Chase Smith (Team United): Smith has been a consistent producer in our Blue Lea7ue and this past weekend was no different. He’s a long and fluid athlete who popped out with his productivity on the glass + in the paint. He’s an instinctive shot blocker who forces opponents to settle into difficult shots with his length and size. Smith has functional touch around the rim, plus he has the size to post up smaller opponents to take advantage of mismatch opportunities.
Xavier Skipworth (Team Takeover Ray): Skipworth is a skilled wing that possesses an intriguing combination of skill and positional size. He’s a smooth operator in the mid-range area and he connected on an array of pull-up jumpers this past weekend. A capable three-point shooter however, he did the majority of his damage inside the arc. Skipworth has the positional size and athleticism to effectively guard multiple positions on the defensive end of the floor.
Shalahn Beckford (TPG UPLAY): Beckford is an athletic wing and off-guard guard who had some strong showings over the weekend. Although he is more comfortable operating off the ball and isn’t always a primary ball handler, he’s a valuable playmaker. He had a functional handle that allowed him to beat his man off the bounce, plus he had a strong sense of where open teammates would be. Beckford converted some impressive finishes through traffic over the weekend as well.
Joshua Huggins (Alabama Fusion): Huggins is a true competitor and he played with a high motor on both ends of the floor all weekend long. He’s a physical slasher who uses his strength to force his way downhill off the bounce. He’s a tough finisher at the rim who possesses the strength to absorb and finish through contact in the lane. Huggins still has a long way to go in his development, although there’s a lot of signs to like at this point.
Kaden Irwin (Alabama Fusion): Irwin put together some impressive flashes as a secondary creator, however he proved to have the versatility to play multiple positions. He possesses strong positional size, disruptive length, and plenty of athleticism for a prospect at his position. He did a great job using long strides to gain ground on smaller opponents when attacking the rim. Defensively, Irwin’s physical tools gave him the switchability to defend guards or wings on the perimeter.
Aaron Ellis (NY Gauchos): Ellis is an athletic and downhill guard that has a knack for getting to the rim when the ball is in his hands. He used an ultra-quick first step to beat opponents off the bounce, plus he possesses the physicality to finish through contact around the rim. Ellis was a proficient and productive slasher that looked to break apart opposing defenses. Defensively, he was a physical point of attack defender who could wall off opposing slashers.
Kevin Wheatley (NY Lightning): Wheatley is another prospect who possesses intriguing physical tools. He’s a long and rangy athlete who has taken strides as a shooter + ball handler throughout the winter. He proved this past weekend that he’s a capable spot-up shooter from three-point range. Wheatley also uses minimal dribbles when slashing downhill, plus he has the length to extend the ball away from rim protectors.
Corey Hadden (Expressions Elite): Hadden had a solid showing in Expressions opening round over the weekend. He’s a high-motor rebounder who used his physicality and toughness to secure rebounds on the defensive end of the floor. He was a potential mismatch out of the pick & roll due to his strong positional size + his upper body strength. Hadden showed some positive indicators over the weekend and he played hard on every possession.
Ian Archbold (New Heights): Archbold is another long wing forward prospect who popped out with his floorspacing and versatility. He was a high volume pick and pop threat who could consistently knock down open spot-up jumpers off the catch. He has a functional handle to beat poor closeouts off the bounce, plus he has a quick first step for a prospect his size which helps him get downhill. Archbold is a switchable defender who could guard in space, plus he has the size + length to contain opponents around the rim.
