I saw a lot of players this past weekend at North Lake (Irving, Texas) for the Duel in DFW to Rockwall, Texas for the New Balance P32 Regional. I evaluated a ton pop prospects and going to knock out various articles of what I saw in my 25 hours in the gym.
I’ll start with the top 2028-2030 performers from the New Balance P32 regional in Dallas.
2028 Prospects
Derein Hollman, 6’4 Wing – Tyler Prospects 16U: Athletic wing prospect that excels in transition and is a reliable lob target. Just plays hard, gets on the glass, and cuts when the guard drives to the basket.
Aiden Clark, 5’11 PG – Max Levels 17U: Had an okay game on Saturday, but Aiden is showing he can run a team. A marksman from deep that has a crafty handle and good in pick n roll. Even when the shots weren’t falling, I felt he was being a good ball-mover, vocal leader and still had a short memory of his misses.
Eric Beard Jr, 6’4 SG – Houston Defenders 17U: Bucket getter that has a good basketball body. Strong, gets to the basket, makes jumpers off the bounce and is a physical defender. The on-ball rim pressure he provided was impressive.
Photo: Ani Umana (Athlete AI)
Mekhi Penelton, 6’6 PF/SF – Max Levels 16U: Physical tweener with good size. Intriguing basketball talent with solid motor and inside and out scoring upside. Best basketball is ahead of him for sure as he continues to polish up game.
Jaron Couture, 6’3 CG – RL9 16U: A physical driving combo that keeps pressure on the defense. Good first step, contact finisher, bumps defenders off their spots on drives and a quality kick-out artist that finds the open man from three.
Rashard Lewis Jr, 6’2 CG – RL9 16U: Good ball mover and quick decision maker. Son of long-time NBA’er Rashard Lewis. Dependable standstill shooter, smart off-ball player that scores within the flow of the offense.
2029 Prospects
Alex Alexander Eval
I’m a fan of seeing prospects playing up during the spring and summer (if they are good enough to) and current 6-foot-10 freshman Alex Alexander is actually playing two divisions higher.
This was my second weekend watching the southpaw from Mesquite, TX at the 17U level and I think he’s holding his own just fine. He’s playing hard and understanding that he needs to play hard each possession. The physical build he’s equipped with (muscular, runs just as fast as a guard and athletic) helps him vs. other bigs. When he’s running rim to rim, he’s able to get dunks, complete put backs and defensively, challenge shots at the rim. The game just has to slow down for him and it hasn’t yet.
It’s rare to see someone with his size, with an explosive first step, at his age. Although you want someone like him as close to the rim as possible, if he could ever unlock a consistent jumper to force harder closeouts or a killer drive game where he can attack with either hand and offer plenty of counters, he could be a real problem in the future. When I take another look at him in mid-May, I’ll like to see how he’s improved and where the confidence is by then.
2030 Prospects
Vegas Showtime 2030 Trio
I saw five current eighth graders playing up on the 15U or 16U level. Mind you, there may have been more, but five I knew. Vegas Showtime had three of them that played 16U and they were impact guys. Noah Whitmore is a bruising force that scored with back to basket, with mid-range jumpers and was impactful on the glass. He has a blue-collar type of a game. Cooper Whipple is a 6’6 power forward that was dominant on the glass. Tracks the ball very well, can rebound and push the ball and face-up from the mid-post, attack and score. Cash Barrett was the pg and he has a good feel for the game. Still plays up-right when handling the ball, but still protects the ball and makes the right read quickly. Extends the floor with his jumpshooting and I like how he knows where to get his teammates easy looks and control the pace of the game.
Bison Lott, 6’3 CG – Max Levels: A physical scoring guard that can drive and have counters attacking with either hand. He doesn’t blow by guys, but his in n’ out combos, change of speeds and spins to gain an advantage on the defender were on display. Mature game for a rising freshman.
Niles Neumann, 5’7 PG – RL9: A lefty scoring guard with deep range on his jumper. He’s a very confident player with a short memory. Shot selection could be better, but when he rattles off a few in a row, it’s like throwing a ball in an ocean.
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