Dwayne Aristode Archives | Swish Theory https://theswishtheory.com/tag/dwayne-aristode/ Basketball Analysis & NBA Draft Guides Wed, 24 Jul 2024 20:02:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://i0.wp.com/theswishtheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Favicon-1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Dwayne Aristode Archives | Swish Theory https://theswishtheory.com/tag/dwayne-aristode/ 32 32 214889137 2024 NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report: Notes, Film, Quotes, and Data Visualizations on 70 Standout Players https://theswishtheory.com/analysis/amateur-basketball/2024/07/2024-nbpa-top-100-scouting-report-notes-film-quotes-and-data-visualizations-on-70-standout-players/ Tue, 23 Jul 2024 12:57:45 +0000 https://theswishtheory.com/?p=12753 featuring Chris Cenac Jr., Meleek Thomas, Jaylen Petty, Davis Fogle, Acaden Lewis, Kaden Magwood, Kiyan Anthony, Dwayne Aristode, Malachi Moreno, Marcus Jackson, Jacob Wilkins, Brayden Burries, Tounde Yessoufou, Dante Allen, King Grace, Nykolas Lewis, Tyler Jackson, Zymicah Wilkins, Winters Grady, Hudson Greer, Deron Rippey Jr., Jamarion Batemon, Shon Abaev, Jaden Toombs, Eric Reibe, Mike Williams, ... Read more

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featuring Chris Cenac Jr., Meleek Thomas, Jaylen Petty, Davis Fogle, Acaden Lewis, Kaden Magwood, Kiyan Anthony, Dwayne Aristode, Malachi Moreno, Marcus Jackson, Jacob Wilkins, Brayden Burries, Tounde Yessoufou, Dante Allen, King Grace, Nykolas Lewis, Tyler Jackson, Zymicah Wilkins, Winters Grady, Hudson Greer, Deron Rippey Jr., Jamarion Batemon, Shon Abaev, Jaden Toombs, Eric Reibe, Mike Williams, Kingston Flemings, Jordan Smith Jr., Sebastian Williams-Adams, Cameron Ward


110 players entered the ESPN Wide World of Sports.

11 walked out champions.

With college coaches, NBA scouts, proud parents, and media members in attendance, this was no opportunity to waste for premier high school talents hoping to take their games to the next level.

I attended and scouted the 2024 NBPA Top-100 as credentialed media representing Swish Theory, taking notes, asking players for quotes, and recording the film in this article.

With too much talent to see everything at once and no public film available other than the championship game, these are the players who stood out by making winning plays and showing the developable skills likeliest to translate to the next level:


Standout Players

Abdul Aziz Olajuwon
Acaden Lewis
Adrien Stevens
Akai Fleming
Alexander Constanza
Alexander Lloyd
Andre Iguodala Jr.
Brayden Burries
Caleb Holt
Calvin Murphy
Cameron Ward
Chris Cenac
Dante Allen
Darius Adams
Davion Hannah
Deron Rippey Jr.
Dorian Hayes
Dwayne Aristode

Elijah Williams
Eric Chatfield
Eric Reibe
Hudson Greer
Jacobe Coleman
Jacob Wilkins
Jaden Toombs
Jalen Montonati
Jamarion Batemon
Jaron McKie
Jason Crowe
Jaylen Cross
Jaylen Petty
Jerry Easter

John Clark
Jordan Smith Jr.
Joshua Lewis
Joshua Lewis
Jovani Ruff
Kaden Magwood
Kareem Stagg
Kayden Mingo
King Grace
Kingston Flemings
Kiyan Anthony
Legend Smiley
London Jemison
Malachi Moreno
Marcus Gillespie
Marcus Jackson
Matthew Able
Matthew Gilhool
Mazi Mosley
Meleek Thomas
Mike Williams
Nyale Robinson
Nykolas Lewis
Oswin Erhunmwunse
Philip Davis Fogle
Qayden Samuels
Sadiq White
Sebastian Wilkins
Sebastian Williams-Adams
Shon Abaev
Tajh Ariza
Tounde Yessoufou
Trent MacLean
Trent Steinour
Tyler Jackson
Winters Grady
Xavion Staton
Zymicah Wilkins


(*note, I was not able to see every play at every moment, with two courts also unavailable to media. This is not a list of the best players from the camp as much as a list of players who made multiple winning plays that I was fortunate enough to see happen)

The Data

Sources: Stats via xsmbasketball.com/top-nbpa-100 and Cerebro Sports
Data Visualizations and Film Breakdowns from @BeyondTheRK

Measuring Overall Two-Way Impact (C-RAM), Defensive Statistical Impact (DSI), and At The Rim Effectiveness (ATR)

Meleek Thomas leads the event in Overall Impact by a mile, posting a +9.3 C-RAM, a full point above the field, while ranking T-10th in Defense with a 90 DSI rating and T-17th at the rim (72 ATR)

Tounde Yessoufou and Malachi Moreno finished T-2nd in Overall Impact with 8.3 C-RAM, rating highly At The Rim (8th and 1st) and Defense (T-19th and T-5th)

Chris Cenac Jr., the tournament’s MVP, rated 5th in ATR, T-13th in Defense, and tied for 6th in Overall Impact alongside Philip Davis Fogle and Jordan Smith Jr. at 7.8 C-RAM.

Fogle made a name for himself at NBPA Top 100. Fogle’s hustle, effort, vision, and energy was noticeable compared to his peers. Fogle finished 2nd in Defensive Statistical Impact via Cerebro Sports.

Jordan Smith Jr. also rated highly defensively (84 DSI, T-20th) and at the rim (76 ATR, 11th)

Jaylen Petty brought a winning team-first playstyle, leading his team to the championship game as an undersized yet explosive point guard, finishing 9th in overall impact with +7.5 C-RAM and rated 23rd in Defense DSI.

Kingston Flemings and Sebastian Williams finished 4th and 5th in Overall Impact (C-RAM) respectively. Sebastian rates T-9th at the rim with 77 ATR & T-17th in Defense with 86 DSI, while Flemings T-33 in Defense with 76 DSI.

Dante Allen brought all-around two-way impact, measuring well across the board, posting the T-10th best overall rating (7.4 C-RAM) and T-5th in Defense. (91 DSI)

King Grace popped out at the camp with his defense, making winning effort play after winning effort play, rating highly in Overall Impact (7.0 C-RAM, T-16th), Defense (83 DSI, 22nd), and At The Rim (74 ATR, T-12th)

Jaden Toombs, Cameron Ward, and Oswin Erhunmwunse rated extremely well in all three of these categories:
Toombs: 84 ATR (T-2nd), 7.4 C-RAM (T-10th), 87 DSI (T-13th)
Ward: 7.4 C-RAM (T-10th), 70 ATR (T-22), 81 DSI (25th)
Erhunmwunse: 7.0 C-RAM (T-16th), 83 ATR (4th), 87 DSI (T-13th)

Specializing on the offensive side of the floor, Kaden Magwood, Darius Adams, Hudson Greer, Acaden Lewis are bunched together bringing similar positive overall impact ranging between 6.5-6.7 C-RAM

Other players rated highly in Overall Impact (6.9+ C-RAM):
Eric Reibe, Brayden Burries, Qayden Samuels, Xzavion Mitchell, Caleb Holt

Other players rated highly on Defense (79+ DSI):
Xavion Staton, Nyale Robinson, Jordan Scott, Derek Dixon, Jamarion Batemon, Bryson Tiller, Xzavion Mitchell, Matthew Able, Jalen Reece, Deron Rippey Jr., Kayden Mingo, Aliou Dioum, Jack McCaffery, Jermaine O’Neal Jr, Davion Hannah, Kareem Stagg, Qayden Samuels, Tajh Ariza

Other players rated highly At The Rim (70+ ATR):
John Clark, Dewayne Brown, Xavion Staton, Eric Reibe, Aliou Dioum, Tee Bartlett, Hudson Greer, Jaylen Harrell, Matt Gilhool, Bryson Tiller, Nykolas Lewis, Sadiq White

Measuring Most Reliable Halfcourt Scoring Creators via Cerebro Sports Pure Scoring Prowess (PSP), Floor General Skills (FGS), and 3PT Effectiveness (3PE)

Meleek Thomas stands out as the most reliable offensive engine scoring creator for good looks for a team, rating 1st in Playmaking (87 FGS); 8th in Scoring (82 PSP); and flashing an outside shot, T-31st in 3PT Effectiveness with 69 3PE.

Jaylen Petty made great reads creating good shots for himself and others consistently, making plays reading defenses forcing turnovers, showing great two-way feel for the game as a natural point guard, ranking highly in every category visualized below: T-2nd in Playmaking FGS, 4th in 3PT Effectiveness, T-18th in Scoring PSP.

Kingston Flemings dominated these offensive shot-creation categories, rating 1st in Scoring (94 PSP) and T-2nd in Playmaking (81 FGS), with a capable outside shot.

Deron Rippey Jr. finished 4th in Playmaking (80 FGS), flashing the outside jumper, off the dribble all-around natural point guard feel, finishing T-36th with 67 3PE and T-39th in PSP.

Acaden Lewis rated highly in all three data points visualized below: T-6th in 3pt Effectiveness (83 3PE); T-11th in Playmaking (70 FGS); T-18th in Scoring (77 PSP)

Kaden Magwood impressed as a tough shotmaking bucket-getter, rating 5th in Scoring (88 PSP), T-17th in 3PT Effectiveness (75 3PE); T-25th in Playmaking (65 FGS)

Brayden Burries brought all-around efficient shot creation for himself and his team, rating highly as a 3pt shooter, passer, and scorer: 74 3PE (T-19th), 75 FGS (7th), 81 PSP (T-10th)

Jordan Smith Jr. continues to rate highly across the board: 74 3PE (T-19th), 68 FGS (20th) , 78 PSP (8th)

Other players rated highly in Playmaking (65+ FGS):
Derek Dixon, Jalen Reece, Courtland Muldrew, Nyale Robinson, Davion Hannah, Jerry Easter, Nykolas Lewis, Davis Fogle, Eric Chatfield, Tyler Jackson, Simon Walker, Jordan Scott, Caleb Holt, Xzavion Mitchell, Dante Allen, Darius Adams, Jaylen Cross, Kayden Mingo, Alex Lloyd

Other players rated highly in Scoring (70+ PSP):
Tounde Yessoufou, Eric Reibe, Sebastian Williams, Qayden Samuels, Malachi Moreno, Cameron Ward, Chris Cenac Jr, King Grace, Kiyan Anthony, Dante Allen, Caleb Holt, Darius Adams, Oswin Erhunmwunse, Jacob Wilkins, Dorian Hayes, Zymicah Wilkins, Hudson Greer, Sadiq White, Eric Chatfield, DeWayne Brown, Aliou Dioum, Tee Bartlett, Jalen Montonati

Other players rated highly in 3PT Shooting (70+ 3PS):
Qayden Samuels, Hakeem Weems, Imahri Wooten, Dorian Jones, Cameron Ward, Dorian Hayes, Jalen Montonati, Jacob Wilkins, Caleb Holt, Treyvon Maddox, Jamarion Batemon, Derek Dixon, London Jemison, Adrien Stevens, Dwayne Aristode, Landon Clark, Jalen Reece, Nyale Robinson, Alex Lloyd, John Clark, Ryder Frost, Winters Grady, Ryan Crotty

High FT% over a large sample can be an indicator of touch for developing future scoring ability. This camp is a small sample of 6gp, but every game is a data point towards the full picture of a longterm prospect.

Leaders in FT% (min. 85% FT%)
Derek Dixon (13/13)
Jaylen Petty (12/12)
King Grace (22/23)
Darius Adams (21/22)
Xzavion Mitchell (32/34)
Jaylen Harrell (14/15)
Mike Williams (20/22)
Chris Cenac (27/30)
Shon Abaev (16/18)
Hudson Greer (15/17)
Nykolas Lewis (14/16)
Jason Crowe (13/15)
Winters Grady (13/15)
Tounde Yessoufou (31/36)
Jalen Montonati (22/26)


The 2024 NBPA Top-100 Scouting Report with Film, Quotes, and Notes

1st Team All-NBPA Top-100 Camp from @BeyondTheRK

Chris Cenac Jr.
Meleek Thomas
Jaylen Petty

Phillip Davis Fogle
Acaden Lewis

Chris Cenac Jr.
6’10” Power Forward
2025


Chris Cenac Jr. won MVP of the 2024 NBPA Top 100 Camp

Cenac was the #NBPATop100‘s most impressive future pro prospect due to his two-way tenacity, active hands, ball instincts, pull-up shooting touch, tight handles, and clear playmaking vision for a 6’10” forward, sharing similarities to super sized super skilled bigs like Chris Bosh.

Incredible Developable Ball Skills: Excellent Playmaking Feel, Good Ball-Handling, Tough Shotmaking at every level
Vertical Gravity, Bouncy Athleticism, Big Leaper, Powerful Dunker
Explosive Downhill Foul-Drawing Force
Flying North-South Speed, Quick Burst
Strong Rim-Dettering Shot-Blocking Instincts, Big Man Paint Protector
Tough middy pull-up shotmaker over contests, spinning Dirk Fade Post-Up counter
Good finisher at the rim through traffic in transition
Elite Playmaking Vision and Passing ability
Point Forward who can run both ends of Pick-and-Roll as cerebral initator and strong play-finisher

Strong putback rebounder, good timing rim-rolling out of Double Drag
Attacks closeout with dribble, pass, and shot
Anticipation for Steals, grab-and-go, soft touch finisher with with go-to underhand dumpoff shuttle pass in transition


Chris Cenac’s camp averages:
20 PTS – 9 REB – 2 STL – 2 BLK
60% FG% (44/74) 90% FT% (27/30)


Meleek Thomas

6’5″ Point Guard
2025

Meleek Thomas was an unguardable walking bucket at #NBPATop100

The most dominant scorer at the camp

Impossible shot-making off the dribble, reminding one of Jamal Crawford, the ultimate walking bucket.
Scoring Versatility, pull-up midrange and 3pt jumpers, Impressive floater and finishing packages at and near the rim
Swishing everything, tough elbow middy fadeaways, pull-up threes, finger roll and floater finishes
Deep range shooting touch 3pt, Pull-Up, and C&S, contested OTD

Flyby vertical bounce athleticism for dunks
Quick first step burst, shifty decelerating body control to create advantages
Driving downhill to the rack unbothered, Jump stop on a dime sends defender flying
Fakes elbow jumper with quick start-stop body control and quick burst into space for up and under reverse,

postup into spinning floater, 
Eurostep reverse finger roll

Crafty tight Handles, great ball control, effective flare with the rock
Uses “Hostage Dribble” to put defender in jail on hip behind him, misses layup but puts back in off rebound

Active Hands Deflections, Anticipation Jumping Passing Lanes Forcing Steals, coast-to-coast slams
Flashes two-way feel understanding the game on the drive and dumpoff pass after forcing turnover

Decisive actions, attacking closeout by moving before receiving the pass
Good feel decision-making, soft touch bounce pass ahead in transition
Nice vision passing dimes, good reads on drive and kicks
Playmaking assist-hunting vision for cutters, kicking to open shooters, 3pt kickouts, lookahead in transition, impressive read and passing touch on the cross court corner kick
Running P&R variations, Initiates Horns, finds Winters Grady on the pop C&S 3


Filling up the box score with 30pt triple double on good scoring efficiency
Setting up good looks for others by drawing in multiple defenders, racking up 20 PTS 12 AST before the fourth
Coachable moment with teammates, talking and nodding in agreement after forcing too much huting shots/assists and missing open man


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“Not really, I wouldn’t say I take things from NBA players or players that I admire his game. I just see things in the game that every player needs for the game, I work on it ,and I just add everything to my game. I have an incredible imagination so whenever I think of something I just work on it, work on it, and perfect it, and then everything just adds to my game, So I don’t study nobody or have a favorite player that I take things from, I just do things and perfect my game.”



What kind of moves do you spend the most time on during practice?

“The skills I work on the most, I work on a lot of ball screen actions, shooting the ball, I get up so many shots a day. I have a natural feel for the game so the passing comes easy. When I have great players around me it makes the game a lot easier for myself when it comes to passing.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“I’d say like nobody else. I just approach the game like I can do what I want. I can score on you, I can stop you from scoring. I’m leading like there’s nobody else out there. I’m the loudest voice on the court in my opinion. And so with that, that can take you however far you want it to.”





Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“One thing I want to continue to work on that I feel I’m already getting better at is my defense. I know I’m a good leader but just learning to hang off the ball defense”

Averages: 23 PTS – 7 REB – 7 AST – 1.5 STL (3.0 A/TO)

Camp Ranks: 1st AST, 3rd PTS, 7th A/TO, T-8th STL, 15th REB

Meleek dropped a 30pt triple double for good measure, consistently creating good looks for himself and the team, showing great feel for the game, tight handles ball control, drive and kick playmaking chops, and ball denial defense on top of impressive soft touch tough shotmaking off the dribble:

Jaylen Petty
6’0″ Point Guard
2025

Jaylen Petty’s play popped at #NBPATop100 by consistently making winning plays on both ends with incredible two-way feel running offense, anticipating turnovers, splashing C&S threes, flying to and finishing at the rim.

Natural point guard playmaker, timing up lob passes, hitting cutters, finding open man, running P&R plays, looking to set up teammates for their best chance to score
Pickpocket POA Defender Anticipating Steals & Deflections, stripping ball from the man in front of him, jumping passing lanes

Versatile scorer shot-maker off the dribble, knockdown shooter splashing multiple pull-up threes and midrange shots, finishing at the rim through traffic, spacing floor for C&S triples
Insane athleticism, flying up and down the court and exploding to the rim for breakaway slams, tip in boards, chasedown blocks

Next-level feel for the game on both side of the floor, great drive-and-kick vision, impressive understanding of how to run an offense and how to read actions on defense
Individual dominant sequences to build quick leads, often forcing stops and swishing shots to go on one-man runs
In one sequence: hits multiple pull-up threes, drilled a C&S corner three, deflects the ball for a steal, times up a block

(Ranks) 11.0 A/TO (1st) 14.5 PTS (18th) 5.5 AST (3rd) 1.7 STL (T-3rd) 56-43-100 (11th-9th-1st)

Philip Davis Fogle
6’8″ Shooting Guard
2025

Never-ending Motor, grab-and-go pace, good body control movement, running the floor hard, great hustle and energy
Bouncy quick athleticism, flying in for putbacks, getting up for high flying dunks blocks and boards,
Playmaking vision, good reads looking to set up teammates, impressive corner kick skip pass, no-look hook pass over top
Great drive-and-kick feel, looking to create scoring opportunities for others by attacking gaps first himself, constant kickouts
Awareness on both ends, jumping passing lanes for multiple steals and breakaway slams, huge chasedown block
Hitting tough shots, midrange fadeaway, contested pull-up jumper

Few players hustled around the court with the determination of Philip Davis Fogle this week.

Fogle flashed good ball and body control, handling the ball well while maneuvering through the paint with spin moves and counter dribbles, showing off vision as a playmaker looking for teammates near the rim.


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I like Devin Booker, his offensive skillset. I like Luka a lot, just his pace. And then Anthony Edwards is fun to watch too.”

How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?


“At this camp, obviously everyone’s here is really really good and trying to score, so I’m trying to do other things without the ball to try to stand out, trying to get into passing lanes, get steals, putbacks, making the right play.”





Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“The biggest thing right now is just getting stronger, hitting the weight room, that’s the biggest thing.”





Watch him attack downhill, weave through defenses, and keep an eye up to find the open man.


Acaden Lewis
6’3″ Point Guard
2025

Acaden Lewis flashed tight handles and a sweet lefty stepback as a natural table-setter at #NBPATop100

Unique scoring style, super skilled lefty shooter with elite ball control, stop and pop tall shot release, smooth game
Versatile scoring tough shotmaker with a clean shot release, splashing stepback 3pt shots off the dribble, pulling up for middies, finishing at the rim with AND1 bump-and-finishes, lefty FLOATAs, turnaround fadeaways off driving postup mismatch, pull-up fadeaway over contest
Incredible skills and feel for the game, making great reads, nice touch passes, good decision making
Reliable scoring creator who consistently creates good shots for the team, scoring off the dribble and creating looks for others
Quick burst body control, penetrating the paint, drawing in extra defenders for fouls and kickouts, converting AND1s
Tight, effective handle ball control, splitting defense with behind the back dribble, tough dribble moves
Great vision, playmaking chops, lob pass, good feeds, 3pt kickouts, nice feel drive & dumpoff pass to dunker spot


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I like Shai a lot right now. Shai and Kyrie. And kinda a little throwback, I was a Brandon Jennings fan. The way he moved was just smooth, and I really liked that, and that was before I really even got into basketball, I just got in a little late. I just like the pace, how smooth he moves. Those are 3 that I model after.”

How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

Sometimes I just need to go out, remember it’s a game. Just have fun. Enjoy yourself. This is what you work so hard for with working out. Trust the training. Just go out there and do what you always work on, trust the training, and hoop.”

Brandon Jennings approved this message, sharing Acaden’s quote with a retweet:

Acaden Lewis’ averages through 6 games at #NBPATop100: 14 PPG & 2.0 AST/TO (18 AST/9 TO) shooting 48% 3P% (10/21 3P)


2nd-Team All-NBPA Top 100 Camp from @BeyondTheRK

Kiyan Anthony
Marcus Jackson
Kaden Magwood
Dwayne Aristode
Shon Abaev

Kiyan Anthony
6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

Kiyan Anthony led all #NBPATop100 players at the camp in Points and Free Throws.

Natural scoring creator, walking bucket point guard, High-Volume P&R Maestro, great shot creator
Bump-and-finish AND1 extraordinaire, hunting contact before tossing up tough shots that somehow go in, great finisher at rim
Tight handle ball control, effective dribbler penetrating the paint weaving through traffic, splitting defenders
Tough shot maker at every level, falling left fadeaway middies, stepback triples off the dribble and pull-up three when defender goes under screen, soft touch finger rolls and floater package
Smooth soft touch shooter who gets the “shooter’s bounce” that bounces off the rim straight up and in because the aim and trajectory is in line
Patient decision-maker, moves at his own pace, gets to any spot on the floor he wants with declerating body control allowing for stop and pop jumpers, hunting contact, drawing in defenders for kickouts
Good playmaking vision and decision-making feel, especially in P&R, making smart corner kick reads
High volume paint-and-spray P&R point guard who draws in defenders for AND1s, soft touch rim finishes, 3pt kickouts

Kiyan consistently created good looks for himself and teammates in P&R, showing an uncanny ability to draw “bump and finish” fouls at will while making tough shots at every level Elite scoring creator


On the first day of the camp, Anthony opened the tournament with a 42-point BANG, as Mike Breen would say.



Marcus Jackson
6’8″ Power Forward
2025

Marcus Jackson’s high-flying hops, downhill athleticism, and rim-running motor popped out at #NBPATop100

High-Flying Vertical Gravity Lob Threat, lives above the rim
Powerful Walking Highlight Dunker, Off-ball Play-Finisher from dunker spot, rim-roller, transition
Downhill North-South Two-Way Force
Great Rim-Protecting Instincts Timing Chasedown Blocks and Closing out for 3PT Block
Endless Rim-Running Motor in Transition
Good Hustle diving for loose ball on floor
Willing Team-first Passer
Tough shot finisher at the rim, fadeaway midrange touch
Possibly the most impressive athlete at the camp
3pt range Shooter


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“Giannis. He can get to the basket a lot, he’s a dominant player, he gets the rebound a lot, he keeps the team involved, so I’ll say Giannis.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“I’d say just keep my energy high. That’s it. If I keep my energy high, everybody around me gets it, it’s contagious. It just takes energy.”



Marcus brought vertical gravity as a rim-rolling lob threat, showed good ball instincts in rim-protection and rebounding, and flashed clean shooting touch:


Kaden Magwood
6’3″ Shooting Guard
2025

Kaden Magwood flashed vision, burst, and soft touch, making tough shots at every level with crafty ball-handling and good start-stop body control to create space off the dribble.

Tough shotmaking scoring creator, walking bucket, self-creating advantages to get good open looks for himself and others
Clean jump shot mechanics, money shooter, knockdown deep range 3pt shooter on Pull-Up and C&S, fadeaway middy
P&R playmaker, nice pocket pass to roller, dumpoff pass on drive in transition, swishing FLOATAs
Explosive dunk attacking closeout with dribble, athletic fly-by slams
Crafty handles on drives, getting to his spots with good body and ball control


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I have two: Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard. I try to take the finishing from Kyrie and the shooting from Dame, and how they carry themselves on and off the court.”


What kind of moves do you spend the most time on during practice?

“Working on going off two feet when I get to the paint, like turnaround fades, turnaround finishes, turnaround kicking it out”


How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“I’m bringing that dog mentality. I feel like I’m a dog, and it’s just me showing everybody else that I’m him.”




Magwood exploded for 37 PTS in his final #NBPATop100 game, starting 10/10 from the field!

Dwayne Aristode

6’8″ Power Forward
2025

Aristode jumped off the page with stellar two-way impact as a next-level athlete, defender, scorer, and shooter as a big wing with traditional shooting guard skills

Phenomenal athlete, defensive strength and anticipation for deflections
Downhill explosiveness, strong drives to the rack through contact
Impressive decelerating body control, eurostep driving footwork
Tight handle ball control driving into the paint, finishing through contact
Versatile shot profile, clean finger roll and reverse finishes at the rim, north-south scoring, shoots well from downtown


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“D-Wade. D-Wade’s one of my favorite players. I like watching those players. KD, the way he gets to his shot.”




Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“I have four, two physical. I’d like to improve my core to be able to get to the paint and be able to finish against stronger guys. My hips, I want to improve my hips so I can jump higher and change directions fast. Skill-wise, I like to improve my ball-handling, if I can improve my ball-handling, let the ball be rolling with me , that can be dangerous for sure. My shot creating ability, being able to create space and get to my shots. I think if I improve those things, I’ll be dangerous for sure.



Shon Abaev
6’8″ Small Forward
2025

Elite self-creating tough shotmaker, developable ball skills as an offensive weapon scoring creator
Knockdown perimeter shooter, swishing contested pull-up triples, stepback jumpers, C&S triples, converting 4pt play, tough shot dirk fade middy
Walking bucket who can stop and pop pull-up from any spot on the floor
Soft touch shooter and passer with great playmaking vision, hitting skip pass to opposite corner from the wing
Impressive decision-making feel looking for open shooters when the shot isn’t there, putting effective flare on passes, driving and kicking for 3pt kickouts, hitting the roller in P&R with a nice pass, good touch lookahead pass in transition
Tight handle ball control and decelerating body control, switching hands with impressive dribbling and soft touch finish
Great decelerating body control
Smooth finisher at the rim with a running hook and myriad of finger rolls
Two-way feel, hustling for loose balls, anticipating steals, looking up in transition for outlet passes
Good hustle, saving ball from falling out of bounds by running full sprint under the basket
Vertical downhill athlete with grab-and-go pace going coast-to-coast for high-flying jam


In one game was clearly the most impressive offensive option: scoring, passing, shooting, soft touch, good feel, good decision-making, splashing
 jumper after jumper

3rd-Team All-NBPA Top 100 Camp from @BeyondTheRK

Dante Allen
Tyler Jackson
King Grace
Jamarion Batemon
Tounde Yessoufou


Dante Allen
6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

High two-way winning impact
Connector team-first feel, good drive and kick running Spain P&R
Clean C&S 3pt shooter
Great off-ball movement, timing up cuts to the rim
Good feel decision-maker, nice read for lookup passes in transition, good finds to open shooters, quick take to the rack
Nice finisher at the rim, tough finger roll AND1 over contests, tough layup conversions
Quick burst to the rack, switching hands AND1 finish
Rated highly in multiple Cerebro metrics: Overall Impact, Defense, Scoring, Playmaking
Strong all-around player on both ends, using brute strength, smarts, and skill in a playstyle similar to Desmond Bane.


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I’ve been watching a lot of Ant lately and Jaylen Brown, especially since they’re deep in the playoffs and make a big impact on their team.”


What kind of moves do you spend the most time on during practice?”

“I work a lot on just trying to get downhill, working on different finishes, not just straight layups that may get blocked. And my shooting too, that’s definitely something I want to get better at, and keep improving on that.”



What excites you most about the transfer to Montverde Academy?

“The chance to play against the best high school competition there is to offer.”

Tyler Jackson

6’2″ Point Guard
2025

Tyler “Hype” Jackson is a natural table-setter, showing incredible two-way feel at #NBPATop100

Quick north-south burst
Decelerating body control footwork
Explosive downhill force
Steals jumping passing lanes
Deep range pull-up shooting
Creative finishing at the rim, up and unders, using “wrong” hand, drawing AND1 fouls attacking rack
Clear passing vision, drive and kick stopping on a dime
Masterful crafty handles
Great feel decision maker, good reads making and faking passes
Explosive vertical leaper, pushing pace with speedy acceleration, rebounding in traffic
Swishing off-the-dribble pull-up 3pt shooting and all around the midrange, floaters, elbow jumpers, even beating the buzzer with a 3pt FLOATA

Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“Kyrie, Shai.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“Like Isaiah (Thomas) was telling me, get everybody involved… get all my guys involved, get everybody going so they can be playing through me when it’s time, so they want to be with you and play with you. Kicking the ball out, moving the ball, playing with your guys, getting them involved.”





Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“Just being consistent with my shot. Being quick with my handle, stop losing the ball so much, stop turning the ball over. Just be more consistent.”


King Grace
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Explosive downhill athlete who delivers legit two-way impact, a winning player who wills his team on both ends
Elite defensive instincts, great anticipation timing racking up deflections, steals, blocks; even stopping a 3-on-1
Powerful north-south force attacking the rack for highlight slams and decelerating soft touch finishes
Graceful body control eurostep footwork, good movement skills penetrating the paint
Skilled finisher at the rim who can throw down strong slams and maneuver through traffic
Developable ball-skills between Good handle on drives, 3pt range hitting C&S triples, and soft touch finishing
Rated Top-25 in multiple Cerebro Metric: Overall Impact, Defense, At The Rim, and Scoring


Jamarion Batemon
6’3″ Shooting Guard
2025

Walking bucket scorer, 3pt sniper, good feel scoring creator with tight handle, nice north-south force footwork, clean finisher
Tough shot maker, elbow middy pull-up AND1 with defenders draping all over him

Aggressive driver, graceful downhill decelerating footwork, quick burst quick to the rim, good take on drive into stop and pop jump shot
 and finger rolls
Knockdown 3pt shooter, splashing stepback threes off the dribble, with one sequence making 3 triples in a 4play span with a drive-and-kick good read inbetween
Impressive finisher at the rim with a clean reverse
Good feel reading the defense on a drive and kick
, hook pass to popping 3pt man

Nice handle, good ball control, using behind the back dribble for back-to-back layups
Bouncy hops athleticism for alley-top slam




Tounde Yessoufou
6’6″ Small Forward
2025

Impactful versatile scorer, tough shot maker though sometimes forces too much with tunnel vision
Vertical downhill athleticism, good ups at the rim, north-south force with good finishing touch
Nice post-up skills, spinning fadeaway
Pressure defender, steals inbound pass for breakaway slam
Rated Top-20 in multiple Cerebro metrics: Overall Impact, Defense, At The Rim, and Scoring


4th-team All-NBPA Top 100 Camp from @BeyondTheRK

Malachi Moreno
Jacob Wilkins
Nykolas Lewis
Zymicah Wilkins
Deron Rippey Jr.


Malachi Moreno

7’1″ Center
2025

Powerful two-way big man who can protect the rim, crash the glass, and score down low with ease
Fundamental Post-Up Footwork, Backdown Counter Moves, Soft Touch Near The Rim, Deep Paint Positioning
Rim-Running Motor, Graceful Strides on Catch, Eurostepping Downhill Play-Finisher, Mismatch Dominant
Rim-Protector Defensive Instincts, Anticipating blocks in post and help defense, sometimes overpowered down low
Playmaking Feel on kickouts from paint to shooters
Strong Putback Rebounding Timing
Rated Top-5 in Overall Impact, Defense, At The Rim, and T-7th in Scoring


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I would say I like Rudy Gobert, I like his defense a lot. Him being able to use his length, block shots, alter shots, I like that a lot. I’d have to go with Anthony Davis, just for his post work, he’s one of the best post players to touch a basketball, and we both have unibrows, so it’s kinda nice. And then I like Kiyan’s Dad (Carmelo Anthony), I like his faceup game, his middy pull-up. Those are kinda the three players I try to take a piece of their game from and add it for myself.




How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“Just to do me and let the game come to me, not try to force anything. Just to keep my teammates involved, anyone can lose confidence at any time, so just to make sure my teammates head is held high, just to make sure we got more points than the other team, that’s really all I care about.”






Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“Just being able to handle the ball and shoot the three, working on my form, and just my ball-handling, so I can really space out the floor when I get to the next level.”


Jacob Wilkins

6’9″ Power Forward
2025

Developable ball-skills, tight handle, outside shooter, good passer
Knockdown shooter off the dribble, Pull-Up 3s and Midrange jumpers, swishing shot after shot through the net
Connector playmaking, transition playmaker with extra pass, look-ahead pass, even behind the back pass on the run, dumpoff pass off drive, sick one-handed pass
Stellar athlete, quick mobility lateral movement, explosive tomahawk slam, breakaway highlight dunks
Great body control skills, eurostep decelerating footwork
Tough shot maker, spinning dirk fade postup counter after creating advantage, pull-up middies, off-the-dribble threes, soft touch finish finger rolls, layups, FLOATA off wrong foot
Good feel decisionmaker, good reads dishing the rock and scoring self-creation shots, sometimes forces too many tough shots
Rated positively as a scorer and shooter via Cerebro


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I been watching a lot of T-Mac. He’s 6’10 and a guard, he can make tough shots in the post, from the three, his overall skill-set.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“To show people I can do more than dunk. A lot of people know me for dunking the ball and being athletic. I just want to come into this game showing people that I have a skill-set”





Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“I just want to keep working on my ball-handling, being able to shoot off the bounce, and just getting physically stronger; that’s all I’ve been working on.”

Any advice from dad (Atlanta Hawks Legend, Dominique Wilkins)?

“He just tells me to run, so I try to run down the floor as fast as I can because you get more points by just running down the floor so that’s basically what he tells me.”



Nykolas Lewis
6’1″ Point Guard
2025

Nykolas Lewis showed sound body+ball control accelerating past defenders with explosive first step burst at #NBPATop100, cleanly finishing downhill shots at the rim through contact while creating good looks for the team.

Strong downhill force and vertical athleticism, never-ending energetic motor movement, on constant attack to the rack
Incredible hustle, diving for loose balls on the floor, forcing turnovers with steals on ball and jumping passing lanes
Clean finisher at the rim, nice up-and-under finishes, hunting contact for bump-and-finish AND1s
Impacts winning by making the right play
Great handle weaving through traffic, using ball and body control to get to his spots, nice spinning reverse layups
Good feel making smart reads with nice vision on lookup passes and dumpoff passes

Camp Averages (Ranks)
17 PPG (14th) 9 RPG (9th) 5 APG (4th)



Zymicah Wilkins
6’8″ Center
2025

Brute Strength, Graceful Footwork, Shifty Dancing Bear Athlete
Soft Touch on Midrange Shooting and High-Low Passing
Off-Ball Movement Timing, Vertical Gravity Alley-Oop Lob Threat

Transition Awareness, Team-First Feel

Ball Control, Good Handle for Size
North-South Downhill Foul-Drawing Force
Can pull-up for contested shots from off-the-dribble threes above the arc, on wing, midrange, elbow, and attack closeout with pump and go dribble


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“Right now, I watch a lot of Naz Reid. I just see how he moves on the court, shoots the ball well, come off the bench give his team great energy, so I’m really just watching him right now. Growing up, I like LeBron, that’s my favorite player.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“I really just listen to music before the game. Eat the right way before games. That’s really it.”




Do you have any developmental goals for yourself that you want to add to your game over the next few years?

“My shooting and my ball-handling. If I get those two things right, then I’ll be good.”



Zymicah Wilkins racked up 29 PTS & 14 REB on 12/22 FG in the #NBPATop100 Championship

Zymicah scored in and around the paint using brute strength, fundamental footwork, and solid handle as a downhill force with good ball instincts on rebounds and defense




Deron Rippey Jr.
6’2″ Point Guard
2026

Deron Rippey Jr. impressed as a reliable scoring creator at #NBPATop100

Two-Way Feel , Pull-Up Shooting Playmaking Vision Halfcourt Execution Reliable Shot Creation

Natural point guard scoring creator, looking to set up teammates and capable of scoring off the dribble
Nice downhill speed body control to burst towards the rack and decelerate to create advantages
Clean finisher at the rim on layups, finger rolls, reverses, runners
Versatile shot profile at the rim, midrange pull-ups, and spacing the floor from deep on and off the ball
Knockdown 3pt shooter splashing both pull-up and C&S threes, catching fire for back-to-back 3pt sequences
Impressive passer, P&R Maestro hitting the roll man after drawing 2 defenders, kicking to shooters for 3pt AST, finding cutters and dunker spot, soft touch look-ahead passes in transition, smartly uses screen and rescreen until space opens up for pull-up
Good feel decision making reads, knowing when to set up others or fake the pass to score
Two-way feel timing up strip steals, from help defense in the post to guarding point-of-attack, brings pressure to force TOs, jumping passing lanes and going coast-to-coast for grab-and-go breakaway slams and initiating fast breaks
Vertical hops completing alley-oops as both a passer and dunker, rebounding putbacks in traffic


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“Not really, but if I had to choose one, I’d pick Kyrie. All-around great player, deceptive, he can do it all.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“Playing the right way at all times. There’s a lotta dudes that get a little out of control when they don’t touch the rock, or when dudes’ not spinning the ball, but I feel like I just want to play the right way every time because that’s going to stand out to college coaches.”





Deron “Ron Ron” Rippey averaged 13 PPG — 5 APG — 1.5 STL with a 3.6 A/TO ratio over 6 games

Rippey ripped off 5 steals in a single game at #NBPATop100 camp!

Camp Ranks: 5th in Assists (4.8 APG) – 4th in AST/TO (3.6 A/TO) – T-8th in Steals (1.5 STL)



5th-team All-NBPA Top 100 Camp from @BeyondTheRK

Brayden Burries
Mike Williams
Jerry Easter
Tajh Ariza
Winters Grady

Brayden Burries
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Natural scoring creator creating good looks for himself and teammates consistently
Explosive downhill force, hard to contain, coast-to-coast slam, puts back own FTA with dunk, powerful flyby jams
Nice body and ball control with hesitation to ignore screen and draw foul on drive, decelerating footwork on drive for AND1 finish through contact
Nice handles, high crossover, effective dribble moves
Developable feel for the game, good mindset and approach talking with teammates, making good reads for theteam
Clean finisher at the rim, converting layups and tough decelerating FLOATA, soft touch AND1 FLOATA
Good shooter hitting C&S triples
Rated Top-20 in multiple Cerebro Metrics, especially creating good looks: Overall Impact, Scoring, Passing, 3pt Shooting



Mike Williams

6’2″ Point Guard
2025

Natural point guard scoring creator
Walking bucket, tough shotmaker, soft touch finisher at the rim
Clean handles, effective dribble moves, tight ball control
Great feel decisionmaker, soft touch passes on alley-oop lobs
Good POA defense deterring drives, nice footwork
Attacks rack at will using decelerating body control




Jerry Easter
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Impressive two-way feel for the game
Dropping dimes, good passing reads, running P&R
Anticipation timing up deflections for steals
Nice scorer, potential shot-creating scoring creator


Did any current or former players inspire your game, or are there any players you try to model your game after? What kind of moves do you try to pick up from these players?


“I like Kyrie, Kyrie’s always been my favorite player. I just like how he’s a leader on the floor and can do all the little things, he can finish at the rim, he has a lot of tricks, he can just do it all. Other than Kyrie, I’ve been watching a lot of Ant, I just like how he just been bringing that mentality, just been a dog on the floor, talking about how he just a killer going at anybody. I’ve just been trying to get my mentality like his, and go at anybody. I just been liking those two.”



How would you describe your approach, your mindset, preparing for the game? What mentality are you bringing?

“Go out there and got to play to have fun. If you’re not having fun, there’s no point in playing. Just gotta think it’s basketball. Right now, we’re just getting better, trying to prepare ourselves to get to the next level. Right now we got to work on our craft because next year we’ll be seniors and we’re going to be in college real soon, so we just got to prepare for that, and just work on our game for the rest of the time this high school season.”



Tajh Ariza

6’8″ Small Forward
2026

Impressive two-way feel for the game
Great energy from the tip
Strong driver, good finisher at the rim, mean dunks
Tough shotmaker on the middy pull-up
Nice handle with the behind-the-back dribble creating advantage


Winters Grady

6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Grady is a legit floor-spacer with shooting gravity to disrupt the defense. Winters uses that gravity to attack closeouts with the pumpfake and drive when the three is contested, or fire up a feathery jumper when left open.

C&S 3pt threat, as a screener in Horns P&R, Grady pops out for C&S triple, sequences hitting back-to-back corner threes
Running Horns as ball handler, attacks rack and converts
 driving finger roll through bump and finish
 contact
Attacks closeouts with dribble and pass when three isn’t there
Good transition footwork and coast-to-coast spinning layup finish
Good connector read 3pt kick out
Solid speed body control for decelerating finishes, strong bump and finish lay-up AND1



Davion Hannah

6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Impressive scorer with tight handle ball control, clean dribble moves, powerful athleticism, monster rim-rocker slams, pull-up shooting sniper from downtown, clean pocket pass as P&R playmaker

Trent Steinour

6’10 Power Forward
2025

Nice footwork and soft touch on the eurostep fallaway fading FLOATA
Great off-ball movement instincts to cut, rim-roll, relocate, wait in dunker spot
Strong finisher at the rim with 
powerful mean dunks
Moved better on the second day, more focused energy effort



3pt range with the C&S corner 3

Gets up vertically with good hops for alley oop


Jaden Toombs
6’10” Center
2025

Soft touch finisher at the rim with the tough finger roll
Good feel reading the defense to make a good pass
Rated incredibly well (Top-13) in two-way impact, defense, and at the rim via Cerebro


Eric Reibe
7’0″ Center
2025

Strong Post-Up threat with finesse finishing inside, lot of skills for size,
Sound footwork on drives and post-ups, deep positioning in paint, powerful backdown moves, scoring off high-low action
Rim-deterrent blocking and contesting shots
Strong putback rebound
Nice handle for a center, driving and P&R rim-rolling through traffic


Dorian Hayes
6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

Tough shot maker, versatile scorer
Good outside shooter, off-the-dribble scoring threat, splashing clean stepback 3pt jumpers, pull-up middies
Vertical hops for AND1 putback
Soft touch FLOATA finisher near the rim
Patient decision-maker
Strong putback in traffic




Oswin Erhunmwunse
6’10” Center
2025

Strong finisher on the block, clean soft finish at the rim, strong rim-roller and AND1 drive through traffic
Powerful vertical hops athleticism for mean tip slam, athletic bounce dunk, powerful tip slam
Strong rim-protecting block meeting dunkeer at the apex

Jalen Montonati
6’7″ Power Forward
2026

Smooth C&S 3pt shooter, hitting c&s corner three, sequences of multiple triples in a row

Nice footwork on the jump stop in the paint
Tough shotmaker with the elbow pullup, middy pull-up fadeaway over contest

Great read with the high low PnR pass leading to AND1 layup

Defensive instincts for deflection
s, sound postup defense

Sadiq White
6’8″ Small Forward
2025

Vertical hops athleticism for tip-slam, give-and-go alley-oop, attacking closeout with drive and jam
Good feel decisionmaking playmaker, good reads for passes, dumpoff pass in paint to cutter, transition passing
Strong driver, nice attacks to the rack, one through contact for bump and finish AND1 finger roll, clean finishes at the rim
Good handle, tight ball control in transiton, on drives, and closeout attacks

Tough bucket-getter, hitting pull-up middy, drilling back-to-back shots, tall shot release


Jaron McKie

6’3″ Shooting Guard
2025

Off-ball 3pt threat knocking down multiple C&S threes, some in a row
Good defensive instinct anticipating the block timing
Team-first connector making smart reads as a passer and relocating 3pt threat



Jason Crowe
Jr.
6’3″ Point Guard
2026

Versatile scorer, 3pt shooter, clean driving finisher at the rim
Tough shot maker, finger roll finish at the rim through traffic, pull-up fadeaway middy, pull-up 3, corner 3, splitting defenders for a contested finger roll


Good handle, tight ball control


Cameron Ward
6’8″ Power Forward
2025

Legit two-way impact making winning plays on both ends
Impressive tough shot maker with a stepback jumper
Rated Top-25 in nearly every Cerebro Metric: Overall Impact, Defense, At The Rim, Scoring, 3pt Shooting

Calvin Murphy III
6’1″ Point Guard
2025

Versatile scorer, especially below the arc, with elbow middy pull-ups and a deluxe finishing package between the layups, FLOATA, tough AND1 hook shot, and finger rolls
Attacks downhill with purpose, good decision to keep and score in 2-on-1
Impressive handle, crafty setups on dribble drive and dumpoff passes, effective flare
Stellar playmaking vision, looking to create shots for himself and teammates
Quick trigger jump shot, killer ball control and pull-up jumper combo
Anticipates steals jumping passing lanes


Hudson Greer

6’7″ Small Forward
2025

Good outside shooter with 3pt range hitting the C&S triples in the corner and wing
Attacks closeout with dribble drive and slam when outside shot is contested
Great off-ball relocation movement to create open 3s for himself and space the floor, baseline backdoor cut timing with vertical hops for alley-oop slam and throwing down jams
Crashes boards for rebounds, putback his own miss with a reverse layup

Connector playmaking with nice vision, making the extra touch pass
, hitting a bounce pass leading his teammate to the rack
Tough finisher at the rim, converting AND1 bump-and-finish through contact


Matthew Gilhool
6’11” Center
2025



Two-way feel ball instincts anticipating the steal with grab-and-go pace-pushing handle as a big
Tough shot maker with 3pt range, splashing a few jumpers and hitting the pick-and-pop three and C&S corner three

Showed good post-moves and spinning footwork despite missing the open corner three


Powerful dunker throwing down monster slam


Jaylen Cross
6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

Good two-way feel, anticipates steals, grab-and-go pushes pace off turnover, drives and kicks with the good decision pass, comes up with loose ball steal, contests shots, converts layups and finding teammates for assists in transition
Tough shot maker, impressive finisher at the rim, vertical hops hanging in the air for an AND1

London Jemison
6’8″ Power Forward
2025

Off-ball 3pt range stretch-four drilling C&S triples, back-to-back swish sequences
Smooth driving footwork and finishing in the paint
Nice handle body and ball control on the crossover decelerating finger roll in transition through traffic

Tough shots in the midrange and at the rim



Andre Iguodala
 Jr.

6’8″ Small Forward
2025

Good defensive feel anticipation, timing up the block on a drive at the rim
3pt range knocking down the C&S triple



Sebastian Wilkins

6’8″ Power Forward
2026

Brings energy right out of the gates
Impressive finisher at the rim

Kareem Stagg
6’8″ Center
2025

Powerful vertical athleticism, throwing down 
strong jams and flying putback slams
Strong downhill force
Good vision passing touch on the alley-oop lob
Outside shooter with 3pt range with the C&S triple and the pull-up middy

Playing football muscling through opponents in the post postup finish


Trent MacLean

6’10” Center
2025

Developable ball skils at 6’10” with the ball control handles, lookahead transition passes, and smooth stroke jump shot
Sound footwork in the post, movement skills, and on defensive rotations
Clean outside shooter on C&S threes
Defensive instincts on the shot contest
Coachable moment on sideline
s learning from mistakes

Nice post moves down low
Good mover off ball




Qayden Samuels

6’6″ Small Forward
2026

Great perimeter shooter, good form, hitting C&S 3s in corner and on the wing, drilling OTD pull-up triples, tough spinning middy
Nice playmaker vision with soft touch pass
Good bounce hanging in the air for a tough falling finish near the rim over contest, a tough nice reverse layup finish
Rated highly in multiple Cerebro metrics: Overall Impact, Defense, Shooting, Scoring



Darius Adams
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Natural point guard feel, hitting lead pass to cutter for layup, finding open shooters and attacking rack


Grab-and-go rebounding pace-pusher
Good vision, nice look-up passing touch, sound passes, smart dumpoff pass for potential 3pt assist in transition
Splashy outside shooter on the pull-up and C&S threes
Good finisher at the rim, scoring in transition
Sound two-man game hitting rim-roll in P&R
Crafty handles on the drive and finish


Sebastian Williams-Adams

6’9″ Power Forward
2025

Sound footwork fundamentals, eurostepping into a decelerating FLOATA in transition
Nice anticipation 
jumping passing lanes to time up steal
Grab and go pace pusher starting fast breaks
Strong driver, attacks closeut with the dribble and extra pass, nice vision on the wraparound pass after cutting through the lane

Nyale Robinson
5’10” Point Guard
2025

Good anticipation, two-way feel with the steal and team-first read pass in transition, pushing pace, looking up for outlets
Clean jump shoot form, good shooter hitting multiple shots with 3pt range on the C&S 3 and pull-up jumpers, hit buzzerbeater deep range threee
Shifty mover with the rock in his hands
Good body control quick burst into decelerating in the paint

Marcus Gillespie


6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Nice vision, soft touch passing setting up teammates in shooting pockets, good read feel on the drive and kick, sweet one-handed leading bounce pocket pass through defenders to the roller in P&R
Versatile shot profile, good shooter, nice pull-up jumper, C&S three contested and open in transition, tough middy pull-up


Alexander Constanza
6’5″ Small Forward
2026

Strong play-finisher
Powerful dunker
AND1 finisher through contact
Defensive instincts on display with standout play, deflecting a pass to stop a 4-on-1

Legend Smiley
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Great defensive instincts and on-ball pressure, forcing strip steals at point of attack, anticipating deflections
Tough shot maker, splashing pull-up jumpers with the stepback 3 off the dribble and midrange elbow fadeaway

Mazi Mosley
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Incredible feel, great vision, sweet look-off dish, good read on the drive-and-kick to open man



Impressive quick burst accelerating speed and decelerating body control
Soft touch finishing at the rim, finger rolls and tough driving finish after initating P&R

Good defensive instincts, anticipation, timing up the block
Big 
vertical leaper throwing down powerful slam

C&S 3PT range




Jordan Smith Jr.

6’3 Shooting Guard
2026

Great all-around talent with legit two-way winning impact
Good timing on soft touch alley-oop lob pass
Strong rebounder in traffic
Powerful finisher at the rim AND1 on a tough take to the rack
Rated Top-5 in Overall Impact and Top-20 in *every* Cerebro metric: defense, passing, scoring, shooting, at the rim


Kingston Flemings
6’4″ Point Guard
2025

Natural scoring creator point guard who consistently creates makeable looks for himself and others
Two-way winning impact
Capable outside 3pt shooter
Developable ball skills between the handle, scoring, and passing
Rated Top-5 in Scoring, Passing, Overall Impact, and 33rd in Defensive Impact at the camp via Cerebro

Adrien Stevens
6’4″ Point Guard
2025

Impressive body control footwork
Attacks closeout with dribble
Soft touch shotmaking


Kayden Mingo

6’3″ Point Guard
2025

Killer decelerating body control, sends defender flying on slowdown for finger roll
Nice 3pt and midrange shooter, hits C&S triple
Impressive ball control, weaving through traffic with a little wiggle on the dribble
Good feel running Double Drag P&R, driving into a pull-up jumper

Abdul Aziz Olajuwon
6’6″ Shooting Guard
2026

Splashy C&S 3pt shooting, clean shooting mechanics, good finishes at the rim

Caleb Holt
6’5″ Point Guard
2026

Impressive finisher at the rim, tough shot over contest
Good vision with the no-look dumpoff pass, nice decision-making feel read on the drive and kick corner 3pt assist





Joshua Lewis
6’7″ Shooting Guard
2025

Good vision making team-first reads, the drive and 3pt kickout to open man
Smooth soft touch FLOATA


Eric Chatfield
5’11” Point Guard
2025

Smooth shooting stroke, clean perimeter shooter, highest rated 3PT shooter by Cerebro in the tournament
Splashing pull-up jumpers from deep, C&S threes, elbow middies


Xavion Staton
7’0″ Center
2025

Good feel, vision, decision-making on drive and kicks, especially for a big
Quick burst on the give-and-go cut to the rack for a strong AND1 layup
Smart mover off the ball, cutting, rolling

Jovani Ruff
6’5″ Shooting Guard
2025

Good footwork with the jumpstop in the paint, finishing the drive to the rack
Nice connector extra pass in transition
Strong north-south drive and finesse finisher at the rim with finger rolls, drawing fouls and converting AND1






Alexander Lloyd

6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

Nice hop step footwork in the paint
3pt range drilling the C&S jumpers
Good driver through traffic and tough shot maker at the rim with the up-and-under referse finish
Solid kickout vision for 3pt ast
Rates highly in playmaking and 3pt efficiency metrics via Cerebro




Matthew Able

6’5″ Small Forward
2025

Tough shotmaking off the dribble with pull-up middy after pull-up middy
Smart hustler defender saving loose balls, contesting shots without fouling
3pt range shooter with the C&S triple
Good vision and soft touch lob pass for alley-oop


Akai Fleming

6’4″ Shooting Guard
2025

Tough shot making perimeter shooter with fadeaway and OTD middies, strong bump-and-finish drive, buzzer-beater pull-up deep-range 3
Nice feel making good reads on the alley-layin pass



Jacobe Coleman

6’3″ Shooting Guard
2025

Good passer finding the big on the rim-roll
Winning hustle plays
Sound 
body control deceleration to stop on a dime for the AND1 layup as defender flies into him





John Clark

6’8″ Power Forward
2025

Explosive strong driver and finesse finisher, converting through traffic
Big man rebounding in traffic, soft touch putback and strong takes to the rack


Elijah Williams
6’6″ Small Forward
2026



Great defensive instincts for deflections and steals
Grab-and-go pace-pusher
Tight body and ball control, stopping on a dime, dropping spin move handles
Vertical athlete throwing down thunderous slam
Off-the-dribble scorer with a pull-up jumper


Honorable mention players who I saw make winning plays like a well-timed block or team-first read pass:

Dorian Jones, Isaiah Denis, Courtland Muldrew, Babatunde Oladotun, Bryce Slay, Jermaine O’Neal Jr., Treeyvon Maddox, Adonis Ratliff, Derek Dixon, Jordan Scott, Terrion Burgess, Nigel Walls, Preston Wade, Simon Walker, Aliou Dioum, Curtis Stinson Jr., Landon Clark, Xzavion Mitchell, Christopher Nwuli, Ryder Frost, Hakeem Weems, Jack McCaffeery, Amare Bynum, Symon Ghai, Shareef Jackson, Jaylen Harrell

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Scouting the 2023 Sunshine Classic https://theswishtheory.com/analysis/amateur-basketball/2023/12/scouting-the-2023-sunshine-classic/ Sat, 23 Dec 2023 18:12:45 +0000 https://theswishtheory.com/?p=9432 An In-Person Scouting Report on Top Florida High School Prospects of the 2023 Nike EYBL Scholastic Sunshine Classic with Data Visualizations from Cerebro Sports’ Analytics and Film Breakdowns from Day 2 Teams: Montverde, IMG, Columbus, Brewster, and Sunrise Christian Standout Players: Cooper Flagg, Cam Boozer, Asa Newell, Elijah Crawford, Rob Wright, Darius Acuff, Donnie Freeman, ... Read more

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An In-Person Scouting Report on Top Florida High School Prospects of the 2023 Nike EYBL Scholastic Sunshine Classic with Data Visualizations from Cerebro Sports’ Analytics and Film Breakdowns from Day 2

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

Standout Players:

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

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

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

Feel old yet?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stats Analysis

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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


******

2023 Nike EYBL Scholastic Sunshine Classic Day 2 Standout Players

******

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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


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


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



vs. Brewster

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Some hoopers were just born to run point.

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

WAIT

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



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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

David Castillo
vs. Brewster

14 PTS
3 REB
1 AST / 1 TO
3/8 3P – 3/3 FTf
(23 MIN)

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

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



Elijah Elliot
vs. Brewster

7 PTS
6 STL (!!!)
4 AST / 1 TO
2/4 FG – 3/3 FT
(31 MIN)

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

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


sources:

film, words, and data visualizations from @BeyondTheRK

data via Cerebro Sports

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

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