Boss of the Ball Showcase: Gerry Freitas' standouts

The first annual Boss of |Ball Elite Showcase was held Friday and Saturday June 26-27 at Northwest Sports Hub in Centralia Washington under the direction of former division I head coach Joe Callero and Emerald City Basketball Academy director Jasen Baskett. 80 players from the Northwest participated. Here is Part I of our report on Division prospects at the event. Top Prospects: 5’11 SG [player_tooltip player_id="931313" first="Asjon" last="Anderson"] of Mt. Tahoma HS (WA) 2022 Anderson is a fairly athletic shooting guard with Deep range. He plays with confidence and believes every shot is going in. He is more of a move without the ball catch and shoot than a shoot off the dribble player. Anderson has a capable first step and can get to the basket on the drive and also shows the ability to finish in transition. He is a good passer and he has a nice floater. He does need some work at the defensive end. |Anderson is a low major prospect at this point. 6’2 PG [player_tooltip player_id="674438" first="Maleek" last="Arington"] of Auburn HS (WA) 2022 Arington is an effective one man who makes things happen. He has polished ball handling and passing skills. He makes plays on the first break pretty consistently. Arington is a solid driver/penetrator with a fairly good first step. He has the ability to create for himself and others. He is a mid/mid plus range prospect (who has received an offer from Washington State).   5’10 PG [player_tooltip player_id="711297" first="Julian" last="Agosto"] of Nathan Hale HS (WA) 2021 Agosto had a solid performance on the first day but suffered an ankle injury at the end and could not return for the second day. But he proved to be a legit Division I prospect with his play. He’s a strong and athletic one man with solid ball handling and passing skills. He does a nice job pushing the fast break and making plays. Agosto has an impressive pull up game in the half court elevating effectively. He’s a good driver with a nice first step and has a clever hesitation move. He also shoots it fairly well with 3-point range. Stay tuned for his ultimate level but he will be a Division I player. 6’3 CG Isaiah Aferwork of Federal Way HS (WA) 2023 Afework is a promising young prospect with a bright future. He’s a fairly athletic combo guard who showed a consistent ability to make plays with the ball in his hands, both in transition and in the half court. Afework is a solid driver/penetrator who gets in the lane to finish or dish it off for an assist. He has mid major potential and he’s also an outstanding baseball prospect and will ultimately have to chose between the two sports.   6’4 G/W [player_tooltip player_id="843746" first="Xavier" last="Bailey"] of Lindberg HS (WA) 2021 Bailey is an athletic guard/wing with a versatile skill set. He’s a confident ball handler who passes it well. He is a pretty consistent shooter who has range and he has a nice floater shot. Bailey does a nice job breaking down defenders and getting to the basket on the drive. He finds his way to the ball on the glass as well. He is a low major prospect worth a higher look. 6’5 CF [player_tooltip player_id="843735" first="Jalen" last="Barbee"] of Franklin Pierce HS (WA) 2021 Barbee is a fairly athletic combo forward who can score on the break (finish well) and in the half court. He is a difficult matchup for bigger guys playing away from the basket beating them on the drive. Barbee has a bit of a slow release, but he can knock down the perimeter shot. And he is clever operating around the basket. He is a low major prospect.   6’4 SG [player_tooltip player_id="674428" first="Tre" last="Blassingame"] of Auburn HS (WA) 2022 Blassingame showed some real promise at this event, and with natural physical maturity the sky is the limit. (He is a little on the thin side and needs some physical development to prepare for the next level). He has a nice all-around skill set and is a pretty consistent scorer. Blassingame can score from all three levels: he has an impressive pull-up game, he finishes on the drive and he is a legit shooter with 3 range. He is a mid plus prospect (who has been offered by Washington State).   6’9 CP [player_tooltip player_id="1005095" first="Cameron" last="Andre-Covington"] of Columbia HS (OR) 2021 Andre-Covington is a fairly athletic combo post man who is very intriguing. He has long arms and pretty good hands. He is a little thin and need bulk/strength. Andre-Covington can step outside and stretch the defense and shoot the three. He has an ok one-bounce drive and a drop step move on the block. He is a capable rebounder who has the length to get to the ball. Andre-Coviington does have some upside and is a Division I prospect with the level to be determined.   6’3 SG [player_tooltip player_id="843737" first="Chike" last="Ezeonu"] of Seattle Prep (WA) 2021 Ezeonu is a real athletic two guard with long arms. He has a very impressive pull up game in the half court and he finishes well on the drive. He is a good passer who sees the floor. Ezeonu can shoot it and he has an effective floater. He is a consistent rebounder from the guard position. He is likely a low plus prospect.   5’11 PG [player_tooltip player_id="940526" first="Jerry" last="Hayes"] of Emerald Ridge HS (WA) 2021 Hayes has been a little below the radar but he had a nice showing at this event to help elevate his status. He’s an athletic one man with long arms who has an impressive set of skills. He handles and passes it quite well and he sees the floor in transition, making plays for himself and others. Hayes has a mid-range pull-up game half court, he finishes well on the drive and he’s fairly good long-range shooter. He does pose a lot of problems for the defense. And he is a decent rebounder in spite of his lack of size. Hayes is a low major prospect.   6’1 SG [player_tooltip player_id="843745" first="Garrett" last="Long"] of Wenatchee HS (WA) 2021 Long is a competitive two guard who had a solid performance and put himself on the radar at this event. He comes to play on every possession and maximizes everything he has. He handles it with confidence and makes pretty good decisions. Long is a good shooter with 3 range who takes good shots. He has a nice floater and an effective hesitation drive and he works hard at the defensive end. He proved he is a Division I prospect.   6’0 CG [player_tooltip player_id="857354" first="Noah" last="Ogoli"] of Tualatin HS (OR) 2022 Ogoli is a fairly athletic combo guard who can be termed a “discovery” after this event. He demonstrated a nice set of all-around skills offensively. He is a solid ball handler and passer who sees the floor. He pulls up well in transition and in the half court. Ogoli is a good shooter with long range. He has a pretty good first step and gets to the basket on the drive. He is relatively unknown but he belongs in the Division I radar.   5’5 PG [player_tooltip player_id="674444" first="Earl" last="Riley"] of Franklin HS (WA) 2022 Don’t be fooled by the (lack of) size, [player_tooltip player_id="674444" first="Earl" last="Riley"] is a legit player. He has a complete all-around game and gets a lot done. He’s a real good ball handler and passer who makes plays on the break for himself and others. Riley pulls up and elevates nicely in the half court. He has a real good first step and gets by defenders into the lane consistently. He is a confident shooter with range. He is a solid on-ball defender and he understands help defense away from the ball. Riley is a low major prospect if you do not mind the size.   6’11 C Brody Rowbury of Meridian HS (ID) 2021 Rowbury is a big-bodied five man with a solid offensive game. He can dribble operate on the block and is hard to guard. He has a drop step and a solid no-jump hook. He can step outside and shoot the 3 with a nice touch. Rowbury can rebound the ball in his area. He sees the court and can pass the ball in traffic. He does need to work on getting his body more athletic but he is a low plus Division I prospect who could be considered as a red shirt at a higher level. 6’4 G/W [player_tooltip player_id="674433" first="Bradley" last="Swillie"] of Life Christian HS (WA) 2022 Swillie made a name for himself at this event with a consistently impressive performance. He has nice athleticism and can play any position on the perimeter. He has big feet (size 14) and is not done growing. He plays on or off the ball effectively. Swillie is a handler, passer, driver, fairly good shooter and has a solid pull up game. He lies somewhere in the mid major range as a prospect.   6’3 CF Jeremiah Wright of Lynden Christian HS (WA) 2024 It is always rewarding when you have a opportunity to “discover” a new prospect. That was the case with Jeremiah Wright at this event. He is a skilled combo forward who looks and plays way beyond his age. He’s a capable ball handler who has a pull up game in the court. Wright moves ok without the ball and shoots it fairly well in the mid range. He can rebound the ball on a pretty consistent basis. It is very early in the process, but Wright looks to be a mid major prospect.   6’10 CP [player_tooltip player_id="855943" first="Jonah" last="Zeller"] of Catlin-Gable HS (OR) 2021 Zeller is a combo postman who is a bit raw but has some skill level and a nice upside. He has good hands and long arms and runs the floor pretty well. He moves ok without the ball and he can pass it. Impressively, Zeller shows a variety of post-up moves. He can dribble operate on the block and he has a drop step, jump hook and a turnaround shot. He can also step out to the perimeter and shoot the 3-pointer. He does an ok job of pursuing the rebound. Zeller is a probable low major prospect but is worth a higher look.