- Tre Johnson 6’4 165 SG – Team Griffin 2024
Johnson’s (pictured) offensive package was on display. He’s at the top of the list when it comes to shot making in all of high school basketball, with his ability to shoot off the catch or dribble from anywhere on the floor with a good release point. His shooting progressed as the event continued, only shooting 1-7 3PT (14.3%) in the first two games but turned it around to make 14-28 3PT (50%) in the final three games, ultimately shooting 42.9% 3PT% on 7 attempts per game. The defense always has to factor him pulling up for a shot, as there’s not much of a way to force him to a weakness. In addition to his shooting, he’s good around the rim, not afraid to get physical and utilize his size/length around the rim when he has the mismatch. He handles and passes well, playing at different speeds while keeping his dribble alive after bumps and physical defense. He also balances the time spent on and off the ball well. While Johnson the “baby face assassin” isn’t super explosive, he’s solid athletically, and may become more so as he physically matures. Johnson averaged 19.4 points on 45.5% FG%, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists to 2.4 turnovers per game.
Justin Edwards 6’7 180 SF – Team Final 2023
Edwards is agile, has good size, and versatility. Offensively, he’s a little too content spacing the floor and his jump shot lacks consistency, sometimes a nice arching 3 to find the bottom of the net while other times, barely hitting the rim, shooting 33.3% 3PT% on 3.6 attempts per game. His jump hook, fadeaway, and finishing all around has some developing to do. He’s a good athlete with good body control, best displayed in the open floor after jumping passes. He showed some ability to pass mid-drive and his defense is solid too. He didn’t show much mid-range game or use of his right hand, so those are some areas he can look to improve. Edwards averaged 13.8 points on 49.1% FG% and 7.2 rebounds per game.
DJ Wagner 6’4 160 PG – NJ Scholards 2023
Wagner had another great EYBL showing. Although shooting isn’t a concern, he didn’t have much luck from distance, shooting 27.6% 3PT% on 5.4 attempts per game, but he’s still very effective even if his shot isn’t falling. As a ball-handler, he’s shows nice pick and roll passing ability but is also dangerous rejecting the screen. He’s great driving and finishing with his left, even when heavily contested, he contorts his body and absorbs contact to finish with his off hand. He’s effective off the dribble, with ability to split double teams, and doesn’t need triple threat to beat the defender. Although not real explosive, he’s smooth, slowing the game down when he drives, changing speed, and can stop on a dime. Defensively, he anticipates well off the ball and does a good job leaving his man to double team the ball-handler with good hands to get a clean swipe on the ball. Wagner averaged 19 points on 49.4% FG% and 5.2 assists to 1.8 turnovers per game. An area Wagner has surprisingly underwhelmed is as a free throw shooter, shooting 61.1% in his five games in Louisville and 65.2% on the EYBL through three sessions.
Mackenzie Mgbako 6’8 185 SF – NJ Scholars 2023 (Duke)
Mgbako mixed it up, shooting along with some aggressive drives. His jump shooting isn’t consistent, while it’s always straight, sometimes it’s short while other times it’s too long, but he knocked down his share. There were a few times he had his toes on the 3PT line. He initiates contact offensively and defenders can’t match his strength at this level. He does have a tendency to put his head down and force his drive, but he made some nice passes off the dribble. He has a habit of picking up his dribble early, holding it for a few seconds, then going up with a contested shot. Defensively, he picks up some bad fouls at times, but he has the tools to worth with. Mgbako always plays hard, physical, and confident as he never second guesses his himself. He’s a good athlete with comfort dunking with either hand, as he showed throughout the event. As a high-volume shooter, efficiency is an area he can look to improve with Session 3 averages of 12.4 points on 35.1% FG% (14.8 FGA per game), 13.3% 3PT% (6 3PTA per game), and 5 rebounds per game.
Aaron Bradshaw 7’0 205 C – NJ Scholars 2023
While still raw, Bradshaw flashes ability and intriguing potential. Although not too consistent right now, he shows a nice jump hook with either hand and midrange shooting. He mishandles passes at times, but he’s alert and was on the finishing end of many dunks. His size, length, and athleticism are tough to match, and his best basketball is clearly ahead of him. Bradshaw averaged 15 points per game on 55% FG%. His rebounding was up and down each game, ultimately grabbing 7.2 per game and he’s currently 2nd on the EYBL in blocked shots (3 per game), averaging 2.6 in his five games in Louisville.
Matas Buzelis 6’8 170 SF – Expressions Elite 2023
Buzelis’ versatility was on display. He’s smooth with the ball, with nice passing and showing ability to finish with either hand. While his first four games were solid, he struggled in the final game against Team WhyNot with 11 points but shot 4-15 FG and 0-6 3PT. Although he doesn’t always play in the paint, he still has much room to improve his rebounding numbers, at only 4.8 per game. As someone who projects to play on the perimeter at high levels, his shooting consistency must improve and while he handles well, he doesn’t usually beat his defender with his dribble. Buzelis was solid overall scoring 13.4 points (47.1% FG% and 23.5% 3PT%).
Taylor Bowen 6’9 195 PF – Expressions Elite 2023
Bowen consistently plays hard on both ends. He’s got long arms and a pretty good leaper, some tools he utilizes when rebounding and shot contesting. He can tighten up as a ball-handler, but he has a quick crossover he used a few times to get to the rim. He does need to work on using his left hand, as going right can be predictable. Bowen knocked down a handful of jump shots, although he pushes his release a little, he still made a fair amount. Bowen’s best game came against Team CP3 with 21 points (8-12 FG), 10 rebounds, and 6 assists to only 1 turnover.
Gavin Griffiths 6’7 185 SF – Expressions Elite 2023 (Rutgers)
The recent Rutgers commit had a good weekend in Louisville. He’s got a real nice shot with ability to hit off the dribble, and he doesn’t force his impact, playing within the flow of the game. He shot 37.8% 3PT% on 7.4 attempts per game but struggled from the floor overall (41.7% FG%) and free throw line (2-6 FT). He’s not a bad athlete either, throwing down a few dunks when given a straight-line attack opportunity. An area he’s lacking is creating for himself and ball-handling in general. His best game was against Team Griffin with 23 points, going 6-13 from 3PT range.
Coen Carr 6’7 215 PF – Georgia Stars 2023
Carr’s a big-time athlete, on par with the best the class has to offer. He’ll take off from outside the paint to throw down two-hand dunks, hanging in the air and showing advanced body control in the process. Defensively, he sticks well when on the ball and as a help defender too, coming over from the weak side to block a dunk on one play. Carr averaged 13.6 points on 60.4% FG% and 5.4 rebounds per game. Shooting is an area Carr can improve with a 22.2% 3PT% (2-9 3PT) and 47.1% FT% (8-17 FT) weekend.
Devin Royal 6’6 210 SF – All Ohio Red 2023
Royal was great in the game I saw against The Family with 26 points (12-16 FG), and a super-efficient five-game showing with an average of 23.4 points per game at 66.2% FG%. He provides a strong frame, with a physical style of play and ability to finish well inside. He had a few dunks and showed solid face up shooting ability from midrange. Expanding his shooting range to the 3PT line could be the next step for Royal’s development as he only connected on 22.2% (2-9 3PT) from deep.
Sean Stewart 6’8 210 PF – Florida Rebels 2023 (Duke)
The bouncy four-man showed out against Team Griffin with 23 points, 18 rebounds (6 offensive), 2 blocks, and 3 steals. He gets up to rebound and contest shots very quickly, with a nice second jump too. He blocked 2.2 shots per game. Expanding his offensive range will be key in his development moving forward at only 6’8 and didn’t have a single 3PT attempt over five games. Even with Stewart’s offensive limitations, he’s obviously still a high-impact player.
Layden Blocker 6’2 170 PG – Brad Beal Elite 2023
Blocker had a huge game defeating NJ Scholars with 27 points and 10 rebounds. His pull-up was in use, along with showing ability to change speed when penetrating and court vision. His jump shot has a lot of arc, possibly too much, but he had success with it, going 3-5 3PT (60%) against Scholars and 6-13 3PT (46.2%) in the session. Blocker brought the intensity every minute he was on the floor and attacked the paint when he saw an opening, showing off his athleticism to finish at the rim.
Kaleb Glenn 6’6 185 SF – Indy Heat 2023 (Louisville)
Glenn’s broad shoulders and powerful build combined with his aggressive makes him a tough matchup. He’s a good athlete, getting off the floor with ease and finishing above the rim. He doesn’t shoot a lot of 3s, but shot a solid 35.7% 3PT% over his five games and shows comfort with his solid midrange shot. Glenn averaged 13.4 points on 54.2% FG% and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn 6’1 160 PG – Indy Heat 2023 (Purdue)
Gibbs-Lawhorn consistently plays hard. He attacks the rim, excelling as a one-foot jumper and throws down dunks at every opportunity. He’s quick and all in when taking it to the basket, sometimes hitting the floor after contact. His athleticism and effort translates on the defensive end as well, getting chase down blocks, putting pressure on the ball-handler, and jumping passes. Gibbs-Lawhorn averaged 16.8 points per game with nice shooting splits; 52.1% FG%, 39.1% 3PT%, 100% FT% (8-8).
Jarin Stevenson 6’9 190 SG – Team United 16U 2024
Stevenson has good size and mobility. He’s very well coordinated and shoots well, including a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc in the game I saw against Georgia Stars. 3PT shooting wasn’t Stevenson’s only efficient line, as he went 5-6 (83.3% FG%) from the floor in the game and 59.1% FG% on the weekend, also 80% (12-15 FT) from the foul line. He can improve as a rebounder, only grabbing 4.3 per game and he doesn’t stand out as a rim protector. With that said, Stevenson’s a skilled prospect and has a lot to work with moving forward.
Cameron Scott 6’6 165 SG – Team United 16U 2024
Scott’s a talented scorer, whether he’s shooting or driving, he’s a threat to put points on the board. There’s a lot of motion in his shot and he missed all 4 3PT attempts in the game I saw against Georgia Stars, but he hit a few from midrange. Despite not shooting well from deep, he still scored 20 points on 8-15 FG. He’s also a nice athlete, looking to attack when he gets an approach to jump off one foot.
Jalen Haralson 6’5 175 PG – Indy Heat 16U 2025
Haralson got where he wanted with his dribble, showing a good transition handle when picking up speed and maneuvered his way into the paint in the half-court. He sees the floor well and did a good job hitting the open man in drive and kick situations. He didn’t show a lot of shooting but is a high-level athlete and gets his shot off well at the rim. He scored 22 points against Team Thad while shooting 8-10 FG, grabbed 6 rebounds, and passed out 4 assists to 3 turnovers.
Cameron Boozer 6’7 200 PF – Nightrydas 15U 2025
Once again, Boozer led Nightrydas to another undefeated weekend. Although he doesn’t turn 15 until mid-July, he has an impressive frame and current strength level. His advanced athleticism led to a handful of dunks, which he has no issue displaying even against a set defense in the half-court. However, he’s not just a man-child, as he’s skilled and has a very nice shot with perfect arc that found the bottom of the net. He has a good feel for playing aggressive without forcing. Boozer finished with 31 points (13-16 FG, 2-4 3PT, 3-3 FT) and 6 rebounds in the win against Expressions Elite.
AJ Dybansta 6’7 SF – Expressions Elite 15U 2026
Dybansta’s a very impressive young prospect. He was very good finishing around the rim with either hand, even when contested. He creates space with his jab step, sells his crossover, and operates well in tight spaces. While he’s an advanced athlete, he’s not reliant on superior natural gifts. He’s got a nice shot and can pass too, providing an advanced offensive arsenal for his age. I think he could’ve got more touches, but he still scored well. Dybansta ended up with 13 points (4-7 FG, 4-5 FT), 4 rebounds, and 4 assists to 3 turnovers in the loss to Nightrydas.
