Prep Hoops Prospect Showcase: The Best

<p>What players at the Prep Hoops Prospect Showcase stood out consistently start to finish?  Here is my top group.</p> <p><strong>Connor Davis (Neuqua Valley, IL)</strong>. There was a lot to like about the 6-foot-5 wing who will be a junior next year.  Range was shown making shots at the arc.  Shots at the arc started with the ability of Davis to move without the basketball and find space.  That activity also led to Davis scoring on putbacks and active scores finishing off dishes.  And that quickness off the ball was even more present when Davis faced up other players and used his quickness to get to space in the paint plus the touch was soft in completion. </p> <p><strong>Samuel Fawcett (Sioux Falls Lincoln, SD). </strong>Sam Fawcett may have been the smartest player on the floor Thursday.  At 6-foot-3 as a guard - and the academic marks to play at really good athletic AND academic schools - Sam's decision making and intelligence of floor placement is so far ahead of the others on the floor it was almost unfair.  Sam was in scoring/playmaking positions with every touch of the ball and when that happens an instant advantage is present. And with that advantage you add in scoring touch and a demeanor that allows Sam to calmly score when space is available.  He's going to have a huge senior season leading the Patriots. </p> <p><strong>Corbin Floelich (Paynesville, MN)</strong>.   We've talked a lot about Corbin this week and what we saw at the Summer Showcase was on display at the Showcase, only in bigger bunches.  Corbin is always going to be that player that combines strength and agility to guard several spots, and score near the rim or with some distance.  I liked what I saw form Corbin in the skill drills as he's more fluid with the ball, more comfortable with the jumper than I realized. </p> <p><strong>Talon Hoffer (Fargo Shanley, ND)</strong>.  Yesterday one of the best high school coaches in the state of Minnesota asked about Talon.  When we explained that he is going to be one of North Dakota's best players the coach quickly turned and said "he would be the best player on my team next year no doubt, with that skill, size, and heady play, no doubt". Considering that this coach has placed about 15 kids into D1 schools in the last 20 years that is one hell of a compliment.  Talon backed up the statement well. </p> <p><strong>Aaron McQueen (Lane Tech, IL).  </strong>Footwork?  Check.  Agility?  Big Check.  Effort?  Double Check.  The 6-foot-6 frontcourt 2021 recorded the only double-double that I saw on Thursday with 19 points and 14 rebounds and he was the most consistent bucket getter in the games I watched.  McQueen didn't need 20 shots to score his 19 either, he scored his 18 or 19 on efficient shooting of a dozen shots a game.  Ball skills aren't bad and if he continues to grow look out.  He's already a prospect that has exploded on the Midwest radar. </p> [caption id="attachment_794191" align="alignright" width="150"] Grant Rieker[/caption] <p><strong>Elijah Morris (Perham, MN).  </strong>You know Elijah as a shooter but what you need to know about that shooting is that Elijah sets it up with some of the most precise cuts, and the least wasted space moving around screens that you will see.  He's one of the best at coming off a screen and moving to a spot where the defender isn't.  When Morris gets to his location his hands are up and feet set to knock out perimeter shots.  With feet set and defenders scrambling Elijah is deadly.  But he's also very good at creating that space against a hard working, positioned defender too. </p> <p><strong>Jackson Noll (Cuba City, WI).  </strong>The 5-foot-10 playmaker was one of the most entertaining players at the event.  His fun creations off the dribble were good plays mixed with an entertaining style.  You may or may not be a "basketball is fun" type of guy but know that Jackson doesn't just have that flair, he also has one of the best lefty stroke shooting ranges you will find anyplace.  I watched Noll play twice and in those viewings he hit 11 threes.  Noll also chased down boards and pushed a rapid pace. </p> <p><strong>Grant Rieker (West Des Moines, IA). </strong>We've said a lot about shooters but the best was Grant Rieker from Iowa.  The 6-foot-4 2020 is a high IQ (good ACT score) player that has the same look on his face making a jumper as when he gets slapped in the face, or when he celebrates a game winner.  It doesn't look like you can rattle Grant at all which is a big key in why he hit at least four threes in every game that was played.  He's that guy that had defenders cursing the second they saw that he was open in space.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>