Jalen Harris, Team Wall (NC), 6’2, 2016, Point Guard- Jalen is the type of point guard that adjust his game to whatever his team needs him to be on that night and that was clearly evident throughout this tournament. Although he much rather get teammates involved first, he has no probably scoring the ball when his squad needed him to, which was shown by numerous games in the event where he scored 20+ points. His perimeter and midrange jumper have become very consistent and he’s added quite a bit of athleticism over the past year. However when his teammates got it going, he went into distributor mode racking up 19 Assist in a single game. Jalen has very good vision and puts his passes right on target so that his teammates can finish easily; he has some flair to his game that makes him fun to watch but is not a high turnover player. At this point he has numerous MM offers but he definitely is a HM Point Guard prospect, once he becomes a tad bit more vocal on the floor then I believe that will take him to an even higher level as a prospect.
Zach Reeves, Juice All-Stars (NC), 6’5, 2016, Wing- Zach was impressive throughout the tournament, he showed very good ball handling skills and nice athleticism that he uses on both ends of the floor. Zach seems to have a very good feel for the game and although he was aggressive to make plays, he was not selfish at all. Instead he looked to make the right play at the right time for his team, He has good height for a wing at the next level and shot the ball from outside well, is definitely one to keep an eye on throughout the summer.
Robert Colon, Juice All-Stars (NC), 6’0, 2016, Guard- Playing with Juice All-Stars this spring has finally given Robert the opportunity to show the college coaches the full package of his game. We all know that he is a deadly three point shooter, and he has a very quick first step that he uses to blow by defenders but he is also a gifted passer that gets teammates the ball in the right spots. On the defensive end he brought intensity, showed good lateral quickness and communicated well with teammates, he clearly showed that he can get it done on both sides of the floor. A question mark has been his midrange game, and I must as of late he has shown that he can knock down the midrange shot with consistency which makes him even more dangerous in transition. D1 schools have finally begun to take notice in his ability and I’m expecting to see him pull in some offers before the summer is done.
Matt Elmore, Team Wall (NC), 6’8, 2016, Forward- Matt made his first appearance with Team Wall in this tournament, although he clearly was still feeling his way out with the squad and attempting to build chemistry, he had a very solid performance on Saturday. Matt displayed his ability to finish plays inside the paint, rebounding the ball and even knocking down the outside trey ball. His final stats from the game that I watched him play were 13 Points and 12 Rebounds , he’s a type of player that you don’t have to run plays for and that does all the dirty work for his squad. He has a very solid frame so he battles inside with opposition very well and does a good job of creating a nice target for his guards to throw an entry pass when he’s posting up. Matt is one to keep an eye on closely this summer, once he gets more comfortable with his squad, I expect him to put together some outstanding performances.
Malik Johnson, Team Wall (NC), 2018, 6’, Guard– Malik has been on our radar for about two years now, he is a very athletic player that loves to play the game at an up-tempo pace. He has outstanding ball handling skills and court vision that is advance way beyond his years. His quickness caused issues for opponents as usual; he got to the basket on a regular basis and finished plays above the rim on numerous occasions. At a young age he already has many of the traits that you love to see in a H.S Point Guard, he communicates with teammates and coaches easily so that everybody is on the same page. Although he uses his athleticism to throw down dunks and finish plays offensively he also uses his athleticism on the defensive end to get into the passing lanes for steals deflections and blocks. Malik plays the game with a lot of intensity and he hates to lose, no matter who he’s matched up with he’s going to compete and give it all he has. He is one to watch closely as he definitely has the potential to be a HM and nationally ranked prospect at the PG spot before it all said and done.
Kyle Rawls, MD’s Finest (MD), 2015, Guard- Kyle really got after it on the defensive end, he clearly takes pride in playing defense and knows how to use his very strong frame to make things difficult for opponents. He is one of those specialty players that a coach loves to have on his team that he can send out to guard an opponent that has caught fire.
Jermaine Matthews, River City Reign (VA), 2016, 6’8, Post- This Young man brings all the intangibles that you could want from a post player, he runs the floor very well and displayed a high motor throughout the event. When his guards broke down the defense and gave him passes in the post, he made sure to finish plays without making things to complex. Jermaine can finish plays using different face up moves, or playing with his back to the basket, which makes him a very difficult player to defend. On the defensive end he challenged shots at every position and protected the paint throughout the tournament, he also is a prospect to keep a very close eye on.
Kyran Bowman, Team Wall (NC), 2016, 6’2, Guard- Kyran recently made news by letting everyone know that he had to decided to de-commit from UNC football to focus solely on basketball now. Many people asked why but after this weekend we could see that he has the potential to be a good basketball prospect. He has outstanding athleticism and a very quick first step that is a nightmare for defenders to try and slow down; I lost count of how many dunks he threw down in traffic against opponents throughout the event. He has good ball handling skills and keeps defenders guessing and uses his outstanding athleticism to get his shot of quickly and over opponents. Defensively he blocked shots, came up with steals, deflections and did a solid job of containing his man; you can see that his time to focus solely on basketball is taking his game to another level. Kyran was impressive through the tournament and will be one to watch closely throughout the summer and even into next school year.
Luke Romeo, USA United (NC), 2016, Guard- Luke can flat out shoot it!! During their game against River City Reign he started the game knocking down three treys in the first few minutes. He has a fairly quick release on his shot and is very efficient when he’s catching and shooting, also showed a nice shot fake that he uses when defenders are attempting to block his shot from the perimeter. Also has a nice midrange game and comes off screens effectively, Luke is not just a player that is going to stand in the corner so he can catch and shoot. He moves without the ball and reads the defense well to make sure he’s taking a high percentage shot.
Alexander Schachne, Hoop Heaven (NJ), 2018, 5’9, Point Guard- At each event I go to I always try and watch closely for an under the radar prospect, at this event there were quite a few but one of the young prospect was Alexander. Matched up against Team Wall 16u we really got a chance to see what he was made of, he cased headaches for Team Wall defenders with his combination off outstanding ball handling skills and knock down three point shooting. It got to the point where he would end up being face guarded full court the entire 2nd half so that his impact on the game could be minimized. Alex has a very good natural feel for the game and makes good reads and passes to teammates, one thing I really liked about him is that he can make on point passes with his off hand just as well as he does with his dominant hand. He does not get frustrated with teammates and always seems to have a very calm demeanor on the floor. Alex is a player that you shouldn’t be surprised to see making a lot of noise over the next few years up in New Jersey.