#OTRHoopsReport: Spring Stock Risers – May 20, 2015

Class of 2016 power guard Rawle Alkins makes his presence known on the court and on the recruiting trail. Photo cred – Robert Blanchard/Spalding

There is plenty of movement on the recruiting frontier this spring as college coaches jockey to land impact recruits for their programs. Most of the notable 2015 prospect have committed or signed by this spring. Only three players in the BrandonClayScouting.com ELITE 25 remain uncommitted (Thon Maker, Caleb Swaningan and Stephen Zimmerman). Most of the recruiting chatter that is reported deals with 2016 and 2017 prospects. Here are three players that we tabbed as highly recruitable prospects this winter.

College Coaches can get the full report by clicking here! 

By: @JLHemingwayPSB

Stock Rising in the Spring

Rawle Alkins (Middle Village, N.Y.), Christ the King / NY Rens – 2016

The 6-foot-4 power guard has been busy getting buckets on the Adidas circuit this spring. As a result, the offers and attention from college coaches have followed the highly talented guard. Per Alex Kline, Alkins picked up offers from Texas and Kentucky within the past week. We saw Alkins in a head to head match-up with 5-star guard Mustapha Heron at the Hoop Hall Classic. Here is his evaluation:

Alkins is a slashing guard who is an ELITE athlete. He showed he could rush from the weakside and block shots even if it is out of his area. He provides great energy and hustle on both ends of the floor. He can shoot the mid range with efficiency, but his 3-point jumper was not dropping today. He finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to Sacred Heart.

Alex Barcello (Tempe, Ariz.), Corona Del Sol / Team Bayless – 2017

The 6-2 point guard is one of the hotter names to emerge from West Coast this spring. The heady and skilled guard has picked up a dozen or more offers since the evaluation periods ended last month. Per Jerry Meyer of 247 Sports, Barcello’s offer list includes Arizona, Arizona State, Memphis, Oregon and several others. We evaluated Barcello’s game as he played alongside of 5-star forward Marvin Bagley III at the Hoop Hall Classic. Here is how he performed:

Barcello is a steady handler of the basketball at the point position. However, he complements that skill with the ability to shoot and also be able to create his own shot. He was able to get a 3 off at the end of the shot clock here today versus Putman Vocactional Academy. He has a compact release that points to efficient shooting in the future. Barcello has the type of game that would work well within a system offense like Virginia or Wisconsin. Comparing him to a point guard like Arizona senior T.J. McConnell is not too far of a stretch. He scored 15 points on 6-16 shooting tonight to go with 5 rebounds and 1 assist.

Markelle Fultz (Upper Marlboro, Md.), DeMatha / DC Blue Devils – 2016

While playing for coach Mike Jones this winter at DeMatha High School, Fultz proved to be one of the hottest prospects in the nation. Brandon Clay, who is the Chairman of the High School Board of Selectors for the Naismith Trophy had this to say about Fultz:

Fultz has shown himself to be a premier scorer nationally in the class of 2016. He specializes in being able to score in the mid-range. He is on our early list as a Naismith Watch-list prospect. 

College programs have agreed with this assessment as some of the biggest programs in the country have been courting the 6-4 shooting guard. Per Shun Williams, Fultz has visited Louisville and Kentucky and plans to visit Arizona during the month of June while also picking up an offer from Ohio State this week. We saw Fultz turn in a MVP performance at the Hoop Hall Classic in January. Here is more on that game:

Fultz stole the show today by scoring 25 points on 9 of 19 shooting. He added 3 rebounds and 2 assists in a win over Roselle Catholic. Fultz is a superb athlete who can get into the lane, hang in the air and finish among bigger defenders. He shot the jumper with good form today hitting a 3 and hitting multiple pull-ups in the lane. Given his size and skill set, his recruitment should take off this spring.

 

 

 

Exposure & Showcase Opportunities

 

 

Jonathan Hemingway is a National Evaluator for the OTRHoopsReport. Hemingway serves on the Board of Selectors for the Naismith Trophy. He is also the publisher of CoachHemi.com. He has been involved in the community since 1996 as a coach, camp director and evaluator. You can reach him via email at JonathanHemingway@PeachStateBasketball.com and follow him on  twitter @JLHemingwayPSB