#OTRHoopsReport – Summer of 2014 Stock Risers – August 14, 2014
Jaylen Brown is a consensus top 3 prospect in the class of 2015 after this summer. His stock rose quicker than anyone else in the nation and his recruitment reflects that.
The travel season is closed, college coaches are making their calls and many of the official visits are set. August is the month where evaluators and pundits will gather their thoughts and notes into rankings. Now it is our turn to take a look at our evaluations to tell who had the best July.
By: @JLHemingwayPSB
SUMMER STOCK RISERS
It would be hard to argue that anyone took a bigger leap in the class of 2015 than Jaylen Brown of Marietta, Ga. Dating back to his play with USA Basketball this spring, Brown has reportedly been the most dominant player overseas as well as on the circuit. At 6-foot-7 with elite perimeter skill to match, his game is drawing comparisons to class of 2014 Arizona signee, Stanley Johnson of Fullerton, Calif. His recruiting reflects this jump as he is scheduled to take visits to Kansas and Kentucky in the fall while recently visiting UCLA in the past week.
One of the biggest jumps made by a class of 2016 prospect was made by Eli Wright of Owensboro, Ky., this summer. The 6-5 wing made a huge splash at the On the Radar Hoops Elite 32 in July. The left-hander picked up nearly double digit offers which included SEC schools such as Tennessee and Texas A&M.
Jawun Evans of Fountain Inn, S.C., had a brilliant string of spring and summer showings. It started with him leading the SC Raptors to a Bob Gibbons championship in May and then ran into several solid performances with Team Texas Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit. By the time he finished up at the NBPA Camp in Charlottesville, Va., he had put himself in the conversation as the nation’s best true point guard. He has official visits already set with Southern California, Illinois and Oklahoma State.
Honorable Mention
Perhaps the prospect with the most amount of upside in the class is Chris Clarke of Virginia Beach, Va. After his performance at the NBPA camp in June, it was evident that the 6-6 small forward has nearly as much athleticism as anyone in the class.
Class of 2016 forward Matthew Moyer of Columbus, Ohio, surprised some by giving his verbal commitment to a school outside of the Buckeye State in Syracuse. His productive July gave way to his ranking and recruitment rising.
Kobi Simmons of Alpharetta, Ga., certainly is on a path of stardom after this July. He made an appearance in the Adidas Nationals on ESPN earlier this month. This follows and equally impressive outing at the NBPA Camp in June leads many to believe that he earn a 5-star rating going into his junior year of high school.
Exposure and Showcase Opportunities:
August 30, 2014 – On the Radar Hoops Rising Star Camp
September 13/14 – EBA All-American Camp
September 20 – On the Radar Hoops Fall Showcase
October 11 – CoachHemi.com Fall Workout
Jonathan Hemingway is a National Evaluator for the OTRHoopsReport. 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
