Keyon Gipson - Flagler United (Pictured) - 2030
There is a lot to like about Keyon Gipson’s future. The rising freshman immediately sticks out with his height, frame and game. Gipson is long and strong, an intimidating post presence who serves as a paint monster. Keyon snatches offensive rebounds, runs the floor and alters shots. Against Born Ballers, Gipson scored thrice on putbacks while flashing blossoming back to the basket moves on post ups. Keyon showed a willingness to shoot mid-range jumpers and was 2-2 from the foul line. In total, Gipson hung 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks in the 58-39 win while playing up an age group. Keyon looks like a future college prospect as he continues to get high level reps and refines his game.

Troy Reddin - Flagler United - 2029
A standout on the gridiron, Troy’s elusiveness translates over to the hardwood as a shifty downhill guard. The lefty loves to get to the hoop, spinning off defenders to set up crafty finishes with backspin. Reddin is efficient when scoring with his right hand. Troy has a unique shot, a quick release without a follow through while keeping his right hand on the ball till the very last second. He’s a dangerous playmaker along the perimeter with his ability to attack left and right equally well. He racked up 12 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal against Born Ballers.

Jerry Levine - Gwinnett Eagles OTR - 2029
Part of a relentless full court attack littered with quick undersized guards, Levine is arguably the head of the snake with his two-way approach. Levine provides tremendous energy as he chases the ball around trapping all over the floor. The Dacula guard seemingly never gets tired as he races around the court making plays. Jerry intercepts passes and looks to push the ball down the floor at a high tempo. Levine has deep three-point range and is slithery when it comes to penetrating to set up his floater. In a 58-37 win over OTM, Jerry racked up 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 steals. His pace is fun to watch. 

Gio Valencia - OTM - 2029
I like Gio’s upside. Capable of playing either the one or the two, Valencia has nice size on the perimeter. He’s most effective playing off the ball as a catch-and-shoot sniper. Against the Gwinnett Eagles, Valencia lit it up with four threes. He has a smooth easy stroke that could help him vie for playing time as an underclassman at Mill Creek. 

Brandon Pierre - Team Gold Coast OTR - 2029
Pierre is a bucket getter. He can lull you to sleep upon the catch before making lightning quick moves to explode to the rim. Brandon’s a rangy scorer. He beats you from all three levels as he has floaters, mid-range pull-ups and three-point range at his disposal. Defensively, his activity when guarding on-ball impresses. He’s quick laterally with great hand-eye coordination to swipe away steals. He went for 20 points, 3 rebounds and 6 steals in a win over Tier2Elite, splashing three threes in the process.

Krish Mehta - Tier2Elite - 2029
I came away impressed with Krish. While he’s not a finished product just yet, he reminds me a little bit of smaller Varun Danak. Mehta isn’t quite as tall but he has a similar gangly build with deceptive coordination and skill. Krish is effective in the high and low posts. He can shoot the 15-footer and is willing to attack off the dribble, backing down his man upon face ups. Mehta can create mismatches if guarded by traditional posts as his first step gets him to the rim quickly where he rises up to finish with the occasional slam. His springiness is impactful defensively, elevating to swat away shots. Adding muscle and continuing to gain experience will help with his trajectory. Only a rising sophomore, Atlanta International has a sneaky good piece to pour into.

Koen Oder-Bailey - B-Maze - 2029
Koen was the spark that lit the flame in B-Maze’s come from behind win over Elite Playmakers. After a two-point first half, Oder-Bailey began to be more aggressive not only as a scorer but as a playmaker. Good things happened when he touched the ball. Only around 5-foot-9, Koen plays much larger than his height. His athletic high motor play wore down the opposition. He’s a great rebounder, crashing in to steal second possessions. His court vision and sharp passing picked apart the defense, whistling in one-handed assists to the block from the top of the key. Koen got to his left hand twice for a pair of buckets and swished two threes as he tallied 12 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in a 56-40 victory after trailing 21-15 at the half. His energy is infectious.

Jaden Barnes - Elite Playmakers - 2029
Jaden was one of the best on-ball defenders I watched all weekend. Barnes was aggressively relentless in his pursuit of dogging ball handlers. Barnes has very long arms for his size and uses them to his advantage, eliminating penetration by sliding laterally to beat his man to the spot while opportunistically poking away steals. The harassing guard’s defense sparked his offense. Jaden found success attacking the hoop, drawing fouls in the process as he shot 4-8 from the stripe as part of his 15 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals against B-Maze. As his outside shot becomes more consistent, Barnes’ two-way impact will expand. I love his toughness.