Francisco’s Finest: Geico Top Flight Invite (Storm/NC)

Photo: Christian Pederson San Diego Prep Insider

Joel Francisco

October 31, 2020 @ 01:29 AM

Francisco’s Finest: Geico Top Flight Invite (Storm/NC) GILBERT, AZ.—Since school started in this virtual world of learning, my mind has been working at a frenetic pace developing lessons and projects for my students. However, when a colleague of mind—and fellow Prephoops writer—Devin Ugland text me about this event on ESPN2, it was a no-brainer to put my studies down and watch some hoops. It began with a tilt between national powerhouse Big Red (Mater Dei) versus one of Arizona’s in Tri Starting 5 (Sunnyslope). Toss in the likes of consensus No. 1 prospect Chet Holmgren and scoring dynamo Jaden Hardy (Coronado) translated into an epic day of hoops viewing. [player_tooltip player_id="577844" first="Shane" last="Fernald"] (Storm) 2022, PF, 6-foot-7, 230 pound Joel’s Take: Fernald is an ultimate glue-type for some Division 1 program. He has a strong frame, solid feet, and overall decent length. He plays a game at a good pace and pretty solid in many facets of the game. He can face up his defender and take him to the basket, rebound in traffic, play through contact, and is a savvy passer. [player_tooltip player_id="1069091" first="Mikey" last="Williams"] (Storm) 2023, SG, 6-foot-2, 180 pounds [caption id="attachment_1052758" align="alignleft" width="150"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_0164.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1052758" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_0164-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> Photo: Christian Pederson San Diego Prep Insider[/caption] Joel’s Take: There are not too many more hyped prospects in the nation than Williams. The chiseled shooting guard is a 3-level scorer. He can nail the runner, knock in deep jump shots, and his pull-up game is tight. He’s explosive in transition and is a fearless finisher as well. However, even though he delivered some nice passes, his shot selection needs to tighten up. He forces the issue a bit much off the dribble as well. Continuing to learn how to play with better pace and savvy will help his growth. [player_tooltip player_id="947287" first="Trey" last="Green"] (Storm) 2023 , PG, 6-foot, 160 pounds Joel’s Take: One of the more well-rounded point guards in the 2023 class is Green. He his an explosive player in transition, slices through opposing defenders, and has a slick crossover dribble. His jump shot is tight and he gets good lift on it. Overall, he looks to set up his teammates with his nifty passing, but he can score in the paint or off the mid-range pull-up. [player_tooltip player_id="870147" first="Joyful" last="Hawkins"] (Storm) 2022, WF, 6-foot-9, 210 pounds Joel’s Take: Hawkins stood out immediately due to his high motor and athleticism. He sprints the floor, protects the rim, and rebounds in and out of his area. He plays through contact, has a an evolving face-up game, and he knows how to utilize the pivot while operating on the block. Due to his physical attributes (long arms/soft hands/quick bounce) he should be a High-Major priority heading forward. [player_tooltip player_id="985568" first="Jonathan" last="Kurtas"] (Storm) 2021, C/PF, 6-foot-11, 220 pounds Joel’s Take: When you have to defend the No. 1 prospect in your class (Chet Holmgren) you’re not going to get many looks on the offensive end. However, Kurtas exhibited enought to show that he is a solid Division 1 prospect. He has good feet, soft hands, and he is quite clever operating in the paint area. He’s a fairly quick jumper and his touch from the elbow is yet another skill that warrants his ability to be an impact player at the next level.