Scouting takeaways from the West Coast Winter swing
January 8, 2025 by Max Feldman
The high school season is in it's peak, and after taking in a pair of loaded events out west in HoopHall West and the Tarkanian Classic over the last few weeks, there's plenty to break down.
Zooming in on two new west coast prospects leaping into the Top-5 of 2027, five breakout 2026's due for recruitment jumps and some intriguing 2025's surging at the right time.
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The Latest in 2027
Two of the biggest needle-movers for me early this season come in this class, as a pair of prospects previously ranked in the Top-25 have ascended into the Top-5, and don't look to be going anywhere anytime soon:
- Dating back to the West Circuit two years ago, Bruce Branch III has been a favorite because of his assortment of winning traits and complementary skills. After playing a reserve role on the eventual state champs in Perry (AZ) a year ago, he's beginning to turn the corner towards being a premier national prospect as a sophomore after a fantastic spring and summer with the Compton Magic. Now flirting with 6-7, he's a brisk decision-maker, gets his offense all within the flow, versatile shot-maker, has shown tons more confidence attacking off the bounce and is engaged around the clock defensively. Establishing a deep collection of winning traits early in high school in winning programs, closely followed with enhanced freedom and comfort on the offense end has been a prime recipe for recent sophomore rises as of late (a la Brandon McCoy Jr & Jordan Smith Jr among others) and Bruce Branch III is next in line. The 16-year-old wing has risen to 3rd overall in the class and is a real contender for the top overall spot in the class in time.
- Many of the top prospects in the sophomore class are still ironing how to produce consistently, especially those on top national programs; Obinna Ekezie is in rarified air in the class as one of the few impacting winning at a high level on a national program already.
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