Intriguing Prospects From Gonzaga Classic

<p>Last night I made the trip to Gonzaga as they hosted the annual <strong>Gonzaga Classic</strong>. Each year the event features some of the top teams from the area and they go up against some of the better nationally known programs. Friday was no different as there was a ton of talent in the gym that drew head coaches from Bucknell and George Washington and assistants from Georgetown, George Mason, Siena, Navy, Villanova, St. John's Loyola (MD) and St. John's to stop by and evaluate the talent. Below are five prospects that made a name for themselves. </p> <p><strong>2021 6’2 Hodges Flemming | Gonzaga Prep (WA)</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> I was absolutely shocked when Flemming told me after the game that he is not being recruited by any schools at the moment. Even in a loss against, he was one of the most talked about players in the gym. I was really impressed with his handle and how he got by defenders constantly to get to the rim even though he is only 6’2. He finished with 22 points. He very well could be one of the biggest stock risers from this past weekend.</span></p> <p><strong>2021 6’5 Jared Billups | McDonogh</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The local schools that were in attendance had to of liked what they saw out of the junior from Baltimore. Jared was by far the most important player on the court for McDonogh. He was out hustling a lot of people, rebounded well and his smooth jumper was impressive. If Billups doesn’t get in foul trouble early in the third quarter, McDonogh might have not lost their double digit lead they had. Billups finished with 15 points in the loss. </span></p> <p><strong>2020 6’7 Zaire Rogers | Gray Collegiate</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If any schools still need a high motor athletic wing that can rebound, Zaire is your guy. Rogers was all over the boards last night as he tallied 8 rebounds to go along with his 7 points and 2 blocks. Rogers has long arms which allows him to alter a lot of things on defense. He demonstrated that when he is double teamed down low, he can also kick it out to his teammates on the perimeter. Rogers is very intriguing because of his size and mobility and ability to finish plays above the rim. At 6’7 there are a ton of programs that would be lucky to get the unsigned senior at this point in the calendar year.</span></p> <p><strong>2020 6’6 Chase Beasley | St. Stephen's &amp; St. Agnes</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This past summer Chase looked great during Capitol Hoops Summer League and DMV Live and that type of play continued last night for SSSA in their big win over Imhotep. SSSA is known for guys that have good motors and Chase showed that last night in grabbing some tough rebounds and was always active and making the right play. He hit some nice mid range runners finishing with 10 points and 7 rebounds. Defensively he was making life very hard for Imhotep.</span></p> <p><strong>2020 6’8 Elijah Taylor | Imhotep</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Notre Dame got a good one in Elijah Taylor. Taylor is someone else that displayed a great motor last night. I was impressed with his defense as he was not letting life easy for SSSA. He was certainly one of the strongest players in the gym which allowed him to get a lot of easy baskets at the rim for Imhotep. The Notre Dame commit finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. </span></p>