1. Cameron Boozer, Duke

2. Darryn Peterson, Kansas

3. AJ Dybantsa, BYU

4. Caleb Wilson, North Carolina

5. Kingston Flemings, Houston

6. Patrick Ngongba II, Duke

7. Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt

When Swish Theory’s Big Board 1.0 dropped on December 2nd, we ranked Tyler Tanner 33rd when no other major outlet had him ranked in the top 60. Naturally, with his meteoric rise over the past month and a half that now has him in some outlets’ top 40, he’s similarly skyrocketed up our board as well.

The first criticism of a Tanner at 7 ranking would be his measly 6-foot height… but how much does that mean when he’s dunking, finishing, rebounding, and blocking shots against SEC competition at the rate of a 6-foot-4 guard? Once you go beyond his height, you find a lead guard prospect with a blend of feel and physicality on par with the greatest guard prospects in NCAA history, who’s applied this blend towards outlier scoring development without sacrificing ancillary production. With this newfound scoring prowess further opening passing windows that he’s capitalized on, the young-for-class sophomore is now the engine of a 7th-best Vanderbilt offense while also maintaining strong defense. Boasting an incredibly well-rounded profile, the question should not be “why Tyler Tanner top 10,” but “why not Tyler Tanner top 10.”

Maurya Kumpatla

8. Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

Yaxel Lendeborg continues to fly up draft boards as he dominates college basketball. His BPM is off the charts, and what makes his game special is the dynamic, all-around feel he brings on both ends of the floor. How many potential defensive anchors can dribble, pass, shoot, and attack as well as Lendeborg? With good-to-great attributes as a scorer, shooter, passer, rebounder, shot-swatter, and ball-stealer via Cerebro, that all-around skillset laid on top of a potentially elite and versatile defensive foundation provides a realistic path to a super high two-way potential ceiling and offers a very high floor as a high-end NBA rotation player.

Ryan Kaminski

9. Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky

10. Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State

After some unusual (for him) struggles mid-January, Joshua Jefferson returned to form with one of the most productive prospect games of the cycle: 17 points, 12 assists (0 turnovers), 10 rebounds (4 offensive), 4 steals, 1 block. How many prospects this class could do that, or in any class? Jefferson is listed at 6’9” and is highly skilled for a 240-pound player. While outside shooting is a weakness, he has still managed an acceptable 36% on 53 threes attempted this season. But you’re drafting Jefferson for his unique intersection of passing (5.3 assists per game, 2.1 ATO), rebounding (7.0 per game), and defensive playmaking (1.6 steals, 1.0 blocks per game). All signs point towards Jefferson being one of the highest feel players in class, which, when mixed with productivity and good NBA size, has a high hit rate of working out. With a major, versatile two-way burden on a top 20 NCAA offense and defense, Jefferson can take on all kinds of roles at the next level.

Matt Powers

11. Dailyn Swain, Texas

12. Bennett Stirtz, Iowa

13. Labaron Philon, Alabama

14. Koa Peat, Arizona

15. Hannes Steinbach, Washington

16. Aday Mara, Michigan

17. Malachi Moreno, Kentucky

18. Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville

19. Christian Anderson, Texas Tech

20. Darius Acuff, Arkansas

6’2 Arkansas guard Darius Acuff has quickly become one of the more polarizing draft prospects in this year’s draft. In a class featuring impressive depth at the guard spot, Acuff has managed to stand out by shouldering one of the highest offensive burdens of any high major freshman in recent memory. Currently, Darius Acuff is sporting a 45.3 Offensive Load, which is in the 80th percentile of all draft prospects since 2008. Acuff’s prioritization of the Arkansas offense has not been unwarranted, with Arkansas’ offense sitting 7th in the country in adjusted offensive rating, per Bart Torvik. Despite Acuff having a suboptimal scoring process (38% three point attempt rate would be in the 25th percentile for all guards since 2008), he’s managed to lead a prolific offense by avoiding mistakes (2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio) and pushing the pace to allow Arkansas’ supporting cast to capitalize on their open-court athleticism. Acuff is not without his flaws, though: his lack of defensive contributions has been a major limiting factor for Arkansas’ title aspirations. Versus teams ranked in the top 150, Arkansas’ defense is 13.1 points per 100 possessions BETTER without Acuff on the floor (101 possessions). Acuff’s effort and cognizance on the defensive side of the floor leave much to be desired at the moment. However, with Acuff possessing a strong 195-pound frame and a reported 6’7 wingspan, he has the physical tools to be a potential positive and transcend the roster limitations his archetype typically imposes. Ultimately, while I am skeptical Acuff will return value commensurate with his presumed draft position, there are indicators that he may be the exception to the rule when it comes to small, ball-dominant guards.

Ahmed Jama

21. Keaton Wagler, Illinois

Keaton Wagler has been the revelation of the freshman class. The 150th-ranked high school recruit quickly established himself as the best player on an Illinois team ranked seventh in the country by KenPom and is building a case as one of the top guards in the draft. At 6’6”, Wagler has the ideal size and offensive skillset for a two guard as an efficient, high-volume sniper with passing chops. The 18-year-old also pulls down an impressive 7 rebounds per 40 minutes, an underrated statistical indicator for guard prospects. I understand being skeptical due to weak or non-existent priors, but nearly 500 minutes into his freshman season, I think it can be safely said that Keaton Wagler is a baller.

Big Wafe

22. Karim Lopez, New Zealand

23. Daniel Jacobsen, Purdue

Daniel Jacobsen is a productive sophomore center for Purdue, listed at 7’4 and 250 pounds. This all but assures that he will play in the NBA at some point, as just two NBA players this season were listed above 7’3: Zach Edey and Victor Wembanyama. 

While he appears skinny and doesn’t play a high proportion of minutes, the argument to draft Jacobsen this year simply stems from his uniquely high likelihood of playing NBA minutes. It can be construed as an argument of scarcity: without major flaws with his touch, rebounding, or shotblocking, Jacobsen immediately has plug-and-play value in the NBA. Sure, he’s clearly raw, but most drafted underclassmen are. The difficulty in correctly identifying long-term professional players with any non-premium draft pick must be considered.

Avinash Chauhan

24. Álvaro Folgueiras, Iowa

25. Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor

26. Thomas Haugh, Florida

27. Motiejus Krivas, Arizona

28. Nate Ament, Tennessee

29. Meleek Thomas, Arkansas

30. Brayden Burries, Arizona

31. Cameron Carr, Baylor

32. Braylon Mullins, UConn

33. Paul McNeil, NC State

34. Bruce Thornton, Ohio State

35. JoJo Tugler, Houston

36. Kayden Mingo, Penn State

37. Elyjah Freeman, Auburn

38. Anthony Robinson II, Missouri

39. Amari Allen, Alabama

40. Henri Veesaar, North Carolina

41. Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State

Tamin Lipsey is a strange prospect by most measures – he’s old-ish, not a great scorer, nor does he have a phenomenal free-throw rate. Still, an early second-round grade seems like great value for a player who has a monstrous 5.6 A/TO ratio and a high steal percentage. Both are great signals of cognition, and both indicate that he creates/maintains new possessions, which is an increasingly valuable trait in a game where players and teams win on the margins. Of course, the low 3P/100 rate is scary, but he’s a good finisher at the rim (even if he’s down from last season). In combination with his physicality and cognition, he seems like a great value bet to be at least a rotation guard one day.

Joseph George

42. Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan

Johnson came in at 23 on my personal board, and he’s been steadily rising throughout the season. The thesis for Morez being high on my board is the simple paradigm of age-adjusted production and impact. 

The eye test reveals archetype problems that Morez needs to solve. At 6’9, he’s undersized for a big, and his perimeter skill set doesn’t appear up to snuff for a wing or forward in the NBA right now. The good news is this: Morez’s interior dominance is NBA caliber, as he’s shooting 76.4% at the rim. His rebounding numbers are down from last year. But, he put up a whopping 17.3 ORB% and 22.5 DRB% as a true center at Illinois. He’s shown enough to suggest he can hang physically in the pros. Additionally, he’s taken a jump in assist rate, steal rate, and free-throw shooting. Morez wouldn’t have an NBA-caliber perimeter skill set upon entering the league. But this rate of improvement in his touch and cognition suggests some upside for him to get there.

It would be easy to dismiss him as a Michigan merchant, given the number of great players around him. But Morez’s impact seems to outshine that of his frontcourt teammate Aday Mara. BartTorvik has Morez at a 12.6 BPM compared to Mara’s 10.1, while Hoop-Explorer has Morez with a +11.2 RAPM compared to Mara’s +7.7. I thought I preferred Mara to Morez when I formed my board, but all evidence points to more good things happening on the court as a result of Morez Johnson. He’s not a mere passenger on the Michigan train this year; he’s a co-conductor along with Yaxel Lendeborg. This is a fascinating player and prospect that deserves top 20 consideration in the 2026 draft.

Michael Neff

43. Ebuka Okorie, Stanford

44. Neoklis Avdalas, Virginia Tech

45. Killyan Toure, Iowa State

46. Zvonimir Ivisic, Arkansas

47. Isaiah Evans, Duke

48. Flory Bidunga, Kansas

49. Braden Smith, Purdue

50. Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee

51. JT Toppin, Texas Tech

52. Nolan Winter, Wisconsin

53. Nate Bittle, Oregon

54. Jalen Washington, Vanderbilt

55. Matt Able, NC State

56. Chris Cenac Jr., Houston

57. Darrion Williams, NC State

58. Acaden Lewis, Villanova

59. Richie Saunders, BYU

60. Mario Saint-Supery, Gonzaga

The post 2026 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0 appeared first on Swish Theory.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Teams

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

The Standout Players

1st-Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK

Dante Allen
Matt Able
AJ Dybantsa
Shon Abaev
Davis Fogle

2nd-Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK

Miles Sadler
Hudson Greer
Kevin Thomas
Patrick Liburd
JJ Mandaquit

3rd-Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK


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

5 More Prospects to have on your radar from @BeyondTheRK

Paul Osaruyi
Kalek House
Rokiem Green
Collin Paul
Sam Hallas

Tournament MVP
Dante Allen – Montverde Academy

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

The Stats – Cerebro Sports Data Visualizations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2025 MAIT Scouting Notebook

1st Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK

Dante Allen
Matt Able
AJ Dybantsa
Shon Abaev
Davis Fogle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Development Areas:

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

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

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

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

Dante on his Development at Montverde and future skill development:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

Noted winning plays:

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

Insane fadeaway swish shotmaking backing down out of the midrange

Crazy pull-up jump shot.

Keeps an eye open for teammates making the right plays.

Pressure defense off turnover forces timeout.

Draws fouls attacking the rack.

Throws down the highlight hammer.

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

Development Areas:

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

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

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

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

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

Matt Able on his development goals:

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

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

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

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

Kevin Thomas describing Matt Able as a teammate:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AJ spent these three days deflecting everything in sight.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Development Areas:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shon Abaev on his game mentality:

You know, just trying to win every game.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Development Areas:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2nd Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK

Miles Sadler
Hudson Greer
Kevin Thomas
Patrick Liburd
JJ Mandaquit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kevin Thomas on his in-game highlight jams:

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

Matt Able on Kevin Thomas as a teammate:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3rd-Team All-Tourney from @BeyondTheRK

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

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

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

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

Dante Allen on CJ Ingram’s game:

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

Which areas did CJ thrive?

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

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

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

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

Explosive block from behind, good timing, anticipation, instincts

Decelerating tough finish through contact

Throws down alley-oop slam

Slick wraparound pass great vision to find Sisley for a dunk

Forcing turnovers, grabbing steals, diving for loose balls

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

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

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

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

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

Development Areas:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Development Areas:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dante Allen on Trent Sisley’s game:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Development Areas:

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

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

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

Anthony Felesi on his current skill development goals:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The soft touch finish for the AND1 at the rim.

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

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

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

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

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

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

5 Interesting Prospects to put on your radar

Paul Osaruyi
Kalek House
Rokiem Green
Collin Paul
Sam Hallas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kalek House on his current skill development:

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

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

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

Jaden Vance describing Kalek House as a teammate:

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

Nicholas Randall describing Kalek House as a teammate:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scouting The Best of The Rest

Riviera Prep

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

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

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

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

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

Mason Fuentes describing his brother as a teammate:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Myles describing his brother as a teammate:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tough Shot Maker

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

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

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

Good defender, strong play finisher, connective passer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jaden Vance on what he prides his game on:

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

Jaden Vance on his current skill development:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Patient driving transition, good footwork and finishing.

Pesky defense.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nicholas Randall on what he prides his game on:

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

Nicholas Randall on his current skill development

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

Nicholas Randall on any players that inspired his game:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Clean shooter off the catch and the pull

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

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

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

Tall, wiry frame

Soft touch finish in the paint

Plays strong protecting the rim

Active on the glass fighting for rebounds in traffic.

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

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

Tough shotmaker with a go-to middy pull-up

Smooth shooting stroke, high release point on jump shot

Connective passer, swings to open man

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

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

Kayden Allen on his Development goals:

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

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

Kayden Allen on any former players who inspired his game:

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

Dante Allen on Kayden’s game:

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

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

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

Great length, wiry athlete, quick feet

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

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

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

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

Great defensive instincts to force turnovers

Mean chasedown block sprint back from way behind

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

Windermere Prep

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

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

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

Interviews & Quotes

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

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

My interview with Dante Allen of Montverde Academy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My interview with Shon Abaev of Calvary Christian Academy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My interview with Matt Able of Sagemont Prep

RK – How you doing today Matt?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My interview with Kevin Thomas of Sagemont Prep

RK – How you doing today Kevin?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My interview with Davis Fogle of AZ Compass Prep

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My interview with Anthony Felesi and JJ Mandaquit of Utah Prep

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My interview with Kayden Allen of Montverde Academy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kayden Allen – DBook, or Shai

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Interviewing AJ Dybantsa’s father, Ace.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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