There were plenty of promising prospects that were on hand for “The Platform” presented by Rossi Carron of University Sports and as we left Houston, Tx, Texasboysbasketball.com found answers to questions the staff needed to find. We dive in on the story-lines from a memorable weekend of hoops.
Who was the Top Underclassman Big Man?
There are a good deal of front court prospects in the 2020 and 2021 class in Texas. At “The Platform” a couple of them showcased their developing skill set and what is needed in order for them to maximize their potential. It was our first time seeing 2021 Samuel Onu of YIIS Elevation this year and he was impressive on Saturday. The big man runs the floor, block shots and has shown strides in his development offensively. A prospect when it’s all said and done could be a top 5 player in his class. 2020 Eddie Lampkin of the Houston Defenders is a load in the paint and won the matchup against Onu as Lampkin used his size and strength to get good position on the block. Lampkin was the top big man performer at “The Platform” and showed why he is one of the top big men in his class. Now Lampkin is one half of what I call the “Defender Towers” as 2020 Nathan Clover shares the front-court with Lampkin and was a handful to deal with inside also. Clover recently has heard from Providence and has received an offer from UTSA. While Lampkin was the best performer, 2021 Jerrell Colbert of Basketball University was the best prospect. When the light is on for Colbert, he heavily impacts the game on both ends and although Colbert still has aspects of his game he really needs to work on, the talent is one thing that the kid doesn’t lack at all.
Smith, Adger Performed
2019 Jourdan Smith of Team Harden caught the attention of the TBB staff in October with Cy Fair Learning Center and the Louisiana native produced a string of strong outings at “The Platform.” Smith plays with a fire and you can tell he hates to lose. He made plays down the stretch for Team Harden and showed why he is ranked on Texasboysbasketball.com. 2020 Quevian Adger for BMM showcased his versatility and his performance against Game Elite. Adger put together his best game the staff HS seen him play this spring. Adger is a top 15 prospect and showed why.
Wheeler, Cryer Backcourt is Potent
“The Conductor” is what I called 2019 Sahvir Wheeler in my last article as he sets the table up for his teammates to eat. Wheeler and 2020 guard LJ Cryer of Basketball University (BU) may not have ideal size that you would want in your backcourt but they are a strong duo especially on the offensive end. Wheeler gets to wherever he wants on the floor and Cryer, who recently received an offer from The University of Texas can score 20 points in his sleep. We have been impressed by how well these two have worked together in backcourt as they led BU to a perfect record this past weekend.
YIIS Elevation Possess Some Intriguing Prospects
The TBB Staff has been familiar with 2021 Samuel Onu but a couple more prospects stood out to the staff. 2020 guard Elfurat Mohtar, forward Daniel Ferrer and forward D’Andre Dues exhibited size and skill that will land them in our updates rankings. Mohtar shot it very well from deep, Ferrer is a workhorse and Dues is a jack of all trades type of player.
Notables
Zachary Iyeyemi, 2019 C – Team Harden: Zachary was a tough cover for opposing bigs as the burly big man was very physical inside and knocked down some shots from the perimeter as well. Iyeyemi recruitment has picked up in the past 30 days with offers from Coastal Carolina, McNeese State and Houston Baptist.
Caleb Lohner, 2020 Wing – BMM: Lohner struggled finding a rhythm offensively on Saturday but Lohner still impacted the game in other ways for BMM and showed why the staff is high on him.
Ky Blodget, 2019 SG – Hyperfuse: Another productive prospect that excels as a slasher. Blodget filled the stat sheet and produced.
Jiwen Taylor, 2019 Wing – Hyperfuse: Taylor plays with grit and in the open court, caused havoc as he got to the paint and finished in many instances.
Elijah Elliott, 2020 CG – D1 Houston: Elliott caught the attention of the staff with his scoring abilities and poise. Elliott has no problem taking the lead role.
Out Of State Love
Ashton Hagans, 2019 PG – Game Elite: was the first time watching Hagans since NBPA Top 100 Camp and Hagans displayed terrific vision. The Kentucky Wildcat commit showed why he is nationally known in the basketball world.
Josh Nickelberry, 2019 SG – Game Elite: Nickelberry can flat out score the basketball. The Fayetteville native is hard to stop when he gets going offensively.
Jariyon Wilkens, 2019 Wing – Mississippi Kings: Wilkens was all over the court. He was a hard matchup for opposing teams and was the leader of the comeback win vs BMM.
Edited by AB