Nike Elite 100: Monday Standouts

PrepHoops was in the house for the start of the prestigious Nike Elite 100 Camp on Monday in St. Louis. This event is for the premier 2021 and 2022 prospects in the country and annually is a place where prospects make their case as the best of the best. Here we dive into the top performers from Monday!   PG Kenneth Simpson (Chaminade College Prep, CA - 2021) Simpson was the consummate floor general for his squad on the opening night of games. The lead guard from California made everything go. True point guard that would rather get others involved first and foremost then pick his spots to score. Tremendous feel for the game. Pushed it in transition with speed always having his head up to make a play. Hit a couple pull up jumpers. Competed on the defensive end even blocking his opponents shot a couple times.   PF Jaxon Kohler (Wasatch Academy, UT – 2021) Kohler is a four man who just gets stuff done. Skilled kid who has an array of post moves and a crafty game around the hoop. He isn’t overly athletic, but produces with his crafty all-around game. Loves to utilize shot fakes.   SG Chris Livingston (Akron Buchtel, OH – 2022) This was my first look at the highly touted shooting guard from Ohio. Explosive wing scorer that totally looks the part. Broad shouldered 6’5” shooting guard that has the look of an NBA lottery pick. Explosive athlete who plays way above the rim in transition. High points rebounds in traffic. Overall game needs to round out, but there are a lot of intriguing tools here.   C Jalen Duren (Roman Catholic, DE – 2022) Duren is another top 5 national player in the 2022 class that I got my first look at. The 6’9” post is a load inside with his wide base and ability to garner deep post position from the jump. At times he takes a bit too long to get into his post moves, but when he is quick with them he is unstoppable. Physical rebounder that played with an edge.   C Franck Kepnang (Westtown School, PA – 2021) Kepnang is absolutely my favorite big man in the country in 2021. He is a grown man! It was great to see him matchup against Isitua as they are both mammoth humans with athleticism to go with it. He is an ELITE shot blocker at this stage and gets better each and every time I see him play. He dunks every time he gets his mitts on the ball inside.   SG Langston Love (Byron P Steele, TX – 2021) Love is an aggressive scoring two guard that was strong taking it to the hoop on straight line drives. Consistently was in attack mode getting to the rim and had a burst in transition which was impressive.   C Daimion Collins (Atlanta, TX – 2021) Collins is a skinny five man with a long and lanky build. The Team Griffin standout put a few very impressive moves together on Monday night. Up and under by his man which he finished with a powerful dunk. Finished a dump off pass with a clean dunk. High pointed rebounds in traffic. So much upside here!   C Chuks “Lucky” Isitua (Cy-Fair Learning, TX – 2021) Isitua is a big boy at 6’9”. He snatches rebounds like they are going out of style. Gets on the offensive glass for put backs. Contests shots on the interior. Even drilled a three from the top of the key.   PG Dug McDaniel (Paul VI, DC – 2022) McDaniel is a lead guard who showed a complete game. As a scorer he mixed in an array of runners and threes. Also was excellent as a distributor throwing full court outlets and finding his teammates when they were open for easy buckets.   PF David Dixon (Memphis Academy of Health and Science, TN – 2021) Dixon is a lanky four who plays good post defense. He fights on that end of the floor and uses his hands to deflect entry passes. Runs the floor very well. High pointed rebounds in traffic.   SG Malaki Branham (St. Vincent St. Mary’s, OH – 2021) The SVSM product out of Akron is a plus transition athlete who made a ton of plays in the open floor scoring. An array of dunks, but the best one might have been when he stole the ball and went the length of the court to dunk on the guy he just stole it from. Has some range on his shot out to beyond the three point arc.   C AJ Casey (Tinley Park High School, IL – 2022) Casey looked solid early on in the drills portion of the day. Fluid handles with the ball getting up and down the court in the open floor. Used his length on the defensive end with an impressive swat! In the night game he played inside and out. Measured in at 6’7” without shoes, but did struggle a little against length. Super active around the hoop. One of the top prospects in state of Illinois regardless of class.   SF Bryce Hopkins (Fenwick, IL – 2021) Hopkins is coming off an outstanding showing at the Riverside Brookfield Shootout over the weekend. He is playing with a lot of confidence right now. Hopkins shot it well from the perimeter drilling multiple threes. Silky smooth floor game with strength and a high basketball IQ. Hopkins didn’t shine much in the game we saw at night.   C Adama Sanogo (Our Savior New American, NY – 2021) This kid was an absolute beast in the drills portion of the day on Monday. The 6’8” physical force from New York reminds you a little bit of Kofi Cockburn. Thick bodied five man that is powerful finishing around the hoop. He threw down everything around the hoop with force. Excellent screener. Even showed some touch on a mid-range jumper from the baseline.   C Efton Reid (The Steward School, VA – 2021) Reid displayed skill work. When he garnered deep post position he used his footwork and back to the basket moves to score putting combination moves together. Also threw in a couple of deep threes.