Top 250 Expo: Standout Shooters

Colby Giacubeno

September 25, 2019 @ 03:12 PM

Last Saturday, Prep Hoops invaded Park School for their annual Top 250 Expo. In the best turnout yet, over 100 prospects gathered to showcase their skills in front of over a dozen college coaches and evaluators. This event is always a perfect opportunity to find players who have flown under the radar and for the ones that are already talked about, a chance to prove themselves against great competition. For this article, we’ll take a look at the players who stood out with their shooting performances. [player_tooltip player_id="904660" first="Josh" last="Rivers"] | 6’1 | ’22 Archbishop Spalding Rivers could’ve very well been the best shooter attending the expo. When I first saw Rivers the summer heading into his freshman season, he was 5-foot-8 on a good day. Now, he is a legitimate 6-foot-1 and still has a quick trigger. Growing those few inches made a big difference in his ability to get his shot off against taller defenders closing out on him. Saturday, he was knocking down three’s left and right. He’s very much a catch-and-shoot type of guy, but he moves well off the ball and demands much of the defenses attention with his ability to stretch the floor.   [player_tooltip player_id="832936" first="Cam" last="Sapienza"] | 6’1 | ’20 Mount St. Joe Sapienza has emerged as a highly sought after prospect by Division III schools. His shooting, toughness and willingness to make winning plays mesh well with any system. Saturday, he showed much improved ability to make plays off the bounce. He struggled to find his mark from deep in the beginning, but gained confidence after attacking the rim and seeing a couple of mid-range shots fall. Even Division II programs took notice to Sapienza and followed up at the conclusion of the event.   Niko Georgelis | 6’5 | ’21 Loyola Georgelis put those around the area on notice that he could be a consistent presence for the Dons this season. With good size at 6-foot-5, Georgelis can play the four and stretch the floor effectively with his shooting ability. Saturday, he was efficiently knocking down shots off the catch both off of drive and kicks in the half court, and in transition when the ball handler didn’t have a good look at the rim. On his catch, he is always sure to get his feet square to the basket and gets nice rotation on the ball following his release.   [player_tooltip player_id="836500" first="Vincent" last="Payne"] | 6’2 | ’21 St. Maria Goretti If you follow Goretti closely, you’ll know that Payne has shown flashes of being a solid prospect. Coaches around the BCL are very aware that he will have a much increased role on this season’s team. Saturday, Payne got off to a slow start in terms of efficiency, but once he saw one go in, the gates opened. One thing that Payne does exceptionally well is move without the ball. He understands the defensive principles and where his man is expected to rotate, so he uses that to his advantage to find openings. Countless times, this helped free him up for good shots from beyond the arc and he made his defender pay for being late on the close out.   Martynas Sabaliauaskas | 6’8 | ’20 St. James School Sabaliauaskas was another prospect I was watching for the first time on Saturday. With great size at 6-foot-8, his perimeter skills make him very intriguing. On top of having a high motor and being a presence on the glass, he spreads the floor offensively. Sabaliauaskas his his fair share of bombs from deep that seemed to catch his defender off guard. With his size, he demands the big to respect his range and play out on the three-point line. Not only can he hit shots, but it also frees up the driving lanes and takes away a shot blocker for the opposition.