HoopHall West has been one of the premier events for top talent over the last few years. The event is known for consistently pumping out future numerous first round picks. Current NBA talents such as Evan Mobley have made their way to this desert classic. Last summer Cody Williams, Jared McCain, and Ron Holland were drafted in the first round after playing in the 2022 version, last year’s class includes potential first rounders Boogie Fland, Jeremiah Fears, and Carter Bryant (not to mention both Ian Jackson and VJ Edgecombe likely draft picks participated in it in 2022 as high school juniors). This year was a smash once again as marquee teams and marquee names spent their post New Year festivities in the Phoenix suburbs of Mesa and Gilbert from January 2nd through the 4th, showcasing their talents in front of both college and NBA personnel. At the national level Cia-Bellavista Prep and Utah Prep looked as dominant of a team in the nation and on the more traditional high school level Harvard Westlake (SoCal) won the top division defeating a gritty De La Salle team (NorCal). Perry looked very much like the favorite to take home the state title in Arizona and Gonzaga of DC after winning the Les Schwab Invitational less than a week prior in Oregon, just ran out of gas in the semifinals. While he will not be mentioned as a top prospect for this event a special shout out goes to Utah Prep’s John Southwick who made 7 three pointers in his team’s one showcase game versus Faith Family.
This year a new wrinkle was added to Hoophall West to allow more local Arizona and California teams to participate, with the Nike Tournament of Champions. Games being played in venues close to Hoophall West, allowing scouts and fans a chance to watch them. A great addition that media and scouts appreciated with one caveat. The one consensus recommendation was to use the auxiliary court at the main Hoophall West facility as one of the sub venues to lessen the drive time and make it easier for media and scouts to view more games.
Below are some of the top prospects and performers from the event:
HoopHall West:
AJ Dybantsa 6’9 Wing Utah Prep 2025 BYU
AJ Dybantsa is the consensus top player in his class and did nothing to disprove it at Hoophall West. Having had the privilege to see him play live for a third event (EYBL PHX in 2003, EYBL KC over the summer), he has refined his game in a few short months. At 6’9, he is Utah Prep’s secondary ball handler and primary shot creator. He’s fast twitched and has extreme flexibility in the hips and dexterity having the ability from triple threat to get low and bring his shoulders and hips below the defender’s’ arms and get by them with a quick rip through and then first step. He showcased some footwork using jab steps and reverse pivoting off jump stops, and euro steps to get clean baseline and free throw extended mid-range jump shots, or layups near the rim. He’s a gazelle on the fast break, finishing lobs with two hand flushes. He’s an unselfish player who fed the hot hand of teammate John Southwick (5 first half three pointers) and lets the game come to him. He’s an excellent free throw shooter going 8/9 from the line. If you want to find a flaw in his game is that he is not an elite level outside shooter yet but there is no reason he cannot become one, over time, as he matures. He finished the game with 23 points, going 9/12 from the field, and added 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block. He is the best high school player I have seen lat this event since I started covering it in 2019.
Tyran Stokes 6’7 Wing Notre Dame Sherman Oaks 2026
Tyran Stokes had a marquee matchup versus Sandra Day O’Connor’s Michael Simcoe and had his full offensive arsenal on display scoring 34 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and 1 block shot. With his steals and deflections, he was able to either run the lanes or lead the fast break with thunderous dunks. On half court sets with His good length and broad shoulders allows him to shed defenders off him and uses a quick crossover to get downhill and finish at the rim. On one particular pick and roll, he used a quick first step down the lane and finished the play off at the rim, cocking his arm back to smash the ball through the rim. While he was 2 for 4 from beyond the arc, his jump shot still has some room for consistency as he went 4/7 from the charity stripe and at times forced it in the lane when he could have taken the mid-range jumper. By far the best and one of the more experienced players on his team has forced him in more of a leadership role than what was seen at his time at Prolific Prep or with the Oakland Soldiers. Ranked by many as the top player in the 2026, he may very well reclassify into the class of 2025.
Bruce Branch 6’6 SG Perry 2027
Bruce Branch is not the most well known player, given he is on the west coast and has yet to get an invite to a USA minicamp, but that will change soon. A year ago, he barely played for Perry at Hoophall west but after leading the team scoring at Section 7 with Koa Peat playing with team USA over the summer, he has established himself as their secondary scorer and the team’s best one on one option. Bruce has a feathery mid-range jump shot and strong handles as an underclassman. He has ideal positional height for a wing and will only get better as his body matures. On a team with many seasoned seniors, he is not the focal point of the offense, yet more often than not he’s the one that creates spacing by making the open jump shot, drives to the hole and kicking the ball to the corner for open teammates. Off the ball, he has a good offensive instincts to find open spaces on the perimeter or cut to the basket for open lob opportunities. While not currently in most national top 25 rankings, with his skill set, positional size, and body maturation, he has the ability, with a strong work ethic, to end up being near or at the top of the 2027 class by his senior year.
Davis Fogle 6’6 SF AZ Compass 2025 Gonzaga
Davis Fogle’s work ethic on and off the court is unquestionable. He is the most improved player that I’ve seen since the AZ Compass Fall league in October, and he brings his constant energy to the floor, hustling back on defense on turnovers, helping weak side and blocking shots at the rim against taller opponents, plus using his length and athleticism on the perimeter to get deflections and steals. On offense, in past events (Pangos, Section 7, and AZ Compass Fall league) he was at times a bit of a ball stopper, pounding the ball excessively and interrupting the flow of the play. Here he was much quicker in his decision making and efficient with his dribbles, and still got downhill with ease. His dribble efficiency has made his teammates more prepared to catch the ball and finish plays coming off his passes. A good athlete, he is quick down the floor on fast breaks and finishes plays off with one handed dunks. He still has work to do from the perimeter as he is inconsistent with his follow through on his jump shot. This next step in his development will determine how much he plays for Gonzaga next season. He has established himself as the captain of this AZ Compass team with both his play and leadership.
Miikka Muurinen 6’10 PF/C AZ Compass 2026
Miikka has the potential of a lottery pick. With his shooting form, ability to finish plays off strong, and mobility running the floor, there is a lot to be intrigued about. Furthermore, as a 2007 born international player, it is possible he reclassifies to the 2025 class. Miikka, through the direction of the AZ Compass staff, started both games with high energy and a clear focus. He used his athleticism to grab offensive rebounds and was able to have a one handed put back dunk or get fouled and make a couple of shots from the charity stripe. On defense, he’s active as a rim protector, blocking a couple shots. However, his focus and energy fell off significantly after the first quarter in both games. He rarely touched the paint on offense, settling too often for contested NBA range three-point shots and camping out on the perimeter. To further illustrate his drawbacks, he’s a very poor screen setter, rarely prioritizing setting screens with a purpose and instead rushing to get behind the three point line for a pick and pop opportunity. On the occasions he did cut from the corner or wing to the basket to the dunker spot, he was usually rewarded with a dunk or getting to the foul line. He’s feisty on the court which isn’t necessarily bad for a big, but much of his energy and focus, other than those first quarters, was spent arguing with refs, opponents, etc. He seemed to have difficulty managing his energy in a constructive way, causing him to rush his shot when at the free throw line, and also not making it down the court consistently, and seldomly attacking the glass on offense or defense. Scouts were quite frankly disappointed, not so much by his talent but his inability to stay focused on the play at hand. While at AZ Compass, he has improved his impact on defense but perhaps had he stayed in Europe he would be further along in the development of his all-around game as he seems focused primarily on dunking on fast break opportunities and shooting three pointers. Just a junior in high school and blessed with great physical package, these are fixes he can certainly make as he matures off the court and as a basketball player.
Koa Peat 6’8 F Perry 2025 Undecided
Koa Peat has been a brand name for the last few years, having been featured on the USA basketball team the last few summers. Blessed with a full man body at a young age and elite athleticism he is extremely impactful on the defensive end. It has almost become routine at least once per game to watch Koa block a shot by pinning the ball against the backboard. His strong vertical and ability to move his feet laterally allows him to get deflections. Furthermore, he’s a high IQ defensive player allowing him to rotate quickly for blocked shot opportunities and taking charges. On offense, he runs the floor well and finishes plays off with dunks on fast breaks, lob passes, and offensive rebounds. At Hoophall West, as a senior, he played the role of secondary ball handler with mixed results. Against weaker opponents, he dominated using a Euro step or a quick spin move to get to the paint. Against stronger teams, they were coached to swarm the paint and back off him on the perimeter. While he is a good passer and quick decision maker, his Achilles heel is his shooting. At the next level, top-level teams are going to be better equipped to defend against his athleticism and are going to force Koa to shoot the jump shot until he proves he can become consistent from at least the midrange. The stagnation of his jump shot not improving is most concerning projecting him to the top level, given he fits the profile of a post player and has a sub-7-foot wingspan.
Michael Simcoe 6’9 Forward Sandra Day O’Connor 2025 UC Santa Barbara
Michael Simcoe is one of the best kept secrets in the state of Arizona. After two middling performances at Hoophall West, he broke out and had a massive game against Tyran Stokes and Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. In that game, he went 10/15 from the field (4/7 from three) and had 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 1 steal in a narrow 62-65 loss. He was very effective as a rim protector in the game, which surprised many, including his opponents. On offense he was able to score in catch and shoot opportunities, from beyond the arc and used a variety of spin moves to shed defenders and hit the mid-range on the perimeter. Blessed with broad shoulders from being a competitive swimmer, Michael is a load in the post to stop, creating space with his footwork to find an opening near the rim. Tyran Stokes and Michael Simcoe frequently guarded each other in this game and traded haymakers in the 4th quarter, none of which were bigger than the and one basket that Michael made in the waning moments of the game to bring Sandra Day O’Connor back to a one-point deficit. For the top level, he has some athletic limitations that were seen at moments when trying to guard Tyran, but he is a very good player and with further development in his shot may have a chance.
King Grace 6’5 SG Faith of Family Academy of Oak Ridge 2025 Mississippi State
I hadn’t watched King Grace live since summer of 2023 (write up here) The biggest takeaway that I saw from him at Hoophall West is that he has made a significant improvement to his jump shot and range. In his one game against Utah Prep King Grace went 5/9 from behind the three-point line, often well beyond the NBA line. In 32 minutes, he had 27 points, while going 10/20 from the field, 2/2 from the free throw line and keeping his squad within striking distance for much of the game. To compliment his strong outside shooting performance he was able to get to the basket and on one particular occasion off a pump fake from the corner drove baseline jumped on the front side of the rim, where two opponents jumped to contest, and ended up on the other side of the rim, while having the ball kiss off the glass for an acrobatic lay-up. On another half court, as he got downhill off a pick and pop, he used a euro step to avoid the help defender and finish the play with a lay-up.
Nikolas Khamenia 6’8 Forward Harvard Westlake 2025 Duke
Nikolas Khamenia’s best game was on the opening day where he led Harvard Westlake to victory (57-54) versus Perry. His state line for that game was 18 points, had 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Every shot he made that day looked pure and swished straight through the net. He went 6/7 from the line and 5/13 in that game. Overall, for the weekend he probably handled it a little more than you would like for the next level, but he has good vision and is extremely proficient in making open shots. To create space for himself he tends to back down opponents and use a spin move for an open mid-range jumper but if they close out too quick has an up and under floater that he will counter with. He has the ideal tool set as a pick and pop player. Not a tremendously gifted athlete but can run the floor and finish off plays and has great strength at this level. Well coached, he has a high basketball IQ and great vision. He had 17 assists in the three games he played. For the top level ideally, he would play the power forward position but he’s a bit of a tweener as he has the length of a small forward but the athleticism of a 4. He is extremely skilled and a good shooter, how elite of a shooter he becomes will determine his opportunity for the top level.
Alec Blair 6’5 SG De La Salle 2025 Oklahoma
Alec Blair is an exciting player to watch as he brings a Ginobili flair to his game. He helped lead De La Salle to the championship game of the traditional bracket at Hoophall West. He has good length and wingspan for a guard. At Hoophall West he featured his excellent footwork, whether it was on fast breaks with a strong euro step to get around opponents or in half court sets off pick and roll play once he drove down the lane, he confused opponents with that move either getting the easy lay-up or going to the line. He also was very effective with his pivot feet using a series of pump fakes and reverse pivots on several occasions to get open looks. When the opportunity opened itself, he back cut from the corner to finish a play off with a baseline one handed dunk. If Alec dedicated his time to ironing out his jump shot and tightened his handles a bit it wouldn’t be inconceivable to see him at the top level, but the southpaw is headed to Oklahoma to also play baseball and is said to be an even better prospect as a baseball player than basketball.
Darius Wabbington 6’10 C Sunnyslope 2027
Darius Wabbington started the tournament off slow versus Gonzaga DC but finished the last two games with Double Doubles and a final performance of 24 Point, 11 rebounds, and 1 block shot versus Christ the King. In the first game he had difficulties working on offense against the more experienced Chrsitan Gurdak. These two mammoths of men were battling in the post and on the boards throughout the game. Gurdak’s savvy caught Darius off balance at times when he went to shoot. Darius overall was much more prepared offensively than at this tournament a year ago. He is a load in the post with some flashes of perimeter skills and soft touch around the rim. He went 10/13 from the charity stripe and there are signs that he may develop as a pick and pop player as he develops. In a year there are visible changes in his body as he has slimmed down. He still lacks ideal lift and acceleration, and deceleration still need development but has some ability to absorb contact and finish. Has a good motor and the game has slowed down for him as he is much better at letting the play develop. Is an excellent screen setter.
JJ Mandaquit 6’1 PG Utah Prep 2025 Washington
JJ Mandaquit was the prototypical floor general for Utah Prep leading the team with 10 assists and 3 turnovers in 26 minutes of gameplay. The Hawaiian native was more than happy to move the ball around, make quick decisions and share playmaking duties with AJ Dybansta. Highly efficient he finished with 9 points on 4/6 shooting and 7 rebounds. His ability and willingness to be effective with and without is not always common for a pure point guard and is something to take not in the case for JJ.
Honorable Mention:
Davion Adkins 6’8 PF Faith of Family Academy of Oak Ridge 2026
Brayden Burries 6’5 PG Roosevelt 2025 Undecided
Chris Cenac 6’10 PF/C Link Academy 2025 Houston
Christian Collins 6’8 SF St John Bosco 2026
Derek Dixon 6’4 CG Gonzaga DC 2025 2025 North Carolina
Christian Gurdak 6’9 PF/C Gonzaga DC 2025 Virginia Tech
Isiah Harwell 6’5 Wing Wasatch Academy 2025 Houston
Kalek House 6’3 CG AZ Compass 2026
Amir Jones 6’3 CG Harvard Westlake 2026
Paul Osaruyi 6’10 C Bellavista CIA 2027
Miles Sadler 5’11 PG Bellavista CIA 2026
Zachary White 6’6 SF Notre Dame Sherman Oaks 2026
Nike Tournament of Champions Top Prospects:
Kyi Kyi Miles 6’3 PG Mesa Class of 2028
Kyi Kyi Miles is one of the top freshmen in the state of Arizona. He has good positional size, and a fluid and easily repeatable jump shot. A very good floor general, he demonstrated great court vision and showed patience the day after scoring 30 points against UC San Diego senior commit Uriah Tenette. In the Saturday game he was able to get downhill with either hand with ease. He flashed a strong hesitation dribble as the defender had to closely guard his mid-range shot given his shooting prowess. He flashed a euro step for layups and a nose for the ball, getting several offensive rebounds and put backs. On the fast break he had his first high school career dunk. One of many more to come.
Adan Diggs 6’4 SG Williams Fields 2028
Adan Diggs, a freshman, is already part of the USA program and a household name in grassroots circles. A very good athlete with a smooth jump shot. He will finish plays off with powerful dunks and will attack the offensive glass with put back dunks. The entire Williams Field team is always looking to run, and Adan is either leading the break or running the lanes. On half court sets from the wing, he uses a series of jab steps and one dribble rip through to create space for his quick release jump shot. Off pick and roll situations he can get downhill using his quick first step to get to the rack or drive and kick to open teammates. At Hoophall West there was some level of frustration that manifested at times as the roster is filled with underclassmen whose development had not yet made it to Adan’s. This led to some questionable shot selection, particularly against Saint Mary’s and the tenacious defense of Carter Bagley, for him at this event.
Cameron Williams 6’11 C Saint Mary’s 2026
Cameron Williams has shown flashes of being a top-level talent type of player. He’s tall, he’s long, he’s a good athlete, and he has long range jump shooting ability. What has hurt him in the past is after he had a great performance, he would usually follow it up with a dud. Giving scouts and coaches a wide range of variance in where he stacked up in their evaluation. There may have been a breakthrough at the Nike Tournament of Champions as he had consistently strong performances. Scoring 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks against Redondo Union, following it up with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks against Williams Field and finishing the weekend with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks against Brophy. Defensively he demonstrated elite rim protection and strong rebounding skills snatching balls off the rim with his huge hands. Offensively he was strong on the offensive glass and made a few corner threes to stretch the floor. Flashed some ability to put on the floor and ran well on fast break opportunities. Adding strength to his base is his next step so he can be more proficient in the post. His physical tools are special, continuing to stack up strong performances will increase his scouting profile tremendously.
Gene Roebuck 6’5 CG La Miranda 2027
Gene Roebuck has great size and skill as a lead guard in a half-court offense. He’s a high usage player who seeks that the offense goes through him. On offense on the very first play of Saturday’s game he was able to get a break away off the tip and scored a lay-up with a perfectly executed deceleration. Very deliberate in his pace it seems that he has studied film of Luka Doncic, all the way to taking the same style of sidestep wing three that he made on the right side of the court. In half court sets he give a myriad of hesitation dribbles and uses his body to make defenders get offense off balance to get downhill for lay-up opportunities. On one baseline move he was able to dribble baseline by faking going towards the wing and with a quick spin dribble angling his shoulder towards the ground he was able to spin around the fooled defender for a lay-up. A solid shooter, he is a highly skilled player who understands angles, using his body to create space, and spacing at an elite level. He does have room to grow as a player; he received two technicals in the first quarter in back-to-back games and is prone to lose focus. He also lacks ideal athleticism for the position. But is the type of player that draws your attention when he plays.
Mason Magee 6’0 PG Basha 2026
Mason Magee is an extremely athletic point guard who helped lead Basha nearly pull off the championship versus Redondo Union. Despite his diminutive size he will finish plays off with powerful dunks and will even catch the occasional lob dunk. Blessed with a quick crossover dribble and strong handles he can easily navigate the floor and get to his spots. Solid passer, he runs Basha’s offense efficiently. Tenacious on defense, he’s a headache for opposing teams to get into their offense. Outside jump shot can be streaky and he lacks ideal size for the top level.
Honorable Mention:
Carter Bagley 6’4 Wing Saint Mary’s 2028
Ryan Burbach 6’3 SG Brophy 2025 Cornell
Kaiden Bailey 6’3 PG Sant Margarita 2026
Hudson Mayes 6’4 G Redondo Union 2025
Chris Sanders 6’4 G Redondo Union 2027
DJ Spencer 6’4 Wing Desert Vista 2027
