17U Preview-Team Durant

As we continue to meander through the early summer, the chances of seeing an actual live period become murkier. Nevertheless, teams and their prospect deserve exposure and at the moment, writing about them is the most strategic way to do so. We continue our program preview articles here at Prep Hoops and will move onto the 17U [program_tooltip program_id='2078457' first='Team' last='Durant'] squad, a roster that boasts immense talent and gives you a chance to see the up and coming prospects who college programs will be tracking closely. [player_tooltip player_id="990928" first="Jalen" last="Warley"] | 6'5 | Westtown '21 Warley's name caught national traction last December when high major programs started tracking and offering the 6-foot-5 floor general. Warley is a lead guard with tremendous size at 6-foot-5. He's a high IQ play maker and can score it efficiently from three or in the paint. Most importantly, Warley is a leader. He checks all of the boxes that a coach wants in his point guard and more. Florida State, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and Virginia are the schools that remain in the running. [player_tooltip player_id="902004" first="Jordan" last="Hawkins"] | 6'5 | DeMatha '21 When watching [program_tooltip program_id='2078457' first='Team' last='Durant']'s training camp this past weekend, Adam Ayalew and I both agreed that if we came into the gym with no knowledge of the players and their reputations, we would've thought that Hawkins was the five-star prospect. His skill set and approach with the ball is beyond his years. He's an elite shot-maker from three and mid-range, brings versatility on both ends and can finish above the rim in transition. Hawkins has his fair share of programs on him. Bryant, Clemson, UConn, Creighton, Georgetown, George Washington, Louisville, LSU, Mount St. Mary's, Norfolk State, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest have offered. If Hawkins plans to hold off on a decision, don't be surprised if blue-bloods start looking his way. Dariq Whitehead | 6'5 | Montverde Academy '22 It's hard to wrap your mind around the fact that Whitehead is 15 years old with his 6-foot-5 frame and mature skill set. Whitehead makes tough plays looks easy thanks to his explosive athleticism. Playing at Montverde alongside the like of Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes, Whitehead has a good feel for playing the game at a high level. While his jump shot is still a work in progress, he can make three's when he has time to set his feet. The rising junior holds 15 offers from programs belonging to the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East and SEC. [player_tooltip player_id="904621" first="Rodney" last="Rice"] | 6'4 | DeMatha '22 Rice was another 2022 prospect who gained significant interest over the past week. The 6-foot-4 guard also made the announcement that he would transfer from Bullis to DeMatha for the 2020-21 season. Rice is a dynamic scorer from the guard position who is a threat from all three levels. Rice holds 20 total offers from programs belonging to the A-10, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East and SEC conferences. Sam Ayomide-Onu | 6'11 | The Phelps School '21 Ayomide-Onu is a big-body 6-foot-11 forward who finishes with power around or over the rim. He's equipped with a solid motor and shows great effort as a shot-blocker and rebounder defensively. At this point, he's more of a catch and dunk type of big. Whether it comes off penetration passes from guards or as the roller off of ball-screen action. Expanding his overall offensive game will raise his stock even more than what it already is. Illinois, La Salle, LSU, Memphis, Providence, Seton Hall, TCU, Temple and Texas A&M have offered. Ike Cornish | 6'5 | Legacy Early College '21 Cornish made his hometown fans happy when he announced his commitment to Maryland in recent weeks. The 6-foot-5 guard/wing has developed rapidly since making the move to Legacy as he's further improved his body, his skill set offensively and his overall confidence. Cornish is an efficient shot-maker and his combination of size and length allow him to guard multiple positions defensively [player_tooltip player_id="990931" first="Gabe" last="Dorsey"] | 6'6 | The Hill School '21 Dorsey entered high school being labeled as just a shooter, but since he's put on size it's made him more versatile and valuable when it comes to college attention. The 6-foot-6 lefty is still a deadly shooter from beyond the arc, but can also mix it up and embrace contact on his way to the rim off the bounce. He's a versatile defender defensively who can guard 1-4 positions competently. Bucknell, Georgetown, Harvard, Iona, La Salle, Massachusetts, Mount St. Mary's, Penn State, Providence, Siena, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, VCU, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Xavier have offered. [player_tooltip player_id="990998" first="Daniel" last="Nixon"] | 6'7 | Winston Salem Christian School '21 Nixon is a 6-foot-7 wing who can stretch the defense with his shot off the catch. A versatile defender who can guard multiple positions, Nixon is good off the ball at anticipating in passing lanes for deflections and sparking transition opportunities. He can grab defensive boards and push the tempo himself, adding another notch to his versatility belt. Bryant, East Carolina, Georgetown, Iona, La Salle, Marist, Old Dominion, Ole Miss, Penn State, Stony Brook, Tulane, Wake Forest and Witchita State have offered. [player_tooltip player_id="836460" first="Terrence" last="Butler"] Jr. | 6'7 | Bishop McNamara '21 Butler is a 6-foot-7 forward who can mix it up offensively. He's efficient from the high-post area both as a shot-maker and distributor. He can even step out beyond the arc and cash out on three's off the catch with space. Above all, Butler is a high IQ player who can impact the defensive end as a shot-blocker, rebounder and floor runner. Brown, Drexel, Mount St. Mary's and Towson have offered. Alpha Bangura | 6'8 | Archbishop Stepinac '21 Bangura is a 6-foot-8 wing who can also spend time as a stretch-four. He has the length to disrupt shots routinely in the painted area and the length to guard bigger forwards. He plays more as a wing on offensively and can mix it up off the bounce in isolation situations. An efficient scorer from mid-range, Bangura is also a scoring threat running the lanes in transition. Canisius, LIU, Manhattan, Marist, Massachusetts, Siena, St. Peter's and Stetson have all offered. David Brown | 6'5 | Bishop McNamara '21 Brown is a 6-foot-5 off ball guard who can shoot from three off the catch. He's good at coming off pin-downs or actions that are designed to get him open shots. He can guard the 2 or 3 defensively and has underrated athleticism on the break. Bryant, Columbia, Howard, Loyola (MD), Stony Brook and UMass-Lowell have offered. [player_tooltip player_id="902029" first="Chace" last="Davis"] | 6'2 | St. Andrew's Episcopal Davis is a shifty, crafty scorer from the guard position who can operate successfully in isolation situations and in the open floor. He has good athleticism for his size and uses his quick lateral movement to supply ball pressure against other quick guard defensively. Bryant and Mount St. Mary's have offered.