YB33 Charging Wildcats Open Practice '23, '24 Prospects

Big thanks and shoutout to the YB33 Charging Wildcats, Coach Joe Willis, and the rest of the coaching staff for opening their doors to me, showing great hospitality, and also blessing me with the opportunity to watch their rising program workout live in person. This is a well-coached team that will be one of the most prominent names in the next year or two. The YB33 Charging Wildcats proved to be a first-class organization that looks out for their kids on and off the court, even making AAU travel ball affordable for most kids that wouldn’t have that chance originally. This team is filled with hidden gems from all over the Allen, Plano, and Frisco areas. Here are some of those 2023-24 hidden gems that’ll be running the basketball circuit in Dallas in the future. Obiaku ’Obi’ Udom | Forward | Frisco Heritage High School | 2024 |<img class="size-medium wp-image-1045896 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/image1-5-124x300.jpeg" alt="" width="124" height="300" /> 6’4, 14-year-old with great size for his age, a wide, strong body, and legs as big as tree trunks. Obi stretches the floors, showing abilities to play down low and also play on the wing. This physical specimen is a bully in the paint, ridiculously powerful and explosive on the block. As he progresses offensively and expands his scoring abilities, Obi will have the chance to become unstoppable in the post, and on the dribble drive, especially with the more post moves and footwork he develops. Solid ball-handler, he showed an ability to beat his man to the rack off the bounce. Udom is like a freight train when driving the ball, his combination of size, speed, power, and ball skills make him nearly impossible to slow down or keep out of the paint. Obi Udom is a name to add to your watchlist, his ceiling is extremely high, his intangibles are off the charts, and he seems to just be scratching the surface. Cameron Mennsfield | Point Guard | Hebron High School | 2024 |<img class="size-medium wp-image-1045901 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_3323-1-130x300.jpg" alt="" width="130" height="300" /> Tight, slick, shifty ball-handler that knows how to get bigger defenders leaning in order to get to his spots on the floor. Cameron showed a good basketball IQ and understanding of the game, he displayed the ability to run the pick-and-roll, very good read and reaction, knowing when to pull-up, drive, or pass. Good court vision and highly unselfish, when setting his teammates up Mennsfield always looked to make the extra pass, on the drive he looked to kick it out or drop it off to his postman. With the ball in hand, he loves to attack the hip of his defender, making it easier for him to get into the teeth of the defense where he’s an exceptional finisher at the hoop even through contact from bigs. Cameron Mennsfield showed a lot of promise as a point guard, his mindset and skillset are well above average for someone his age, I’m excited to see how well his game translates to the high school level. Tyran Mason | Guard | Plano Senior High School | 2024 |<img class="size-medium wp-image-1045904 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/image3-1-135x300.jpeg" alt="" width="135" height="300" /> Tyran Mason proved to be a smart scorer who knows his game and his spots well. Mason scored the ball on all three levels, he showed a knack for getting to the basket, scoring off the dribble, or by cutting through the lane. He’s still developing as a point guard but he flourishes at the shooting guard position, his dribble pull-up is dangerous, you cannot let him get a clean look off because it doesn’t take him much to get hot and start scoring in bunches. In one on one situations, Tyran ate guys up, he’s such a natural scorer that usually let the offense come to him. It’s safe to say that Tyran Mason will definitely become one of the purest scorers in Plano if not one of the purest in all of Dallas. Adam Wanjohi | Shooting Guard | Allen High School | 2024 |<img class="size-medium wp-image-1045902 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_3326-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> This high motor, high energy prospect was constantly in go mode, a very active player on the court. Adam’s productivity on the glass on both ends of the floor stood out in a major way, he controlled the boards for his team in each scrimmage, taking advantage of not being boxed out, going inside after rebounds, picking up multiple put-back layups and second-chance buckets. His jumpshot was most deadly from 15 feet in, phenomenal jumper, nice touch, and great elevation, Wanjohi consistently got his shot over contesting defenders, particularly around the elbow where he was near automatic. Defensively, Adam gives a good effort, his eyes are always on the ball, making him dangerous in the passing lanes, leading to several fast breaks. Adam Wanjohi is set to attend one of the top-ranked basketball high schools in Texas, giving him the perfect opportunity to learn and play the game at a high level. Dylan Archey | Point Guard | Allen High School | 2023 |<img class="size-medium wp-image-1045903 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_3330-136x300.jpg" alt="" width="136" height="300" />Dylan Archey was the floor general for his team, a great communicator on offense, he directed his team and knew exactly where each player should be at each moment. Archey holds all the traits a point guard should have mentally and skill-based, he has a nice controlled handle, he’s an accurate passer with solid blow-by speed, can run the offense, and shows impressive vision in a half-court setting. Dylan is not a player that you can easily guard tightly, consistently getting around his defender with a quick left to right crossover move that worked every time. Great hands and timing on the defensive end, he snatched a few balls away and even stopped his man at the rim. This is a sophomore prospect with a senior type of game, he displayed a mature demeanor and playing style well beyond his years. The upside for Dylan Archey is high, he attends a school that does a great job of building up players and their skillset, which I think will work wonders for a player like Dylan. Kaiden Myers | Guard | Frisco Heritage High School | 2024 |<img class="size-medium wp-image-1045954 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/image2-3-1-138x300.jpeg" alt="" width="138" height="300" /> Kaiden Myers was one of the best players in the gym, he has a great feel for the game and really stood out on both ends of the floor. Great effort on the defensive side of the ball, Myers had 3 chase-down blocks, even stuffed a couple of shots by playing amazing help-side defense and flying in for the swat. When it came to offense, Kaiden has a shot that is lights out, the slightest bit of space and he’s knocking it down, especially when left wide open. A lightning-quick release with beautiful rotation on every shot he takes. Throughout the next four years, Kaiden Myers is going to accomplish some pretty big things at Frisco Heritage high school. Dwight Sherman | Guard | Frisco Independence High School | 2024 |<img class="size-medium wp-image-1046026 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_3328-135x300.jpg" alt="" width="135" height="300" />Dwight Sherman had it going all night, very efficient bucket getter that doesn’t take bad shots or shots that he doesn’t practice on. He looked incredibly tough to stop or slow down when he caught fire, it took Sherman just a few buckets to catch his rhythm, and from there on everything started to fall. Dwight was a serious offensive threat with the ball in hand, he continuously knocked down his jumpshots in any situation whether it was spotting-up, pulling-up, or shooting the three-ball. When he drove the lane or took the baseline he displayed impeccable touch with both hands through tough contact. Excellent in transition, Dwight runs the court well and used his quality court vision to set guys up on the break. Very impressive ball-handling skills, he had no problem at all getting to his spots for the pull-up, lousy defenders will get their ankles broken by this young man. With a skillset like Dwight Sherman’s, you can expect to hear his name buzzing in the near future. Dylan Soto | Shooting Guard | Allen High School | 2023 |<img class="size-medium wp-image-1046031 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_3332-114x300.jpg" alt="" width="114" height="300" />This 3-point specialist can shoot it with the best of them. Dylan Soto is a quick trigger shooter with a beautiful stroke and textbook form. He’s always ready and willing to let it fly, routinely taking shots beyond the arc, and hitting over half his three’s from the corner, even when contested. The more and more Dylan Soto plays and works on his shooting consistency, the more I believe that he will become a lethal 3-point shooter or shooting specialist, he can really be deadly. <div> Larson Dallman | Shooting Guard/Small Forward | Allen High School | 2023 |<img class="size-medium wp-image-1046033 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/image4-178x300.jpeg" alt="" width="178" height="300" />A true student-athlete who puts grades first. Larson scored in the top 1% on his PSAT, a smart player on and off the court. Dawlman gives a quality effort on defense, he hustles for rebounds and moves his feet well in front of his man. On the offensive end, Larson can shoot it from deep when given space and beat you off the dribble to the middle of the lane if you over pursue. Larson Dawlman is a hard worker on the court and in the classroom, something that’ll translate well through high school and on to college. Malachi Drake | Combo Guard | John Paul II | 2024 | Malachi Drake is becoming a big name from the 2024 class. This incoming freshman is set to be apart of the TAAPS state championship John Paul II varsity basketball team and has already begun attracting interest from universities such as Arizona State and Berry University. He attended the open run but did not play due to a concussion, but his name was still buzzing throughout the gym. Malachi has received high praise from coaches who have said that he’ll be one of the biggest talents to come out of the 2024 class in Texas, as well as his top 10 ranked teammate [player_tooltip player_id="779884" first="Jaylon" last="Tyson"], who has stated that "the kid is going to be special". Although I haven’t seen Drake play live, I’ve heard nothing but good things basketball-wise and character-wise about him and his teammates seemed to love him, even without playing it was clear who the leader was. I don’t think anyone will be surprised to hear or see the name Malachi Drake popping up on everyone’s basketball radar sooner than later. </div>