National Hoopfest Underclassmen Standouts

<p>For the past 10 years, the National Hoopfest has brought together some of the best teams from across the country to compete with each other, and giving the opportunity for big time DC area teams to see how they stack up nationally. This year was no different, and while we were only able to attend the first day of the stacked two day set, there was still plenty of talent from all over the country in attendance. Here's a look at some of the sophomore standouts from last Saturday.</p> <p><strong>Austin Nunez | 6’0” G | Cornerstone Christian (TX) ’22</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/12/Nunez-Austin.jpg"></a></p> <p>The smaller guard of a backcourt that is full of firepower, Nunez was a smooth combo guard who can both fill it up and make others around him better. While he isn’t the biggest or most athletic guy, he has a game that’s easy to watch and it looks like everything does come easy for him with his terrific skill set and good feel for the game. He showed great range and consistency from deep and scored it well going for 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field and 4-for-6 shooting from deep.</p> <p><strong>Tre White | 6’6” G | Cornerstone Christian (TX) ’22</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/12/White-Tre.jpg"></a></p> <p>A recent Kansas decommit who should have his pick of whatever college he wants moving forward, White showed that not only is he a big guard that can make shots at a high clip, he’s also got a little more point guard to his game than many believed he did. After a slow start, he turned it on quickly and whether he was playing on or off the basketball he showed the ability to create space and make shots from anywhere on the court, including out to the NBA three-point line. He won the MVP in their win over Archbishop Wood finishing with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.</p> <p><strong>Willie Lightfoot | 5’10” PG | Sunrise Christian (KS) ’22</strong></p> <p>The youngest of the guys who played significant minutes for Sunrise, Lightfoot is a pit bull of a point guard with lightning quick speed that keeps the ball on a string. At 5’10” he isn’t the biggest guy but he sets the tone on both ends, he’s a one man press break and he controls the game with the ball in his hands. He was able to break pressure and get them into their sets, he lived in the lane and he guarded the ball well throughout the game. He didn’t put up big numbers but he’s a guy who looks like a high major lead guard as he continues to develop.</p> <p><strong>Devin Dinkins | 5’10” PG | Gonzaga (DC) ’22</strong></p> <p>Dinkins and fellow sophomore Judah Mintz looked every bit like the future for Gonzaga and despite being one of the younger guys on the team he stepped up big time in their close loss to national powerhouse Sunrise Christian. The 5’10” guard played both on and off the basketball and showed a lot of poise in such a big situation. He made shots whether they were open or contested, he took care of the basketball well and came up big in the second half when they needed him to. He finished with 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 shooting from deep.</p> <p><strong>Eric Bailey | 6’5” WF | IMG (FL) ’22</strong></p> <p>Bailey isn’t as known as some of the other guys on IMG and typically doesn’t even play with this group, but with the departure of Jalen Johnson he was called up and showed flashes of brilliance that should make him a nationally ranked kid moving forward. At 6’5” he has a terrific frame for his age and he’s long and athletic which he showed off by catching a huge alley-oop that was way over his head in transition. He didn’t put up huge numbers the first day (although I saw he hit four three-pointers against Cornerstone Christian the next day), but he showed a ton of promise as a do-it-all wing with athleticism and a great skill set.</p> <p><strong>Knasir “Doug” McDaniel | 5’9” PG | Paul VI ’22</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/07/Dug-McDaniel.jpg"></a></p> <p>The third part of what I would consider the best backcourt trio in the country, McDaniels didn’t score a ton or shoot that well from the field but his ability to set the tone on both ends was a huge reason they won the game against an IMG team many consider as one of the top teams in the country. He was the smallest guy on the court but he got up in ball handlers and made them uncomfortable, even straight plucking them in the open court a few times, and he’s a shifty ball handler who can get in the lane and collapse the defense to get his teammates open looks. He finished with 6 points, 2 assists and 4 steals, but his impact was much more in a game where many guys his age would be shook.</p>