Vantage Hoops Top 250 First Team
The Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo held by Vantage Hoops at Randolph Macon last Sunday was a huge success with over 200 prospects and 35 college coaches in attendance. With such a large group of talented players it’s hard to figure out where to get started with breaking down the event, but we’ll start with naming our All Expo First Team, chosen as a collaboration from the Vantage Hoops staff and the coaches from the event.
MVP: Jason Wade | 6’4” G | Trinity Episcopal 2018
Wade is the type of guard who fits a camp setting perfectly because he’s strong and athletic enough to get where he wants to and he has a good enough feel to make other players look good as well. He showed the ability to play on and off the basketball, get in the lane to make plays, finish at the rim through contact and he was no “o-lay” defensively as he guarded multiple positions and started the break by forcing turnovers. While he was underrecruited as a 2017 prospect, his college ready body, mixed in with his athleticism and ability to play on or off the ball should make him a mid major plus prospect moving forward.
Armando Bacot | 6’8” PF | Trinity Episcopal 2019
Unlike Wade, Bacot’s biggest knock may be that he needs to get his body right before heading to the next level, but he has plenty of time to do that and his raw talent was as impressive as anyone at the camp last Sunday. At 6’8”, he has tremendous hands and good footwork, and he can score with both hands around the basket and is money from anywhere inside of 18 feet. He’s still growing, has feel well beyond his years and his athleticism is starting to improve, which bolds well for him moving forward as he tries to get his body right. There’s no wonder he has double digit offers already as sophomore.
Isaiah Todd | 6’8” WF | John Marshall HS 2020
While the two mentioned before him were great throughout the camp, it’s hard to argue against the fact that Todd was the best collegiate prospect at the Expo. While we don’t like to make bold and blanketed statements, the sheer size, length and skillset that he possesses could make him one of the best prospects we’ve seen in Virginia in a long time. He’s able to handle it in transition, controls the glass, is able to create his own shot at all three levels and is only going to get better as he moves forward! His biggest concern moving forward is that he needs to fill out his upper body, but at such a young age that’s something that will only make him much better moving better.
Mekhi Long | 6’6” WF | St. Mary’s-Rykin (MD) 2019
Long, lanky and with an improving skill set, Long’s ceiling is as high as they come for a sophomore wing. He excels in the middle game, where he’s able to put it on the floor and use his size to shoot over players smaller than him. He rebounds well, uses his length on the defensive end to cause problems in passing lanes and with guards smaller than him. Like many of the younger players at the event, Long needs to fill out, and while he’s improving his game in all facets if he’s able to handle it in transition and use his size to see the floor better he’ll take his game to a whole nother level. Still, he looked every bit like a high major prospect on Sunday.
Zach Jacobs | 6’7” PF | Trinity Episcopal 2017
Zachary Jacobs – 6’7″ junior – Trinity EpiscopalAnother kid who’s game is built for camp settings, Jacobs did not disappoint on Sunday, as he rarely does at Vantage Hoops events. His athleticism and motor allows him to run the floor for transition baskets and hit the offensive glass, putting the myth that bigs don’t touch the basketball in camps to shame. He showed off tremendous athleticism with huge dunks in transition throughout the event, and looked more consistent shooting the three-ball in the half court set. He’s still improving his ability to put the ball on the floor on the perimeter, but his work ethic is evident in the fact that he plays hard and is an impact player in whatever setting he’s in.
Kelvin Nicholson | 6’8” PF | Cox HS 2017
Nicholson had a breakout summer with Team Loaded 757 and his improvement showed as he dominated many bigs that he was matched up with. He has good size at 6’8”, showed a soft touch in the paint, got off his feet well to finish at the basket and contest shots at the rim and rebounded well on both ends. We’ve heard questions about his motor in the past, but he put those concerns to rest as he busted his butt in the stations portion of the Expo, showing that he’s willing to put in the work to get better. He had a number of division two coaches that were very intrigued, and if he continues to work on his footwork and toning up his upper body there’s no doubt that he has a chance to be a scholarship level player.
Rasir Bolton | 6’2” PG | Bishop Sullivan 2018
The number one point guard in the Vantage Hoops 2018 class showed exactly why he’s that, as even in an unstructured environment such as a camp he balanced his ability to score it at a high level while also using his feel and vision to get others easy shots in rhythm. Bolton’s competitive nature challenged other players and made his teammates play even harder, and when he was challenged he was able to get a bucket from wherever on the floor when he needed to. He’s improved his jump shot over the past few years, and his calm demeanor and ability to lead show why he’s a nationally ranked prospect with double digit high major offers.
Nate Spurlock | 6’6” PF | WT Woodson HS 2018
Talk about improvement, Spurlock burst onto the scene last season with WT Woodson and continued to impress over the summer with District Basketball Club. He needs to fill out more, although he has bulked up somewhat from last year, but his finesse game causes problems for other bigs who use force as intimidation. The long lefty can stroke it out to the three point line, has good vision from the high post and while he isn’t the strongest or most athletic big out there, he’s willing to bang with the best of them in the paint for rebounds and is solidifying himself as a scholarship level player moving forward.
Matt Lewis | 6’4” WG | Bishop O’Connell 2017
Lewis played a pivotal role in Bishop O’Connell’s run to the VISAA Division One semifinals as a lock down defender and energy player, and this summer with Baltimore Elite his play caught the eye of division one coaches as he picked up his first three offers. At the Expo, Lewis was phenomenal in transition as he finished at the rim, crashed the offensive glass and kept plays alive for his teammates. He can hit the three off the catch both in transition and in the half court, and is capable of breaking down his defenders and getting in the lane in isolation situations. His stellar play bolds well for O’Connell moving forward, and if he can be a reliable scorer in the WCAC this season he could see even more offers moving forwards.
Xavier Johnson | 6’1” PG | Bishop O’Connell 2018
Don’t get the order of this list confused, Johnson was firmly in the running for Expo MVP as he dominated other guards with his quickness and ability to finish in traffic at will. Lewis’ backcourt mate at O’Connell should compliment each other well, as Johnson has the ability to get in the lane at will and has great drive-and-kick ability. He keeps his head up in transition, showed great burst with the ball in his hands and has the chip and competitive nature even in camp settings. He had a great summer with Team Takeover 16U that landed him his first two offers, and with the departure of Ako Adams to Rice University the ball will be in Johnson’s hands for the majority of the season. He showed that he should be ready.