Next Up Recruits Freshman Camp: Top Forwards and Posts
Next Up Recruits held their second annual Freshman camp this past Saturday at Taylor County High School in Campbellsville. Many of the top freshmen in Kentucky were in attendance. There were also players in attendance from Indiana, West Virginia, Alabama and Illinois. Here’s a rundown of some of the top performing forwards and post players at camp.
Mason Moore (Paintsville) – Mason did a lot of his damage from 15 feet and in. He possesses a nice shooting touch but a slow release will need to be sped up in the future. Skilled around the rim, Moore’s ceiling will likely be determined by how much more he will grow in the coming years. Mason could go down as one of the best all time at Paintsville as he averaged over 16 points per game as an 8th grader last season and will only get better over the coming years.
Isaiah Mason. Photo Courtesy of KY Prep ReportScott Hamm IV (Russell County) – Hamm is a blue collar player who did most of his damage in the post. Scott is a strong two handed rebounder who finished through contact consistently. Hamm is 6’4″ now and showed the ability to finish with both hands around the basket. Scott saw action in 4 varsity games as an 8th grader last season and should contribute even more for the Lakers this season.
Noah Gordon (Shelby County) – Gordon was listed at 6’4″ but looks closer to 6’6″ and was a top 10-12 player at camp Saturday. Gordon did most of his damage in the pick and roll but does have some range on his jump shot. Noah’s older brother James is a redshirt freshman at Toledo this summer and Noah is a better prospect than James was entering his freshman season.
Isaiah Mason (Bowling Green) – Mason could easily have been included in the article about top wings. Isaiah looks to be an ideal small forward or stretch forward. Long and athletic, Mason show his ability as a slasher and demonstrated finishing skills at the rim. He reminds me of a young Dontaie Allen at the same age. Where Dontaie has improved as a shooter in the last 3 years, Mason will need to do the same if he wants to attract the eyes of college coaches in the future.
Darius Washington (Fern Creek) – Perhaps the most potential of anyone at camp, Darius Washington is all upside at this point. Already 6’6″ and still growing, Darius showed a lot of ability on Saturday. He showed the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. It’s clear Darius has had plenty of training on post moves as he was most comfortable scoring on the block. If Washington grows a couple more inches to 6’8″ or bigger, he has high major Division I potential.
Trey James (Sheldon Clark) – James was 4 inches taller than the next closest camp attendee and it showed. Trey used his size advantage to punish defenders on the block. Trey is clearly the #2 prospect in the 2021 class behind Zion Harmon. He should put up monster numbers in the 15th region and have more than a couple of triple doubles in the high school season. Trey likely won’t see another post player his size until AAU comes back around in the spring.