-shoots
Great handles attacking while running the offense
Incredible vision and playmaking chops finding playfinishers initiating the offense as a scoring creator
Impactful two-way feel forcing pick six turnovers turned layups

12 PTS – 4 AST – 3 REB – 1 BLK – 1 STL – 4/10 FG (31 MIN)
vs. Brewster
Tough AND1 finish at the rim, small guard finishing among the trees

17 PTS – 5 AST – 3 STL – 7/14 FG – 2/6 3P (31 MIN)
vs. Montverde
Sick behind the back pass driving baseline slicing up defense to big man Nico underneath the rim
Another nice dish tough pass through traffic to cutter baseline
Impressive change of pace, keeps attacking after denial until finds the gap
Jumps pass for pick-six steal layup
Smooth Pull-up 3, follows shot up next play with a steal and breakaway layup
Impressive start stop body control, hits the breaks on the drive and finishes clean

#13 MJ Madison
6’9″ Forward (2026)

Explosive mover
High-flying vertical gravity athleticism
Good defensive instincts using height/length effectively without fouling
Active rebounder and defender with footwork, timing, and contests
Quick first step burst to attack closeouts
Flashes midrange jumper and solid finishing at the rim

8 PTS – 4 REB – 1 AST (23 MIN)
vs. Brewster
Explosive verticality, gets up for alley-oop slam
Times up offensive rebound putback with soft touch around the rim

6 PTS – 10 REB – 2 AST – 3/6 FG (32 MIN)
vs. Montverde
Blob set frees up Madison from Nigel inbound pass
Midrange jumper play-finisher
Snags pass out of air, twists and finish at the rim

#21 Nico Onyekwere (Florida State)
7’1″ Center (2025)

Brute force inside
Fundamental footwork on the block
Strong play-finisher at the rim
Soft touch finishing in the post
Good Rim-Protector with traditional big man defensive instincts, timing
Agile footwork and active hands sound switching on the perimeter

3 PTS – 3 REB – 1 BLK – 1 STL (16 MIN)
vs. Brewster


6 PTS – 7 REB – 1 STL – 3/6 FG (17 MIN)
vs. Montverde
racks up 7 rebounds in 17 MIN vs. MVA
goes up strong and finishes clean, power slams when left open, shows off a quick soft touch finish in the post on the block

6’11” Center (2026) #24 Omar Essam shows a patient finish vs. Brewster, keeps ball high to not get swiped. Adds 2 big blocks vs. Montverde

Montverde Academy (FL)

#2 Dhani Miller
6’3″ Guard (2026)

Defensive playmaker forcing turnovers with instincts, timing, active hands
Contests shots with hustle and fundamental closeouts
C&S 3pt range shooter
Connective passing finding open man, tossing alley-oop lob

8 PTS – 3 REB – 1 AST – 2 STL – 3/6 FG – 2/5 3P (17 MIN)
vs. Orangeville
Drills C&S corner 3 off kickout from Sisley, this hits another for back-to-back 3pt shots

6 PTS – 3 REB – 2 AST – 3 STL – 4/6 FT (25 MIN)
vs. LuHi
Tosses Lob to Sisley for Alley-Oop
Forces steal, finishes at the rim scoring off turnover, 4pt swing
Forces 2nd steal, good defensive instincts

#11 CJ Ingram (Florida)
6’6″ Guard (2025)

Impressive explosiveness, full court speed, bouncy hops athletic advantages
Super quick second jump for second chance opportunities, putbacks off own misses
Strong rebounds in traffic, good timing, reaches higher point than peers off the jumping advantage
Defensive instincts and anticipation creating pick-six steal + slam highlight 4pt swings
Downhill force attacking the rim on drives with 3pt kickout vision
Gets to the rim with ease, can improve finishing
Clean shooting touch drilling pull-up 3pt shots
Solid handle and playmaking vision adding up to good scramble plays with dribble, pass, and shoot

13 PTS – 11 REB – 2 AST – 1 BLK – 6/13 FG (22 MIN)
vs. Orangeville
Pick-six Steal + Slam athleticism, instincts, anticipation
Strong Rebound, gets up high hops, strong putback
Drills pull-up 3

15 PTS – 11 REB – 2 STL – 2 AST – 6/14 FG (32 MIN)
vs. LuHi
Attacks rack strong, misses contested shot but quick second jump putback
Quick first step burst, tough finish soft touch over two defenders driving right
Good drive-and-kick
Another big rebound, flys up higher than peers
Nice feed entry pass to post
Smart pumpfake, attacks closeout, spins and hangs in air. Misses shot but second jump quick puts back own miss and draws the AND1 foul
Another big man rebound
Strong finish inside
BLOB Alley-Oop layup good timing and hops

#12 Trent Sisley (Indiana)
6’8″ Forward (2025)

Good all-around basketball player
Solid Play-finisher at the post and running the floor
Attacks closeouts with the dribble and pass
Nice fundamental postup footwork and finishing moves
Defensive instincts jumping passing lanes, ball denial active hands deflections
Times up rebopunds in traffic
Nice touch around the rim and in the paint
Connective passing hitting the open man
Good decisionmaker makes the right winning plays on both ends

10 PTS – 6 REB – 4 AST – 2 STL – 5/7 FG (20 MIN)
vs. Orangeville
Easy take to the rack
Breakaway in transition
nice fundamental postup footwork, post move soft touch push shot
nice post move footwork, patient hook shot on block
good decision makes extra pass to Miller for corner 3
Jumps passing lane for steal to open second half
Lobs alley oop pass to Kayden Allen
BLOB post up lefty finish
finishes strong through contact for the AND1 at the rim

8 PTS – 7 REB – 3 AST – 1 STL – 4/9 FG (32 MIN)
vs. LuHi
throws down alley-oop
nice fundamental post move footwork and layup

#13 Hakeem Wicks
6’10” Forward (2025)

Off-ball Shooting gravity
Good Ball Instincts & Timing
Uses height/length effectively for rebounds and contests

5 PTS – 3 REB – 1 3PM (13 MIN)
vs. Orangeville

5 PTS – 2 REB – 1 3PM (9 MIN)
vs. LuHi

big putback over contact
C&S 3PM in both games

#21 Kayden Allen
6’6″ Guard/Forward (2026)

Smoothest shooting stroke of any player this weekend
Incredibly tough shot maker walking bucket pull-up artist
Slight fade on every jump shot release makes shot harder to contest/block
Runs the floor hard for outlet opportunities
Impressive passes threading the needle to open teammates with skips and drive-and-kicks
Two-way feel leading to pick-six slams
Vertical gravity playfinisher for lobs

17 PTS – 6 AST – 2 REB – 1 STL – 8/13 FG (19 MIN)
vs. Orangeville

Layup clean finish
Pull-Up middy contested
Stepback 3 and nice pass through defenders
Steal and reverse slam
Flys up for alley-oop jam
Sick pass cross court threading needle
Pull-up elbow Middy contesteed
Pull-up jumper
finish in transition
Drive-and-Kick into paint to corner 3pt assist

14 PTS – 6 REB – 4 AST – 6/13 FG (30 MIN)
vs. LuHi

Turnaround middy fadeaway
Stepback 3
Good feel look ahead pass in transition

#30 Dante Allen (Villanova)
6’4″ Guard (2025)

Cerebral two-way feel for game
Barreling strong downhill force who hunts contact
Stat sheet stuffer who makes the right play for the team
Quick trigger 3pt shot on pull-ups and catch-and-shoots
Forces turnovers with active hands deflections, timing, and instincts
Real winning impact on both sides of the floor as 3&D downhill force who can initiate halfcourt offense

17 PTS – 7 REB – 3 AST – 1 BLK – 2 STL – 6/9 FG – 2/3 3P (19 MIN)
vs. Orangeville

Nice instincts and timing jumping passing lane for steal
Forces steal and throws down breakway slam Pick-Six
Corner 3 off the drive and kick from Kayden
Fights for rebound, draws foul
fights for loose ball, strong take through contact, draws foul
Big block, CJ Ingram picks up loose ball for steal and makes nice dish back to Dante on the break for a 4pt swing
Steps into a pull-up triple
Forcing issue downhill with raw athleticism, a little reckless at times losing ball on turnovers or offensive fouls, but forces refs to make a call, draws a lot of contact and whistles

17 PTS – 2 REB – 1 AST – 1 BLK – 4/6 FG – 8/10 FT (32 MIN)
vs. LuHi

Good footwork finish at the rim
Strong downhill slam

Orangeville Academy (CAN)

#2 EJ Horton
6’2″ Guard (2025)

Smooth 3pt pull-up shooter
Active hands ball pressure deflections forcing turnovers
Pace pusher in transition

8 PTS – 4 REB – 2 STL – 2/8 3P (24 MIN)
vs. Montverde

6 PTS – 3 REB – 2 AST – 2 STL – 2/4 3PM (15 MIN)
vs. Brewster
Smooth stroke 3pt shot
Drills pull-up 3

#11 Sergio Corta
6’9″ Forward (2026)

Fundamental footwork near the rim
Solid finishing touch at the rim
Patient mover at his own pace
Active on the glass

4 PTS – 8 REB – 2 AST – 2/3 FG (24 MIN)
vs. Montverde
Draws foul from contest
Nice footwork through traffic for finish at the rim
Nice up-and-under finish in transition

4 PTS – 2 AST – 1 REB (21 MIN)
vs. Brewster
Good footwork, patient finish in transition

#24 Isaiah Lukusa
6’4″ Guard (2027)

Solid 3pt range on movement shots and standstill C&S looks
Tough shot creating advantage with footwork and body control

5 PTS – 1 REB – 1 AST (22 MIN)
vs. Montverde
Splashes movement 3pt shot

10 PTS – 5 REB – 4/5 FG – 2/3 3P (25 MIN)
vs. Brewster
Nice move, good footwork and ball control with the half spin pull-up middy
Drills C&S triple

#33 Harmon Hailemichael
6’11” Center/Forward (2026)

Imposing big brute inside the paint under the rim on both ends of the floor
Finishing strong at the rim with power slams
Timing up good contests, keeping arms straight up using his height, length, strengh effectively to contest without fouling
Thought he was Orangeville’s most impressive prospect despite not playing many minutes

2 PTS – 1 REB (13 MIN)
vs. Montverde

6 PTS – 2 REB – 1 BLK – 1 STL (16 MIN)
vs. Brewster
Powerful slam dunk after defender gambles for steal
Strong presence down low, draws foul through two defenders contact
Strong finish as roll-man in P&R off the nice feed splits defenders from the point guard Darius McGlashen.

#35 Lukas Jendrusiak
6’4″ Guard (2027)

C&S 3pt Range Shooter
Attacks closeout with dribble, counter move footwork, patience drawing fouls
Nice vision and passing execution through defenders

3 AST – 3 REB – 2 STL (18 MIN)
vs. Montverde

11 PTS – 5 REB – 4 AST – 4/8 FG – 2/6 3P (26 MIN)
vs. Brewster
Nice up-and-under AND1 finish
Corner C&S 3pt shot followed by a Wing C&S 3pt shot, forces timeout
Draws foul on the pumpfake up and under
Bullet pass down low post entry, no assist but big man draws the foul

6’10” Guard (2025) #10 Darius McGlashen nice drive and kick, strong take with good body control deceleration, draws foul on drive, active hands anticipation deflection breaks up the lob vs. Brewster

6’1″ Guard (2027) #30 Ryder English drills 2 C&S threes vs Brewster

Video from @BeyondTheRK on the scene and Film Clips sourced from League Ready
Stats via Montverde Academy & Nike EYBL

The post Scouting The 2024 Sunshine Classic appeared first on Swish Theory.

Darryn Peterson & Prolific Prep

Darryn Peterson makes a claim for the throne.

Racking up a statline of 33 points (11-17 FG), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals, Peterson showed out on both ends in a marquee matchup upset of Prolific Prep over Columbus against fellow Top-3 2026 NBA Draft prospect, Cameron Boozer, who tallied 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals.

Darryn Peterson flashed the smooth stroke shotmaking that’s made scouts wonder if he’ll have as much of a case for the #1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft as Cameron Boozer or A.J. Dybantsa of Utah Prep.

On the majority of his shots, the net doesn’t even move.

Darryn’s exploring depths of Swish Theory previously unseen.

Against Columbus, DP stayed locked in attack mode, scoring at will on one end and forcing turnovers on the other.

Defensive instincts, active hands, straight up shot contests, well-timed digs, jumping pass steals, blocks leading to 4pt swings, stampede movement decisiveness, burst speed acceleration, tight handle ball control, smooth decelerating body control, playmaking vision when drawing extra defenders into the paint – Peterson proved he’s more than a tough shot swishing sniper.

Darryn baited defenders into the air with mature moves that tricked opponents to leave their feet for easy trips to the pinstripe in the first quarter, ending the period with a wild buzzer-beating pull-up 3pt runner off the backboard to tease the tough shotmaking to come.

Peterson willed his team on the offensive end to stay in it, scoring 16 of the team’s first 18 points.

Showing two-way feel, blocking a shot from behind as the driver gets by him, digging in on the perimeter for a steal to force a turnover and fast break bucket.

Winters Grady dives for the loose ball and finds Peterson, who stays pushing the pace off turnovers, sprinting into the start/stop body control hesi and a turnaround fade over the outstretched Cam Boozer. Slowing it down in the halfcourt the following play, Darryn drills a FLOATA through bump-and-finish contact after initiating Double Drag P&R, forcing Columbus to take a timeout to try to slow his momentum.

Continuing the 2nd quarter run, Peterson continues to show off his defensive instincts going straight up for another block, moving his feet to contain the spin move and force a turnover with his teammate’s help defense, grabbing the loose ball and taking it the other way for another tough middy pull-up in traffic off the clean in-and-out dribble.

21 PTS in the first half for Darryn off the smooth shooting stroke we all came to see: swishing the pull-up triple against the switch, Columbus defense looking half a step slow in rotations, giving Peterson all the room he needs to rise and fire.

Darryn didn’t force it even though he had the hot hand. When Peterson draws the triple(!) team here as Niko slips the screen in P&R, Darryn drives into the paint and quickly finds arguably the best 3pt shooter on the floor with a jump-pass 3pt kickout, Winters Grady for the catch-and-shoot triple.

Darryn Peterson contests a shot, leaks out off the miss, and has the opportunity for a fast break layup; but, instead of forcing a contested shot, possibly hearing Cam Boozer’s footsteps, he again hunts for a better shot for the team with the open corner three for splashy shooter Winters Grady, who smartly ran to the corner in transition.

Peterson continues flashing two-way feel, making plays with active hands and disrupting defensive instincts with another full-extension block and jump-pass steal, pushing the pace downhill to draw fouls and find open teammates on kickouts and lookahead dimes.

Incredible soft touch finishing through traffic on the putback and downhill drive, with impressive speed control, able to accelerate with nitro burst on a whim and stop on a dime to send the defender flying and manipulate movements to get a shot up.

Watch Darryn’s movements, knowing he’s going to reverse into a drive as soon as he catches the ball.

Next play, Niko slips the screen, Peeterson finishes the up-and-under hanging-in-the-air FLOATA through FOUR defenders!

Thought Darryn was done splashing deep jumpers without hitting the rim? Think again. Can’t leave him any space, yet Columbus practically leaves him wide open on this rotation.

Nothing but net. Peterson looks at the rim and sees and ocean. The Hot Hand Theory is in full effect in this one.

Niko Bundalo

Prolific’s Niko Bundalo dominated the glass with 11 points, 14 rebounds, and 1 steal in this high school showdown on FAU’s court, splashing in a corner three, driving downhill, bringing active hands for deflections and a head up for loose balls.

Niko showed good driving ability on the perimeter, able to slink by the strong defender Cayden Boozer with a patient stutter rip, lefty dribble drive into 3 defenders into the paint, and soft touch push shot FLOATA over an extended Cam Boozer.

Niko added in a 4pt swing sequence, forcing a turnover at point of attack, finishing cleanly in transition.

Niko impressed with his handle and footwork as a driver for his size, drawing a smaller matchup switch after popping out in Double Drag and rescreening for his teammate, gliding to the rim for the eurostep drive and putback.

Cameron Boozer & Columbus

Cameron Boozer’s strong athleticism stayed on display, showing off his rebounding instincts by timing up the powerful putback slam through traffic. Boozer has great footwork and body control, able to spin through defenders going downhill.

Jaxon Richardson, son of NBA Legend J-Rich, showed off his play-finishing bounce and athleticism running the floor, throwing down back-to-back alley-oop lobs, and crashing the glass for a putback.

Cam Boozer continues to show incredible playmaking with a grab-and-go mentality, always looking ahead to transition outlets. Boozer initiates these two fast breaks off his rebounds, quickly pushing the ball up, even finding Jaxon himself for the frontcourt lob connection.

Cayden Boozer made winning plays, hitting a clean C&S 3pt jumper on the wing and in the corner, finding shooters with pristine playmaking vision as the traditional point guard, with rebounding instincts finding the offensive board.

Marcellous “Cello” Jackson showed good two-way feel and soft touch in a nice sequence where Cello popped up for a steal on the perimeter, pushed the pace in transition, and decelerated into an AND1 ceiling-scraping FLOATA.

Columbus’ Caleb Gaskins, transfer from Montverde, showed tough shot making skills attacking closeouts, drilling jumpers over Peterson’s contests, stepping in for middy pull-ups off the playmaking from the Boozer twins. Gaskins tallied 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block.

Baseline views from CCNN:

https://twitter.com/ccnnlive/status/1859042150832574842?s=46

https://twitter.com/ccnnlive/status/1859040722797863360?s=46

https://twitter.com/ccnnlive/status/1859035253299683426?s=46

With over 500 days for these top prospect high school seniors to make their mark before the 2026 NBA Draft, who will wear the crown?

Film via The Grind Session
Stats via Maxpreps

The post Darryn Peterson Makes His Claim for the Throne appeared first on Swish Theory.

As Orlando’s afternoon sunshower came to an end just after 7pm Wednesday night, two AAU squads prepared to face off in a Fall Ball scrimmage: The SFA Rams out of Dover, Florida, visiting the Oak Ridge Elite Pioneers.

For SFA, Landyn Colyer and Traevon Koch shined, along with Oak Ridge’s Jalen Reece, Jamier Jones, and Zay Mosley all standing out with electric play.

Future college basketball players going back and forth trading smooth pull-up jumpers, clean rim finishes, smartly forced turnovers, and highlight breakaway slams before Oak Ridge pulled away in the second half.

Scouting Report

Landyn Colyer

4-Star 6’6″ Wing and self-described Tall Guard Landyn Colyer (#1, SFA) showed off incredible tough shotmaking skills, knockdown 3pt range, cerebral two-way instincts and a positive team-first mentality communicating with his teammates.

Landyn opened up the game splashing a deep-range 3pt jumper off the give-and-go handoff, then followed it up by countering with drives off handoffs into a few fadeaway leaners in the midrange, converting tough shot after tough shot. The soft touch shooting at his size is impressive. Resetting with a gather dribble and spin move under the basket also showed good fundamental footwork and more clean finishing in the paint.

Colyer racked up tons of deflections, usually able to use his frame and length to contest shots and poke the ball away without fouling, leading to many turnovers and missed shots for his opponent, while showing a knack for making multiple heads up plays to save loose balls before falling out of bounds.

Keeping the ball moving, not over-dribbling, looking to score or pass when the next man is open shows good connector skills.

Sprinting to a fallen teammate to pick him up after they drew a foul, putting his arm around teammates to talk about how to improve going forward, dapping up and hyping up teammates who walked by, Landyn clearly cares about his guys and brings a positive influence as a leader.

An anonymous basketball scout raves about Landyn Colyer’s game and team-first mentality: “An elite player who can do it all. Great athlete, very smooth & nice shooting stroke and form. Good vision. Very unselfish and is all about winning as a team.”

Traveon William Koch

6’3″ Combo Guard Traevon William Koch (#0, SFA) in the Class of ’25 looked to score every chance he got, showing nice start-stop body control driving to the rack; clean finishing at the rim on reverses, layups, floaters, AND1s, and an alley-oop slam; tight hesitation handles creating space; and a smooth jumper off the dribble when finding room to pull up.

Koch flashed his hops and timing again when he got up for a big block from behind on a drive, not giving up on the play after his man got to the rim.

Traevon stayed hunting his own shot, and while usually converting, sometimes missed open teammates cutting to the rack. Staying aware of where his teammates are and which spots they’re moving to could help stack up assists and create easy shot opportunities for others when Traevon draws multiple defenders his way, like when he found the open corner 3pt shooter off a jump pass from the midrange, deciding to give up a good shot for a great one.

Traevon showed how much he cared about his team, helping teammates up who had fallen to the ground, and talking to his guys in the huddle about how to improve the next time out.

Jalen Reece

4-Star 6′ Point Guard Jalen Reece (#2, Oak Ridge) in the Class of ’25 of the FL Rebels popped out in this game with incredible two-way feel, making winning plays on both ends, forcing turnovers, converting at the rim in transition, splashing pull-up jumpers, creating advantages for himself and others, while constantly looking to set up teammates for the lob pass alley-oop.

Reece showed nice body control decelerating and finishing at the rim, attacking the rack for the bump-and-finish AND1 through contact, driving strong to the rim with a smooth up-and-under finger roll finish through contact, converting tough shots near the rim falling away from the basket, using quick first step burst and tight ball control to get into the paint anytime he wanted, or stop on a dime for a stepback jumper off the dribble.

Jalen flashed nasty handles, masterful control of his body and the ball, digging deep into his bag to weave through multiple defenders with hesitations, spins, behind the back, any dribble move you can name, while using incredible vision and decision-making awareness to stay looking for teammates for alley-oops and drop off no-look dimes, especially in transition.

Forcing too many turnovers to count, Reece racked up deflections throughout the game, with multiple steals as point-of-attack defender at the top of the key, one leading to a 2-on-1 alley-oop to Zay Mosley, and trapping a defender alongside Jamier Jones for the forced turnover.

Reece drilled jumpers from everywhere: the catch-and-shoot 3ball, the stepback middy pull-up, the contested deep jump shot off the dribble, with a clean finishing package in the paint.

Jamier Jones

4-Star 6’6″ Small Forward Jamier Jones (#1, Oak Ridge) was your explosive high-flyer of the night, folks.

Whether he started with the ball on the perimeter or ran the floor on fast break outlets, it did not matter; Jamier stayed ready to throw it down on somebody’s head. Breakaway slams, speedy quick burst first step, dynamic athleticism led to strong takes to the rack, where Jones was too strong and too twitch-quick for anyone in his path.

Good timing and ball instincts led to rebounds, good post-up positioning and boulder shoulder moves led to backdown buckets, and constant rim-rolling led to dunk after dunk.

Watch out for this wrecking ball of energy if you’re standing in his way; you might just get posterized.

Zay Mosley

6’7″ Forward Zay Mosley (#4, Oak Ridge) crashed the glass with reckless abandon; there was no keeping him away from any rebound he wanted.

Bullyball down low on the boards resulted in possessions where Mosley could rack up multiple offensive rebounds in the same possession until the rock had no choice but to go through the net.

Smart two-way feel using his height and length to contest opponents, keeping his hands straight up without fouling, grab-and-go mentality after forcing the turnover, looking up for the open teammate leaking out on the break, will translate to every level.

Showing strong hop step spinning footwork fundamentals on the block, Mosley could become a powerful play-finisher whose engine never turns off.

Interview with 4-Star 6’6″ Wing Landyn Colyer and SFA Head Coach Jaleel Sanders

Landyn Colyer

Did any current or former players inspire your game?

I have a couple NBA players that I look after: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, people like that I just try to model my game after them.

Are there any certain skills you try to pick up individually from them watching film?

I really like SGA’s pace, so I really try to work on my pace like that; and Devin Booker has a really crisp midrange jump shot, so I try to get my one-dribble pull-ups like him.

What sort of moves do you spend the most time on during practice?

I’d say consistently shooting, being able to catch-and-shoot, shoot one or two dribbles, especially getting to the rack, getting to the basket.

Are there any skills that you’re hoping to develop over the next few years that you might not possess today?

Ball-handling in general, honestly. Being able to be a confident point guard at my size, being a bigger guard (6’6”), is really vital at the next level to be able to play multiple positions

How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

Kill mode. Kill everything in front of me. Just dominate. Try to be the best on the court at all times. Compete at everything you do. Try as hard as I can to win the game to help my team.

What interests you outside of basketball?

I’m really big on family. I hang out with my family a lot when I’m outside of basketball, things like that. I also like to take moments by myself and just rest, take the time to myself in my free time. But occasionally I like to hang out with some of my friends, I play a little bit of video games. (His favorite game these days? NBA 2K)

Head Coach Jaleel Sanders

What is your goal as the coach of these young players during a vital time in their development?

Just to make sure they’re getting the best out of these guys. The ultimate goal is to put them through college, give them an experience to prepare them for school and help them grow as young men, not just athletes, we want them to be really good citizens in the community. So those are some of the biggest things for their development, as far as mentally, physically, emotionally getting these guys prepared for that next level of life.

What sort of player development do you like to focus on most during practice?

We focus on all the simple things, simple things help you win, basketball’s a simple game. So we work on fundamentals, so strictly fundamentals: shooting, passing, playing defense, backdoor cuts, also just communicating. Working on communicating, working on defense, is putting our guys in the best position to win the game and actually learn the game of basketball.

What mentality do you see in Landyn, what do you really notice that he brings to the game?

He has this willingness to always want to listen and learn; he always wants to learn; he always wants to get better. He has this drive about him that’s different from a lot of other kids. He wants to play at the highest level that there is, that’s with most kids, but he’s not just talking about it, he’s trying to do it. He’s putting the time in, he’s putting the work in, he’s also big on his development. He’s being a great teammate, talking to guys, letting them know, ‘hey, we need to do this better’’. His communication is good with his guys, his teammates, he’s a pretty good leader.

How would you describe Landyn as a person off the court?

Silly. Goofy. He’s one of those guys who’s always trying to figure out how to uplift guys. Joking around with his teammates. He’s very laid back but also outgoing as well in his own way. So he loves to joke around with his guys, respectfully. He’s uplifting them, joking with them, keeping guys laughing, keeping them on their toes.

The post Meet Landyn Colyer – Scouting SFA vs. Oak Ridge appeared first on Swish Theory.

110 players entered the ESPN Wide World of Sports.

11 walked out champions.

With college coaches, NBA scouts, proud parents, and media members in attendance, this was no opportunity to waste for premier high school talents hoping to take their games to the next level.

I attended and scouted the 2024 NBPA Top-100 as credentialed media representing Swish Theory, taking notes, asking players for quotes, and recording the film in this article.

With too much talent to see everything at once and no public film available other than the championship game, these are the players who stood out by making winning plays and showing the developable skills likeliest to translate to the next level:

Standout Players

Abdul Aziz Olajuwon
Acaden Lewis
Adrien Stevens
Akai Fleming
Alexander Constanza
Alexander Lloyd
Andre Iguodala Jr.
Brayden Burries
Caleb Holt
Calvin Murphy
Cameron Ward
Chris Cenac
Dante Allen
Darius Adams
Davion Hannah
Deron Rippey Jr.
Dorian Hayes
Dwayne Aristode
Elijah Williams
Eric Chatfield
Eric Reibe
Hudson Greer
Jacobe Coleman
Jacob Wilkins
Jaden Toombs
Jalen Montonati
Jamarion Batemon
Jaron McKie
Jason Crowe
Jaylen Cross
Jaylen Petty
Jerry Easter
John Clark
Jordan Smith Jr.
Joshua Lewis
Joshua Lewis
Jovani Ruff
Kaden Magwood
Kareem Stagg
Kayden Mingo
King Grace
Kingston Flemings
Kiyan Anthony
Legend Smiley
London Jemison
Malachi Moreno
Marcus Gillespie
Marcus Jackson
Matthew Able
Matthew Gilhool
Mazi Mosley
Meleek Thomas
Mike Williams
Nyale Robinson
Nykolas Lewis
Oswin Erhunmwunse
Philip Davis Fogle
Qayden Samuels
Sadiq White
Sebastian Wilkins
Sebastian Williams-Adams
Shon Abaev
Tajh Ariza
Tounde Yessoufou
Trent MacLean
Trent Steinour
Tyler Jackson
Winters Grady
Xavion Staton
Zymicah Wilkins

(*note, I was not able to see every play at every moment, with two courts also unavailable to media. This is not a list of the best players from the camp as much as a list of players who made multiple winning plays that I was fortunate enough to see happen)

The Data

Sources: Stats via xsmbasketball.com/top-nbpa-100 and Cerebro Sports
Data Visualizations and Film Breakdowns from @BeyondTheRK

Measuring Overall Two-Way Impact (C-RAM), Defensive Statistical Impact (DSI), and At The Rim Effectiveness (ATR)

Meleek Thomas leads the event in Overall Impact by a mile, posting a +9.3 C-RAM, a full point above the field, while ranking T-10th in Defense with a 90 DSI rating and T-17th at the rim (72 ATR)

Tounde Yessoufou and Malachi Moreno finished T-2nd in Overall Impact with 8.3 C-RAM, rating highly At The Rim (8th and 1st) and Defense (T-19th and T-5th)

Chris Cenac Jr., the tournament’s MVP, rated 5th in ATR, T-13th in Defense, and tied for 6th in Overall Impact alongside Philip Davis Fogle and Jordan Smith Jr. at 7.8 C-RAM.

Fogle made a name for himself at NBPA Top 100. Fogle’s hustle, effort, vision, and energy was noticeable compared to his peers. Fogle finished 2nd in Defensive Statistical Impact via Cerebro Sports.

Jordan Smith Jr. also rated highly defensively (84 DSI, T-20th) and at the rim (76 ATR, 11th)

Jaylen Petty brought a winning team-first playstyle, leading his team to the championship game as an undersized yet explosive point guard, finishing 9th in overall impact with +7.5 C-RAM and rated 23rd in Defense DSI.

Kingston Flemings and Sebastian Williams finished 4th and 5th in Overall Impact (C-RAM) respectively. Sebastian rates T-9th at the rim with 77 ATR & T-17th in Defense with 86 DSI, while Flemings T-33 in Defense with 76 DSI.

Dante Allen brought all-around two-way impact, measuring well across the board, posting the T-10th best overall rating (7.4 C-RAM) and T-5th in Defense. (91 DSI)

King Grace popped out at the camp with his defense, making winning effort play after winning effort play, rating highly in Overall Impact (7.0 C-RAM, T-16th), Defense (83 DSI, 22nd), and At The Rim (74 ATR, T-12th)

Jaden Toombs, Cameron Ward, and Oswin Erhunmwunse rated extremely well in all three of these categories:
Toombs: 84 ATR (T-2nd), 7.4 C-RAM (T-10th), 87 DSI (T-13th)
Ward: 7.4 C-RAM (T-10th), 70 ATR (T-22), 81 DSI (25th)
Erhunmwunse: 7.0 C-RAM (T-16th), 83 ATR (4th), 87 DSI (T-13th)

Specializing on the offensive side of the floor, Kaden Magwood, Darius Adams, Hudson Greer, Acaden Lewis are bunched together bringing similar positive overall impact ranging between 6.5-6.7 C-RAM

Other players rated highly in Overall Impact (6.9+ C-RAM):
Eric Reibe, Brayden Burries, Qayden Samuels, Xzavion Mitchell, Caleb Holt

Other players rated highly on Defense (79+ DSI):
Xavion Staton, Nyale Robinson, Jordan Scott, Derek Dixon, Jamarion Batemon, Bryson Tiller, Xzavion Mitchell, Matthew Able, Jalen Reece, Deron Rippey Jr., Kayden Mingo, Aliou Dioum, Jack McCaffery, Jermaine O’Neal Jr, Davion Hannah, Kareem Stagg, Qayden Samuels, Tajh Ariza

Other players rated highly At The Rim (70+ ATR):
John Clark, Dewayne Brown, Xavion Staton, Eric Reibe, Aliou Dioum, Tee Bartlett, Hudson Greer, Jaylen Harrell, Matt Gilhool, Bryson Tiller, Nykolas Lewis, Sadiq White

Measuring Most Reliable Halfcourt Scoring Creators via Cerebro Sports Pure Scoring Prowess (PSP), Floor General Skills (FGS), and 3PT Effectiveness (3PE)

Meleek Thomas stands out as the most reliable offensive engine scoring creator for good looks for a team, rating 1st in Playmaking (87 FGS); 8th in Scoring (82 PSP); and flashing an outside shot, T-31st in 3PT Effectiveness with 69 3PE.

Jaylen Petty made great reads creating good shots for himself and others consistently, making plays reading defenses forcing turnovers, showing great two-way feel for the game as a natural point guard, ranking highly in every category visualized below: T-2nd in Playmaking FGS, 4th in 3PT Effectiveness, T-18th in Scoring PSP.

Kingston Flemings dominated these offensive shot-creation categories, rating 1st in Scoring (94 PSP) and T-2nd in Playmaking (81 FGS), with a capable outside shot.

Deron Rippey Jr. finished 4th in Playmaking (80 FGS), flashing the outside jumper, off the dribble all-around natural point guard feel, finishing T-36th with 67 3PE and T-39th in PSP.

Acaden Lewis rated highly in all three data points visualized below: T-6th in 3pt Effectiveness (83 3PE); T-11th in Playmaking (70 FGS); T-18th in Scoring (77 PSP)

Kaden Magwood impressed as a tough shotmaking bucket-getter, rating 5th in Scoring (88 PSP), T-17th in 3PT Effectiveness (75 3PE); T-25th in Playmaking (65 FGS)

Brayden Burries brought all-around efficient shot creation for himself and his team, rating highly as a 3pt shooter, passer, and scorer: 74 3PE (T-19th), 75 FGS (7th), 81 PSP (T-10th)

Jordan Smith Jr. continues to rate highly across the board: 74 3PE (T-19th), 68 FGS (20th) , 78 PSP (8th)

Other players rated highly in Playmaking (65+ FGS):
Derek Dixon, Jalen Reece, Courtland Muldrew, Nyale Robinson, Davion Hannah, Jerry Easter, Nykolas Lewis, Davis Fogle, Eric Chatfield, Tyler Jackson, Simon Walker, Jordan Scott, Caleb Holt, Xzavion Mitchell, Dante Allen, Darius Adams, Jaylen Cross, Kayden Mingo, Alex Lloyd

Other players rated highly in Scoring (70+ PSP):
Tounde Yessoufou, Eric Reibe, Sebastian Williams, Qayden Samuels, Malachi Moreno, Cameron Ward, Chris Cenac Jr, King Grace, Kiyan Anthony, Dante Allen, Caleb Holt, Darius Adams, Oswin Erhunmwunse, Jacob Wilkins, Dorian Hayes, Zymicah Wilkins, Hudson Greer, Sadiq White, Eric Chatfield, DeWayne Brown, Aliou Dioum, Tee Bartlett, Jalen Montonati

Other players rated highly in 3PT Shooting (70+ 3PS):
Qayden Samuels, Hakeem Weems, Imahri Wooten, Dorian Jones, Cameron Ward, Dorian Hayes, Jalen Montonati, Jacob Wilkins, Caleb Holt, Treyvon Maddox, Jamarion Batemon, Derek Dixon, London Jemison, Adrien Stevens, Dwayne Aristode, Landon Clark, Jalen Reece, Nyale Robinson, Alex Lloyd, John Clark, Ryder Frost, Winters Grady, Ryan Crotty

High FT% over a large sample can be an indicator of touch for developing future scoring ability. This camp is a small sample of 6gp, but every game is a data point towards the full picture of a longterm prospect.

Leaders in FT% (min. 85% FT%)
Derek Dixon (13/13)
Jaylen Petty (12/12)
King Grace (22/23)
Darius Adams (21/22)
Xzavion Mitchell (32/34)
Jaylen Harrell (14/15)
Mike Williams (20/22)
Chris Cenac (27/30)
Shon Abaev (16/18)
Hudson Greer (15/17)
Nykolas Lewis (14/16)
Jason Crowe (13/15)
Winters Grady (13/15)
Tounde Yessoufou (31/36)
Jalen Montonati (22/26)

The 2024 NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report with Film, Quotes, and Notes

1st Team All-NBPA Top-100 Camp from @BeyondTheRK

Chris Cenac Jr.
Meleek Thomas
Jaylen Petty
Phillip Davis Fogle
Acaden Lewis

Chris Cenac Jr.
6’10” Power Forward
2025

Chris Cenac Jr. won MVP of the 2024 NBPA Top 100 Camp

Cenac was the #NBPATop100‘s most impressive future pro prospect due to his two-way tenacity, active hands, ball instincts, pull-up shooting touch, tight handles, and clear playmaking vision for a 6’10” forward, sharing similarities to super sized super skilled bigs like Chris Bosh.

Incredible Developable Ball Skills: Excellent Playmaking Feel, Good Ball-Handling, Tough Shotmaking at every level
Vertical Gravity, Bouncy Athleticism, Big Leaper, Powerful Dunker
Explosive Downhill Foul-Drawing Force
Flying North-South Speed, Quick Burst
Strong Rim-Dettering Shot-Blocking Instincts, Big Man Paint Protector
Tough middy pull-up shotmaker over contests, spinning Dirk Fade Post-Up counter
Good finisher at the rim through traffic in transition
Elite Playmaking Vision and Passing ability
Point Forward who can run both ends of Pick-and-Roll as cerebral initator and strong play-finisher

Strong putback rebounder, good timing rim-rolling out of Double Drag
Attacks closeout with dribble, pass, and shot
Anticipation for Steals, grab-and-go, soft touch finisher with with go-to underhand dumpoff shuttle pass in transition

Chris Cenac’s camp averages:
20 PTS – 9 REB – 2 STL – 2 BLK
60% FG% (44/74) 90% FT% (27/30)

Meleek Thomas
6’5″ Point Guard
2025

Meleek Thomas was an unguardable walking bucket at #NBPATop100

The most dominant scorer at the camp

Impossible shot-making off the dribble, reminding one of Jamal Crawford, the ultimate walking bucket.
Scoring Versatility, pull-up midrange and 3pt jumpers, Impressive floater and finishing packages at and near the rim
Swishing everything, tough elbow middy fadeaways, pull-up threes, finger roll and floater finishes
Deep range shooting touch 3pt, Pull-Up, and C&S, contested OTD

Flyby vertical bounce athleticism for dunks
Quick first step burst, shifty decelerating body control to create advantages
Driving downhill to the rack unbothered, Jump stop on a dime sends defender flying
Fakes elbow jumper with quick start-stop body control and quick burst into space for up and under reverse,

postup into spinning floater, 
Eurostep reverse finger roll

Crafty tight Handles, great ball control, effective flare with the rock
Uses “Hostage Dribble” to put defender in jail on hip behind him, misses layup but puts back in off rebound

Active Hands Deflections, Anticipation Jumping Passing Lanes Forcing Steals, coast-to-coast slams
Flashes two-way feel understanding the game on the drive and dumpoff pass after forcing turnover

Decisive actions, attacking closeout by moving before receiving the pass
Good feel decision-making, soft touch bounce pass ahead in transition
Nice vision passing dimes, good reads on drive and kicks
Playmaking assist-hunting vision for cutters, kicking to open shooters, 3pt kickouts, lookahead in transition, impressive read and passing touch on the cross court corner kick
Running P&R variations, Initiates Horns, finds Winters Grady on the pop C&S 3


Filling up the box score with 30pt triple double on good scoring efficiency
Setting up good looks for others by drawing in multiple defenders, racking up 20 PTS 12 AST before the fourth
Coachable moment with teammates, talking and nodding in agreement after forcing too much huting shots/assists and missing open man


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“Not really, I wouldn’t say I take things from NBA players or players that I admire his game. I just see things in the game that every player needs for the game, I work on it ,and I just add everything to my game. I have an incredible imagination so whenever I think of something I just work on it, work on it, and perfect it, and then everything just adds to my game, So I don’t study nobody or have a favorite player that I take things from, I just do things and perfect my game.”



What kind of moves do you spend the most time on during practice?

“The skills I work on the most, I work on a lot of ball screen actions, shooting the ball, I get up so many shots a day. I have a natural feel for the game so the passing comes easy. When I have great players around me it makes the game a lot easier for myself when it comes to passing.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“I’d say like nobody else. I just approach the game like I can do what I want. I can score on you, I can stop you from scoring. I’m leading like there’s nobody else out there. I’m the loudest voice on the court in my opinion. And so with that, that can take you however far you want it to.”





Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“One thing I want to continue to work on that I feel I’m already getting better at is my defense. I know I’m a good leader but just learning to hang off the ball defense”

Averages: 23 PTS – 7 REB – 7 AST – 1.5 STL (3.0 A/TO)

Camp Ranks: 1st AST, 3rd PTS, 7th A/TO, T-8th STL, 15th REB

Meleek dropped a 30pt triple double for good measure, consistently creating good looks for himself and the team, showing great feel for the game, tight handles ball control, drive and kick playmaking chops, and ball denial defense on top of impressive soft touch tough shotmaking off the dribble:

Jaylen Petty
6’0″ Point Guard
2025

Jaylen Petty’s play popped at #NBPATop100 by consistently making winning plays on both ends with incredible two-way feel running offense, anticipating turnovers, splashing C&S threes, flying to and finishing at the rim.

Natural point guard playmaker, timing up lob passes, hitting cutters, finding open man, running P&R plays, looking to set up teammates for their best chance to score
Pickpocket POA Defender Anticipating Steals & Deflections, stripping ball from the man in front of him, jumping passing lanes

Versatile scorer shot-maker off the dribble, knockdown shooter splashing multiple pull-up threes and midrange shots, finishing at the rim through traffic, spacing floor for C&S triples
Insane athleticism, flying up and down the court and exploding to the rim for breakaway slams, tip in boards, chasedown blocks

Next-level feel for the game on both side of the floor, great drive-and-kick vision, impressive understanding of how to run an offense and how to read actions on defense
Individual dominant sequences to build quick leads, often forcing stops and swishing shots to go on one-man runs
In one sequence: hits multiple pull-up threes, drilled a C&S corner three, deflects the ball for a steal, times up a block

(Ranks) 11.0 A/TO (1st) 14.5 PTS (18th) 5.5 AST (3rd) 1.7 STL (T-3rd) 56-43-100 (11th-9th-1st)

Philip Davis Fogle
6’8″ Shooting Guard
2025

Never-ending Motor, grab-and-go pace, good body control movement, running the floor hard, great hustle and energy
Bouncy quick athleticism, flying in for putbacks, getting up for high flying dunks blocks and boards,
Playmaking vision, good reads looking to set up teammates, impressive corner kick skip pass, no-look hook pass over top
Great drive-and-kick feel, looking to create scoring opportunities for others by attacking gaps first himself, constant kickouts
Awareness on both ends, jumping passing lanes for multiple steals and breakaway slams, huge chasedown block
Hitting tough shots, midrange fadeaway, contested pull-up jumper

Few players hustled around the court with the determination of Philip Davis Fogle this week.

Fogle flashed good ball and body control, handling the ball well while maneuvering through the paint with spin moves and counter dribbles, showing off vision as a playmaker looking for teammates near the rim.


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I like Devin Booker, his offensive skillset. I like Luka a lot, just his pace. And then Anthony Edwards is fun to watch too.”

How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?


“At this camp, obviously everyone’s here is really really good and trying to score, so I’m trying to do other things without the ball to try to stand out, trying to get into passing lanes, get steals, putbacks, making the right play.”





Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“The biggest thing right now is just getting stronger, hitting the weight room, that’s the biggest thing.”





Watch him attack downhill, weave through defenses, and keep an eye up to find the open man.

Acaden Lewis
6’3″ Point Guard
2025

Acaden Lewis flashed tight handles and a sweet lefty stepback as a natural table-setter at #NBPATop100

Unique scoring style, super skilled lefty shooter with elite ball control, stop and pop tall shot release, smooth game
Versatile scoring tough shotmaker with a clean shot release, splashing stepback 3pt shots off the dribble, pulling up for middies, finishing at the rim with AND1 bump-and-finishes, lefty FLOATAs, turnaround fadeaways off driving postup mismatch, pull-up fadeaway over contest
Incredible skills and feel for the game, making great reads, nice touch passes, good decision making
Reliable scoring creator who consistently creates good shots for the team, scoring off the dribble and creating looks for others
Quick burst body control, penetrating the paint, drawing in extra defenders for fouls and kickouts, converting AND1s
Tight, effective handle ball control, splitting defense with behind the back dribble, tough dribble moves
Great vision, playmaking chops, lob pass, good feeds, 3pt kickouts, nice feel drive & dumpoff pass to dunker spot


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I like Shai a lot right now. Shai and Kyrie. And kinda a little throwback, I was a Brandon Jennings fan. The way he moved was just smooth, and I really liked that, and that was before I really even got into basketball, I just got in a little late. I just like the pace, how smooth he moves. Those are 3 that I model after.”

How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

Sometimes I just need to go out, remember it’s a game. Just have fun. Enjoy yourself. This is what you work so hard for with working out. Trust the training. Just go out there and do what you always work on, trust the training, and hoop.”

Brandon Jennings approved this message, sharing Acaden’s quote with a retweet:

Acaden Lewis’ averages through 6 games at #NBPATop100: 14 PPG & 2.0 AST/TO (18 AST/9 TO) shooting 48% 3P% (10/21 3P)

2nd-Team All-NBPA Top 100 Camp from @BeyondTheRK

Kiyan Anthony
Marcus Jackson
Kaden Magwood
Dwayne Aristode
Shon Abaev

Kiyan Anthony
6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

Kiyan Anthony led all #NBPATop100 players at the camp in Points and Free Throws.

Natural scoring creator, walking bucket point guard, High-Volume P&R Maestro, great shot creator
Bump-and-finish AND1 extraordinaire, hunting contact before tossing up tough shots that somehow go in, great finisher at rim
Tight handle ball control, effective dribbler penetrating the paint weaving through traffic, splitting defenders
Tough shot maker at every level, falling left fadeaway middies, stepback triples off the dribble and pull-up three when defender goes under screen, soft touch finger rolls and floater package
Smooth soft touch shooter who gets the “shooter’s bounce” that bounces off the rim straight up and in because the aim and trajectory is in line
Patient decision-maker, moves at his own pace, gets to any spot on the floor he wants with declerating body control allowing for stop and pop jumpers, hunting contact, drawing in defenders for kickouts
Good playmaking vision and decision-making feel, especially in P&R, making smart corner kick reads
High volume paint-and-spray P&R point guard who draws in defenders for AND1s, soft touch rim finishes, 3pt kickouts

Kiyan consistently created good looks for himself and teammates in P&R, showing an uncanny ability to draw “bump and finish” fouls at will while making tough shots at every level Elite scoring creator

On the first day of the camp, Anthony opened the tournament with a 42-point BANG, as Mike Breen would say.

Marcus Jackson
6’8″ Power Forward
2025

Marcus Jackson’s high-flying hops, downhill athleticism, and rim-running motor popped out at #NBPATop100

High-Flying Vertical Gravity Lob Threat, lives above the rim
Powerful Walking Highlight Dunker, Off-ball Play-Finisher from dunker spot, rim-roller, transition
Downhill North-South Two-Way Force
Great Rim-Protecting Instincts Timing Chasedown Blocks and Closing out for 3PT Block
Endless Rim-Running Motor in Transition
Good Hustle diving for loose ball on floor
Willing Team-first Passer
Tough shot finisher at the rim, fadeaway midrange touch
Possibly the most impressive athlete at the camp
3pt range Shooter


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“Giannis. He can get to the basket a lot, he’s a dominant player, he gets the rebound a lot, he keeps the team involved, so I’ll say Giannis.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“I’d say just keep my energy high. That’s it. If I keep my energy high, everybody around me gets it, it’s contagious. It just takes energy.”



Marcus brought vertical gravity as a rim-rolling lob threat, showed good ball instincts in rim-protection and rebounding, and flashed clean shooting touch:

Kaden Magwood
6’3″ Shooting Guard
2025

Kaden Magwood flashed vision, burst, and soft touch, making tough shots at every level with crafty ball-handling and good start-stop body control to create space off the dribble.

Tough shotmaking scoring creator, walking bucket, self-creating advantages to get good open looks for himself and others
Clean jump shot mechanics, money shooter, knockdown deep range 3pt shooter on Pull-Up and C&S, fadeaway middy
P&R playmaker, nice pocket pass to roller, dumpoff pass on drive in transition, swishing FLOATAs
Explosive dunk attacking closeout with dribble, athletic fly-by slams
Crafty handles on drives, getting to his spots with good body and ball control


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I have two: Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard. I try to take the finishing from Kyrie and the shooting from Dame, and how they carry themselves on and off the court.”


What kind of moves do you spend the most time on during practice?

“Working on going off two feet when I get to the paint, like turnaround fades, turnaround finishes, turnaround kicking it out”


How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“I’m bringing that dog mentality. I feel like I’m a dog, and it’s just me showing everybody else that I’m him.”




Magwood exploded for 37 PTS in his final #NBPATop100 game, starting 10/10 from the field!

Dwayne Aristode

6’8″ Power Forward
2025

Aristode jumped off the page with stellar two-way impact as a next-level athlete, defender, scorer, and shooter as a big wing with traditional shooting guard skills

Phenomenal athlete, defensive strength and anticipation for deflections
Downhill explosiveness, strong drives to the rack through contact
Impressive decelerating body control, eurostep driving footwork
Tight handle ball control driving into the paint, finishing through contact
Versatile shot profile, clean finger roll and reverse finishes at the rim, north-south scoring, shoots well from downtown



Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“D-Wade. D-Wade’s one of my favorite players. I like watching those players. KD, the way he gets to his shot.”




Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“I have four, two physical. I’d like to improve my core to be able to get to the paint and be able to finish against stronger guys. My hips, I want to improve my hips so I can jump higher and change directions fast. Skill-wise, I like to improve my ball-handling, if I can improve my ball-handling, let the ball be rolling with me , that can be dangerous for sure. My shot creating ability, being able to create space and get to my shots. I think if I improve those things, I’ll be dangerous for sure.



Shon Abaev
6’8″ Small Forward
2025

Elite self-creating tough shotmaker, developable ball skills as an offensive weapon scoring creator
Knockdown perimeter shooter, swishing contested pull-up triples, stepback jumpers, C&S triples, converting 4pt play, tough shot dirk fade middy
Walking bucket who can stop and pop pull-up from any spot on the floor
Soft touch shooter and passer with great playmaking vision, hitting skip pass to opposite corner from the wing
Impressive decision-making feel looking for open shooters when the shot isn’t there, putting effective flare on passes, driving and kicking for 3pt kickouts, hitting the roller in P&R with a nice pass, good touch lookahead pass in transition
Tight handle ball control and decelerating body control, switching hands with impressive dribbling and soft touch finish
Great decelerating body control
Smooth finisher at the rim with a running hook and myriad of finger rolls
Two-way feel, hustling for loose balls, anticipating steals, looking up in transition for outlet passes
Good hustle, saving ball from falling out of bounds by running full sprint under the basket
Vertical downhill athlete with grab-and-go pace going coast-to-coast for high-flying jam


In one game was clearly the most impressive offensive option: scoring, passing, shooting, soft touch, good feel, good decision-making, splashing
 jumper after jumper

3rd-Team All-NBPA Top 100 Camp from @BeyondTheRK

Dante Allen
Tyler Jackson
King Grace
Jamarion Batemon
Tounde Yessoufou

Dante Allen
6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

High two-way winning impact
Connector team-first feel, good drive and kick running Spain P&R
Clean C&S 3pt shooter
Great off-ball movement, timing up cuts to the rim
Good feel decision-maker, nice read for lookup passes in transition, good finds to open shooters, quick take to the rack
Nice finisher at the rim, tough finger roll AND1 over contests, tough layup conversions
Quick burst to the rack, switching hands AND1 finish
Rated highly in multiple Cerebro metrics: Overall Impact, Defense, Scoring, Playmaking
Strong all-around player on both ends, using brute strength, smarts, and skill in a playstyle similar to Desmond Bane.


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I’ve been watching a lot of Ant lately and Jaylen Brown, especially since they’re deep in the playoffs and make a big impact on their team.”


What kind of moves do you spend the most time on during practice?”

“I work a lot on just trying to get downhill, working on different finishes, not just straight layups that may get blocked. And my shooting too, that’s definitely something I want to get better at, and keep improving on that.”



What excites you most about the transfer to Montverde Academy?

“The chance to play against the best high school competition there is to offer.”

Tyler Jackson

6’2″ Point Guard
2025

Tyler “Hype” Jackson is a natural table-setter, showing incredible two-way feel at #NBPATop100

Quick north-south burst
Decelerating body control footwork
Explosive downhill force
Steals jumping passing lanes
Deep range pull-up shooting
Creative finishing at the rim, up and unders, using “wrong” hand, drawing AND1 fouls attacking rack
Clear passing vision, drive and kick stopping on a dime
Masterful crafty handles
Great feel decision maker, good reads making and faking passes
Explosive vertical leaper, pushing pace with speedy acceleration, rebounding in traffic
Swishing off-the-dribble pull-up 3pt shooting and all around the midrange, floaters, elbow jumpers, even beating the buzzer with a 3pt FLOATA

Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“Kyrie, Shai.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“Like Isaiah (Thomas) was telling me, get everybody involved… get all my guys involved, get everybody going so they can be playing through me when it’s time, so they want to be with you and play with you. Kicking the ball out, moving the ball, playing with your guys, getting them involved.”





Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“Just being consistent with my shot. Being quick with my handle, stop losing the ball so much, stop turning the ball over. Just be more consistent.”

King Grace
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Explosive downhill athlete who delivers legit two-way impact, a winning player who wills his team on both ends
Elite defensive instincts, great anticipation timing racking up deflections, steals, blocks; even stopping a 3-on-1
Powerful north-south force attacking the rack for highlight slams and decelerating soft touch finishes
Graceful body control eurostep footwork, good movement skills penetrating the paint
Skilled finisher at the rim who can throw down strong slams and maneuver through traffic
Developable ball-skills between Good handle on drives, 3pt range hitting C&S triples, and soft touch finishing
Rated Top-25 in multiple Cerebro Metric: Overall Impact, Defense, At The Rim, and Scoring

Jamarion Batemon
6’3″ Shooting Guard
2025

Walking bucket scorer, 3pt sniper, good feel scoring creator with tight handle, nice north-south force footwork, clean finisher
Tough shot maker, elbow middy pull-up AND1 with defenders draping all over him

Aggressive driver, graceful downhill decelerating footwork, quick burst quick to the rim, good take on drive into stop and pop jump shot
 and finger rolls
Knockdown 3pt shooter, splashing stepback threes off the dribble, with one sequence making 3 triples in a 4play span with a drive-and-kick good read inbetween
Impressive finisher at the rim with a clean reverse
Good feel reading the defense on a drive and kick
, hook pass to popping 3pt man

Nice handle, good ball control, using behind the back dribble for back-to-back layups
Bouncy hops athleticism for alley-top slam



Tounde Yessoufou
6’6″ Small Forward
2025

Impactful versatile scorer, tough shot maker though sometimes forces too much with tunnel vision
Vertical downhill athleticism, good ups at the rim, north-south force with good finishing touch
Nice post-up skills, spinning fadeaway
Pressure defender, steals inbound pass for breakaway slam
Rated Top-20 in multiple Cerebro metrics: Overall Impact, Defense, At The Rim, and Scoring

4th-team All-NBPA Top 100 Camp from @BeyondTheRK

Malachi Moreno
Jacob Wilkins
Nykolas Lewis
Zymicah Wilkins
Deron Rippey Jr.

Malachi Moreno

7’1″ Center
2025

Powerful two-way big man who can protect the rim, crash the glass, and score down low with ease
Fundamental Post-Up Footwork, Backdown Counter Moves, Soft Touch Near The Rim, Deep Paint Positioning
Rim-Running Motor, Graceful Strides on Catch, Eurostepping Downhill Play-Finisher, Mismatch Dominant
Rim-Protector Defensive Instincts, Anticipating blocks in post and help defense, sometimes overpowered down low
Playmaking Feel on kickouts from paint to shooters
Strong Putback Rebounding Timing
Rated Top-5 in Overall Impact, Defense, At The Rim, and T-7th in Scoring


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I would say I like Rudy Gobert, I like his defense a lot. Him being able to use his length, block shots, alter shots, I like that a lot. I’d have to go with Anthony Davis, just for his post work, he’s one of the best post players to touch a basketball, and we both have unibrows, so it’s kinda nice. And then I like Kiyan’s Dad (Carmelo Anthony), I like his faceup game, his middy pull-up. Those are kinda the three players I try to take a piece of their game from and add it for myself.

“

How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“Just to do me and let the game come to me, not try to force anything. Just to keep my teammates involved, anyone can lose confidence at any time, so just to make sure my teammates head is held high, just to make sure we got more points than the other team, that’s really all I care about.”






Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“Just being able to handle the ball and shoot the three, working on my form, and just my ball-handling, so I can really space out the floor when I get to the next level.”


Jacob Wilkins

6’9″ Power Forward
2025

Developable ball-skills, tight handle, outside shooter, good passer
Knockdown shooter off the dribble, Pull-Up 3s and Midrange jumpers, swishing shot after shot through the net
Connector playmaking, transition playmaker with extra pass, look-ahead pass, even behind the back pass on the run, dumpoff pass off drive, sick one-handed pass
Stellar athlete, quick mobility lateral movement, explosive tomahawk slam, breakaway highlight dunks
Great body control skills, eurostep decelerating footwork
Tough shot maker, spinning dirk fade postup counter after creating advantage, pull-up middies, off-the-dribble threes, soft touch finish finger rolls, layups, FLOATA off wrong foot
Good feel decisionmaker, good reads dishing the rock and scoring self-creation shots, sometimes forces too many tough shots
Rated positively as a scorer and shooter via Cerebro


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I been watching a lot of T-Mac. He’s 6’10 and a guard, he can make tough shots in the post, from the three, his overall skill-set.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“To show people I can do more than dunk. A lot of people know me for dunking the ball and being athletic. I just want to come into this game showing people that I have a skill-set”





Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“I just want to keep working on my ball-handling, being able to shoot off the bounce, and just getting physically stronger; that’s all I’ve been working on.”

Any advice from dad (Atlanta Hawks Legend, Dominique Wilkins)?

“He just tells me to run, so I try to run down the floor as fast as I can because you get more points by just running down the floor so that’s basically what he tells me.”



Nykolas Lewis
6’1″ Point Guard
2025

Nykolas Lewis showed sound body+ball control accelerating past defenders with explosive first step burst at #NBPATop100, cleanly finishing downhill shots at the rim through contact while creating good looks for the team.

Strong downhill force and vertical athleticism, never-ending energetic motor movement, on constant attack to the rack
Incredible hustle, diving for loose balls on the floor, forcing turnovers with steals on ball and jumping passing lanes
Clean finisher at the rim, nice up-and-under finishes, hunting contact for bump-and-finish AND1s
Impacts winning by making the right play
Great handle weaving through traffic, using ball and body control to get to his spots, nice spinning reverse layups
Good feel making smart reads with nice vision on lookup passes and dumpoff passes

Camp Averages (Ranks)
17 PPG (14th) 9 RPG (9th) 5 APG (4th)

Zymicah Wilkins
6’8″ Center
2025

Brute Strength, Graceful Footwork, Shifty Dancing Bear Athlete
Soft Touch on Midrange Shooting and High-Low Passing
Off-Ball Movement Timing, Vertical Gravity Alley-Oop Lob Threat

Transition Awareness, Team-First Feel

Ball Control, Good Handle for Size
North-South Downhill Foul-Drawing Force
Can pull-up for contested shots from off-the-dribble threes above the arc, on wing, midrange, elbow, and attack closeout with pump and go dribble


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“Right now, I watch a lot of Naz Reid. I just see how he moves on the court, shoots the ball well, come off the bench give his team great energy, so I’m really just watching him right now. Growing up, I like LeBron, that’s my favorite player.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“I really just listen to music before the game. Eat the right way before games. That’s really it.”




Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“My shooting and my ball-handling. If I get those two things right, then I’ll be good.”



Zymicah Wilkins racked up 29 PTS & 14 REB on 12/22 FG in the #NBPATop100 Championship

Zymicah scored in and around the paint using brute strength, fundamental footwork, and solid handle as a downhill force with good ball instincts on rebounds and defense

Deron Rippey Jr.
6’2″ Point Guard
2026

Deron Rippey Jr. impressed as a reliable scoring creator at #NBPATop100

Two-Way Feel , Pull-Up Shooting Playmaking Vision Halfcourt Execution Reliable Shot Creation

Natural point guard scoring creator, looking to set up teammates and capable of scoring off the dribble
Nice downhill speed body control to burst towards the rack and decelerate to create advantages
Clean finisher at the rim on layups, finger rolls, reverses, runners
Versatile shot profile at the rim, midrange pull-ups, and spacing the floor from deep on and off the ball
Knockdown 3pt shooter splashing both pull-up and C&S threes, catching fire for back-to-back 3pt sequences
Impressive passer, P&R Maestro hitting the roll man after drawing 2 defenders, kicking to shooters for 3pt AST, finding cutters and dunker spot, soft touch look-ahead passes in transition, smartly uses screen and rescreen until space opens up for pull-up
Good feel decision making reads, knowing when to set up others or fake the pass to score
Two-way feel timing up strip steals, from help defense in the post to guarding point-of-attack, brings pressure to force TOs, jumping passing lanes and going coast-to-coast for grab-and-go breakaway slams and initiating fast breaks
Vertical hops completing alley-oops as both a passer and dunker, rebounding putbacks in traffic


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“Not really, but if I had to choose one, I’d pick Kyrie. All-around great player, deceptive, he can do it all.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“Playing the right way at all times. There’s a lotta dudes that get a little out of control when they don’t touch the rock, or when dudes’ not spinning the ball, but I feel like I just want to play the right way every time because that’s going to stand out to college coaches.”





Deron “Ron Ron” Rippey averaged 13 PPG — 5 APG — 1.5 STL with a 3.6 A/TO ratio over 6 games

Rippey ripped off 5 steals in a single game at #NBPATop100 camp!

Camp Ranks: 5th in Assists (4.8 APG) – 4th in AST/TO (3.6 A/TO) – T-8th in Steals (1.5 STL)

5th-team All-NBPA Top 100 Camp from @BeyondTheRK

Brayden Burries
Mike Williams
Jerry Easter
Tajh Ariza
Winters Grady

Brayden Burries
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Natural scoring creator creating good looks for himself and teammates consistently
Explosive downhill force, hard to contain, coast-to-coast slam, puts back own FTA with dunk, powerful flyby jams
Nice body and ball control with hesitation to ignore screen and draw foul on drive, decelerating footwork on drive for AND1 finish through contact
Nice handles, high crossover, effective dribble moves
Developable feel for the game, good mindset and approach talking with teammates, making good reads for theteam
Clean finisher at the rim, converting layups and tough decelerating FLOATA, soft touch AND1 FLOATA
Good shooter hitting C&S triples
Rated Top-20 in multiple Cerebro Metrics, especially creating good looks: Overall Impact, Scoring, Passing, 3pt Shooting

Mike Williams

6’2″ Point Guard
2025

Natural point guard scoring creator
Walking bucket, tough shotmaker, soft touch finisher at the rim
Clean handles, effective dribble moves, tight ball control
Great feel decisionmaker, soft touch passes on alley-oop lobs
Good POA defense deterring drives, nice footwork
Attacks rack at will using decelerating body control




Jerry Easter
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Impressive two-way feel for the game
Dropping dimes, good passing reads, running P&R
Anticipation timing up deflections for steals
Nice scorer, potential shot-creating scoring creator


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I like Kyrie, Kyrie’s always been my favorite player. I just like how he’s a leader on the floor and can do all the little things, he can finish at the rim, he has a lot of tricks, he can just do it all. Other than Kyrie, I’ve been watching a lot of Ant, I just like how he just been bringing that mentality, just been a dog on the floor, talking about how he just a killer going at anybody. I’ve just been trying to get my mentality like his, and go at anybody. I just been liking those two.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“Go out there and got to play to have fun. If you’re not having fun, there’s no point in playing. Just gotta think it’s basketball. Right now, we’re just getting better, trying to prepare ourselves to get to the next level. Right now we got to work on our craft because next year we’ll be seniors and we’re going to be in college real soon, so we just got to prepare for that, and just work on our game for the rest of the time this high school season.”

Tajh Ariza

6’8″ Small Forward
2026

Impressive two-way feel for the game
Great energy from the tip
Strong driver, good finisher at the rim, mean dunks
Tough shotmaker on the middy pull-up
Nice handle with the behind-the-back dribble creating advantage

Winters Grady
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Grady is a legit floor-spacer with shooting gravity to disrupt the defense. Winters uses that gravity to attack closeouts with the pumpfake and drive when the three is contested, or fire up a feathery jumper when left open.

C&S 3pt threat, as a screener in Horns P&R, Grady pops out for C&S triple, sequences hitting back-to-back corner threes
Running Horns as ball handler, attacks rack and converts
 driving finger roll through bump and finish
 contact
Attacks closeouts with dribble and pass when three isn’t there
Good transition footwork and coast-to-coast spinning layup finish
Good connector read 3pt kick out
Solid speed body control for decelerating finishes, strong bump and finish lay-up AND1

Davion Hannah

6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Impressive scorer with tight handle ball control, clean dribble moves, powerful athleticism, monster rim-rocker slams, pull-up shooting sniper from downtown, clean pocket pass as P&R playmaker

Trent Steinour

6’10 Power Forward
2025

Nice footwork and soft touch on the eurostep fallaway fading FLOATA
Great off-ball movement instincts to cut, rim-roll, relocate, wait in dunker spot
Strong finisher at the rim with 
powerful mean dunks
Moved better on the second day, more focused energy effort



3pt range with the C&S corner 3

Gets up vertically with good hops for alley oop

Jaden Toombs
6’10” Center
2025

Soft touch finisher at the rim with the tough finger roll
Good feel reading the defense to make a good pass
Rated incredibly well (Top-13) in two-way impact, defense, and at the rim via Cerebro

Eric Reibe
7’0″ Center
2025

Strong Post-Up threat with finesse finishing inside, lot of skills for size,
Sound footwork on drives and post-ups, deep positioning in paint, powerful backdown moves, scoring off high-low action
Rim-deterrent blocking and contesting shots
Strong putback rebound
Nice handle for a center, driving and P&R rim-rolling through traffic

Dorian Hayes
6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

Tough shot maker, versatile scorer
Good outside shooter, off-the-dribble scoring threat, splashing clean stepback 3pt jumpers, pull-up middies
Vertical hops for AND1 putback
Soft touch FLOATA finisher near the rim
Patient decision-maker
Strong putback in traffic



Oswin Erhunmwunse
6’10” Center
2025

Strong finisher on the block, clean soft finish at the rim, strong rim-roller and AND1 drive through traffic
Powerful vertical hops athleticism for mean tip slam, athletic bounce dunk, powerful tip slam
Strong rim-protecting block meeting dunkeer at the apex

Jalen Montonati
6’7″ Power Forward
2026

Smooth C&S 3pt shooter, hitting c&s corner three, sequences of multiple triples in a row

Nice footwork on the jump stop in the paint
Tough shotmaker with the elbow pullup, middy pull-up fadeaway over contest

Great read with the high low PnR pass leading to AND1 layup

Defensive instincts for deflection
s, sound postup defense

Sadiq White
6’8″ Small Forward
2025

Vertical hops athleticism for tip-slam, give-and-go alley-oop, attacking closeout with drive and jam
Good feel decisionmaking playmaker, good reads for passes, dumpoff pass in paint to cutter, transition passing
Strong driver, nice attacks to the rack, one through contact for bump and finish AND1 finger roll, clean finishes at the rim
Good handle, tight ball control in transiton, on drives, and closeout attacks

Tough bucket-getter, hitting pull-up middy, drilling back-to-back shots, tall shot release




Jaron McKie
6’3″ Shooting Guard
2025

Off-ball 3pt threat knocking down multiple C&S threes, some in a row
Good defensive instinct anticipating the block timing
Team-first connector making smart reads as a passer and relocating 3pt threat

Jason Crowe Jr.
6’3″ Point Guard
2026

Versatile scorer, 3pt shooter, clean driving finisher at the rim
Tough shot maker, finger roll finish at the rim through traffic, pull-up fadeaway middy, pull-up 3, corner 3, splitting defenders for a contested finger roll


Good handle, tight ball control

Cameron Ward
6’8″ Power Forward
2025

Legit two-way impact making winning plays on both ends
Impressive tough shot maker with a stepback jumper
Rated Top-25 in nearly every Cerebro Metric: Overall Impact, Defense, At The Rim, Scoring, 3pt Shooting

Calvin Murphy III
6’1″ Point Guard
2025

Versatile scorer, especially below the arc, with elbow middy pull-ups and a deluxe finishing package between the layups, FLOATA, tough AND1 hook shot, and finger rolls
Attacks downhill with purpose, good decision to keep and score in 2-on-1
Impressive handle, crafty setups on dribble drive and dumpoff passes, effective flare
Stellar playmaking vision, looking to create shots for himself and teammates
Quick trigger jump shot, killer ball control and pull-up jumper combo
Anticipates steals jumping passing lanes

Hudson Greer

6’7″ Small Forward
2025

Good outside shooter with 3pt range hitting the C&S triples in the corner and wing
Attacks closeout with dribble drive and slam when outside shot is contested
Great off-ball relocation movement to create open 3s for himself and space the floor, baseline backdoor cut timing with vertical hops for alley-oop slam and throwing down jams
Crashes boards for rebounds, putback his own miss with a reverse layup

Connector playmaking with nice vision, making the extra touch pass
, hitting a bounce pass leading his teammate to the rack
Tough finisher at the rim, converting AND1 bump-and-finish through contact

Matthew Gilhool
6’11” Center
2025



Two-way feel ball instincts anticipating the steal with grab-and-go pace-pushing handle as a big
Tough shot maker with 3pt range, splashing a few jumpers and hitting the pick-and-pop three and C&S corner three

Showed good post-moves and spinning footwork despite missing the open corner three


Powerful dunker throwing down monster slam


Jaylen Cross
6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

Good two-way feel, anticipates steals, grab-and-go pushes pace off turnover, drives and kicks with the good decision pass, comes up with loose ball steal, contests shots, converts layups and finding teammates for assists in transition
Tough shot maker, impressive finisher at the rim, vertical hops hanging in the air for an AND1

London Jemison
6’8″ Power Forward
2025

Off-ball 3pt range stretch-four drilling C&S triples, back-to-back swish sequences
Smooth driving footwork and finishing in the paint
Nice handle body and ball control on the crossover decelerating finger roll in transition through traffic

Tough shots in the midrange and at the rim

Andre Iguodala
 Jr.
6’8″ Small Forward
2025

Good defensive feel anticipation, timing up the block on a drive at the rim
3pt range knocking down the C&S triple

Sebastian Wilkins
6’8″ Power Forward
2026

Brings energy right out of the gates
Impressive finisher at the rim

Kareem Stagg
6’8″ Center
2025

Powerful vertical athleticism, throwing down 
strong jams and flying putback slams
Strong downhill force
Good vision passing touch on the alley-oop lob
Outside shooter with 3pt range with the C&S triple and the pull-up middy

Playing football muscling through opponents in the post postup finish





Trent MacLean

6’10” Center
2025

Developable ball skils at 6’10” with the ball control handles, lookahead transition passes, and smooth stroke jump shot
Sound footwork in the post, movement skills, and on defensive rotations
Clean outside shooter on C&S threes
Defensive instincts on the shot contest
Coachable moment on sideline
s learning from mistakes

Nice post moves down low
Good mover off ball


Qayden Samuels
6’6″ Small Forward
2026

Great perimeter shooter, good form, hitting C&S 3s in corner and on the wing, drilling OTD pull-up triples, tough spinning middy
Nice playmaker vision with soft touch pass
Good bounce hanging in the air for a tough falling finish near the rim over contest, a tough nice reverse layup finish
Rated highly in multiple Cerebro metrics: Overall Impact, Defense, Shooting, Scoring

Darius Adams
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Natural point guard feel, hitting lead pass to cutter for layup, finding open shooters and attacking rack


Grab-and-go rebounding pace-pusher
Good vision, nice look-up passing touch, sound passes, smart dumpoff pass for potential 3pt assist in transition
Splashy outside shooter on the pull-up and C&S threes
Good finisher at the rim, scoring in transition
Sound two-man game hitting rim-roll in P&R
Crafty handles on the drive and finish


Sebastian Williams-Adams

6’9″ Power Forward
2025

Sound footwork fundamentals, eurostepping into a decelerating FLOATA in transition
Nice anticipation 
jumping passing lanes to time up steal
Grab and go pace pusher starting fast breaks
Strong driver, attacks closeut with the dribble and extra pass, nice vision on the wraparound pass after cutting through the lane

Nyale Robinson
5’10” Point Guard
2025

Good anticipation, two-way feel with the steal and team-first read pass in transition, pushing pace, looking up for outlets
Clean jump shoot form, good shooter hitting multiple shots with 3pt range on the C&S 3 and pull-up jumpers, hit buzzerbeater deep range threee
Shifty mover with the rock in his hands
Good body control quick burst into decelerating in the paint

Marcus Gillespie


6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Nice vision, soft touch passing setting up teammates in shooting pockets, good read feel on the drive and kick, sweet one-handed leading bounce pocket pass through defenders to the roller in P&R
Versatile shot profile, good shooter, nice pull-up jumper, C&S three contested and open in transition, tough middy pull-up

Alexander Constanza
6’5″ Small Forward
2026

Strong play-finisher
Powerful dunker
AND1 finisher through contact
Defensive instincts on display with standout play, deflecting a pass to stop a 4-on-1

Legend Smiley
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Great defensive instincts and on-ball pressure, forcing strip steals at point of attack, anticipating deflections
Tough shot maker, splashing pull-up jumpers with the stepback 3 off the dribble and midrange elbow fadeaway

Mazi Mosley
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Incredible feel, great vision, sweet look-off dish, good read on the drive-and-kick to open man



Impressive quick burst accelerating speed and decelerating body control
Soft touch finishing at the rim, finger rolls and tough driving finish after initating P&R

Good defensive instincts, anticipation, timing up the block
Big 
vertical leaper throwing down powerful slam

C&S 3PT range

Jordan Smith Jr.

6’3 Shooting Guard
2026

Great all-around talent with legit two-way winning impact
Good timing on soft touch alley-oop lob pass
Strong rebounder in traffic
Powerful finisher at the rim AND1 on a tough take to the rack
Rated Top-5 in Overall Impact and Top-20 in *every* Cerebro metric: defense, passing, scoring, shooting, at the rim

Kingston Flemings
6’4″ Point Guard
2025

Natural scoring creator point guard who consistently creates makeable looks for himself and others
Two-way winning impact
Capable outside 3pt shooter
Developable ball skills between the handle, scoring, and passing
Rated Top-5 in Scoring, Passing, Overall Impact, and 33rd in Defensive Impact at the camp via Cerebro

Adrien Stevens
6’4″ Point Guard
2025

Impressive body control footwork
Attacks closeout with dribble
Soft touch shotmaking

Kayden Mingo

6’3″ Point Guard
2025

Killer decelerating body control, sends defender flying on slowdown for finger roll
Nice 3pt and midrange shooter, hits C&S triple
Impressive ball control, weaving through traffic with a little wiggle on the dribble
Good feel running Double Drag P&R, driving into a pull-up jumper

Abdul Aziz Olajuwon
6’6″ Shooting Guard
2026

Splashy C&S 3pt shooting, clean shooting mechanics, good finishes at the rim

Caleb Holt
6’5″ Point Guard
2026

Impressive finisher at the rim, tough shot over contest
Good vision with the no-look dumpoff pass, nice decision-making feel read on the drive and kick corner 3pt assist



Joshua Lewis
6’7″ Shooting Guard
2025

Good vision making team-first reads, the drive and 3pt kickout to open man
Smooth soft touch FLOATA

Eric Chatfield
5’11” Point Guard
2025

Smooth shooting stroke, clean perimeter shooter, highest rated 3PT shooter by Cerebro in the tournament
Splashing pull-up jumpers from deep, C&S threes, elbow middies

Xavion Staton
7’0″ Center
2025

Good feel, vision, decision-making on drive and kicks, especially for a big
Quick burst on the give-and-go cut to the rack for a strong AND1 layup
Smart mover off the ball, cutting, rolling

Jovani Ruff
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Good footwork with the jumpstop in the paint, finishing the drive to the rack
Nice connector extra pass in transition
Strong north-south drive and finesse finisher at the rim with finger rolls, drawing fouls and converting AND1

Alexander Lloyd

6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

Nice hop step footwork in the paint
3pt range drilling the C&S jumpers
Good driver through traffic and tough shot maker at the rim with the up-and-under referse finish
Solid kickout vision for 3pt ast
Rates highly in playmaking and 3pt efficiency metrics via Cerebro

Matthew Able

6’5″ Small Forward
2025

Tough shotmaking off the dribble with pull-up middy after pull-up middy
Smart hustler defender saving loose balls, contesting shots without fouling
3pt range shooter with the C&S triple
Good vision and soft touch lob pass for alley-oop

Akai Fleming

6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

Tough shot making perimeter shooter with fadeaway and OTD middies, strong bump-and-finish drive, buzzer-beater pull-up deep-range 3
Nice feel making good reads on the alley-layin pass

Jacobe Coleman

6’3″ Shooting Guard
2025

Good passer finding the big on the rim-roll
Winning hustle plays
Sound 
body control deceleration to stop on a dime for the AND1 layup as defender flies into him



John Clark

6’8″ Power Forward
2025

Explosive strong driver and finesse finisher, converting through traffic
Big man rebounding in traffic, soft touch putback and strong takes to the rack

Elijah Williams
6’6″ Small Forward
2026

Great defensive instincts for deflections and steals
Grab-and-go pace-pusher
Tight body and ball control, stopping on a dime, dropping spin move handles
Vertical athlete throwing down thunderous slam
Off-the-dribble scorer with a pull-up jumper

Honorable mention players who I saw make winning plays like a well-timed block or team-first read pass:

Dorian Jones, Isaiah Denis, Courtland Muldrew, Babatunde Oladotun, Bryce Slay, Jermaine O’Neal Jr., Treeyvon Maddox, Adonis Ratliff, Derek Dixon, Jordan Scott, Terrion Burgess, Nigel Walls, Preston Wade, Simon Walker, Aliou Dioum, Curtis Stinson Jr., Landon Clark, Xzavion Mitchell, Christopher Nwuli, Ryder Frost, Hakeem Weems, Jack McCaffeery, Amare Bynum, Symon Ghai, Shareef Jackson, Jaylen Harrell

The post 2024 NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report: Notes, Film, Quotes, and Data Visualizations on 70 Standout Players appeared first on Swish Theory.

Braylon Mullins: More than a Shooter

There may not be a player in the country who has seen their public perception improve more throughout the grassroots season than 6’5 G/W Braylon Mullins. Playing for Indiana Elite on the 3SSB (Adidas) circuit, Mullins emerged from relative obscurity over the past few weeks, having spent the last high school season playing for Indiana public school Greenfield Central in lieu of a prep school with a nationally recognized brand.

At first glance, Mullins seems to embody the role of a traditional movement shooter. Taking over 8 threes per game, these attempts make up over 60% of Mullins’ shot diet. And with Mullins converting from three at a scorching 44.6% clip, it seems as though he’s simply executing the role of a shooting specialist at a high level. However, examining the tape will show Mullins, in many ways, is the offensive engine of an undefeated Indiana Elite team which currently boasts an average margin of victory of 19.5 points per game!

Mullins’ broader skillset is what separates him from other impressive shooters in his class, but he very well could be the best long distance sniper in the 2025 class as well. As previously mentioned, Mullins has been extremely efficient on a robust volume of 3’s per game, but his mechanics and versatility are especially notable for a young player. Mullins has total comfort shooting off various play-types, from more conventional movement sets like this Rip Stagger Screen-the-screener set ran below…

to off multiple dribbles in transition…

Or in the half-court, like this Hawk action (a UCLA cut followed by a side PNR) where Mullins takes advantage of any cushion provided to him by quickly transitioning into his shot.

As teams became aware of Mullins’ reputation as a shooter, his seemingly limitless range and hair-trigger release forced opponents to ramp up their aggressiveness on close-outs to run him off the line at any costs. This is where Mullins was able to shine, and his finely tuned process off the catch was put on full display.

Compare these two BLOB (Baseline Out of Bounds) plays. In the first clip Indiana Elite runs a Screen-the-Screener set with Mullins setting a cross screen for Malachi Moreno and receiving an exit screen which he makes the corner 3 off of.

In a similar BLOB play where Mullins sees a much more aggressive trailing defender, he confidently attacks the closeout and his clean footwork allows him to get into his floater attempt on balance and score.

Even plays where Mullins isn’t a primary feature of the action, the speed he’s able to process off-ball and the pace he plays with coming off screens allows him to make the most of his gravity as a shooter. Take the play below for example, Mullins skips the ball to an open teammate in the corner and receives a Hammer screen for, presumably, a corner 3 afterwards. However, instead of settling into the corner Mullins recognizes his defender’s back is turned to him and cuts to the basket, making himself available for a pass from his driving teammate. From here makes an interior touch pass to Malachi Moreno. Even with the pass being bobbled, Mullins shows advanced situational awareness for a high-school player here.

These kind of quick decisions are littered throughout Mullins’ tape, and while these reads aren’t necessarily the most advanced, Mullins’ consistent execution (marked by a sterling 1.21 Assist/Turnover ratio) is the hallmark of an elite, complementary, offensive player.

Ultimately, seeing Mullins’ success on the defensive end is where he completely shed the ‘just a shooter’ label in my eyes. Officially, Mullins has only been credited with 6 steals over 13 games on Synergy. However, much like on the offensive end, Mullins’ situational awareness and high activity level allow him to be an impactful player on this end.

In this clip for instance, Upward Stars runs an empty corner PNR where the guard rejecting the screen triggers a backline rotation. Mullins perfectly times his rotation, sinking into the corner as the corner kickout is made, and his off-hand deflection secures the turnover for Indiana Elite. Mullins’ hand speed and accuracy as a defender help compensate for a slighter frame as well. Plays like the clip below, where Mullins is briefly thrown out of position as his assignment curls the pindown screen, but he capitalizes on the ballhandler being slightly late on the pass with another off-hand deflection.

Mullins has strung together numerous impressive two-way performances so far this spring, but the subtleties of his game on both ends make me confident he’ll continue to rise in stature throughout the summer. Rarely are elite shooting talents able to contribute in as many areas of the game as Mullins, and it is these skills which make him a recruiting priority for the nation’s elite college programs.

Dewayne Brown: Modern Classics

There may not be a position across all sports undergoing more of a drastic transformation than the modern big-man. From traditional back to the basket centers, to stretch 5’s, and now bigs in certain instances being expected to initiate offense from the perimeter, the requirements to be considered a ‘modern big’ seem to constantly be a moving target. What makes Florida Rebels center and Tennessee commit Dewayne Brown such a standout prospect, and in my opinion the most underrated big man in the ’25 class, is how capable he is fulfilling all these roles at this stage of his career.

Brown’s bread and butter currently is his low-post game. Being one of the more physically developed bigs in the class (listed at 6’9 and 250 pounds), Brown has a developed sense of how to create space in the post not only with his size but refined footwork. Brown’s clean footwork and patience in the post allow him to consistently create finishing windows which he can capitalize on as an ambidextrous finisher.

A skill Brown may be best in all of EYBL in is establishing post position as early as possible, however for as talented a team as the Florida Rebels are, they can struggle making entry passes to Brown in the post. This dynamic often forces Brown to create post-up opportunities for himself like the play above, where Brown crashes down from the top of the key to setup a catch on the low-block. Despite the denial on the entry forcing Brown into a suboptimal catch point, his up fake on the drive helps him avoid the rotating topside defender and get an easy finish.

For how inconsistent his team is in creating post touches for Brown, the fact he’s currently sitting 6th in total post possessions across EYBL play, 4th in PPP, all while drawing fouls at the highest clip of any player with 40+ post-ups, speaks to his skill as an interior player. Even when Brown is forced to operate outside of the post, in sets more aligned with ‘modern’ big man play like the clip below, he finds ways to finish. Here Brown keeps out of a DHO and navigates the help with a pro-hop to get the finish.

Along with his footwork, Brown’s hands are his greatest weapon. Areas where explosive leaping ability is widely considered a prerequisite to thrive, like offensive rebounding and rim protection, Brown is able to excel in because of his vacuum hands and timing.

Whether he’s defending opposing bigs like Cameron Boozer on the perimeter…

Or finding himself cross-matched onto wings like Sebastian Williams-Adams…

Brown’s hand accuracy and timing enable him to serve as a positive defensive anchor.

As far as his rebounding ability, for my money there’s not a more consistent presence on the offensive glass at this level than Dewayne Brown. I don’t think there’s a play that better encapsulates his strengths as a rebounder along with the previously mentioned interior footwork than the following clip. Brown’s late hands allow him to snatch the board over Cameron Boozer before Boozer is able to properly judge the trajectory of the missed shot. And when the ball finds Brown he Barkley’s on his drive to create a deeper paint touch, and Euro-steps into the finish over Boozer. From beginning to end this play is a wild display of coordination and agility from a player Brown’s size.

What Brown’s game lacks in above the rim finishes and highlight blocks he makes up for with a poise well beyond what’s typically seen from a young big. The diversity of Brown’s skillset is what makes him exceptional and a prime candidate to outperform his ranking at the next level.

Courtland Muldrew: Seizing Opportunity

The 4th and final EYBL Session took place in Kansas City and flew somewhat under the radar as a number of headlining talent opted to attend USA Basketball’s tryouts for the u18 Americup team. For 6’3 Team Thad guard Courtland Muldrew this scheduling conflict represented an opportunity to step into a higher usage role than he’d previously seen, as his teammate 5-star guard Jasper Johnson attended the USAB minicamp. In Johnson’s stead, Muldrew proved to be one of the best advantage creators on the circuit, despite significantly scaling up in usage.

Muldrew routinely generated deep paint touches without a screen, and parlayed these paint touches into finishes or free throw attempts at an outstanding clip. Over the course of 5 games in Kansas City, Muldrew drew 41 free throws attempts, none of which came in late game must-foul situations. Muldrew’s ability to live in the paint was made possible by an ideal set of driving tools, from a lightning quick first step to contact balance reminiscent of an elite runningback, seldom was any point-of-attack defender able to stay in front of Muldrew.

Here you can see Dwayne Aristode, one of the premier perimeter defenders in the country, unable to stay in front of Muldrew as he drives to his left. And perhaps as impressive as Muldrew’s ability to repeatedly create downhill separation from defenders, is his array of finishing footwork. Muldrew is equally capable of driving and finishing with either hand, and here uses goofy-leg (jumping with the same foot as the hand attempting the layup) to disrupt the timing of the help defender.

The catalyst of Muldrew’s rim pressure is his explosive first step, as his handle is more rudimentary than most primary ballhandlers at the moment. However, Muldrew’s able to remain effective inside the arc due to his intersection of touch and an understanding of how to play off 2 feet. Synergy is somewhat limited categorizing shot types (runners and floaters) but in the four games I was able to watch and manually log Muldrew’s shot attempts, he went 3/7 on floaters, a very respectable number for a player with Muldrew’s volume of drives.

This possession is a perfect example of the interplay between the two skills of Muldrew, he drives off the catch and jumpstops to ensure his floater attempt is taken on balance. This penchant for playing off two feet lets Muldrew access a variety of counters on drive, such as the play below where he gains leverage on Dwayne Aristode after rejecting the screen, and uses the momentum from Aristode’s recovery to create space for a midrange stepback.

What’s so compelling about Muldrew’s driving ability is unlike many downhill guards at the high-school level, whose reliance on getting in the paint often comes at the cost of developing as a perimeter scorer, Muldrew has shown reason for optimism on this front. While Muldrew’s only shot 34% from three on 4.6 attempts/game (12 games), he’s been steady from the line coming in at 89% on 65 attempts. Equally encouraging as Muldrew’s touch indicators is how he’s already shown an understanding of how to enhance his drives with the shooting threat he currently possess. Compare the two plays below for example, in the first clip Muldrew takes and makes a three when the defender provides a cushion to account for the driving threat.

In the subsequent play, Team Thad runs Motion Strong for Muldrew, a set typically ran for shooters. The pace Muldrew plays with coming off the staggers gets his defender to bite on the up-fake, and this provides Muldrew the opportunity to attack the front of the rim.

Courtland Muldrew may not be a conventional point-guard at the moment, but possesses a combination of advantage creation and 3 level scoring tools matched by only a few other guards in his class. And in the previous session when Muldrew was given more decision making responsibilities he showed progression over the course of the weekend. Adding more quality reps running ballscreen actions to his resume, like the play below where Muldrew runs a side PNR and holds the tagging defender with his eyes to pry open a cleaner finishing window for the rolling big.

Chris Cenac: Standout Amongst Standouts

Before he’d even put up a shot, 6’10 big man Chris Cenac demanded my attention from the very first game of his I’d decided to turn on. Cenac’s decision to play for the NXTPRO, the newest shoe circuit sponsored by Puma, made his games more difficult to watch so my first encounter with Cenac was when his Young Game Changers (YGC) team was pitted against JL3 in an early season event. JL3 is far from lacking athletes, but Cenac’s length and fluidity at his size was immediately eye-popping.

Take the following sequence for example, Cenac is pulled away from the basket, with his man settled at the top of the key. When a drive from the strongside wing collapses the defense, Cenac helps-the-helper by sinking into the weakside corner, and keeps eyes on the ballhandler so he’s able to steal the kickout pass. A player Cenac’s size being able to make this rotation is abnormal on its own, the fact Cenac is then able to push the break, and has the wherewithal to find a teammate as his drive is walled off is spectacular.

Cenac would continue to impress as a ballhandler in the open court, even flashing as a live dribble passer.

As is often the case with young bigs with burgeoning perimeter skillsets, Cenac’s process on-ball could be questionable at times, but how consistently Cenac was able to get into his jumper proved his handle was functional at his size. Across 4 handtracked games Cenac was a promising 9/21 on jumpshots (42.8%) including going 3/9 (33.3%) from three. As always, free throw shooting factors heavily into any shooting projection for me, and Cenac was a respectable 17/25 (72%) from the line across this sample of games.

The shooting splits along with plays like this, where Cenac comfortably steps into a 1 dribble pull-up three over a respected rim protector in Xavion Stanton…

Or here where Cenac gets to his spot above the free-throw line and hits a pull-up jumper, is indicative of there being more substance than style to Cenac’s shooting projection.

Anytime a player Cenac’s size shows an aptitude for shooting it tends to become their primary draw as a prospect, but this is a case of defensive versatility being as enticing. As previously mentioned Cenac is a rare mover at his size, capable of playing defensive roles besides primary rim protector because he can guard in space. But he also has the length and discipline as a rim protector to use his size without fouling. In the possession below, YGC’s defense is in a scramble situation after JL3 secures an offensive rebound, Hudson Greer drives into open space and makes the dump-off pass, which should lead to an easy finish for the springy 6’9 forward Nigel Walls. Cenac’s fluid enough to flip his hips and explosive enough to elevate with both arms extended to block Wall’s attempt.

Up until this point I’ve kept the scope of my projections limited to how players may contribute at the collegiate level, however the manner in which Chris Cenac made his imprint on games forced me to acknowledge that he may only be a single season contributor in the NCAA.

King Grace: Guarding His Yard

In Under Armour’s first session, Texas Impact 4:13 G/W King Grace won overall MVP, and considering his statline (24 ppg on 43% from 3 and 54% from the field) a natural assumption to make would be it was Grace’s scoring output which landed him on this list. And while I do plan on discussing some of his offensive merits, what caught my eye was Grace’s doggedness as a defender.

King Grace is listed at 6’4 185 pounds, but with outstanding length and strength for the position he proved to be a suffocating Point-of-Attack defender. Grace would use his physicality to disrupt ballhandlers like the play below, where he avoids the screen and immediately crowds Josiah Sanders’ handle to force him into a backcourt violation.

Averaging 1.6 steals/game through the first two sessions, Grace possesses an exceedingly rare trait for a high-school perimeter defender. Grace’s motor, length, and timing saw him dictating certain possessions. Instead of simply capitalizing on the opponent’s errors or sacrificing his positioning to hunt turnovers, Grace forced opponents into mistakes. Like in the following play, Wisconsin Playground run 77 Flare, Grace going under the 1st screen prompts his teammate guarding the 2nd screen to show at the level before recovering back to his original assignment. The ballhandler sees this sequence play out and makes presumably the correct read by passing to his teammate coming off the flarescreen, but Grace diagnoses the play, and intercepts the pass for an easy transition dunk.

Grace thrives playing this cat-and-mouse game with ballhandlers, and maximizes opportunities in different roles. Here you see him mirror his man to prevent the drive, provides gap help on the secondary drive, but keeps his off-hand in the passing lane as he recovers. This clip is a wonderful distillation of how Grace’s physical tools and defensive anticipation manifest to create havoc and in this case generate a turnover.

Grace’s offensive skillset can best be described as low maintenance. While his handle as it currently stands may not be creative enough to consistently initiate offense, Grace was hyper-efficient in primarily Princeton type sets Texas Impact would run for him. A competent spot-up shooter, Grace’s decisiveness in these actions compensated for his lack of shot versatility. Compare the two possessions below for instance, in the first clip Grace runs off a double stagger and when he’s denied the entry, Texas Impact flows into Bilboa, where a double stagger is set and the offensive player in the corner rejects the first screen, triggering Grace to come off the pindown and take the 3.

In the next clip Texas Impact runs a similar concept out of a 5-out alignment called Point Over, where Grace is setting a pindown, but instead of a second screen the big is operating as the trigger man out of a DHO. As Grace comes off the hand-off the opposing big lifts to take away the 3, and Grace simply drives and finds his big on the roll.

Grace’s tape lacks some of the flash of other wings in his class, but the areas he excels in are typically the most conducive to a smooth transition to the next level.

The post Ahmed’s Starting 5 appeared first on Swish Theory.

Jamarion Batemon: Flamethrower

One of the first players on the Adidas 3 Stripe Select (3SSB) to catch my eye was 6’3 Combo Guard and 3 star recruit, Jamarion Batemon, playing for Power 5 out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Batemon, for my money, is one of the preeminent shooters in the 2025 High School class. Over the first two sessions Batemon shot a combined 42/84 from 3 for a scorching 50% and an equally impressive 10 attempts per game. And while watching games, the degree of difficulty and variety of play-types Batemon was being used in was perhaps the most striking aspect of his performance. Batemon’s team, Power 5, used him primarily as an off-ball player in movement sets. One of the most consistent features of their offense was running Batemon off movement using elevator screens and double staggers like the play below. Batemon draws a foul on the make because of the minimal shot prep he requires to get his shot off.

Batemon isn’t limited to shooting off the catch either, as what makes him such an impressive shooter for his age is he’ll seize any amount of cushion provided to get into a 3pt attempt no matter the variables presented by the game situation. Whether it be in ballscreen actions like the play below…

…or in transition…

…Jamarion Batemon is a threat to shoot from deep virtually any time he crosses half-court. This has allowed him to be a focal point of a Power 5 team which has exceeded expectations so far this season. His proficiency as a shooter was no more apparent than in their matchup with, in my opinion, one of the best teams on not only the Adidas Circuit but one of the best AAU teams in the country in Team Loaded Virginia. Batemon put on a masterful shooting display where he finished with 32 total points and went 9/19 from 3, almost unheard of volume for a high school player.

While Batemon’s potency as a shooter is not in doubt there are areas of his game he’ll need to develop to fully exploit this skill at the next level, namely his comfort as a ballhandler. Batemon didn’t see much PNR usage and due to the threat he presents as a shooter typically saw aggressive coverages in ballscreen action which dissuaded him from attempting to create. However, my favorite aspect of high school basketball is the rate some of these players are able to adapt, and Batemon was no exception. His timing and accuracy as a passer in the PNR improved from Session 1 to 2, and while it often didn’t translate in assists, Batemon’s decisiveness helped keep the offense on schedule.

As Batemon gained experience seeing these coverages he began to develop counters and even leveraged the respect he’d garnered as a scorer to get downhill.

Batemon’s passing growth wasn’t limited to on-ball usage, he was also able to parlay the respect his shooting was given to extend advantages for his teammates. Take the play below for instance, Batemon comes off an Exit screen in a SLOB play, and immediately hits the screener when he draws a second defender. The defense is immediately put into rotation and the initial screener finds an open shooter in the right slot. This doesn’t result in an assist, or even a basket, but Power 5 generates a good look and a potential hockey assist for Batemon, predicated on his shooting gravity.

Ultimately Batemon will need to make significant strides as a ballhandler and defender as he rises through the ranks, but the significant short term growth, in tandem with his strong foundation as a shooter, saw Jamarion Batemon as my biggest riser through the first few weeks of the season.

Josiah Sanders: Driving Offense

My second standout is slightly more off the beaten path compared to many of the other prospects who will be discussed, but 6’4 Point Guard Josiah Sanders was one of the most impressive lead guards and offensive engines I was able to watch during Under Armour’s first and only session to date. Sanders is an unheralded recruit hailing from Denver Colorado, and runs with the Utah Mountain Stars at the moment. Sanders was able to average 26.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 7.3 APG in a 4 game sample in session 1, and as the numbers would indicate his impact on the game was comprehensive, and notably unique.

What first caught my attention with Sanders was the poise and craft he displayed as a PNR operator. While Sanders is a left handed player he is functionally ambidextrous, capable of driving in either direction and making quick, accurate, passes with both hands. Compare the two clips below, Sanders is running similar side PNRs and the moment he senses the helpside defenders cheating over, he whips in skip passes to his teammate in the corner.

Sanders’ vision as a passer is definitely noteworthy, but what separates him from other capable ‘game manager’ type passers at his position is the consistent aggression and acumen he possesses attacking the basket. Despite being 16, relatively young for his class, Sanders’ contact balance and pace as a driver allowed him to place pressure on the defense and create windows to play-make for his teammates. Through the 4 games Sanders played he averaged 10 free-throws per game and a 0.49 free-throw-rate. Sanders effectively toggled through different speeds on drives and his unique cadence kept point-of-attack defenders off balance to where he was able to create contact with second level defenders.

Small details so rare in young guards are present in Sanders’ game, and made evident in the clip above. He isn’t able to create separation from his defender initially, retreats to allow the screener to twist the angle of the screen, and when Sanders drives he initiates contact with the defender to improve his driving angle and as a result draws a foul on his off-hand finish for an And-1 opportunity. Sanders’ penchant for accessing the middle of the floor paired with his patience make him a dynamic playmaker at this stage.

The most glaring flaw currently in Sanders’ game, from what I was able to see, was his versatility as a shooter. Essential for ball dominant guards is an ability to shoot off the dribble and from distance. Sanders finished Session 1 only 3/12 from 3, but there is plenty of reason for optimism. First of all, Sanders’ ball dominance allowed for significantly less opportunities to shoot off the catch, and while attempts weren’t going in he looked comfortable and fluid taking pull-up 3s.

And while some may take issue with this kind of qualitative assessment, Sanders was also an efficient 85.7% from the line (24/28). Watching Sanders I don’t believe there’s a greater discrepancy between ability and notoriety for a prospect in the 2025 class, and teams are starting to take notice, as Sanders received his first Power 6 offer from Tennessee almost immediately after the conclusion of Session 1.

Kai Rogers: Checking Boxes

The first frontcourt player in my ‘Starting 5’, Kai Rogers is also the first player on the list I would consider a national recruit. Already boasting numerous Power 6 offers, the 6’9 Center for Under Armour’s Wisconsin Playground Club was exceptional in the first Session, managing to make his presence felt on both ends. Rogers averaged 3.3 blocks and 1.3 steals over the course of 4 games. While he is an impressive athlete with plus length, Rogers isn’t the quickest leaper, instead winning with an advanced sense of timing and rare dexterity for a young big.

Take the play below for instance, Rogers was primarily deployed in as a drop coverage big in ballscreen actions and here he funnels the ballhandler towards the help when he rejects the screen. Once the ballhandler makes the pass to the roller at the free-throw line, the topside tagger is put in conflict when his initial assignment relocates to the top of the key. This conflict pries open a driving lane for the big to drive, but Kai Rogers immediately engulfs the drive and blocks the shot while its still in the big’s hands, and Rogers makes this play on the ball with his off-hand!

Rogers definitely isn’t perfect protecting the paint and his range as a rim protector is somewhat limited by his footspeed, however he is fully capable of making corrective rotations like the play above and deterring potential rim attempts with his ball tracking ability. Perhaps the greatest attribute Rogers possesses as a shot blocker is his ability to avoid foul trouble despite the rim protection burden placed on him as Wisconsin PlayGround’s only big man consistently featured in the rotation. Rogers never fouled out of a game and averaged a mere 3 fouls per game in Session 1.

For all the potential Rogers displayed on the defensive end, he was almost equally effective on the other end of the floor. Rogers’ fluidity in the low-post along with his physicality allowed him to impose his will on opposing big-men. Adept in scoring with both hands, Rogers’ only warts were possessions where he was over-ambitious, which is to be expected of a young post player trying to expand his game en-route to winning games. But while results were inconsistent, there were moments of self creation from Rogers which are incredibly rare to see from frontcourt players his size.

Rogers’ ability to either function as a lob threat or score on the interior with his back to the basket often forced defenses’ hands, leading to a stellar 0.67 free-throw-rate, but his consistent appearances at the line revealed his greatest offensive shortcoming at the moment as Rogers was only 47% from the line on 19 attempts. Poor free throw shooting doesn’t at all take away from Roger’s projection at the next level, in my opinion, and I am fully expecting Rogers to widely be considered one of 2025’s best big men by summer’s end.

Sebastian Williams-Adams: Point-Center

6’7 JL3 Forward Sebastian Williams-Adams was one of the most impactful players in EYBL play through the first two sessions and his play at these events can best be described as all-encompassing. Williams-Adams played one of the most unique roles I saw across all circuits in how amorphous his responsibilities seemed to be. Williams-Adams was typically used as JL3’s primary rim protector, and despite not being the tallest player in JL3’s frontcourt he was able to consistently utilize his exceptional strength and dynamic leaping to alter shots around the rim while simultaneously holding up against heftier post players. Whereas on offense, Williams-Adams had the second highest share of initiating responsibilities after their more traditional PG Christian Jones. Due to his explosive first step, Williams-Adams was able to consistently collapse the defense and find teammates. The sequence below exemplifies the two-way impact Williams-Adams presented. On the defensive end, JL3 has their first line of defense penetrated by the opposing PG when he sees the JL3 big man cheating up at the level and rejects the screen. The PG drives into the paint unencumbered, but Williams-Adams baits him into a layup attempt by slightly feigning a contest, and instead jumps after the guard and emphatically blocks the shot.

In the ensuing possession, Williams-Adams finds the ball in the corner after the initial PNR is stifled, drives the baseline and as he forces the defense into rotation finds Nigel Walls with an interior pass which leads to Walls being fouled on the shot attempt.

Williams-Adams was relentless in applying pressure on the front of the rim, as while EYBL was inconsistent with their statkeeping and free-throw stats aren’t readily available, Williams-Adams was a regular at the line over the course of the first two sessions. Even without a consistent jumper to attract hard closeouts, Williams-Adams was able to generate paint touches in stampede actions.

And when his primary defender sagged off to prevent clear driving opportunities out of stampedes, Williams-Adams had enough handle creativity and acceleration to manufacture space. Like in the play below, Williams-Adams uses a snatch dribble to draw Caleb Wilson out just to explode past him and draw the foul.

Williams-Adams has a ways to go as a shooter and will need to flesh out this part of his game as he’s forced to play more as a conventional wing, but the combination of physical dominance and two-way creation he’s currently able to exercise eases concerns of how he’ll translate to the next level.

Will Riley: Scalable Offensive Star

6’7 Canadian G/W Will Riley is the rare instance of a wing sized player deserving the moniker of ‘point-forward’. Riley’s ability to soak up usage both as a primary ballhandler and a complementary offensive piece was truly a joy to watch. Riley was equally proficient creating out of ballscreen actions as he was finishing plays as a shooter. His proficiency on-ball was a byproduct of his exceptional touch, advanced screen craft, and depth of off-the-dribble counters.

The interplay between some of these skills can be seen in the play below. Riley sees the POA defender cheating towards the screen and Riley uses double cross to get a step driving towards the basket and the use of the cross-body gather prior to throwing the baseline cutter hold the backline defenders attention just long enough to prevent them from making a play on the ball.

Riley saw almost an equal amount of his usage come in more typical off-ball actions for a wing. Such as the play below, UPlay runs a ‘Peja’ action for Riley, where he sets a RIP screen before receiving a handoff intended to get him an open 3 which he hits.

Riley’s sense of how to leverage this shooting ability when he’s used in UPlay’s 5-out concepts separates him from other shooting slanted wings his age however, he recognizes the threat his shooting presents and its ability to dictate terms with the defender. Despite Riley’s lack of physical strength he has extremely impressive stamina, and weaponizes it off-ball by using a series of feints and cuts like th play below. Riley adjusts to his defender overplaying the hand-off and retreats into open space, after the catch the second his defender relaxes Riley re-drives to the basket and hits a floater over the smaller defender. The fact Riley, at 6’7, has a floater thoroughly integrated into his scoring arsenal shows how high his skill level is for the age group.

And when teams have attempted to take away Riley’s windows to score in hand-off actions he has been more than willing to move off the ball.

These nuances in Riley’s game will make him an easy fit next to other talented players at the next level, and as the physical element of his game progresses and he’s able to more consistently draw fouls, Riley may find himself playing the primary role even when stationed next to other high-level offensive players.

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Cooper Flagg | 6’8” Wing/Forward | Duke

As the number one ranked player in the class, the 6’8” big wing did anything but disappoint. Flagg dominated on both ends of the floor, using his length to stifle players on the defensive end and his strong intersection of tools to create offense. The intensity was apparent and he truly showcased his malleability as a defender: effectively guarding ball handlers at the point of attack, providing strong help at the nail, and erasing shots at the rim. His combination of real lateral agility at that size, length, and general feel gives him the tools to be a premier defender in the NBA. 

Offensively, he was consistently able to create advantages as the primary ballhandler, keeping his handle alive against pressure and navigating through multiple lines of defense. Flagg does not possess elite burst, but it still enabled him to get a step on his defender on most drives. Scoring mostly at the rim, Flagg exhibited great touch and high-level contact balance to get through defenders and find angles. Flagg ended up shooting two attempts from the perimeter, missing both, but was confident launching these shots. The energy transfer on the shot for the most part is good, taking a dip to generate more energy but he would create some imbalances when the shot was launched due to cocking the ball too far behind his head. This causes his shot to be closer to two motions and requires him to use more energy to launch, mitigating some of the energy created from the dip.

Dylan Harper | 6’5” Guard | Rutgers

Dylan Harper was the star of the show at Jordan Brand, dicing up the defense with his shot creation and size. In fact, the defining moment of the game ended up being the three straight off the dribble 3s he hit in the second half while Cooper Flagg was his primary defender. At first glance, Harper’s advantage creation tools do not seem striking, with a sub-par first step and limited vertical explosion. However, he is extremely adept at creating space off the dribble to hunt his shots on the perimeter, taking step-backs and side-step jumpers with ease: a function of his great lower extremity strength. When his drives get walled off, he’s extremely comfortable creating these shots as a counter to throw backtracking defenders off balance. 

Where his first step lacks, Harper’s fantastic acceleration tools make up for it. Using his shin angles and good ankle flexibility, he showcased some twitch turning corners and exploding out of his second and third steps. This combination of shooting gravity and acceleration tools bodes well for a potential advantage creator that uses ball screens. It should also help his scalability when using him off-ball to attack off the catch or operate off of actions that can get him downhill like Zoom, Wide-Pin, and Double Stagger actions. He did not get much post-up usage in the game but I would not be surprised if Harper can effectively score off of guard post-ups with his size and frame at higher levels.

Boogie Fland | 6’2” Guard | Arkansas

While smaller in stature, that did not take away from a player who looked like the best advantage creator in the game. Boogie Fland was consistently creating 2-on-1 situations from a standstill throughout the game, using his exceptional first step to slice the first line of defense and attack gaps with speed. He mostly acted upon these advantage situations with quick kick-out passes to the perimeter, but when he had a lane to the rim he was able to find finishing angles with his flexibility.

Boogie ended up taking three 3s in the game and did not make any of them, but I would attribute this to shot variance as his shot mechanics looked fairly fluid. He has a 1.5-motion jumper but releases effectively at a high enough set point to create shot windows. There is a slight knee valgus which can be hammered out with increased lower half strength and balance, but a product of that is that he is generating most of the energy from his shot with his upper body mechanics.

Defensively, Boogie tended to gamble quite a bit rotationally which made him struggle on-ball but his feel and active hands showed up as a guy that can create havoc off-ball through steals. With his straight-line speed, that should also open up his ability to lead transition offense at higher levels, just like he did at Jordan Brand.

Liam McNeeley | 6’7” Wing | UConn

Calling McNeeley an extraordinary shooter might be underselling his ability to bend defenses with his shot. The Jordan Brand Classic was no exception, where he shot 50% from beyond the arc on 10 3-point attempts. He displayed a wide range of shot versatility, shooting off movement, off the catch, and off the dribble. He was also able to weaponize his touch in the intermediary, causing defenders to guard him extremely tightly. There was a drive that stood out to me, where he took a defender off the dribble after a hard closeout and got fouled on the rim attempt. It stood out to me because he struggled to decelerate in traffic. If this is a real issue with his movement skills, it remains to be seen as I would need to take a closer look over a larger sample of his drives to see if this is a consistent issue. Regardless, this is more of a concern if you are projecting real handling usage for McNeeley at the NBA level and less of an emphasis for someone who will use driving off the catch as a counter. 

As a connector, he was maintaining advantages and processing decisions that were one pass away quickly. On the other side of the ball, McNeeley was able to slide his feet and flip his hips well against wings. With improvement in technique, I can definitely envision him containing drives against bigger players at the NBA level.

Isaiah Evans | 6’6” Wing | Duke

Isaiah Evans struggled in certain aspects of the game but you could piece together the type of creator he could end up being at the NBA level with polish and physical development. A dynamic shooting wing, Evans exhibited his feathery touch at all three levels of the court, with the most prominent areas being from the midrange and perimeter. What stood out to me was that although Evans has a slighter frame and weighs a reported 185 pounds (ESPN), he was able to take and make most of his shots when physicality was applied.

Strength will be an important facet of his athleticism to monitor as most of his wins in scoring situations came from space-creation moves and shooting gravity. Although he is a fluid handler, his lack of power and burst on drives forced him into a shot diet of difficult pull-up jumpers. The other issue is his space creation moves like step-backs did not often create enough space, and defenders could stay within his shot window, which is what I would attribute to most of the misses in the game. Strength also affected him on the defensive end as he would get caught across screens while navigating. However, when there was no screen to deter him, Evans showcased his potential on that end with how he operated against ball handlers using his length.

Honorable Mentions

• VJ Edgecombe: Edgecombe struggled to shoot in this game but his ability to break down defense with his burst was on full display. Even without his shot, he was able to affect the game with promising point-of-attack defense and by grabbing rebounds.

• Drake Powell: He had some great moments as a play finisher, making kick-out passes and even operating out of the dunker using his vertical athleticism

• Asa Newell: With Newell, you could see his ability to play finish at the rim and from the perimeter effectively. He was able to flaunt his instincts as a rim protector and take away shots at the rim.

• Kon Knueppel: At 6’5”, Knueppel showed off his proficiency from range. He has a wider shot base that provided more stability on the shot, but outside of this he maintained advantages as a connector and provided real intensity on the defensive end.

• Derik Queen: While he is an undersized big, Queen exhibited strong rebounding, finishing at the rim, and his ability to pass out of post-ups and the short roll. His wide crossover on drives was compact and created space efficiently.

• Jalil Bethea: Great upper extremity flexibility and burst that helped him knife through defenses at 6’4”. He even showcased some manipulative passing in transition.

It will be fascinating to see how these players continue to impact their new teams, post high school, but one thing was clear: the talent pool in this incoming class is stacked amongst a wide array of archetypes and positions. The 2025 NBA Draft is shaping up to be one of the stronger classes in modern draft history, and the Jordan Brand Classic was emblematic of that very notion. 

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