It’s Memorial Day weekend and I am spending it at session III of the Nike EYBL in Kansas City, Kan. I focused mainly on evaluating 2027 and 2028 prospects, so let’s dive in to what I seen so far.
Playing Up
For Expressions, Nikola Mitrovic is an intriguing long term prospect that stands close to 7-foot. Equipped with long arms and had good energy with his rebounding attempts. Showed comfortability in DHO’s and as a roller. He’s still on the raw side, which is fine, and Mitrovic showed promise as skilled inside-out big man down the road.
Reese Alston made his EYBL debut this weekend playing for Houston Hoops and he was solid. Shifty off the bounce and crafty with his finishes. Reese is a creative guard that finds ways to get to his spots. He’ll be in attendance at the upcoming Pangos All-American Camp and the NBPA Top 100 Camp.
It’s Baba Oladotun’s second weekend playing 17U and he got going in the second half vs. Meanstreets. His energy got better. He started rebounding, moving with a sense of energy off the ball and was aggressive when the ball was in his hands. Was good to see Oladotun figure out how to impact a game when things weren’t going his way at first.
16U Standouts
Mari Wesley, 6’5 Wing – AB EliteArguably the best performer I saw on the 16’s on Friday. Powerful wing prospect that utilized plus handle, strength and athleticism to make an impact on the game. His feel is impressive as well. Wesley goes to spots to make the defense shift one way in order for the dump-off man to be open or the shooters in the corner. He helped himself a lot on Friday.
Davion Thompson, 6’4 PG – MeanstreetsPG with high skill level and plus positional size. Thompson’s combo of pace, live dribble passing talents and finishing chops was on display. He made the right read when double teamed, showed a tight handle, split through defenders and was great as a cutter for wide open finishes at the rim.
Dooney Johnson, 6’5 SG – Team HerroA long-armed guard that operated as a secondary-primary ball handler. Showed comfort handling it under pressure but defensively is what I was impressed with the most. Johnson’s instincts are good and he deflected several passes. He has a low center of gravity and can guard multiple spots. Johnson altered shots as a help-side defender, too. He was the best switchable defender I saw among 16U yesterday.
Peyton Kemp, 6’1 PG – Indy HeatA quick guard that was successful getting downhill and executing in transition. Kemp is a high motor guard that rebounded and facilitated well also. Just got a lot done when on the court.
Isaiah Hill, 6’10 C – Indy HeatBig man that was a play finisher and rim protector. Hill is an athletic big-man that has good timing and utilizes his length to alter shots at the rim. More of a lob threat and play finisher but there’s upside and promise with other parts of the game, too.
Charles Pur, 6’9 Forward – Team CP3Had an efficient outing and showed versatility in his game. Face-up scoring, play finishing and was a good hedger. Pur is mobile, has good rebounding instincts and knows how to play.
Josh Rivera, 6’6 SG – NY RensA skilled guard with good positional size. Plus pull-up shooter and ball-screen operator. Rivera got to the foul line, made threes and can see over the defense and make passes others can’t.
Moussa Kamissoko, 6’8 SF – PSA CardinalsSkilled wing that executed on opportunities to score. Cuts well, attacks closeouts and capable stand-still three point shooter. Plays well without the ball and communicates well offensively. Impressed with positional size, IQ and emerging skill.
2028 Standouts
Benjamin Berrouet, 6’7 Forward – AB EliteActive forward with a good second leap. Excelled in transition and showed promise with inside-out scoring game. High upside, good basketball bloodlines and turns 15 in June. Will be a national name if he keeps trending in the right direction.
Darren Ford, 6’2 2/1 CG – AB EliteShowed plus pull-up game and off the dribble scoring prowess. Ford needs one move to get where he wants and then will rise up and launch. Aggressive, physical driver that uses adequate footwork to create space.
Kevin Wheatley, 6’5 SF – NY LightningA versatile scoring threat that showed prowess as a point producer off the dribble and in spot-up situations. Showed an adequate drive game and plus athleticism.
Logan Chwastyk, 6’10 C/PF – Team FinalStretch big with a soft ball from deep. Good arm length, plays hard and once he adds strength and plays through contact better, he’ll make a larger impact on games.
Kingston Gould, 6’2 PG – Legynds EYCLImpacted the game with scoring and passing. Got to the rim, made timely threes and got to the free throw line. Aggressive with the ball in his hands and was a good decision maker off drives.
