Who Want the Smoke: Breakout Prospects

Who Want the Smoke presented by TheTB5Reports gave us one of the best tournaments of the summer consisting of the most skilled players and most dominant teams from all over Texas and even the country. There were several stock risers and breakout prospects in attendance that put everyone on notice. Here we take a look at some of the top breakout recruits that made their names well-known at the Who Want The Smoke tournament. Khalil Mahtani | 6’0 | Point Guard | Court of Dreams | C/o 2021<img class="size-medium wp-image-1036863 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/IMG_3203-158x300.jpg" alt="" width="158" height="300" />Pass first guard that is always looking to make a play for his teammates before himself. A next level passer that made difficult passes look easy, even in traffic. Mahtani showed that he can really make some tough assists, especially off the dribble drive. Good floor general tendencies and playmaking skills, his vision and ability to deliver the ball right on the money stood out. Khalil also displayed tremendous speed and quickness in every situation, he uses it best when getting around the defender and attacking the basket. His handles are tight and well-controlled, Mahtani was creative with the ball in hand, he has a wide variety of moves he used to beat his man off the bounce. Sweet jumpshot, the ball looks great coming off his hands and has a nice rotation. No slouch on defense either, a tireless defender with quick feet and good awareness, Khalil picked his man full court, got in his face before he even touched the ball, and never once got burnt, he stuck to his man like glue. Khalil Mahtani has raw skill and talent, he seems to just be scratching the surface. His upside is high, he can become a special player as he continues to improve. Jalen Craddock | 5’11| Point Guard | NTX Elite | C/o 2021<img class="size-medium wp-image-1036866 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/IMG_3187-154x300.jpg" alt="" width="154" height="300" />This pure bucket getter carried the scoring load for his team and finished each game with double-digit points in the high teens. Jalen displayed some of the best, most elite open court and blow-by speed in the building, he got layup after layup, and no team seemed to have an answer to keep Craddock from getting to the basket. There wasn’t a single game where Jalen could be stopped or his speed could be matched. His quickness combined with his shiftiness and top-notch handles allowed him to continuously beat anyone who defended, he got to the basket at will, and also to any spot he wanted on the floor. Good defensive presence as well, he has deceptive eyes, he consistently made the opposing team pay for throwing cross-court, lazy, or simply bad passes. Extremely deadly in the passing lane, Jalen was always looking to jump the ball and take it the other way. When he gambled it usually resulted in a deflection out of bounds or a steal, he never got beat when taking a chance. Craddock has unlimited energy, he can play all game and will hustle for everything, loose balls, getting back on defense, and getting inside going up for rebounds and second-chance opportunities amongst the trees down low; he picked up plenty of foul calls after getting an offensive rebound and attempting to go back up with it. Whatever he lacks in height, he makes up for it with effort and athleticism. Jalen Craddock did it all for his team out there, he played hard each and every possession on both ends no matter what score was on the board. Jalen was a new face for me but he made a huge impression, showing a lot of potential. He’s a player we should all keep track of during his final season of high school basketball. <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> Desmond Combs | 6’6 | Power Forward | TBC | C/o 2021<img class="size-medium wp-image-1029548 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/32-Desmond-Combs-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />One of the top rim protectors of the tournament, Desmond has the size, the length, and huge hands that make it difficult for most guys to get a clean shot on him. A high-level defender with good defensive instincts that have developed game to game. Combs swatted away shots all weekend long, he controlled the post with his long-standing reach when contesting layups or dunks at the hoop, he contested every shot he could, even had 2 blocks in the first five minutes of their final game. Very active contributors on the boards, he showed good timing, anticipation, and box out positioning, Desmond went up strong after everything that came off of the rim. Desmond Combs showed some promise this past weekend, he completely controlled the post, played his role at a high level, and was a huge reason for the success of his team. <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> [player_tooltip player_id="1020828" first="Zach" last="Gonsoulin"] | 6’0 | Combo Guard | T.J. Ford Basketball | C/o 2021<img class="size-medium wp-image-1036873 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/IMG_3178-134x300.jpg" alt="" width="134" height="300" />[player_tooltip player_id="1020828" first="Zach" last="Gonsoulin"] put the offense on his shoulders, he was responsible for the majorly of his team’s scoring in the first-half of game 1 with his shooting and passing, even producing his team’s first 5 points and finishing the half with 2 three-pointers made and 10 points in total. Gonsoulin is a quick trigger shooter, with a great looking shot, who gets the ball and goes straight up with it, a true threat to take and make a shot as soon as he crosses half-court. His shooting kept his team alive for most of the game, no shot was off-limits for this kid, he showed that he can knock down three-pointers in all situations, whether it was off of the dribble, while coming off of a screen, or in a catch and shoot. Good speed when pushing the ball in transition, great at thrusting it up court in a hurry and looking for a scoring opportunity; Zach made plays in the half-court but played his best in an up-tempo style of basketball. Very basketball savvy, Gonsoulin has a good feel for the game. He’s a willing passer that can put it right in your chest, his court vision and passing accuracy are well above average, and he did an exceptional job of feeding his teammates and keeping guys involved, showing true potential to be able to run an offense someday. [player_tooltip player_id="1020828" first="Zach" last="Gonsoulin"] displayed certain traits that you just cannot teach, Zach seems like a natural-born leader who’s willing to accept any challenge thrown his way, he’s very competitive, and all he wants to do is win. <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7oAnHz_kQMs" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> Braylon Crosby | 5’11 | Point Guard | Southern Assault 16U | C/o 2022<img class="size-medium wp-image-1036878 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/image1-2-2-133x300.jpeg" alt="" width="133" height="300" />Braylon Crosby played great basketball on both ends of the floor, leading Southern Assault in scoring and assist almost the entire weekend. He came out ready to put on a show, without Crosby’s play in both half’s of game 1, his team would’ve been in a whole lot of trouble. Braylon showed a knack for hitting and getting open around the 3-point line and also finding soft spots in the defense. A super quick point guard with even quicker handles, his ball speed went unmatched, making him look nearly unguardable at times. His ability to penetrate and kick from any angle on the court was most impressive, Braylon looked like a master when it came to creating passing lanes and finding the open man. Crosby had high assist numbers and low turnovers, he stayed away from making boneheaded passes and had no trouble protecting the ball in a fast pace game or against a tough defense. Braylon Crosby was the most important piece on the floor for Southern Assault, any time Braylon was on the court he brought a special spark that boosted and elevated his teammate’s play.