You never know which version of this Orlando Magic team you’re going to get. Sporadic 3pt shooting. Roster-depleting injuries. Rotations lacking rhythm. But there’s two things you can always count on for this group:

1. Opponents scratching and clawing for every point against this pestering defense
2. When Paolo and Franz get going, this team can hang around with anyone.

Orlando’s defense is as impressive as any team in the league; this year the Magic are on track for their second straight season as the league’s 2nd-best rated defense. The one thing you never question is The Competitive fire. The Energy. The Hustle. (get well soon, Suggs.)

The offense, though, lives and dies with the consistency of its stars, not to mention the shooting luck of its role players. The difference between stars and superstars in this league is a little bit of super and a lot of consistency. Orlando’s two shooting star rising suns still have to find that consistency to make the last jump into the superstar galaxy.

This season, both players made leaps closer to that goal, becoming franchise cornerstones any time would build around. When you play the Magic, sometimes you get Boogie; sometimes you get The Beast.

How many NBA teams run their offense through a pair of 6’10” point-forwards? Two big wing scoring creators here to bend driving angles, hit tough shots, and create good looks for the team.

Often penetrating the paint with postups and pick-and-rolls, what are the odds these two big wings average the same 4.7 Assists Per Game with exactly 223 Drives a piece over the course of the season for the same team?

On most nights, The Magic’s offense relies on its star scorers accomplishing 3 main goals: Getting to the line, Scoring at the rack, and Creating open looks for others. Franz looks to methodically run P&R and DHOs, using the screener to create that half-step advantage into the paint with hostage dribbles and shifty direction-changing drives until he gets to the rim for his patented running flip shot, his dirk fade counter, or the lob to the roll man.

Paolo makes scoring look effortless, bringing the ball up the floor and deciding between a quick pull-up jumper, backing down his defender from the perimeter with brute strength, or simply driving through every defender in front of him for a Power Slam.

I asked Orlando Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley about the challenges that go into playcalling with players as talented and versatile as Paolo and Franz, where it feels like any play could work on any possession depending on matchups and lineups:

“I think a lot of it always boils down to their feel, their read, their recognition to who’s on the floor with them, and the spacing placed around them.” – Jamahl Mosley

Sometimes the role players’ 3pt shooting shows up, like in Cleveland in a National TV spot, and on those rare nights where this team has the “we can make 15 threes” factor in play, they look like they can compete with any team in the league. Other nights, they have trouble hanging with the bottom of the barrel, because when the shots don’t fall, the paint is packed, and every possession becomes a grind to force a stop and follow it up with a tough shot.

Sometimes you get Jekyll, sometimes you get Hyde; no matter which version of The Magic show up, it’s scary.

The Numbers

How do each of these rising stars’ stats compare to the rest of the league?

Franz’ +3.5 EPM rating ranks 19th in Estimated Plus Minus in the 96th percentile overall. Wagner has an elilte rating on both ends of the floor, rating in. the 90th percentile defensively (+1.3 D-EPM), and 91st percentile offensively (+2.2 O-EPM). Only 6 players with a higher EPM than Franz’ 3.5 EPM are also in the 90th percentile or higher on both ends, via Dunks and Threes. That puts Wagner in the company of NBA Stars who impact both sides of the floor, revealing that Franz is one of the best young rising two-way wings in the league.

This impact rating isn’t as high for Banchero despite his impressive box score stats, yet still rates in the 80th percentile overall (+1.0 EPM) and in the 81st percentile offensively (+0.9 O-EPM). In another impact metric called LEBRON, Paolo actually has a slight edge now at 1.43 to Franz 1.38 rating, while Franz still has the lead in LEBRON WAR (Wins Above Replacement) with 4.32 to Paolo’s 3.28.

Many Magic fans and skeptics around the league often debate who is the better player of the two, based on these impact numbers being higher for Franz than Paolo for one reason or another. Two prominent analytics folks have weighed in on the matter to help provide insight; in fact, its the people who created these very two impact metrics.


Taylor Snarr, the creator of EPM, was asked about this very topic in a recent F5 newsletter by Owen Phillips; here’s his thoughts:

I asked Krishna Narsu, the inventor of LEBRON, about this topic directly on my podcast, Learning Basketball. At the time, and up to that point in their careers, Franz had steadily rated higher than Paolo, despite Paolo scoring more points per game.

One might expect Franz’ impact to go down as his usage has gone up, but it hasn’t. Franz has stayed efficient when given Paolo’s #1 option touches due to injury, becoming the primary option defenses have to stop, yet his impact is as high as ever.

Krishna’s conclusion here at the time is that Franz impact stats are generally higher due to his playmaking creation for others, his shooting gravity on and off the ball, and his matchup difficulty as a more active defender. Doing more little things that impact winning than just smooth scoring and tough shot making.

That said, Paolo has finally reached the same level of impact via this metric, showing Paolo’s impact has risen as of late for making winning plays, improving as a shooter, producing as a scorer, and being a reliable scoring hub for the team.

Franz “Boogie” has been putting up legit All-Star numbers all season, averaging 24 PPG – 6 REB – 5 AST / 2 TO – 1 STL,
while shooting 54% 2P% on 13 2PA – 32% 3P% on 6 3PA – 88% FT% on 5 FTA. Franz has had marquee moments throughout the season, like going supersonic anytime he sees the Lakers, featuring a stepback game-winning kill shot on a 37 PTS – 11 AST – 6 REB – 4 STL evening in L.A.

Since the All-Star break, “The Beast” Banchero is scoring 29 PPG, which is 2nd only to The NBA’s Leading Scorer tough shot-making MVP-favorite superstar in Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Paolo’s averaging 29 PTS – 7 REB – 4 AST / 2 TO – 1 STL in that 17gm stretch, while shooting 51% 2P% on 14 2PA – 37% 3P% on 7 3PA – 80% FT% on 10 FTA.

This success didn’t happen overnight; Paolo’s battled a tough injury all season, one that has taken time to fully recover from even while playing games. The standard is so high for the former Duke star that when he was averaging 22 PTS 7 REB 5 AST for 21 games after coming back from injury, outsiders still expected more.

One smart evaluator who looks at the game with a unique eye for physical movement pointed out he didn’t quite have the same leg strength back yet that makes his game so deadly. (h/t @Polarfall on Twitter)

I asked Paolo about his injuries, the physical and mental aspect of recovering and finding a rhythm after the comeback, and how the team’s mindset has been dealing with so many different injuries this season to key players.

Averaging 31 PPG – 8 REB – 4 AST – 1 STL in 14 games since this question, it’s safe to say Banchero is back to his star self.

Against Charlotte on March 25th, Paolo became the first Magic player since Dwight to drop 30+ PTS in four straight games, joining Dwight, Shaquille O’Neal, and Tracy McGrady as the only players in team history to drop 30+ PTS in 4+ straight games, via Magic PR. Against Dallas on March 27th, Paolo did it again, becoming has become the first Orlando Magic player since T-Mac and Shaq as the only players in team history to score 30+ PTS in FIVE straight games

That only scratches the surface of the scoring run The Beast is on. Paolo’s dropped 30+ PTS sixteen times this season Banchero’s posted fifteen straight games with 20+ PTS, a Career-High. Throw in four games scoring 40+ PTS for good measure, including his career-high 50-Burger against Indiana in the 5th game of the season, just before going down to injury. For all we know, Paolo could have been headed for an All-NBA team between his production and where the Magic could have been in the standings had he (Franz, Suggs, Moritz, Goga) not lost so many games to injury.

Seemingly every night, Paolo Banchero ties or sets a record not seen in Orlando since the Magic Mount Rushmore stars who have graced the blue and white pinstripes before him.

• First player to score 40+ PTS in multiple games in multiple seasons since T-Mac & Shaq after his shootout with Steph (56 PTS) in Orlando.
• Against Toronto, he drilled the most FGs made in a quarter without a miss (8/8 FG) since Shaq.
• After a game in Atlanta, Banchero became the 3rd player in Magic history to have multiple games of 35+ PTS, 10+ REB, and 5+ AST, joining, you guessed it, T-Mac (16x) and Shaq (3x).

I asked Orlando Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley how Sequencing factors into his playcalling to keep defenses on their toes with counters of similar plays: “it’s part of the game. it’s the game read. it’s the game feel.”

By The Numbers…

Banchero & Wagner have shared three games this season where they both post a statline of 25+ PTS – 5+ AST – 5+ REB in the same game, the most for a set of teammates in Orlando Magic history.


Paolo is scoring 25.7 PPG, tied for 10th with Cade Cunningham, meaning he scores slightly more points per game than Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, LaMelo Ball, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Zion Williamson.

Franz is scoring 24.4 PPG, ranking 20th among all players, sitting just ahead of Steph Curry, Trae Young, and Victor Wembanyama

Paolo’s 7.2 RPG is T-47th with Zion Williamson.
Franz’s 5.7 RPG is T-92nd with Jaylin Williams, Anthony Edwards, Dyson Daniels, and Guerschon Yabusele.

Franz and Paolo are both tied at exactly 4.7 APG a piece, T-51st among all players.

Franz 1.3 SPG is T-37th with many including Lonzo Ball, Bilal Coulibaly, Amen Thompson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, and Chris Paul.
Paolo’s 0.8 SPG is T-169th with many players including Giannis Antetokoumnpo, Ben Simmons, Evan Mobley.

Paolo draws the 3rd most Free Throws at 8.3 FTA/gm, converting 73% FT%.
Franz draws the T-25th most Free Throws at 5.4 FTA/gm, hitting 86% FT%.

Paolo shoots the T-56rd most three pointers per game at 6 3PA, the same volume as Gradey Dick, Cade Cunningham, Jamal Murray, Jalen Brunson, and Naz Reid(!)
Franz shoots 30% 3P% from deep on the T-65th most three pointers per game at 5.8 3PA, the same volume as LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jared McCain, Desmond Bane, Andrew Wiggins, Jaylen Brown, Max Strus, and Kristaps Porzingis.

Franz is shooting 36% in the clutch on 15/42 FG.
Paolo is shooting 47% in the clutch on 21/45 FG.

Franz Wagner isn’t just Top-15 in PPG and Fast Break PTS, he’s rated even higher in four areas; Franz is exactly the 6th best player in the league this season at scoring Points in the Paint (13 PTS), Points on Drives (10 PTS), and Points off Turnovers (4 PTS) via the Orlando Magic broadcast team.

Paolo Banchero is similarly great in some of these areas, as these are two of the premier paint penetrators in the sport. Paolo averages as many PTS off Drives as Giannis (8.2), T-16th, and scores exactly 10 PTS in the Paint per game, ranking 29th.

In 809 MIN with Franz & Paolo both ON the court together, Orlando has a +2.2 Net Rating.
In 979 MIN with just Franz ON the court and Paolo OFF, Orlando has a +7.74 Net Rating.
In 484 MIN with just Paolo ON the court and Franz OFF, Orlando has a -8.85 Net Rating.

One thought with having multiple point guard creators on the same team is that one can be on the floor at all times; the same can be applied to having two stars, especially when both can serve as an offensive hub every second on the floor.

As the season has gone on, it appears these two are staggered more and more, where goal is to play as few seconds of basketball as possible without one or both of them on the floor – against Charlotte before the All-Star break it was 6 minutes; against Atlanta after the ASB it was 30 seconds; against Memphis the next night it was 4 minutes.

I asked Jamahl Mosley after the Grizzlies matchup what factors come into play when deciding between staggering Franz’ and Paolo’s minutes compared to the benefits of playing them together and keeping a balanced second unit in place behind them:

Volume & Efficiency

Below’s a chart that compares the two stars shooting touch in three efficient shot locations:

Shooting Touch – At The Rim, Free Throw Line, Beyond The Arc

Paolo shoots better from deep on and off the ball.

Franz shows better touch on a much higher volume of shots at the rim on layups and FLOATAs.

Franz shoots much better at the pinstripe, while Paolo gets to the line more often.

Synergy help us see the volume and efficiency for each Player based on the playtypes they categorize every possession into.

Keep in mind, that these tracking stats are still a work in progress; these stats measure the *final* action of a possession – for example, if a team runs 2 pick-and-rolls in a row bending the defense, and then follows that up with 1 handoff that results in shot attempt, that play is tracked as 1 Handoff Possession.

The two charts below shows how Franz and Paolo stack up in every Synergy Playtype as scorers, while 3 playtypes including both scoring and passing to teammates to compare them as Scoring Creator Offensive Engines: ISO, Post Ups, P&R Ball-Handler

To no surprise, Paolo Banchero has the efficiency edge in ISOs, Drives, and Spot Ups; what is interesting is Paolo is also more efficient on Cuts and in Transition this year.

As expected, Franz Wagner is more efficient running Handoffs and P&R as the ball-handler; what may come as a surprise is that Franz is also more efficient as the P&R Roll-Man and as a Post-Up creator hub this season.

One important note is that volume for some of these plays is drastically different. Paolo has 16 handoffs, 35 cuts, 75 P&R roll-man plays on the year; Franz is up to 68 handoffs, 90 cuts, and 30 P&R roll man possessions.

Both big wings like to leak out in Transition, scoring 1.14 and 1.22 PPP respectively on a total of 391 fast break possession between them.

What really stands out for Paolo is his scoring versatility – Paolo averages between 0.93 PPP and 0.99 PPP on his five most common halfcourt playtypes, which might be roughly average efficiency overall, but on high volume these can be reliable actions.

As for Franz, the combined P&R Ball-Handler efficiency and volume jumps off the page, creating over 1.0 per possession on extremely high volume. His efficiency is very good and doesn’t drop off the more the team runs him through the action. This is by far Orlando’s most reliable set to create a good shot through Franz as the offensive engine.

The numbers supporting Post Ups for Franz makes one do a double take. Paolo is the star swishing beautiful baseline fadeaways, yet the numbers say Franz creates more efficient offense for the team when running through him through the post. Franz creates 1.13 PPP on 104 possessions; Paolo creates 0.98 PPP on 131 possessions.

I asked Jamahl Mosley about the advantages created by moving Franz off ball around screens before initiating the downhill action, like in sets like Chicago and Peja where Franz will run around the perimeter through screen(s) into a handoff that helps give him separation from his defender.

Jamahl notes that this idea of creating advantages by moving off ball, gain ahead of steam, running defenders through screens, to create a situation where the scorer can shoot drive or kick with an advantage already created, is the goal for not just Franz, but all of the team’s scoring options:

Tracking The Assist Combo

Sometimes Boogie looks for The Beast; sometimes The Beast needs a little Boogie.

Paolo assisted Franz 40 times this year, the most of any duo on the team; Franz found Paolo for 27 dimes this season, the T-5th most of any combo on the team.

They have both assisted each other directly at the rim exactly 18 times a piece, T-3rd most of any duo on the team.

Considering how few games these two have actually played together, these marks show how they both prioritize looking for each other on the court for the most efficient shot in halfcourt – at the rim.

As for the costars finding the rest of the team for good looks at the rim and beyond the arc, Franz has created more total shots for his teammates (89 3PT AST, 110 ATR AST) compared to Paolo’s totals (72 3PT AST, 52 ATR AST), partially due to playing more games this season.

However, when the number is based on racking up dimes on a more comparable one-to-one scale of per one hundred possessions, the shot creation rates look much closer.

Paolo creates more looks for the team from deep (3.02 3PT AST per 100 poss),
but fewer dimes at the rim. (2.13 ATR AST per 100 poss)

Franz creates fewer looks for the team from deep (2.8 3PT AST per 100 poss),
and a much higher rate of dimes at the rim. (3.4 ATR AST per 100 poss)

(assist combo numbers via 3.18.25)

Boogie Nights

Some of Orlando’s many 4pt swings each game comes when the defense forces a turnover, the ball finds Franz, he immediately looks up the floor, and finds Banchero streaking down the sideline outlet for a breakaway slam, or he pushes the pace to create a 2-on-1 alley oop lob to Banchero on the break.

The majority of Franz assists to Paolo came in transition for 10 fast break buckets.

The 2nd-most assists from Franz to Paolo came on the move in the half court, with 8 assists coming on off ball cuts and 3pt kickouts.

The Franz-Paolo Pick-and-Roll hasn’t been used often, but it stands as a powerful weapon up Orlando’s sleeve going forward that unlocks Paolo as a short-roll playmaker and Franz as an on-ball creator with a screen, both pulling attention from defenses.

I asked Jamahl Mosley how high the volume of the Franz-Paolo P&R could reach for Orlando as one of the team’s staples sets:

“I really do believe that those two create a problem. And so, when you have two of your best players in P&R — they’ve got to make a decision — and they’re both great playmakers. And so, I think them being able to make plays and read off each other is something that can cause problems for a defense down the stretch.” – Jamahl Mosley

This action sets up the playfinishers around those two to finish at the rim or from beyond the arc. Send two at Franz or Paolo if you like living in your own nightmare.

Franz found Paolo 3 times for assists when running P&R. On two other possessions, Paolo drew a shooting foul after Franz found him in the 2-man P&R set.

Unleash The Beast

Oddly, Paolo did not assist Franz one time in any inverted P&R, and that action doesn’t seem to be used often where Paolo is initiating and Franz is the roll man, probably since this duo’s strengths may be most effective as a combination in the order described before with Franz on ball and Paolo setting the first screen.

Paolo most often found Franz on off ball cuts or relocation threes 21 times.

Winning early post positioning has been key to unlocking quick easy baskets for these two, looking for each other up the court once one has secured the advantage under the rim deep into the paint before the defense is set. One of the most reliable buckets every game is Franz taking off in transition, planting his feet deep in the paint, posting up the first mismatch he sees. Paolo hit ahead to Franz in transition 13 times.

Paolo also found Franz 2 times in the post after securing positioning advantage in halfcourt situations. Sometimes you’ll see one set a back screen for the other in the middle of a set like Horns to help force switches and create mismatches, shown here:

Finding a guard concept that works around Paolo and Franz is the next step

Orlando’s up and down season can be directly attributed to injuries first, and shooting luck second. Even this late in the season has seen volatile stretches, with the team now 6-4 in their last 10 after bouncing back from an 5-game losing streak. What’s been the difference as of late outside of the chemistry of these two stars?

Anthony Black‘s play has been the wildcard factor for this team. His defense is reliable enough to start every night, and his decision-making feel is special, two traits that define the strengths of his game. Even though he’s just in Year 2, he’s become the team’s third scorer, first option off the bench, and third big playmaker who can initiate offense and even space the floor.

When AB’s shot is falling and he finds a way to score, this team is often more competitive:

in Orlando’s 33 wins with AB playing, he scores 11 PPG on 60% TS% and 43% 3P%
in Orlando’s 37 losses with AB playing, he scores 8 PPG on 45% TS% and 20% 3P%

Black continues to develop the 3pt shot despite receiving constant criticism of his shot. In his last 31 games, Black is shooting 40% 3P% from deep on 2.6 3PAs per game; in his 39 games prior, Anthony shot 24% 3P% on 2.4 3PA per game.

I asked Anthony Black about his about his changing role due to injuries and his 3pt development after a 4/5 3P outing “I’m pretty comfortable playing where I’m at right now. It gives me a chance to operate a little bit, while also playing some minutes with our two guys.”

Another underrated factor has been the addition of 33yo Cory Joseph into the starting lineup.

You know a team is shuffling the rotation with injuries when arguably the 7th guard on the roster to start the year is now their most trustworthy starter.

Credit to Cory for doing the little things that have earned that spot: team-first ball movement, hit the open shot, run some O when called upon, take what the D gives you, hold your own defensively. Joseph serves as a fine example of the type of connector floor-stretching plus-defender guard who can slide right into an offense featuring two big wing playmaking initiators.

Orlando has a +8.9 rating in 173 MIN when they play Cory Joseph alongside Boogie and The Beast.

Cory earned the starting job after an impressive stretch against Toronto. Despite losing the game, Orlando mounted a 14pt comeback after inserting Joseph into the game to close with 10 MIN to play for the first time all night, making Cory a +14 on the night. He’s started ever since, leading Orlando to a .500 record after a rough stretch after the All-Star break.

I asked Jamahl Mosley how much he trusts the veteran experience of Cory Joseph after the game:

There’s no more debate to be had; Franz Wagner & Paolo Banchero are NBA Stars, rising suns for a team with the 2nd best defense in the league for the second straight season.

What separates the Orlando Magic from pretenders to contenders is that volatile 3pt factor. Whether they find a guard who can draw two on the ball with pull-up 3pt gravity or flank these two supernovas with more consistent shooters, that’s the last step to go from making the playoffs to competing in them.

The cool thing about this article is it starts and ends with the same picture – the Magic’s defense runs on Chaos Energy, and once Boogie and The Beast carve out the super to their star, this team might just mess around and find the rings they covet.

Stats via Synergy, NBA Stats, Basketball Reference, Dunks and Threes, and Magic PR as of 03.27.25 unless otherwise noted

The post Boogie and The Beast 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.

If you’ve tuned into an Orlando Magic game recently, noticed Jalen Suggs make a chasedown block, and started to wonder, “wow, it feels like Suggs blocks a shot from behind every time I watch the Magic,” it’s because he has.

Is the game slowing down for Suggs so much that he’s channeling his inner LeBron, using his athleticism, shot-tracking, and defensive instincts to let his man drive past him, giving the opponent an ounce of hope that he beat Suggs off the dribble, just to suddenly surge forward and block the driver’s shot from behind?

Let’s investigate.

Finding a Role Update: The Defense

Last year, Jalen Suggs was the king of the Pick Six, a Backcourt Ballhawk forcing turnovers and scoring breakaways on what felt like every play.

This year, Suggs leads all guards in Blocks Per Game (1.2) and Total Blocks (21), narrowly edging out Derrick White.

Tracking every block from behind, forced turnover, and (missed) shot contest for Jalen through 18 games this season reveals that Suggs has in fact averaged one chasedown block per game, 19 to be exact.

Sometimes, it looks like Suggs has been beaten, almost as if he’s given up on a play, just to creep up behind the driver, quickly accelerate and explode into a smackdown from behind.

Often, Jalen’s even able to keep the ball inbounds, somehow swatting the shot hard enough to deny the force of the opponent’s attack, yet soft enough to recover the loose ball before it becomes a lost possession, making multiple winning plays at once.

Don’t drive by Jalen Suggs or you might just feel the wind up and follow through of his shot-swatter arm bopping off your skull.

Suggs, of course, doesn’t just block shots; he’s a ball of energy one-man wrecking crew who doesn’t run out of gas.

His motor never turns off.

His screen navigation is as clean as any defender in the world.

His versatile switchability is as strong and agile as a guard can be.

On top of his 19 chase-down blocks, Suggs has swatted a shot, stolen the rock, or forced a turnover 33 more times, while the Magic have scored points or drawn fouls directly off turnovers forced by Suggs on 15 possessions.

Have you heard that Jalen Suggs used to be a defensive back in football? Pick-Six Suggs is alive and well.

Orlando ranks as the third-best defense in the league, primarily because they force the second-most turnovers (17.4 TOV%), grab the second-most defensive rebounds (25.4% DREB%), and hold opponents to the seventh-lowest shooting percentage (53.1% eFG%), via Cleaning the Glass.

Suggs’ rotations have been timely, his shot contests have stayed active, his second and third effort always shows up.

Jalen has personally contested 71 shots that opponents missed.

Sometimes he’ll rotate so well he contests multiple shots in the same possession, or gets his active hands on the ball for a deflection without recovering the loose ball and still make it out to the perimeter to close out on an open shooter.

Jalen Suggs Contesting Missed Shots – Part 1

Jalen Suggs Contesting Missed Shots – Part 2

Finding a Role Update: The Offense

While Suggs’ All-Defense level impact has been as dominant as ever, the full-time point guard experiment has been inconclusive at best or average at worst.

Even though Orlando’s elite defense has been spearheaded by Suggs’ willpower and tenacity for four years running, after Paolo went down, the Magic’s offense took off once they put the ball in Franz’ hands as primary initiator.

Letting a career-high volume of 3PA fly, launching just under 7 threes per game, Jalen’s efficiency from downtown has regressed after a hot start, down to 31% 3P%.

Perhaps losing Paolo has changed Jalen’s shot volume from more open secondary closeout-attacks and off-ball spot ups, where Suggs is hitting 38% 3P% on 93 Catch-and-Shoot 3PA, to more on-ball usage contested jumpers and pull-up threes, where Jalen’s converting just 10% 3P% on 30 pull-up triple attempts.

The skillsets to watch before the season were his Floor General primary initiation, his P&R decision-making, and his Pull-Up 3 effectiveness, where there’s still much to be desired for consistency in all three.

According to Synergy, Jalen’s rated average in most playtypes (P&R Ball-Handler, Spot Ups, Transition, Handoffs).

Suggs rates excellent in ISO efficiency, scoring 1.22 PPP on 23 possessions.

What Suggs has proven thus far is his connective floor-spacing, making team-first reads on both ends, knocking down a high volume of catch-and-shoot threes on good efficiency.

Even taking on more usage, his energy levels are never depleted. Time will tell if Suggs can find consistency as more of a primary creator for the team, but no one can question his will to compete at every opportunity.

Stats as of 11.27.24

The post Don’t Drive By Jalen Suggs appeared first on Swish Theory.

This season the folks at Swish Theory are targeting a handful of players they think will bring more winning impact than expected in their respective roles. These players might not be superstars, but they won’t be benchwarmers, either. In the spirit of Zach Lowe, they are the Derrick White-esque Stars, players who pop on the screen and are expected to take a mini leap in their career progression this season, whether they do so as role players or impact starters.

Let’s examine the proven skills and potential developments for these five players: Jaden Ivey, Amen Thompson, Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, and Chet Holmgren

Jaden Ivey

Offensive Role: Guard Initiator

Offensive Strengths: Quick First Step Burst, Ball Handling, ISO/Handoff Scoring, Drive and Kick Playmaking Feel, Off-ball Cuts

Offensive Development Needs:

Primary Skillset to Watch – Pull-Up Shooter
Needs opportunity to show Consistent Efficiency 3pt Shooting, in Pull-Up and C&S

Secondary Skillsets to Watch – Rim Finisher and Floor General
Needs opportunity and defined role to prove consistent efficiency at the rim, is only average PPP at P&R, needs defined role

Defensive Role: Primary POA

Defensive Strengths: Quick feet on the perimeter, P&R Ball Handler Defense against Scorer, Off Screen and Handoff defense, contesting Runners and at the rim

Defensive Development Needs:

Primary Skillset to Watch – Cuts Off Drives
Can improve ISO defense
Secondary Skillseet to Watch – PNR Disruptor, Screen Navigator, Timely Rotator
While these are positive skills, can still improve navigating P&R Defense after passes and Deep Range Shot Contests for closeouts on 3pt shooters

Projection: Ivey needs opportunity in a role that maximizes his on-ball drive-and-kick strengths rather than reducing him to a spot-up off-ball threat, his worst attribute. Being 2nd fiddle next to a primary creator in Cade could make this difficult, but splitting up on-ball reps for both is not impossible, especially if staggering play and leaving one in the game at all times to run point and initiate offense.

Ivey has strengths in his game similar to De’Aaron Fox, a first step advantage creating speedster who can fly by any defender in front of him; when the 3pt pull-up is falling and the finishing at the rim is clean, there is no stopping him from scoring with single coverage, and good feel for the game leads to kickout reads.

Coaches could have him focus his energy more on POA defense when sharing the floor with Cade, and more on handling the offensive creation when against second units, while taking turns initiating in between. Both Cade and Jaden attempted 3.3 catch-and-shoot three-pointers per game last season, and Cade even shot the slightly better percentage at 37.1% to Ivey’s 35.5%, so setting Cunningham up for more off-ball looks could maximize both players’ strengths while creating additional opportunities for Cade to score attacking closeouts when the defense isn’t already set. Reducing Ivey to an off-ball spot up shooter with inconsistent or nonexistent playing time zaps him of his strengths and makes his weaknesses more glaring, if this balance with Cade can’t be found as 2nd option, a new team with 5-out spacing could be the better path to maximize Ivey’s development.

Jalen Suggs

Offensive Role: Currently a Floor-Spacing Super Connector, now looking to be a full-time Guard Initiator

Offensive Strengths: Connective Passing, C&S and Pull-Up 3p% on medium volume, High Motor, Relocation awareness, rocket in transition off forced TOs, Consistent development and efficiency in Spot Up, Transition, Handoff, and ISO

Offensive Development Needs:

Primary Skillset to Watch – Floor General
Look for development as decision maker in Primary Initiator Playmaking, without forcing tough passes and inefficient shots

Secondary Skillset to Watch – PnR Operator, Pull-Up Shooter
See if 3pt consistency carries over from elite shooting season without regression, and decisionmaking initating PnR

Defensive Role: Primary POA

Defensive Strengths: Screen Navigation, Strong Lockdown Versatilty 1-4, Hustle play demon, forcing turnovers at POA, never giving up on a possession, competitive energy

Defensive Development Needs:

Primary Skillset to Watch – Timely Rotator
Check if closing out on Spot Ups and Pull-Ups

Secondary Skillset to Watch – Cut off Drives
Watch one-on-one defense in ISO and Postups to see engagement.

In actuality, Jalen Suggs has little to no holes on defense; he is an elite point of attack defender who hounds opponents every possession and is strong and quick enough to switch 1-4. The only real question this upcoming season will be how Suggs balances energy between his new offensive load as a primary initiator with his defensive responsibilities. If anything, the challenge for Suggs will be maintaining energy on both ends for the entire season, every game, finding a balance between going all out every play expending defensive energy with his expected increased playmaking load on offense. Ideally, adding KCP and retaining Gary Harris while adding playing time for Anthony Black will help handle some of the defensive asks so Suggs can maximize his point guard play.

Projection: With Markelle Fultz no longer on the roster and Cole Anthony established as the second unit point guard role, the starting point guard duties now fully fall on Jalen Suggs’ wide shoulders. The acquisition of KCP and retention of Gary Harris brings two players focused on D&3 playfinishing into the backcourt, so Suggs opportunity to initiate offense is as clear as its ever been.

While still likely playing as the third scoring option to Paolo and Franz, Suggs will have the opportunity to initiate more offense this season, where his high volume lead point guard playmaking decision-making will be put to the test: Can Jalen set up his big wing costars for easier scoring opportunities and find a balance for himself to score when its the right play, letting the defense dictate the best decision without forcing too much? Will Suggs have enough energy left in the tank to go from lead point guard decisionmaker to once again be arguably the most impactful point of attack guard defender in the league? Jalen’s proven his motor never turns off, his development as a passer shooter and decisionmaker improves each season, and he stays hungry for more.

Suggs could see similar impact to peak Marcus Smart, who also saw his 3P% drastically rise from his rookie season and brings strong versatile defense to the backcourt. All-Defense, general consistency as a halfcourt initator, and another year of shooting lights out from deep would be a win on its own. If Jalen answers all these questions this season the right way, maybe Magic fans will finally see glimpses of the Chauncey Billups super connector all-star player comp that followed Suggs in the pre-draft days.

Anthony Black

Offensive Role: Connector

Offensive Strengths: Spot Up, Off Ball Cuts/Transition, Putbacks, Finishing at the rim, Making team-first reads, Winning plays, Open C&S 3s

Offensive Development Needs:

Primary Skillset to Watch – Catch & Shoot, Floor General

While highly efficient on C&S attempts, Anthony Black generally looks to pass first or attack closeout with the drive. Seeing him be more aggressive as a scorer is something to keep an eye on, even though he already thrives in all Connector skillsets.
Similar to Suggs, seeing Black develop on-ball shot creation, creating looks for himself and others as the primary initiator, is something to look for in his development. Will we see higher volume and good efficiency in ISO, P&R Ball-Handler, Handoffs, Pull-Up Shooting, Floater, or will he stick to secondary off-ball actions like Cuts and low volume C&S? Opportunity with the team will be a big factor, as of preseason he will be a lead or secondary initiator coming off the bench.

Defensive Role: Wing Stopper

Defensive Strengths: Lockdown Switchability 1-4, Digs reaching for steals without fouling, closeout contests, defending P&RS both ball handlers and switching onto roll man, screen navigation against P&R/off screen plays

Defensive Development Needs:

Primary Skillset to Watch – Strong Frame

Let’s see Black’s develeopment in individual defense guarding ISO/Post-Up/Handoffs, if he’s added strength to bulk up.

Secondary Skillset to Watch – Walls off Drives
Does that strength help get more stops when players drive left or straight through at him?

Projection: Black is the likeliest of the Magic’s three youngest players to see consistent playing time, opportunity, and defined role this season because he brings two-way team-first impact on a team that’s always looking for that in its role players. With rising Stars in place in Paolo and Franz and defensive stalwarts anchoring first and second units in Suggs and Isaac, Orlando has much of its hustling brute force identity in place, needing floor-spacing connectors who can help get stops to flank these players.

While Anthony’s long-term potential development path could look like Derrick White as a connector and versatile dig-happy defender who wins 50/50 plays more often than a coin flip would suggest, this Magic team needs unselfish players with few holes to exploit, especially once the playoffs role around. Black is a natural connector who makes smart reads on both sides of the ball, uses graceful footwork and intriguing athleticism to force turnovers and eurostep through multiple defenders in transition, and does the basic role player things well with extreme effort and focus. Black can knock down the open C&S three, attack the closeout with the dribble, and make the extra pass for the better shot when it’s there.

Defensively his instincts are off the charts, timing up digs and deflections, rotating with mobility, knowing where be with ease and showing impressive defensive chops as a rookie getting stops against guards and wings, whether he himself is marked as a point guard or point forward ends up depending on the lineup he’s in, because he can shapeshift his role next to just about anyone as long as he’s not asked to initiate every shot from scratch.

Amen Thompson

Offensive Role: Forward Initiator

Offensive Strengths: Explosive North-South Driving Force of Nature with tight handles; smart connector playmaker; very good soft touch finisher; insane first step start stop body control speed; special spatial awareness of seeing where he wants to go and flawlessly executing the movements; advantage creator for himself and teammates; efficient offball playfinisher on Putbacks, Handoffs, P&R Roll-Man, Cuts;

Offensive Development Needs:

Primary Skill to Watch – Pull-Up Shooter
Keep an eye on Amen’s Pull-Up and Spot-Up Shooting Development, as it will open up driving lanes for his powerful downhill force
Secondary Skills to Watch – Floor General
Already a smart drive and kick threat, making next level reads in P&R/ISO Playmaking and Shot Creation for Team is worth watching

Defensive Role: Wing Stopper

Defensive Strengths: incredible mobility, feel, and energy on both ends of the floor with side-to-side defense, impressive screen navigation, lockdown versatile wing defense; great guarding ISOs, Handoffs, Spotups, PostUps

Defensive Development Needs:

Primary Skill to Watch – PnR Disruptor
How does he hold up when P&R Defense gets complicated? Guarding P&R including passes, when defense commits, switching or tagging the roll-man in P&R

Secondary Skill to Watch – Screen Navigator
Can he utilize his athletic gifts to improves defending Off Screens?

Projection:

In Houston, it’s going to be hard to keep Amen on the bench; the bouncy talent is that palpable. Adding Rookie Reed Sheppard‘s knockdown shooting to the mix with Alperen Sengun‘s playmaking hub down low, along with Tari Eason‘s explosive playfinishing and versatile defense, Jabari Smith‘s knockdown shooting and helpside shotblocking, and Cam Whitmore‘s downhill athleticism of his own, Amen could emerge as a primary perimeter option with his quick first step burst advantage creation penetrating the paint to bend the defense and create looks for others, while bringing an off-ball play-finishing element of his own.

A strong perimeter defender, a powerful downhill force, a smart playmaker, Amen Thompson’s physical measurables and dynamic two-way feel show potential that he could ideally star in the league one day in ways that Andre Iguadola found success as a big wing versatile defensive ace, point forward connector, and paint-penetrating poster-dunking runaway train.

Chet Holmgren

Offensive Role: Play Finisher

Offensive Strengths: Mismatch postup killer, high efficiency on high volume of Cuts, P&R Roll Man, Pick and Pop, Putbacks, good efficiency on low volume of P&R ball-handler, ISO, Postups, strong when driving right, good reads passing out of ISO/P&R, great finisher and runners at the rim, shoots well below 17ft, plays physical, good handles to grab and go off board

Offensive Development Needs:

Primary Offensive Skillset to Watch – Catch & Shoot
Deep Range Jump Shot (Higher efficiency on C&S since given high volume of looks, off screen/handoff efficiency to build out versatility, cleaner pull-up jump shooting)

Secondary Skillset to Watch – Rim Finishing
Converting in Transition, Driving Left, Playmaking out of Post Ups, Bulk up Strength for Stronger Finishes at Rim

Defensive Role: Coverage Versatile

Defensive Development Needs:

Primary Defensive Skillset to Watch – Switchable
Strength in Post Ups and defensive mobility in P&R and Closeouts; Okay closing out catch-and-shoot jumpers but Contesting Shots gets worse the farther away from the rim he is, needs to work on defending P&R ball-handlers as drop defender and switching, could improve mobility/footwork to help contest and drop back on closeouts and 2v1s

Projection: Become the ultimate #2 next to a superstar #1 option MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, ideally developing into an All-Star one-man defensive ace switchable rim-protector like Anthony Davis who is at his best impact offensively as a pick-and-pop play-finisher against mismatches rather than being asked to initiate everything from scratch. Chet’s role can alternate between play-finishing against starters alongside more proven creators in Shai and Jalen Williams while stepping into a primary scoring option role against second units at times with his co-stars on the bench.

Chet shot a respectable 37% on 4.3 3PA his first year and shoots well at the pinstripe for a rookie big at 79%, promising indicators for future shooting and scoring development. Building consistency in his release and jump shot mechanics could make him one of the more difficult stretch bigs to defend, because his bag in the midrange postups is already deep when attacking mismatches and closeouts.

Holmgren plays physical, hitting harder for rebounds and postups than his frame would suggest, generally hunting contact to wreak havoc in the paint. While already a superb shotblocker and respectable rebounder, finding the balance to contest opponents without reaching or fouling is the next step to consistently making winning plays. Using his huge length, great timing, and cerebral defensive instincts to keep his feet chopping and his arms straight up should be more than enough to make offensive players wary of challenging him in the paint.

The post Finding A Role – Season Kickoff 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.

Scouting Report on Top Florida and California High School Prospects in 2024 Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament and Hoophall Classic Title Game featuring film breakdowns from NBA and data visualizations using Cerebro Sports’ analytics.

How often do two #1 draft prospects face off in the same game?

Now ask yourself what the chances are of the #1 rated prospects in three separate classes playing in the same game, let alone doing so twice in one season.

The number one senior, Cooper Flagg (2024); the number one junior, AJ Dybantsa (2025); and the number one sophomore, Tyran Stokes (2026) all sit atop their respective big boards, projected to be the top NBA Draft picks in the near future.

Their teams, Montverde and Prolific Prep, matched up twice this season: the 2024 MAIT Championship and the Hoophall Classic, the first time in the history of hoops that ESPN aired a game featuring #1 prospects from 3 different draft classes.

(graphic via ESPN)

The Teams

Montverde Academy
Prolific Prep
Oak Ridge
Brewster Academy
Calvary Christian
DME Academy
Riviera Prep
The Rock School
Imani Christian

The Players

Cooper Flagg, AJ Dybantsa, Tyran Stokes
Asa Newell, Liam McNeeley, Shon Abaev
Jordan Tillery, Elijah Crawford, Rob Wright
Tyler Johnson, Ryan Jones Jr., Dante Allen
Derik Queen, Alden Sherrell, Moustapha Thiam
Dwayne Aristode, Winters Grady, Cameron Simpson
Mikey Lewis, Curtis Givens, Nojas Indrusaitis, Zoom Diallo

The Numbers

Let’s look at Cerebro Sports’ data to compare different impact metrics kept track by Cerebro to evaluate the stats from the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament’s standout players.

To find the best players from the tournament overall, let’s compare overall impact (C-RAM) and defensive statistical impact (DSI) to show the most impactful two-way players who impact winning the most from the handful of games in the 2024 Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament.

The visualization below graphs the most active defenders on the x-axis compared to overall winning impact on the y-axis, revealing how much of the defense component makes up each player’s overall two-way impact in these games.

Cooper Flagg (12.9), AJ Dybantsa (10.7) and Tyran Stokes (10.7) finished 1st and T-2nd respectively in Cerebro Sports C-RAM metric, rating off the charts as the most impactful players overall from the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament.

Cooper Flagg jumps off the page, dominating his games on both ends in winning affairs while filling up the box score, averaging 4 blocks and 1.7 steals in the 3-game tourney. Stokes trailed only Flagg in defensive statistical impact.

Liam McNeeley bringing defensive impact with his sniper off ball shooting and scoring versatility gives him exciting ceiling of two-way impact at the highest level.


All of the MAIT’s Top-10 most impactful players by Cerebro’s C-RAM played for Montverde or Prolific, except for three:

4th Ryan Jones Jr., The Rock School
6th Tyler Johnson, Oak Ridge
9th Dante Allen, Riviera Prep

Asa Newell, Liam McNeeley, Tyler Johnson, Dwayne Airstode and Derik Queen stand out for their overall impact, with the next range of positive impact comparitively features Aiden Sherrell, Elijah Crawford, Mason Fuentes, Curtis Givens, Winters Grady, Cameron Simpson, Joseph Hartman, Shone Abaev, Cameron Simpson, Jordan Tillery, Rob Wright, Nojus Indrusaitis, Mikey Lewis, and Zoom Diallo.

Curtis Givens, Montverde’s sixth man, ranks 2nd overall in the tournament in defensive statistical impact, much higher than one might expect given the talent in the field. Flagg, Givens, Stokes, Sherrell, McNeeley, Gaskins were the most active defenders from the tournament.

The goal of the data visualization below is to show the best offensive producers of the tournament to help predict the best Future Scoring Creators, the most efficient and most consistent offensive options for creating good shots for themselves and others.

To do so, let’s compare players’ pure scoring prowess (PSP) and floor general skills (FGS) to find high feel good decision-makers who can score effectively and create consistently. Scoring (PSP) is on the vertical y-axis, and Playmaking (FGS) is on the horizontal x-axis. Each player is marked by a circle with 3pt efficiency shown by the size and color of the circles; the bigger and brighter, the better.

Which prospects can be relied on the most as offensive engines for team-first shot creation?

AJ Dybantsa stands out for his scoring load and efficiency with the ability to set up others. Derik Queen and Ryan Jones Jr rated off the charts in scoring in these three games too.

Cooper Flagg, Liam McNeeley, Tyran Stokes, Tyler Johnson, Shon Abaev, Dante Allen, Asa Newell, Elijah Crawford, and the Fuentes brothers rate well in both playmaking and scoring, some of the more reliable shot creators from the tournament.

Dwayne Aristode, Winters Grady, Cameron Simpson rated in the Top-15 as scorers, mostly doing their damage from deep, each rating Top-3 in 3pt efficiency respectively.

Rob Wright, Curtis Givens, Jordan Tillery rate similarly positive in scoring, showing a range of good to great playmaking skills.

In the Hoopshall Classic tournament, Cooper Flagg ranked 5th in overall C-RAM, though most teams only played 1 game to Flagg’s 3. (Cameron Boozer ranked 3rd with 2 games played)

The Top-6 most impactful Hoopshall Classic players by Cerebro’s C-RAM with 2+ games played and 10+ minutes per game, with notable prospects like Cameron Boozer, Jase Richardson, Darius Acuff from the The Sunshine Classic, the last tournament held at Montverde.

Flagg racked up 12 blocks and 6 steals to only 5 fouls throughout the Hoopshall Classic, rating good to great in scoring, shooting, passing, finishing, and defense by Cerebro.

Click the YouTube LINK above for a Video Scouting Report on the Top-5 players who shined brightest in the Prolific – Montverde Matchup: (Cooper Flagg, AJ Dybantsa, Tyran Stokes, Asa Newell, Liam McNeeley)

The Film

Cooper Flagg
6’9″ Forward/Wing
Montverde Academy

• Star-stopping shot-swishing superstar
• Versatile, lengthy, active big wing defender
• Elite motor, never gives up on a play, never runs out of gas, plays hard through the final whistle
• Phenomenal rebounder using height, length, anticipation, timing
• Great vision, looks for open shooters on drives
• Well-rounded threat to score on and off the ball
• Tough shotmaker from every spot on the floor, rim-attacking dunks, 3pt range
• Cerebral ball instincts, especially off ball cuts, putbacks, rebounds, help defense blocks
• Attacks closeouts against rotating defenses to create rim shots for himself, open kickouts to teammates, fouls drawn in traffic

Players with the wingspan, height, footwork, and athleticism to guard anyone on the floor and swat any shot in sight with the timing, ball instincts, and awareness to pull it off posses a rare combination of skills eluding to a potential rim-deterring defensive anchor.

While no player is perfect, Cooper Flagg does nearly everything well on the hardwood. With a motor that doesn’t turn off, Flagg is able to fill any role, guard any player, attack the rim, shoot from deep, beat you with the pass, operate either end of a pick-and-roll, and even get hot in a post-up or pull-up style from midrange, at the rim, and from deep.

When artificially intelligent robots eventually replace human beings as basketball players, those robots will model their game after Cooper Flagg’s archetype.

With similarities to Aaron Gordon, Shawn Marion, Andrei Kirlenko, and any do-it-all stat-stuffing tall forward who brings versatility to defense and scoring before him, Cooper Flagg is The Ultimate Swish Army Knife.

Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero awards Cooper Flagg Gatorade Player of the Year (Photo Credit: WABI/Joe Greer)

Cooper filled the box score in a victory over Oak Ridge during the MOAT, posting a statline of 22 PTS (50 FG%) – 14 REB – 6 BLK – 2 STL – 3 AST/3 TO (1 foul)

Scooping a sweet pickpocket steal guarding point-of-attack, drawing a hard foul attacking the rim off the turnover, blocking a shot from behind before throwing down a monster putback one-handed slam, making a smartly timed deflection to force a turnover before a methodical fundamental footwork driving rim-finish, timing up a buzzer-beating putback showing anticipation and motor crashing the glass for rebounds, even drilling an impossible pindown pull-up turnaround jumper off the handoff for good measure, while protecting the rim racking up blocks every time you look up.

Fake handoff in-and-out dribble stepback pull-up three all in one motion. Block a shot, grab the board, push the pace, fake the kickout, eurostep through traffic, throw down the slam; death by a thousand cuts leaves opponents begging for mercy.

The Maine Event featured 2 Flagg Plants and 4 Blocks in the Hoophall Classic championship matchup…

…in the first half.

Elite modern defenders who aren’t quite traditional big men like Bam Adebayo, Jonathan Isaac, Jaren Jackson Jr., or even the all-time great Kevin Garnett himself show how Flagg’s ideal role can be maximized at the highest level, unleashing a do-it-all ball-hawking big on teams that haven’t maximized their floor spacing.

While only listed as 6’9″, The Boys Basketball Gatorade Florida Player of the Year brings nonstop energy and laser focus, quite literally every possession. Arguably the most impressive indicators of future success for Flagg’s upside is his motor. Cooper continues to contest shots, crash the boards, attack the paint, and protect the rim; all game long, no plays off.

Allowing Cooper Flagg to freeroam defensively is a recipe for disaster for opposing teams. When Flagg is matched up with a non-shooter, free to read and react as his team’s free safety, mayhem ensues; no shot is safe.

In one sequence against Prolific, Cooper fights through a screen at POA, and though too late for the shot contest, he sees the board bounce his way, leaps in to tip the board in traffic with one hand, and fights multiple opponents for the loose ball.

Then Coop brings the ball up the court looking up for a teammate to push to, gets the ball back and immediately attacks the closeout with a pumpfake low-swing dribble drive, creating open looks for others by drawing in extra eyes into the paint and no-look kicking out to the open man, creates a would-be hockey assist corner three for his team, rebounds the missed shot with another one hand tip to himself reaching over the opponent without fouling, and cleans up the play with a one-legged Dirk Fade for good measure.

Lockdown on-ball perimeter defense on top prospect AJ Dybantsa, with Flagg flipping hips getting tall/thin fighting over screens, poking at the ball stopping dribble drives, deflecting ball right out of his hands for the steal, and finding teammate Derik Queen for the fast break rim-roll reverse.

This sequence highlights Flagg’s anticipation, timing, and grab-and-go style, swatting Dybantsa’s drive with the help of McNeeley going straight up to contest in semi-transition, with Cooper scooping up the boarding and pushing the pace. Every player can improve something; this play ends with a lowlight, showing how with more game rep experience and ball control dribble drills could be beneficial for feeling out defenses with decision-making, as he challenges 3 defenders with all his teammates open behind him for trailer kickouts; Flagg gets blocked and called for a travel, losing possession.

High low back and forth between Flagg and Newell leads to a wild contested FLOATA for Flagg through contact, bending over and around the defense

Back-to-back backdoor baseline cutting slam dunks against DME’s 2-3 zone with the help of a back screen from a teammate in the paint. Flagg’s timing, hops, and cutting impact on display.

AJ Dybantsa
6’8″ Wing/Forward
Prolific Prep

• NBA GMs dream big wing star scorer with high two-way feel, winning impact, and nightly tough shot making highlights
• Elite All-Star Upside and Immediate Impact Two-Way Starter as Versatile Scoring Big Wing
• Soft touch finishing at the rim and midrange tough shots
• Deep range and shooting confidence on in-rhythm Pull-Up triples
• Potential primary scoring option at NBA level as consistent scorer on and off ball
• Good ball control, sometimes a loose dribble but burst and wingspan allow him to recover and sometimes use the looseness to create a movement advantage to throw off the defense
• Nice vision, good decision-maker, looks for teammates on kickouts when drawing defenders into paint
• Exciting player for fans as tough shot-making scorer at every level with a smooth shot release, bouncy breakaway dunks

AJ Dybantsa’s ceiling similarities ideally look something like a Paul George archetype, the modern generation’s favorite 6’8″ archetype like Tracy McGrady was for kids growing up in the early 2000s, in their incredible all-around ball skills and natural athletic two-way feel, the ability to create their own shot from any spot on the floor, keep dribble alive without losing it, and rise up with a nearly unblockable shot release for a splashy jumper from on or off the ball, with those ball instincts playing out on the other end when jumping passing lanes, blocking shots from behind, reading plays before they happen.

Brandon Miller may be the most similar type of exciting slim 6’8″ versatile big wing scoring prospect in the league today.

These high-potential wings could have a range of outcomes like Jeff Green, Harrison Barnes, Andrew Wiggins, RJ Barrett, to Tobias Harris as tall, lengthy, skilled wings who can put the rock through the net and make it look easy and natural doing it; players viewed as potential all-stars at some point in their development yet brought day one impact as starting-level forwards who can score semi-consistently in the 15-18-21 PPG range as reliable two-way starters in the right lineups dependent on the opportunity and roles.

Dybantsa dropped 22 PPG through 3 tournament games in Montverde shooting 25/37 FG and 6/12 3P. While his passing numbers were only an 11 AST / 11 TO ratio, AJ made good reads looking for shooters when his shot wasn’t available after breaking down the defense and drawing extra defenders into the paint.

Flashes elite shooting touch.

First the FLOATA drawing a big man on the switch, then picked up by a big in transition, calls his own number, drops the hesitation moves and half-spin fakeout footwork for driving contested shots, converting both runners to end the first quarter in Prolific vs. Montverde

Savvy ball and body control to break the full-court press with a give-and-go; drawing a switching big to half court, accelerating swiftly past him; spin, gather, decelerate to split a swiping help defender; stop on a dime for the touch FLOATA.

The first time these two teams met in the Hoopshall Classic, AJ Dybantsa led his team in scoring with 21 PTS – 5 REB – 4 AST

This is a pro move early in the game by AJ Dybantsa showing his advantage creation, body control, and soft finishing touch.

Draws big man on switch in PnR -> Hesi -> in-and-out dribble -> stop on a dime -> lofts up a FLOATA -> Swish

In this pick-and-roll, Dybantsa flashed his feel for the game when he’s trapped by the wide wingspans of Flagg and Queen before hitting the roller with a b-e-a-utiful touch lob pass over the top of the blitzing defenders for a rim-rolling rim-rocking slam!

Crossover hesi drive through contact AND1 against Cooper Flagg?

AJD gains momentum after Zoom breaks down the defense attacking the paint with a drive and kick, opening a gap for AJ to attack the closeout, crossover reset to force Flagg to open his hips and start backpedaling, gifting Dybantsa a half-step advantage, all the room he needs to attack the rack, stop on a time, create contact and still finish the shot falling to the floor.

The release on this shot is so high even NBA defenders would have trouble blocking it.

AJ Dybanza being able to rise up for contested middy pull-ups will make him hard to guard as a pro; tall tough shot-makers who can get to their spot and consistently hit their shot over contesting hands are hard to guard at every level.

Dybantsa dropped 21 PTS in the the Hoophall Classic Title Game, rising to the occasion as the game went on: drilling two threes, dishing out a 3pt assist kickout, and drving coast-to-coast for the one-man grab-and-go fast break FLOATA

Earlier in the tournament, AJ Dybantsa dropped 18 PTS – 9 REB -0 1 STL on 8/11 FG and 2/3 3P for Napa California’s Prolific Prep in an overtime victory against Dante Allen out of Miami, FL’s Riviera Prep.

Dybantsa flashed the full custom edition matte yellow lambo grand theft auto potential star package against Riviera Prep, showing off start-stop body control, decelerating drives, hesi handles, soft touch, wide vision, strong north-south athleticism, and deep range shooting.

AJ Dybantsa was a one-man human highlight reel: a mean drive-by dunk, a powerful tip slam, a nasty drop-off bounce pass, a corner C&S three off the in-and-out dribble kickout from Zoom Diallo, a clean decision driving through the paint for the corner kick, a nicely timed board off a miss, multiple cross-court passes into shooter pockets, sound closeouts and contests.

Prolific Prep’s Dybantsa and Stokes kept their foot on the gas in the semi finals against Brewster.

AJ is a real hooper, a monster on the hardwood, converting 10/11 FG and 2/3 3P on his way to 30 PTS – 1 STL – 1 BLK and 5 AST / 2 TO in the W. Flashes scoring versatility, next-level athleticism, shooting touch and grab-and-go body control.

Hitting contested middy pull-ups, finishing the post-up face-up stutter-rip reset driving spinning finger roll, driving and gliding right by any defender in isolation and handoff sets into decelerating finger-rolls, all while relocating with off-ball movement for plays like the zipper screen catch-and-shoot triple and timing up the backdoor cut for an easy one at the rim.

Consistently shows two-way feel, timing, effective use of length advantage and defensive awareness for deflections, steals, stops, with 4PT swings off turnovers ofrten created.

In this game against Brewster, AJD scoops up the loose ball recovery and throws down a tip slam off the turnover; then he sees a pass coming, jumps the passing lane for an anticipatory steal and breakaway highlight slam, then patiently protects the rim blocking a reverse, then flips hips at point of attack defense and fights through a screen to force the guard into a travel, then grabs and goes off a rebound with a flashy highlight behind-the-back dribble and alley-oop lob to Tyran Strokes.

Tyran Stokes
6’8″ Forward
Prolific Prep

• Natural Athlete who flies around the court, a north-south force who gets up vertically
• Impressive body control on change of pace; can accelerate, decelerate, explode at right times to create advantages and shots for himself and others
• Good timing anticipation and ball instincts jumping passing lanes
• Foul-drawing and bump-and-finish through contact for soft touch finishing and eurostep footwork on drives
• Deep range shooting capability

Betting on 6’6″+ players with noticeable athletic advantages amongst their peers, who can already utilize deceleration body control with ball instincts, contact-drawing ability, and clean shooting touch are all good bets for future development.

Against Riviera: 14 PTS – 15 REB – 5/2 AST/TO – 4 STL – 5 BLK; thats 15 boards and 9 stocks for THE POINT GUARD!

Tyran Stokes dropped 22 PTS & 5 REB on 64% FG% in the contest against Brewster, with an impressive sequence swatting a shot strongly, grabbing the loose ball, and running the floor for a coast-to-coast fast break flush, showing off the touch and timing tossing up alley lobs and throwing down oop slams.

Here against Montverde, Stokes draws a foul and a goaltend after the MEAN right to left hesi crossover, driving through contact, before following that up with another driving bucket at the rim, driving and jumping around the floor in a herky-jerky style similar to Markelle Fultz in terms of his start-stop body control, crossover handle, and lift at his size.

Sneaky athleticism shown here as Prolific runs double drag, Tyran Stokes slips the screen and pops out into the corner, where the ball finds him as he shows off the first step burst to beat his man into the paint, decelerating and exploding for the poster slam, hanging in the air while gliding through two defenders.

Stokes drills C&S threes off the strong flare screen and kickouts from AJD, one in the clutch to take the lead with under two minutes to go in the MAIT championship.

Drawing lumbering bigs into switches creates advantages for this change of pace wing.

Earlier in the Prolific-Montverde game, Tyran Stokes draws a foul by hesi-driving into big man D.Queen after first being trapped and drawing the switch.

Later in the game, Stokes draws DQ on a switch again, this time using his speed, ball and body control to crossover and accelerate into a spin move, slowing down with decelerating footowork for a finesse finger roll finish at the rim, shown below:

Tyran makes a good read one play breaking up PnR lob for a steal, but then tosses up the bad pass turnover on a fast break.

After a good team defense possession with AJD cutting off baseline drives and stunting at shooters, finished off by Aiden Sherrell protecting the rim with the help-side block, Tyran Stokes explodes like a firework show through a cloud of defenders, taking off for the breakaway highlight jam, showing off his first step burst, decelerating body control, and downhill force.

Tyran Stokes starts with no momentum here; yet he still makes a play from behind, as Stokes accelerates, times up, and catches Cooper Flagg for a chasedown (double-block) after Asa Newell got a block of his own the possession prior.

Asa Newell
6’10” Forward
Montverde Academy

• NBA size, height, length, strength, effort, footwork, two-way feel
• Outstanding motor, energetic rotating relocating rim-running rim-protector play-finisher
• Brings defensive tenacity, swarming opponents with active hands, lengthy feel, and quick feet from wing to wing
• Great fundamental postup footwork, dropsteps sealing defender behind with counters
• Can hit open catch-and-shoot three, make extra swing pass
• All-around winning player with high floor as athletic north-south plus-defender rotation player with post-up dribble pass shoot skills and a high ceiling as a two-way starter if he scores effectively at the NBA level.

Asa Newell plays with so much energy its like he’s dropping a spirit bomb on the court.

He’s everywhere defensively, contesting everyone, and always beats everyone down the floor for rim-runs in transition.

Newell outworks his opponents by moving with purpose off the ball; rotating, contesting, blocking shots, rim-running, making extra passes, cutting to the rim.

Should be a future pro rotation player for his defense and play-finishing alone, attacking both ends like a Brandon Clarke.

Rated 3rd in At the Rim efficiency via Cerebro Sports’s ATR metric.

The Asa Newell Sequence

Switches onto Dybantsa in P&R, deters multiple driving lanes, contests stepback pull-up three, runs floor to beat the other team to the paint to secure leverage positioning, drop step slam from the dunker spot to force a timeout.

Against Oak Ridge, Asa Newell made it a mission to gain position for the patented postup drop step spin baby hook early and often, finishing with 12 PTS (5/7 FG) – 8 REB – 1 STL – 2 AST/2 TO and a double-block with Cooper Flagg, a common occurrence for the pair of pterodactyls holding down the frontcourt.

In Montverde’s *87 POINT* win over Imani Christian (127-40), Newell made an immediate impact on both ends to the tune of 15 PTS (7/11 FG) – 8 REB – 3 AST – 1 BLK. Asa beat his man down the floor to park in the paint and secure post-up drop-step positioning near the rim, beats opponents to the ball by crashing the boards for misses, going back up strong with his go-to baby hook fling.

Montverde Teammates Rob Wright and Curtis Givens showed vision and scoring ability with heads up plays, making good reads, and hitting relocating C&S threes. Cooper Flagg swished in some C&S threes, adding a look off dime and back-to-back blocks, because that’s what he does. McNeeley led Montverde in scoring with 18 PTS and 3 3PM and a nice dunk. Imani Christian’s backcourt of RJ Sledge and Tristen Brown showed off clean finishing at the rim with crafty finesse and footwork.

Master of the postup backdown block dropstep baby hook shot down; a go-to move that works, with counters to boot.

Look at this ball awareness by Newell, timing up an offensive rebound during a free throw with a defensive end swim move to pull the chair out from behind the man boxing him out, deflecting the board to himself, and immediately turning and looking for the other rebounder, Liam McNeeley, on a relocation corner three that resembles one of the all-time moments in hoop history, Chris Bosh kicking out to Ray Allen to keep the Heatles alive against the Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals.

Liam McNeeley
6’8″ Guard
Montverde Academy

• Legitimate floor spacer, knockdown 3pt shooter, especially C&S and movement threes running off screens, forever relocating for the catch-and-shoot dagger from deep
• Versatile scorer with diverse shot profile on and off the ball
• Soft shooting touch at the rim and from beyond the arc
• Attacks closeout with force, looking to score, slam, finish strong
• Pesky defender who’s feel for the game helps break on slow handles and passing lanes for steals (made slightly easier knowing Flagg Newell and Queen are behind you to clean things up)

Good scorer, good decision-maker, good passer, good finisher at the rim, great anticipation defender, great 3pt shooter; that’s one prettyyy, pretty, pretty good rotation player at any level, if not a high-volume scorer 3pt sniper at the highest one.

Able to create good looks for himself as an on-ball scorer, or with the help of a strong handoff as an off-ball threat running around screens, stretching the floor where defenses need to know where he is at all times, Liam McNeeley shares scoring versatility and off-ball shooting gravity of snipers like Malik Monk or Tyler Herro.

Can’t be left open, should be trapped/iced with the ball in his hands to deny the shot and force a dribble or pass-to contain shooting threat. McNeeley will counter with a quick decision to drive hard at rim for the dunk or clean finger roll finish.

McNeeley balled out in the Hoophall Classic Title Game, leading all scorers with 22 PTS on 4 3PM; Liam impressed with his shot versatility, a diverse diet of dunks and threes.

With refined footwork, timing, awareness, McNeeley created his own scoring opportunities primarily by staying in motion off the ball, running through Elevator Screens for a turnaround C&S 3pt jumper, stopping on a dime after jumping a passing lane for a steal to decelerate into the pull-up jumper, even countering the three by attacking closeouts with finishing-at-the-rim packages and hammering home slams at the rim, while making the extra swing pass when needed, seen in the video below:

Often leads team in scoring next to potential pros in Cooper Flagg, Derik Queen, Asa Newell, Rob Wright, Curtis Givens.

As Hoophall MVP, Liam McNeeley won one plaque, one picture with Ice Cube, and one OFFICIAL Hoophall MVP bathrobe.

(Photo Credit: Lonnie Webb)

Liam McNeeley’s soft shooting touch isn’t just found from beyond the arc, here using the rip-through re-screen off the handoff give-and-go to evade AJ Dybantsa’s length on the perimeter, force a switch on the drive, and still swish in the FLOATA through bump and finish contact, even switching hands from left dribble to righty push shot in the air. Skills galore

After their teammate is blocked, Flagg wastes no time grabbing the loose ball and no-look kicking out to Liam McNeeley for a C&S three, one of his favorite targets on drive-and-kicks, clearly trusting the knockdown shooter at every opportunity.

Elijah Crawford
6’2″ Point Guard
Brewster Academy

• Natural point guard mentality looking to push pace at every opportunity and find teammates for open looks
• Two-way feel, frenetic energy, active hands forcing deflections
• Anticipation jumping passing lanes, timing up rebounds
• Impressive start-stop body control on decelerating drives
• Strong, big, explosive, especially for his height and position
• Tight handle, great vision, clean passing chops
• Tough pull-up shotmaker at midrange and 3pt level
• Developing skills like finishing at the rim, decision-making to slow down the game, and consistency would raise ceiling

In the Semifinal against Prolific, Elijah Crawford came to play, leaving it all on the floor with 30 PTS – 5 REB – 4 AST / 2 TO shooting 11/17 FG and 6/6 FT.

Soft touch, scoring versatility, finishing packages like the FLOATA, pull-up jumpers from the contested middy running Spain P&R to the stepback triple out of double-drag pick-and-roll, an off ball elbow screen cutting alley-layup, a transition outlet up-and-under finish, multiple nicely timed backdoor cuts to the rim, always looking for the best shot for his team by drawing extra defenders and creating looks for others, hitting teammmates in shooting pockets; highlights here.

Elijah’s all-around point guard play was made evident even when teammates’ shots didn’t fall, because open 3pt looks were still created. Once after he ran back on defense for a deflection, he swoops in for the rebound in traffic, brings the ball up, moves the ball around, gets the ball back, and makes a spinning pick-and-pop pass to the shooter; another tim, he operates double-drag after double-drag until he finds the driving lane he wants to manipulate the defense with to create an open look for the shooter.

In the MAIT’s 3rd place game between Brewster and Oak Ridge, Elijah Crawford put up 7 PTS – 6 REB – 5 AST / 2 TO – 2 STL in 23 MIN, making winning plays through out.

The Stanford commit’s sweetest sequence may have been the deflection for a steal pace-pushing dropoff pass for a trailer in transition C&S three. Elijah stays bringing up the ball like he’s mad at the basket, on a grab-and-go wheel with a never-ending motor the whole game. Hits Nojus Indursaitis for the highlight fast break slam, drills a pull-up three after trapping his man under the screen, hits the grab-and-go turbo button off the board for a quick corner-kick 3PT assist to Dwayne Aristode, and drills a behind-the-back fadeaway middy pull-up so fast you’d miss it if you looked down for a second.

Jordan Tillery
6’6″ Guard
Oak Ridge

• Tough shot maker who can score at all three levels
• Active hands and great timing for digs, deflections, passing lane steals, blocks on the way down
• Soft touch on threes, floaters, alley oop lobs
• Natural point guard at 6’6″, tall for position
• Great body control for deceleration finishes at the rim, grab and go acceleration speed, first step burst to the rim
• Tight handle ball control on dribbles
• Great vision, playmaking feel, team-first passing chops

Jordan Tillery out of Oak Ridge can fly.

Tillery impressed in all-around winning two-way impact against Montverde with anticipation and active hands creating multiple deflections for steals; soft touch, sound timing, and good body control on the spinning FLOATA, tight handles for a mean ISO finger roll reverse, range on the three-pointer, vision on the alley-oop lob pass and mad hops on throw down mean tip slam.

In the first quarter, Tillery’s active hands deflects the live dribble of Liam McNeeley in transition, then forces another turnover soon after for a second steal, following those up with a nice display of body control and shooting touch on the spinning FLOATA.

Over the course of the game Jordan flashed fiery handles and finishing at the rim on the finger roll reverse, knocked down a catch and shoot jump shot from downtown, and lobbed up an alley-oop to Oak Ridge teammate Tyler Johnson.

Tillery left it all on the floor in the fourth against Montverde. The Southern Miss commit stripped Rob Wright’s shot on the way down after leaping to contest, throws down a powerful putback one-handed tip slam off his own miss, swipes the ball away for a deflection steal, completes the give-and-go fast break flush slam dunk highlight.

What a move by the Georgia Southern Commit.

Against Brewster, Tillery showed off effective flashy handles, vision, body control, rebounding timing in traffic, and finishing at the rim with the decelerating finger roll and a good two-handed skip pass across the court. While his shot might not have been falling, he found other ways to contribute. Oak Ridge teammates Tyler Johnson (6/8 FG 7/8 FT) and Cameron Simpson (6 3PM) dropped in 20 points a a piece.

Jordan Tillery gains a momentum advantage into the DHO from the wing, sizes up the defense, drops a quick killer crossover, attacks the gap with burst, decelerates into the air hunting contact for the bump and finish against the big in the air with a tough soft touch up-and-under winding finger roll.

Against The Rock School, Tillery picked up the grab-and-go pace and hit tough shots galore, despite a few turnovers trying to make a play:

19 PTS (8/11 FG) – 5 REB – 1 BLK – 1 AST / 4 TO

Middies with the contested turnaround Dirk fade
Clean finishing at the rim
Timing up the lob pass
Sound body control decelerating on coast to coast drives
Impressive ball skills for the 6’6″ playmaking speedster

Tillery leaving it all on the floor to propel his team to a win: opens the second half with a pull-up three, later with a rebound in traffic and huge block in the clutch:

Tyler Johnson
6’5″ Wing
Oak Ridge

• Athletic force uses advantages effectively over peers, energetic rebounder
• Strong play-finisher at the rim, can hit open three and attack closeout with burst
• Risky reacher on defense, gets steals but more fouls than forced turnovers
• 16 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST in a win over The Rock
• 19 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL vs Montverde Academy
• 20 PTS (6/8 FG), 9 REB, 5 AST in a win over Brewster Academy
• 5th in overall impact via Cerebro C-RAM
• 33% 0.7 3PM over 3 games
• 1.3 STL+0 BLK for every 2 Fouls

In the Montverde matchup, future Virginia Tech Hokie 6’5″ Forward Tyler Johnson flashed creative handles, tight ball control, transition tenacity, cerebral team defense, active hands for a passing lane deflection steal before a give-and-go layup, tough shotmaker on pull-up and catch-and-shoot threes, driving up-and-under finish at the rim through defenders.

The future UCF sharpshooter 6’6″ wing Cameron Simpson showed off his funky jump shot and feathery shooting touch throughout the tournament with 3 catch-and-shoot treys against Montverde and 2 pull-up threes against Brewster.

6’0″ point guard Jalen Reece pitched in against Montverde with impressive pull-up shooting, the stepback gather from three, the pull-up middy, spinning elbow fadeaway, with a nice wraparound pass for a corner catch-and-shoot three. When facing Brewster in the 3rd place, Reece showed he had the full-sprint-stop-on-a-dime elbow pull-up jumper down looking like Russell Westbrook, even hitting behind the back dribble fadeaways to create space for himself to go to work.

Shon Abaev
6’7″ Forward
Calvary Christian

• Tough shot-maker at all three levels
• Developable ball-skills with NBA height and length
• Tight handle, mastery of dribble moves
• Soft touch shooting as clean scorer with silky smooth jump shot as a pull-up threat

Shon Abaev shows off his full arsenal of ball-skills, body control, ball control, and scoring touch: the fake-drive stepback three; the fading in-and-out dribble stepback corner three over contests; the change-of-pace hesi fading FLOATA, splitting the trap defenders into a eurostep FLOATA through 3 total defenders; the leaning pull-up middy fadeaway; splashing in talls hot release middy fadeaways like a young Michael Beasley making every shot feel unblockable by falling away while taking it.

Shon Abaev may be getting buckets professionally for years to come. His shot release is hard to contest, and when he shows the ability to get to any spot on the floor, the shot confidence to rise up and fire, and the silky smooth shooting arc to drop in nothing but net shots from anywhere, there’s little defenses can do but send multiple defenders, and pray.

Guard Cayden Daughty, Shon’s teammate at Calvary Christian, also impressed with his natural feel in this game, creating a hockey-assist corner-kick three-pointer off a nice hang dribble revealing his handle, vision, and passing chops, while keeping active hands ready for a deflection and steal.

vs. Riviera Prep
Shon: 16 PTS on 7/13 FG – 5 REB – 2 STL
Cayden: 17 PTS on 7/7 FT – 3 STL – 3 AST / 1 TO

vs. Brewster
Shon: 16 PTS on 17 FGA – 6 REB – 7 AST / 1 TO – 2 STL – 2 BLK
Cayden: 20 PTS on 12 FGA

Rob Wright III
6’1″ Point Guard
Montverde Academy

• Two-way team-first floor-stretching playmaker who plays hard and smart for his size
• Traditional point guard with modern scoring creator skills, savvy connector, smooth 3pt jumper, tight ball control handles
• Hunts contact on drives for fouls, nice aggressiveness with the ball, tough shot-making on runners over tall defenders
• Gets up under players on defense, forcing offensive fouls, making opposition uncomfortable.
• Winning player, makes talented teammates better with natural point guard instincts that elevate an offense, makes the right play every play, looks for best shot for the team, hits open shots, high floor as floor-managing 3pt-shooting connector

Showing nice touch against Oak Ridge with the underhand bounce pass, the running FLOATA, and the catch-and-shoot corner three.

Smart movements, relocating here to the corner, up to the wing, attacking closeout with 0.5 second decision making, spin move footwork and clean finger roll finish to create easy layup for himself off BLOB set:

Good 3pt shooter on and off the ball

FLOATA King Rob Wright III has mastered one of the toughest shots in the game, a necessary one for a point guard attacking the rim with drop defenders who tend to be much taller and in the way.

Clutch scoring late for Montverde, runs Horns set with picks on both side of the ball, reads defense and finds good shot for himself to tie the game with just over a minute to play in the MAIT Championship game.

Clean contested dribble drive up-and-under reverse for Rob Wright without much room to operate:

Rob Wright III is as cool in the clutch as they come.

Montverde clears the entire side of the floor with a misdirection stagger screen for their 3pt threat McNeeley to distract the defense as Wright and Queen run a simple angle high PnR

Rob feels his first step advantage with the big man too high up, speeds past the dropping big for a finger roll layup.

Rob draws a charge on Dybantsa the next play before Flagg beats a press for a breakaway slam to seal the championship!
(Flagg blocks another shot and draws a foul with 5 seconds left for good measure before the buzzer)

Derik Queen
6’10” Center/Forward
Montverde Academy

• Overpowering NBA Size, Strength
• Mobile Rim-Protecting Rim-Rolling Lob Threat Play-Finisher
• Good footwork, handle, finishing touch, vision, timing
• Active Hands, solid defensive instincts to Deflect ball without fouling
• Questionable decison-maker with developable ball-skills, can be too forceful with a live dribble

vs Oak Ridge: 23 PTS on 11/15 FG with 11 REB – 2 BLK – 1 STL – 2 TO

Rim-deterrent against Oak Ridge contesting shots and forcing bad ones, despite a handful of plays of trying to do too much, Derik Queen throws down a couple of strong man putback jams. Queen flashed sound footwork and shooting touch near the rim on the spinning hook shot through traffic and solid timing on a late-possession block to prevent a 2-on-1.

Big rim-runners like Derik Queen, Aiden Sherell, Ryan Jones Jr. rated highly in At The Rim efficiency via Cerebro, as do wings who attack the rim Asa Newell, Cooper Flagg, AJ Dybantsa, Tyler Johnson, Tyran Stokes, Liam McNeeley; all in the Top-10:

One example of Active Hands in drop defense against PnR helps Derik Queen poke dribble away from the driver, Zoom Diallo, forcing a turnover.

Here’s an up-and-down sequence summing up the Derik Queen experience:

Opens the 2nd quarter with one big coast-to-coast Oreo cookies DQ blizzard to-go, where at first Queen shows off great timing and active hands by breaking up a bounce pass, once again forcing a turnover in PnR drop coverage, this time stunting at the ball-handler and falling back to guard the roller.

Queen’s ability to dribble the ball up the court is a positive, but when he forces the dribble through traffic, he makes the game more difficult for himself. Instead of setting up the offense, Queen spins into a tough fadeaway midrange jumper, and while creating this shot is no easy task, it’s certainly a shot the defense is okay with Montverde taking anytime.

Queen immediately sees his shot is off, timing up an offensive rebound by crashing the glass, resetting his footwork for the second jump, and putting back the layup in traffic.

Derik Queen’s size, strength, and instincts give him incredible advantages that should translate to the NBA level; focusing on perfecting what he does well instead of improving weaknesses outside of the role he needs to fill could help carve out a long NBA career, a two-way role in play-finishing and paint-protection. Developing ball skills to round out his game could make him more well-rounded, but learning and understand how and when to utilize these skills defines one’s feel for the game.

In a matchup against DME’s 7’2″ Center Thiam, Queen held his own in a size mismatch, flashing all of the ball skills and nice vision with a look-ahead pass, bringing the ball up, finding Cooper Flagg for an alley-oop, drilling a pull-up middy, and blocking a shot at the rim with good ball instincts, anticipation, timing.

Queen finds an open spot against the 2-3 zone, parks, catches, turnaround baby hook bucket:

Queen flashes baby hook shot prowess, and has good patience, timing, and footwork in the post, but can find himself in situations where a loose handle moving in traffic can lead to a turnover, tough shot in traffic, or offensive foul; one or two plays of trying to do too much outside of his current skill-set. Other times, one can see good touch on plays like a high-low post-entry pass out of double drag, but just as often negative possessions seem to occur from unforced errors.

A shot-creating point guard ala Chris Paul to Deandre Jordan back on the Lob City Clippers or Luka Doncic to Derrick Lively today could unlock and maximize Queen’s full skill-set as a rim-protecting rim-running play-finisher with soft hands, creating a positive feedback loop where the big man is rewarded on offense for his effort and tenacity on defense.

Curtis Givens
6’3″ Guard
Montverde Academy

• Smooth 3pt jump shot streaky scoring on and off the ball
• Clean finishing skills at the rim, middy pull-up game
• Runs pick-and roll and pushes pace quickly looking to score first and create second
• Tight ball control, good handle, sound body control, effective decelerating drives
• Nice timing, anticipation, ball instincts forcing turnovers on blocks and loose ball recoveries

Montverde’s Curtis Givens is a walking bucket with a reliable 3pt shot; the 2023 Hoopshall Classic MVP (13 PTS 6/8 FG 2 STL) shows good feel, handles, touch, speed control decelerating after burst to the rim, and good ball instincts timing up steals hopping passing lanes. In this year’s Hoopshall Classic Title Game, Curtis added a clutch shot in the final minute.

Against Oak Ridge, Curtis dropped in an efficient 10 PTS (4/7 FG) – 1 STL – 2 AST/1 TO with a catch-and-shoot three, a soft touch finish finger roll running pick-and-roll, a tough same-side reverse on the drive, good body control throughout with the start-stop layup, active hands and nice timing to jump a passing lane for the steal.

A tough shot-maker on threes and near the rim, with good ball instincts and ball skills, Curtis Givens may remind fans of Tre Mann or Cole Anthony with his shot diet, shot release, silky smooth P&R north-south middy-to-deep pull-up score-first approach.

Off the handoff from Newell, Givens takes the half-step advantage to drive through the tiniest of creases in the defense, making a driving lane out of thin air for the clean contested reverse at the rim.

Newell crashes the glass for a second chance board, kicks to Curtis Givens, who pumps the three, fakes the pass, and attacks the closeout, beating his man and creating contact with the big for a bump and tough soft touch spinning reverse.

Nojas Indrusaitis
6’5″ Guard
Brewster Academy

• Great off-ball mover cutting, rim-running, relocating around the arc
• Brings 3&D impact as a guard
• Sound fundamental footwork, dribble moves, clean driver through traffic
• Good vision and feel
• Hustles for loose balls
• Anticipation, timing, awareness on team defense

11 PTS – 2/3 3P – 6 REB – 3 AST / 2 TO in 20 MIN vs Calvary Christian

Nojas makes a pro move eurostep finger-roll through traffic and diving on the floor for a loose ball steal, nice outlet pass lookahead vision to find Elijah Crawford for a smooth up and under, jumping a passing lane for a steal and breakaway slam

Smooth-looking jumper on the pull-ups with 18 PTS – 5 REB – 3 AST against Montverde in the Hoopshall Classic tournament.

Dwayne Aristode
6’7″ Guard
Brewster Academy

• Knockdown 3pt shooter can score on and off the ball
• North-South athleticism with defensive timing, first step burst, and natural hops
• Scoring versatility with up-and-under reverses at the rim, deep range 3PT shooting, and fadeaway middy pull-up
• Good handle using behind the back dribble and first step to create advantage on drive

21 PTS 4/11 3P 4 REB 3 AST in 26 MIN vs. Calvary Christian

Zoom Diallo
6’4″ Guard
Prolific Prep

• Explosive north-south guard
• Fast, strong, quick first step burst, notable athleticism
• Good footwork, deceleration body control
• Strong finisher through contact, switches hands on drives like a running back
• Shooting touch at and around the rim
• Smart player with good timing on cuts
• Nice vision and decision-makingas a passer

Diallo zooms by his opponents with ease, flying past defenders with elite first step burst, accelerating and decelerating with impressive body control, moving off the ball for swift cuts and north-south attacks.

Zoom doesn’t just fly by you; he drives through you.

Don’t underestimate the strength of a man named after a burst of speed, who shows sound footwork and impressive proprioception, with his ability to envision and execute his own graceful athelticism in movements through space.

Zoom Diallo accelerates in the sidelines-out-of-bounds play off a screen, staying in motion which maintaints an advantage in momentum for a strong drive into the up-and-under finger roll finish.

Winters Grady
6’8″ Wing/Forward
Prolific Prep

• Catch-and-shoot 3pt off-ball threat
• Knockdown off-ball shooter running off screens, movement shooter
• Solid feel to attack closeout with pumpfake and pass to find open cutters

Against Riviera, Winters splashed in 23 PTS on 6/8 3P in 25 MIN

Winters Grady shot 4/7 from downtown in the Hoophall Classic, running off stagger screens and relocating for C&S triples:

Mikey Lewis
6’3″ Guard
Prolific Prep

• High feel, smart decision-making point guard, knows where to be and where to find his teammates
• Excellent anticipatory timing feel and footwork for relocation threes
• Deep range off-ball shooting gravity
• Incredible vision dishing out catchable passes
• Soft shooting touch, tough shot making, finesse finishing at every level
• Midrange game with floaters and pull-ups
• Great all-around offensive game; size may present challenges defensively

In the Hoophall Classic championship matchup between Prolific and Montverde, the St. Mary’s commit tossed in a tear drop FLOATA, zipped passes ahead in transition and to cutters, and knocked down the pullup middy and catch-and-shoot triple.

Incredible AND1 FLOATA here as Mikey Lewis attacks Asa Newell’s closeout with a through-the-legs hesitation dribble, change of pace acceleration intothe bump and finish one-legged runner while falling away from the rim, just an impossible shot that #0 makes look easy.

Beats two trapping/ICE defenders in PNR swarming the ball with a lofty touch pass to the roller, Aiden Sherrell finishes the play strong at rim after a strong screen. Ball-handler Mikey Lewis sees the trap coming, backs up with one step to keep his dribble alive and buy time for the roller to beat the tag from the wing and be left open at the rim, then drops a dime.

Shows off relocation timing and displays footwork fundamentals for C&S threes, running around screens, staying aware of his location on the court and where the ball is at all times.

Aiden Sherrell
6’11” Center
Prolific Prep

• Good timing, anticipation, and ball instincts protecting the paint as a rim-deterrent without fouling
• Length, height, footwork effective for switching and drop defense
• Team-first mindset looking for best shot rather than forcing up bad one, finds shooter (#0 Mikey Lewis) for relocation handoff triple after rebounding own miss

Against Riviera: 12 PTS – 8 REB – 3 BLK – 1 STL 4/8 FG – 2/2 AST/TO

Sticks with his man in drop defense tagging the roller, help defense protecting the rim blocking Asa Newell’s second chance post-up shot and Rob Wright’s driving runner in PnR:

Moustapha Thiam
7’2″ Center
DME Academy

• NBA Size, Height, Strength, Length
• Sound post-up footwork fundamentals, hook shot soft touch
• Good two-way feel and team-first decision-maker
• Anticipation, timing, ball instincts as rim-protector

Montverde hosted DME Academy the Saturday night prior to the MAIT, where Moustapha Thiam, DME’s 7’2″ center who ranks 20th in his class and has committed to play at UCF, impressed with his anticipation rim protection skills, sound post-up footwork fundamentals, soft touch finesse finishing on hook shots on the block, and good feel making team-first reads.

Thiam combining his size, skill, and instincts could lead to a long professional career in basketball. On this play, he uses his size, anticipation, vision to make a simple yet clean high-low entry pass that not all big men have the touch to make.

Ryan Jones Jr.
6’8″ Center/Forward
The Rock School

• Off-Ball play-finisher, especially on cuts and as C&S 3pt shooter
• Team Leader, Volume scorer on good shooting efficiency
• Active deflector, yet fouls just as often

15 PTS 8 REB 3 STL 6/12 FG vs Oak Ridge

Rating 4th overall in impact in the tournament by Cerebro’s C-RAM, Jones scored off the charts with per game averages of 21 PTS (63% FG% ) on 2.3 3PM (50% 3P%) and 5 REB in 3 games, racking up 2 blk+stl for every 2 fouls. Ryan scored 27 PTS in a W over Imani Christian, showing his play-finishing abilities as a catch-and-shoot 3pt threat and cutting off ball to the rim.

Dante Allen
6’4″ Guard
Riviera Prep

• Volume scorer, tough shot maker
• Good 3pt shooter, sound defender, 3&D impact
• Soft touch on shots near the rim

Dante Allen impressed with two-way impact, hitting 37% on 3.7 3PM over his 3 games in the tourney.

Against Prolific: 23 PTS on 22 FGA with 5 REB – 4 STL – 5 AST / 3 TO

Against Calvary Christian: 17 PTS on 15 FGA and 4 3PM – 3 AST – 4 REB

Despite some smooth soft touch deep high-arcing FLOATAs for Riviera guards Allen and Myles Fuentes (21 PTS), the vision of Fuentes’ brother Mason (9 AST/5 TO), and sound rim-protection instincts from their center Gustavo Guimaraes Alves (4 BLK), Dybantsa’s Prolific Prep team pulled away late.

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Video & Stat sources: NBA.com(video), Cerebro Sports(data), Montverde Academy(film), Maxpreps(heights)

The post Scouting the 2024 Hoophall Classic Title Game & Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament appeared first on Swish Theory.

Teams: Montverde, IMG, Columbus, Brewster, and Sunrise Christian

Standout Players:

Cooper Flagg, Cam Boozer, Asa Newell, Elijah Crawford, Rob Wright, Darius Acuff, Donnie Freeman, Cayden Boozer, David Castillo, Elijah Elliot, Derik Queen, Jase Richardson, Liam McNeeley, Dwayne Aristode, Randy Smith

How many future NBA lottery picks can you spot in one photo?

Fun Fact, hoop heads: Jason Richardson and Carlos Boozer both have two sons currently playing for Columbus basketball; that’s two Richardson sons and two Boozer sons all on the same high school team in Miami, for those keeping track at home.

Feel old yet?

A strong-shouldered forward with feathery shooting touch like his NBA All-Star dad, the 6’9″ Cam Boozer quickly become a household name in draft circles as a Top-3 2026 prospect, with this Montverde-Columbus marquee matchup featuring another potential Top-3 prospect (in 2025), Cooper Flagg, just to name two of many exciting prospects in this contest.

Cooper Flagg’s game stretches the word ‘versatility’ to its limits. Doing it all on both ends of the floor, Flagg flashes elite touch, feel, and vision, a natural scoring creator constantly looking for the best shot for his team whether that be setting up shooters on drive-and-kicks or self-creating a good look for himself.

Boozer exploded in the second half, playing with more intensity and focus, powering through opponents, pushing the pace on lookahead passes, and gliding off ball for well-timed cuts, play-finishing rim-rolls, and in-rhythm pick-and-pop jumpers.

Asa Newell, a 6’10” forward who fills a rim-rocking rim-protecting rim-runner role creating vertical gravity for Montverde, shows incredible two-way potential with NBA size, length, active hands, and energetic motor that produces deflections, shot contests, blocked shots, and nasty highlight play-finishing moments throwing down highlight slams.

Rob Wright stepped onto the court Friday night ready to take care of business, not leaving the building until he had swished more FLOATAs for Montverde than every other player in both games combined that day.

Cayden Boozer, Cam’s brother, ran point to a tee, fulfilling classic playmaker duties with touch passes, highlight play feel, and good feel decisiveness on when to score and when to create for others.

Like his pops used to do, Jase Richardson flashes bouncy rim-rocking hops and soft shooting touch with a bucket-getting swagger, swishing high-degree-of-difficulty shots from a left-leaning elbow pull-up middy to a fadeaway AND1 FLOATA.

MVA’s Derik Queen stands strong and tall, overpowering opponents for boards and putbacks, muscling in rim-roll play-finishes, giving his all every play he’s out there. While the finesse footwork can come and go for someone who sometimes moves like a bull in a china shop, that backdown dropstep slam and counter-move hook shot can look effortless when it hits.

Frenetic energy, two-way feel, active hands forcing deflections, impressive start-stop body control for decelerating drives, and tough midrange pull-up shotmaking round out a high floor as a defender, playmaker, and shotcreator for Elijah Crawford of Brewster, a bulky yet zippy point guard who generally looks in full control on both ends when he’s not losing control in moments where it’s too late to hit the brakes.

IMG’s Darius Acuff came out with the win over Brewster, making shots in the clutch, cruising to a smooth 24 PTS – 4 STL – 4 AST afternoon where Acuff scored effortlessly from all three levels on driving contested finishes at the rim, pull-up and catch-and-shoot treys from downtown, and free points from the pinstripe.

Donnie Freeman, Acuff’s teammate, got plenty of buckets of his own for IMG, flashing all of the developable ball skills, good feel decision-making, and impressive timing for someone with legitimate NBA size, wingspan, and two-way impact. Prospects with the height and length to defend multiple frontcourt positions who show capability in every offensive area, who don’t hurt their team on either end, who flash on-ball self-creator upside tend to be the most coveted prospect types by pro teams.

Sunrise Christian Academy’s high-octane backcourt of division one commits Elijah Elliot and David Castillo pushed the pace early and often, creating big 4pt and 5pt swings with Elliot deflecting everything in sight, forcing turnovers off pick-six steals, and finding a leaking out Castillo for transition threes and fast break flushes.

Stats Analysis

To evaluate the stats from the Sunshine Classic’s standout players, we can utilize Cerebro Sports’ data to compare different impact metrics kept track by Cerebro, allowing us to visualize findings like the best Scoring Creators by comparing players’ pure scoring prowess (PSP) and floor general skills (FGS) to find high feel good decision-makers, the players who most consistently create the best looks for themselves and others.

Good play-finishing skills, two-way feel for the game, positive length metrics are always coveted in the NBA; developing plus-defense and dribble-pass-shooting ball-skills into reliable scoring versatility and two-way team-first impact can take a potential nba rotation player connector to the status of all-around star, seen by the rise of Tyrese Haliburton.

Which prospects can be relied on the most as offensive engines for team-first shot creation?

Cam Boozer and Donavan Freeman rate strongly here as both scorers and creators, in a similar range of output this weekend as Cooper Flagg and guards Rob Wright and Darius Acuff.

Elijah Crawford flashed elite playmaking skills setting the table, tied with Rob Wright for best floor general skills rating, as Liam McNeeley leads the group in scoring after a lights out shooting performance from downtown.

Zooming out, we can compare overall impact (C-RAM) and defensive statistical impact (DSI) to show the players who impact winning the most from the handful of games in the 2023 Sunshine Classic.

The visualization below graphs the most active defenders on the x-axis compared to overall impact on the y-axis, revealing how much the defense component adds up towards each player’s total two-way impact in these games.

Donovan “Donnie” Freeman stands out once again due to his instinctual defense and overall impact from efficient scoring at all three levels, impressive indicators for someone already donning NBA height and wingspan length.

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2023 Nike EYBL Scholastic Sunshine Classic Day 2 Standout Players

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#32 Cooper Flagg, 6’9″ Forward, Montverde Academy

vs. Columbus
23 PTS
8 REB
7 AST / 3 TO
3 STL + 2 BLK
9/17 FG – 5/6 FT
(31 MIN)

vs. Sunrise Christian
12 PTS
12 REB
5 AST / 0 TO
2 BLK
4/10 FG – 4/4 FT
(20 MIN)

vs. IMG
13 PTS
4 REB
2 AST / 3 TO
5/11 FG – 3/3 FT
(31 MIN)

Watching Coop Flagg hoop can only be compared to seeing a cartoon octopus chef cooking up breakfast in the kitchen.

With 8 legs at his disposal, this hash brown slingin’ mollusk can flip an egg, sizzle some bacon, grill the onions, boil a little rice, bake a tortilla, sprinkle on spices, grab the Cholula hot sauce from the fridge, and drizzle a little honey on the final product that is the perfected breakfast burrito, all at the same time.

How else can one describe Flagg’s swish army knife versatility from his defensive instincts to offensive malleability?

Cooper Flagg will defend a guard and switch onto a big before blocking a drive in help;
score off the post-up mismatch on the block with a spinning FLOATA;
break out for a coast-to-coast pull-up elbow middy;
ignore the screen for a driving up-and-under reverse;
push for a transition drive-and-kick 3pt assist;
crash the boards for a flyby putback slam;
pull-up for a fadeaway jumper;
deflect everything in sight;
score efficiently from the field and the line;
switch onto anyone and everyone he can find;
time up cuts, rebounds, and blocks with ease;
and make good team-first decisions with the ball.

The Maine Event will drill tough shots anywhere, anytime, with the ability to dribble, backdown, and pull up from any spot.

In the 2022 Sunshine Classic, Flagg posted the highest impact rating compared to his peers via Cerebro’s C-RAM (+10.7) after an off-the-charts defensive statistical impact rating of 119 due to averaging 3.7 BLK + 2.3 STL over three games.

A year later at the same event, Cooper posted a Top-5 rating with +9.0 C-RAM and 83 DSI rating, staying active defensively by averaging 1.3 BLK + 1.0 STL over those three games, posting 5 Stocks (STL+BLK) against Columbus alone.

Flagg rounded out his impact with good all-around team-first play, posting a below average 69/100 PSP rating as a scorer, yet showing good feel as a decision=maker with a 75/100 FGS rating and 74/100 ATR finishing, metrics via Cerebro Sports.

Montverde’s coaching staff matched up Cooper against Jase Richardson in the Columbus game, a huge length mismatch favoring Flagg, which locked up Richardson most of the night. Fans could see Jase visibly frustrated with Flagg’s go-go gadget arms swarming every move, but the opposing team making this part of their gameplan is out of respect for Richardson’s threat of sparkplug scoring and smooth shooting touch, even if it dares top prospect Cam Boozer to beat them.

Flagg constantly looks to set up his knockdown shooters like Rob Wright and floor-stretching wing #30 Liam McNeeley, who dropped 16 PTS on 4/4 3P in 22 MIN against Sunrise Christian and 20 PTS on 5/8 3P in 27 MIN against Columbus, flashing feathery touch as a knockdown perimeter shooter, posting an off-the-charts 110/100 3Pefficiency rating via Cerebro.

Measuring all the skills and two-way feel Cooper Flagg possesses can be hard to compare with so few players coming before him being as versatile on both ends of the floor, let alone one side of it; embodying the word versatility with super-deflector shot-swatting defensive superpowers balanced by a diverse offensive shot diet and table-setting desire to seek out teammates while looking for the best shot for his team, Cooper walks into the NBA as the ultimate modern plug-and-play player with sky-high two-way range of potential due to the combined sum of everything he already can do on the hardwood.

Andrei Kirlenko would serve as a fine example of the type of versatile big wing impact defender and team-first decision-maker Flagg could model parts of his game after, as the cerebral defensive playmaker carved out a long career locking down the opposing team’s best player in any position 1-4 while blocking, passing, switching, rebound-crashing, cut-timing and closeout-attacking drives with team-first vision to drive into the paint, draw defenders, and look to kick.

Cooper becoming a primary offensive scoring engine on top of that floor-stretching rim-running play-finishing talent could pave a lane towards future stardom.

#12 Cam Boozer, 6’10” Forward, Columbus

vs. Montverde
20 PTS
8 REB
5 AST / 8 TO
4 STL + 1 BLK
6/13 FG & 7/10 FT
(30 MIN)

A powerful yet graceful dancing bear 6’9″ forward who rocks rims on rolls through the paint, shows soft touch on the jump shot, looks ahead for outlet passes, and glides through defenses on off-ball cuts, Cam sure plays like a Boozer.

In the Montverde matchup, Boozer came out with more intensity in the second half, focusing on powering through people, showing sound handles on the ball, lookahead vision as a playmaker, and leaving huge impact as a rim-finishing play-finisher, even blocking a Flagg driving layup in help defense before finding his brother Cayden on the break off the turnover.

His outlet passes to jumpstart fast breaks were plentiful, even featuring a highlight coast-to-coast live-dribble behind-the-back dribble corner kick 3pt assist!

Boozer flashed all the developable dribble-pass-shoot ball-skills with strong finishing power and good off ball movement timing. This powerful 6’10” hammer who nails deep range jumpers projects to be an offensive force at the highest levels, excelling in similar areas to his NBA All-Star dad, while showing natural scoring creator tendencies for team-first shot creation.

Cam posted the 6th-highest overall impact rating in the event with 8.9 C-RAM, practically tying Cooper’s overall rating. Boozer was more effective as a scorer with a 79/100 PSP rating in the matchup, slightly more impactful defensively with an 87/100 DSI, while mostly matching Flagg in Floor General Skills and At The Rim effectiveness (75 FGS and 70 ATR)

Cam Boozer and Cooper Flagg sit atop future NBA Draft big boards for a reason; big wing/forward plus-defenders who can be relied on as halfcourt offensive creators, connectors, and play-finishers tend to be impactful winning basketball players.

The Good
Scoring at all three levels on and off the ball
Pick-and-pop, catch-and-shoot, relocation threes
Vertical gravity rim-running and well-timed paint-cutting
Drawing fouls with brute strength, sound footwork, solid handle
Clear vision, passing ability, grab-and-go playmaking chops looking ahead on fast breaks
Filling out the box score on both ends like a Shawn Marion or Aaron Gordon multi-faceted turnover-forcing play-finisher

The Bad
Losing control. Whether it be his own strength, the dribble, body and ball control at times – focused effort on spatial awareness, gaining the proprioception feeling of understanding one’s own body movements in space, could work wonders
First half lacked energy and focus compared to second half, but played opponent even from that point in a tough matchup

#14 Asa Newell, 6’10” Forward, Montverde Academy

vs. Columbus
13 PTS
5 REB
3 AST / 3 TO
1 STL
6/9 FG
(31 MIN)

vs. IMG
18 PTS
5 REB
1 AST
1 BLK
1 STL
8/12 FG – 2/3 FT
(24 MIN)

vs. Sunrise Christian
12 PTS
2 REB
6/9 FG
(16 MIN)

In the 2023 Sunshine Classic, Asa Newell ranks T-7th overall in Cerebro Sports’ comparative impact rating (+8.1 C-RAM), flying around to rack up blocks and shot contests while scoring efficiently by running the floor, posting an 81 PSP rating in Cerebro’s scoring measurement, finishing with respectable ratings as a defender (67 DSI) and at-the-rim finisher. (67 ATR)

Oddly uncredited for any blocks against Columbus, the 6’10” Asa Newell showed out with swarming defensive focus, active waving hands breaking up passing lanes, arms straight up deterring opponents from the rim, awareness deflecting everything in sight, even timing up shot contests from marquee matchup Cam Boozer to spark an early 20pt lead for MVA.

Montverde even scored instantly off the opening tip, as Asa Newell won the jump ball by tipping it forward for the easy 2-on-1 mismatch breakaway layup to strike first.

Offensively, Newell shows team-first decision-making feel as a connector, especially impressive for someone with his NBA-level height and length as a 6’10” big/forward with plus wingspan, like watching a young Larry Nance fly up and down the court.

Newell’s two-way impact as a big/forward was felt right from tipoff, never faltering throughout the night, with an early steal leading to the first of many Rob Wright FLOATAs.

One possession, Newell anchors the defense in the paint with back-to-back blocks, but is called for a foul on the second.

In the slowmo clip below, Newell shows sound backdown footwork fundamentals with the dropstep and post-move finish over Cam Boozer.

Time and time again, Newell would deflect a ball, break away on the outlet, and score easily and effectively running from rim to rim in transition, timing up off-ball cuts through the paint for dunker spot jams, and outhustling opponents off forced turnovers by beating them to their spots to spark those very same fast breaks with incredible body and ball control.

Asa Newell stays running the floor, moving defensively, attacking the rim on one end and protecting the rim on the other.

#1, Elijah Crawford, 6’1″ Point Guard, Brewster Academy

On 11/30 against Sunrise Christian, Stanford Commit Elijah Crawford went off from midrange and in the paint, creating pull-up jumpers and looks at the rim for himself while driving and kicking to teammates as a natural point guard scoring creator.

Elijah’s impact is felt on both ends every possession from a motor that never turns off.

vs. Sunrise
16 PTS
5 AST / 2 TO
6 REB
1 STL + 1 BLK
6/11 FG – 4/4 FT
(23 MIN)

The next day, Brewster’s Elijah Crawford energy stood out again in the early friday game against IMG.

While Crawford’s Brewster team lost the game down the wire, Crawford’s effort was felt consistently on both ends. The bulky 6’1″ point guard uses his strong size and zip-zap athleticism to make you feel him everywhere, every play, all at once.

vs. IMG
7 PTS
6 AST / 6 TO
5 REB
1 STL
(28 MIN)

Elijah Crawford will stop sprinting suicidies mid-game after the spinning top from Inception’s closing scene stops spinning.

Flying around both ends of the floor, deflecting loose balls with active hands while pushing the pace off forced turnovers, looking for teammates at every turn, Elijah stayed in full control of the game showing traditional point guard skills in a bulky frame and impressive start-stop deceleration, reminding one of explosive guards like Russell Westbrook, Baron Davis, or Deron Williams.

Plus-defender positive decision-making point guards carve out NBA careers, just ask Tyus Jones and his brother, Tre.

If Crawford had finished better at the rim, or if his receivers could handle high-speed passes a little better in the first half, his team could have easily pulled out the victory in a game so tight that every possession mattered. 

Elijah showed strong two-way feel for the game, reading and reacting well with good ball instincts, with great vision constantly looking to create for others, diming the pass of the day with the overhead two-handed lookahead bounce pass for the fast break flush, dishing a driving jumping skip-pass to an outside shooter across the court, hitting the dunker spot and roll-man with beautiful wraparound pass assists, and sticking with Acuff well at times defensively, making life difficult.

Controlling the game on both ends, Elijah sparks a 5pt swing sequence with a mean chasedown block on Acuff leading to a catch-and-shoot transition three for himself, drills an early tough pull-up elbow jumper after stopping on a dime like Westbrook on the coast-to-coast drive in transition, crosses up his defender in ISO for a gliding running hook, makes separation on drives, stays pushing the pace, and jumps passing lanes for deflections.

This dynamic two-way playmaker reveals great proprioception, flying around on and off the ball while mostly staying in control and aware of his own body’s movements, locations, actions on hesitations, cuts, drives, faking angles to attack gaps and create scoring opportunities for himself and teammates, perennially looking for the open man.

Crawford’s overall impact rating of 6.5 C-RAM was comparable to his IMG adversary Darius Acuff (6.6). Elijah’s strong playmaking skills were on full display, tying Rob Wright for the highest Floor General Skills rating of the event (77 FGS), as Elijah’s hustle could be felt throughout, resulting in a 70 DSI rating.

The Good – Strong point guard with great stop-start decelerating body control explosiveness, decision-making feel, vision and passing chops, feels like he’s impacting and in control of every play the entire game

The Bad – Makes it to the rim yet missing close layups, can slip out-of-control pressing the accelerator pedal too hard, throw passes with too much heat on them, sometimes leading to unforced turnovers on drives and passes. Focused practice could help develop finishing touch at the rim, deceleration controls for changing momentum, and softer passing touch.

Brewster’s #3 Dwayne Aristode produced all around, flashing good decision making, two-way feel and good timing while filling out the box score against IMG: 15 PTS – 13 REB – 4 AST / 2 TO – 1 STL (6/10 FG – 3/6 3P) in 30 MIN

Aristode’s play stood out on the stat sheet, posting a 67/100 rating defensively in Cerebro’s DSI, scoring a solid 77 PSP rate, shooting well from beyond the arc with an 84/100 3PEfficiency rate, and finishing in the paint with an 89 ATR rate at the rim.

Brewster’s #4 Nojus Indrusaitis showed clean shooting form finding his rhythm as a scorer knocking down 3/8 3P from downtown off ball screens and kickouts, breaking away for fast break flushes, staying active off the ball constantly moving around, looking for opportunities to cut, flash, and dish against IMG: 16 PTS – 2 AST / 3 TO in 31 MIN

Indrusaitis’ best ratings were found in a D&3 role, posting a 69 DSI rating and 64 3PE rating, via Cerebro Sports.

#5 Darius Acuff, 6’2″ Point Guard, IMG Academy | & | #10 Donavan Freeman, 6’9″ Forward, IMG Academy

vs. Brewster
24 PTS
4 STL
4 AST / 4 TO
8/16 FG – 4/6 3P – 4/5 FT
(29 MIN)

vs. Montverde
12 PTS
4 AST / 4 TO
5/16 FG

A self-creator rim-attacking traffic-weaving north-south force who keeps an eye open to create for others, Darius Acuff is a walking bucket, straight cash money shooter, here on a mission to put the ball in the basket.

Darius rated well amongst other starting guards in the tournament, rating 6.6 C-RAM overall. Acuff impressed across the board, with strong two-way impact as a plus-defender, clean deep range shooter, smooth individual scorer, and team-first decision maker; a true scoring creator who looks to set himself or teammates up with a good shot every time down the floor. Darius posted ratings of 72 PSP as a scorer, 77 DSI as a defender, 70 FGS as a playmaker, and 82 3PE as an efficient perimeter shooter, revealing impressive all-around winning impact as a connector who doesn’t get beat on either end.

Acuff is a phenomenal finisher at the rim, looking unstoppable driving through the paint as he avoids all the towering trees cars and logs flying at him like he’s George Costanza setting the high score on a pizza arcade Frogger with the perfect combination of Mountain Dew, Mozzarella, and just the right amount of grease on the joysticks.

Flashing good feel dishing to others, Acuff showed willingness to attack the rack with a scorer’s mentality, look for contact to draw fouls once there, and finish with soft touch or look to kickout, coming through in the clutch for IMG to go up 4 late in the game, twice, by splashing a triple and swishing two free throws to ice the game against Brewster.

Darius’ shooting touch stays on point with stepback swishes from deep, the free throw line, and the field, especially on finger rolls at the rim, though few if any floaters were made in the IMG-Brewster game by any player.

Team shot creation, individual scoring, two-way feel to force turnovers and create easy scoring opportunities in transition, with superb touch from the rim to beyond the arc, Darius Acuff shows real promise as a scorer, shooter, and playmaker.

#10 Donavan (Donnie) Freeman, 6’9″ Forward, IMG Academy

vs. Montverde
20 PTS
9 REB
3 AST
4 STL + 1 BLK
8/16 FG – 3/4 FT
(27 MIN)

vs. Brewster
16 PTS
12 REB
3 AST / 3 TO
3 STL + 1 BLK
6/8 FG – 2/3 3P
(31 MIN)

6’9″ forwards with grab-and-go mentality, realistically developable dribble-pass-shoot ball skills, and good two-way feel don’t grow on trees; Donnie Freeman makes winning plays on both ends with intriguing scoring creator potential on the ball.

Talents as promising as this tend to be some of the most coveted prospect types in the draft, like Devin Vassell or Mikal Bridges, players who have nearly every tool at their disposal. The development of these prospect types depends on the situation they end up in, like water bending to the glass that holds it or turtles only growing as big as their bowl lets them

Freeman posted the highest overall impact of the event with 12.5 C-RAM, along with off-the-charts defensive output of 110 DSI after racking up 7 steals and 2 blocks over a 2-game stretch. Donavan’s scoring effectiveness is noted in his 87 PSP rating as an individual scorer, 78 3PEfficiency rating as a floor-stretching forward, and 83 ATR as a rim finisher in the paint.

Not enough film was taken of Donavan Freeman, a legitimate NBA prospect with bankable aspects to his game that should translate to every level he reaches going forward.

It’s not every day a prospect as tall as Donnie can create his own shot, dribble on the drive, finish at the rim, stretch the floor from deep, and use his height and length effectively to be an absolutely disruptive defender.

Against Brewster, Donnie Freeman showed smooth scoring chops along with dribble pass skills, notable for his height, featuring a mean stutter rip drive and dribble drive rim-finishing capabilties.

After a great hustle play by #14 Felipe Quinones, #10 Donnie Freeman throws down a breakaway slam.

Right before that, Freeman pull-ups up for a clean middy.

Soon after, Donnie makes a good connector pass to the open man, and draws a foul on the floor, later hitting a contested catch-and-shoot triple.

6’8″ IMG forward #11 Khani Rooths shows tight handle for his size and strong rim-rolling vertical gravity finishing plays, too.

#1 Rob Wright, 6’0″ Point Guard, Montverde Academy

vs. Sunrise Christian
11 PTS
6 AST / 0 TO
2 STL
3 REB
5/6 FG – 1/2 3P
(15 MIN)

vs. IMG
11 PTS
5 REB
5 AST / 1 TO
2 STL
4/12 FG – 3/3 FT
(31 MIN)

vs. Columbus
18 PTS
5 REB
4 AST / 5 TO:
1 STL
6/12 FG – 2/5 3P – 4/4 FT
(31 MIN)

Some hoopers were just born to run point.

With 15 assists over 6 turnovers in 3 games, Wright racked up a pristine 2.5 AST/TO ratio, rounding out a good 77/100 Floor General Skills Rating via Cerebro’s playmaker metric. Grabbing 5 steals in this stretch helped Rob round out an 83 DSI rating, while he rated solid as an individual scorer at 69 PSP with soft finishing touch and a sound 70 3Pefficiency rate.

Whatever offensive role you need your guard to fill, Rob Wright is here to fill it.


Hit the roll-man off the handoff? No sweat.

Drill the catch-and-shoot corner three? Splash.

Step into a pull-up trey in a scramble? Easy breezy.

Attack the closeout with the shot, dribble, and pass? Fo’ free.

Swish floaters in pick-and-roll over drop coverage? Like it’s nothin’.

Hockey assist kickout to the open shooter three passes away? Here ya go.

The future Baylor point guard makes running an offense look easy, drilling threes and floaters off and on the ball, looking to create for others at all times, taking the open shot when it’s there and looking for the best shot for his team every time down.

Active hands, phenomenal feel, sound timing helps Wright break up passing lanes to force turnovers for steals.

Soft shooting touch on runners, catch-and-shoot threes, and pull-up jumpers with deep range on high efficiency from the line and downtown provide extremely promising indicators of future scoring success at every level.

Not to mention, he’s clearly a fan favorite of Montverde’s student section:

#2 Cayden Boozer, 6’5″ Point Guard, Columbus

vs. Montverde
10 PTS
4 AST / 3 TO
1 STL
3/7 FG & 3/4 FT
(22 MIN)

Big point guard, impressive playmaking ability, consistently looks to set up teammates.

Two-way feel with plus size and length for your position are bankable traits at ever level.

Great vision, nice body control, good decision-maker with crafty passing touch.

Cayden Boozer shot the lights out from deep with a 92 3PEfficiency rating on the night, flashing natural point guard skills even with a relatively low 62 Floor General Skills rating, and impressing as a defender with good size for his position helping force turnovers and generate a 70 DSI rate.

Watch him set up a pick-and-pop to big bro with the hook pass, hit the short roller with a smooth bounce pass, and then…

WAIT

WAS THAT A BOOZER TO J RICH JR. NBA STREET GAME-BREAKING DOUBLE ALLEY-OOP?!?

#4 Jase Richardson, 6’3″ Guard, Columbus

vs. Montverde
9 PTS
3 AST / 4 TO
1 STL
4/6 FG
(27 MIN)

Jase Richardson flashing smooth ball skills, especially as a lefty bucket-getter with soft touch tough shotmaking talent, impressed in feel for the game and as a a walking NBA Jam highlight machine, all similar traits to his father, the OG J Rich.

In an off-night from deep, Jase did his damage in the midrange and the paint, running off handoffs and screens looking to put the ball in the net.

Showing ball control, body control, vision and shooting touch on the driving spinning AND1 FLOATA, the elbow left-fading pull-up middy (off the stutter rip drive and kick from Cam Boozer), spinning into swishing runners, drawing fouls on bump-and-shoot drives, hitting teammates after drawing extra defenders, reveals scoring creator potential.

Columbus guard #3 Randy Smith made winning plays throughout, forcing steals, pushing pace, corner vision kickouts.

Randy’s two-way impact as a plus-defender forcing turnovers for a 78 DSI and knockdown shooting ability hitting at an 83 3PE clip didn’t go unnoticed, making plays to create scoring transition opportunities for his team.

(*Columbus guard Benny Fragula also made notable impact with his 7.1 C-RAM rating top-15 for the event in a 3&D role with marks of 88 3PE and 94 DSI.)

#25 Derik Queen, 6’10” Forward, Montverde Academy

vs. Columbus
9 PTS
5 REB
1 STL
4/8 FG
(9 MIN)

vs. Sunrise Christian
14 PTS
7 REB
3 AST / 2 TO
1 STL
6/7 FG
2/2 FT
(21 MIN)

Derik Queen posted the 3rd highest impact metric of the event (+8.9 C-RAM), revealing effectiveness as a play-finishing scorer (92 PSP), around the rim play-finisher (86 ATR), and active defender (69 DSI)

A hulk-like play-finisher with soft receiver hands to help catch post-entry passes and dunker spot dumpoffs, 6’10” big/forward Derik Queen brings uber athletic swarming energy, infrequently insane intensity, solid post-up footwork and nice hook shot touch.

For someone his size, however, racking up just 1 BLK + 2 STL against 10 personal fouls over a 3-game stretch is a red flag for defensive awareness and effectiveness at forcing turnovers without fouling. Utilizing sheer strength, sound footwork, active hands with better timing and less reaching could improve results.

Against Cam Boozer’s Columbus squad, though, Queen seemed to force things, losing control of power/handle/footwork, looking a little less coordinated in the post compared to cleaner paint production in the IMG matchup the night before, where Derik dominated the paint to the tune of 25 PTS – 13 REB – 1 BLK shooting 11/14 FG and 3/3 FT in 25 MIN !

#10 David Castillo, 6’1″ Guard | & | #5 Elijah Elliot, 6’2″ Guard
Sunrise Christian Academy

David Castillo
vs. Brewster
14 PTS
3 REB
1 AST / 1 TO
3/8 3P – 3/3 FTf
(23 MIN)

Kansas State commit David Castillo flashed knockdown floor-stretching duties with rim-running vertical gravity, outrunning the opponents over and over on fast break outlet opportunities, looking to score on quick pace

Castillo’s 84 3PEfficiency rate via Cerebro Sports reveals his catch-and-shoot knockdown ability, shooting 36% 3P% making 2.5 3PM over two games against Brewster and Montverde.

Elijah Elliot
vs. Brewster
7 PTS
6 STL (!!!)
4 AST / 1 TO
2/4 FG – 3/3 FT
(31 MIN)

FAU commit Elijah Elliot was everywhere all at once, flying around like a mad man forcing turnovers, pushing the pace, looking to find others on fast breaks.

Elliot’s 6 STL outing led to the 2nd-highest defensive statistical impact rating of the tourney behind Donavan Freeman, with Elijah posting a 102 DSI. Vision looking to create for others on display with a 72 FGS rating.

sources:

film, words, and data visualizations from @BeyondTheRK

data via Cerebro Sports

box score stats via mvasports.com
(https://mvasports.com/sports/national-interscholastic-basketball-conference/schedule/2023)

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