As we say in the texasboysbasketball.com office. “We’ll be where the players are,” and the players this past weekend were at Duncanville Fieldhouse for the third annual Elite 32 presented by Terry Thomas of Texas Impact 4:13 and Kenny Wright of The Program. Sam Freeman prove he is the best center in Dallas? Where does he compare to the top big men in the state of Texas. We dive in as the TBB staff delivers their thoughts.
Sam Freeman Ruled The Paint
The 2019 Justin Northwest post made a statement this past weekend at the Elite 32 with two strong outings against high quality competition with YGC36 and Oklahoma PWP. Freeman, who plays with 3-D Sports recently received an offer from Minnesota, has noticeably gotten stronger and his skill set has improved as well. He imposed his will in the paint and got clean looks around the basket, collected double digit rebounds in both games and blocked or altered shots at the rim. In regards to centers, Will Baker out of Austin Westlake is the best player in that class and you have DJ Thorpe (Lake Travis) and Nigel Johns (Homeschool) also in the mix but if this is the Freeman that we will going forward, he is right behind Baker in regards to prospects in this class.
The 2020 Crop YGC36 Possess
We got a good look at YGC36’s 17U and 16U group and we were impressed with top 20 prospect Julian Larry, big man Gethro Muscadin and bouncy guard Thailand Wesley. Larry, who is a blur when he pushes the ball in transition put constant pressure on the defense, attacking the gaps and making sound decisions with the ball. Muscadin impacts the game both ways due to his ability to rebound the ball offensively and defensively. He has a skillset to build on to as the forward for Sunrise Christian has received offers from SMU, LA Tech and Wichita State. Wesley plays above the rim, a threat to throw it down when the opportunity presents itself as he has a lot to work with.
Notables
Latrell Jossell, 2020 PG – Texas Playmakers: Latrell is strong and he is a pest defensively. The guard for the Playmakerz continued to attack the gaps and accumulated multiple double digit outings.
Ronnie Sanders, 2019 CG – FIRM: Sanders is a fearless shot taker that scores in bunches. Sanders played downhill and is a top 100 player in his class.
Max Abmas, 2019 PG – 3-D Sports: There aren’t many outing I can recollect from where Abmas wasn’t efficient from the field and at the Elite 32, it was more of the same. Max has great range on his jumper and he did a solid job running his team.
Michael Hall, 2021 SF/PF – The Program: Hall knows to stay in the game as the active forward rebounds, defends and plays with an aggressive nature. Hall is an intriguing prospect that we will keep an eye going into July.
Preston Okereke , 2019 PF – Texas Impact 4:13 Zeque: Preston looks the part of a D1 basketball player. His skill is coming along but we liked how hard he was playing. Okereke shot it well from three and exhibited some toughness.