VBSC Feast Jam Underclass Standouts (Part 2)
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The brand new and beautiful Virginia Beach Sports Center held their first big basketball event in the Feast Jam. The event featured both boys and girls teams from all over Virginia and included some from Maryland and North Carolina as…
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Continue ReadingThe brand new and beautiful Virginia Beach Sports Center held their first big basketball event in the Feast Jam. The event featured both boys and girls teams from all over Virginia and included some from Maryland and North Carolina as well. Here’s a look at part two of the many 2022 and 2023 standouts in the event.
While it was a grassroots event, I used the player’s high school teams to help make things easier.
DeJuan Campbell DeJuan Campbell 6'1" | PG Kecoughtan | 2022 State VA | 6’0” PG | Kecoughtan 2022
Campbell has been the leading scorer on the Peninsula the last two seasons and while he thrives as a scoring guard he showed this weekend that he has learned his group and can also run his team as well. Campbell is naturally quick off the bounce with a lightning quick first step, he’s a guy who plays with good pace and can change speeds and he’s able to hit really tough shots from multiple levels when he gets it going. He’s a guy who is wired to go and can go for 20 at any moment but his improvements as a playmaker bold well for him moving forward.
Chris Brown Chris Brown 6'3" | SG Peninsula Catholic | 2022 VA | 6’4” G | Peninsula Catholic 2022
Brown has shown a lot of promise over the past few years and he seems to be coming into his own recently which will be scary when he puts it all together. He’s a big guard that can handle enough to get to his spots, he can make shots from multiple levels and he can guard and rebound as well. He’s a natural athlete and as he continues to improve and define his role he should be a guy who sees a big jump here soon.
DJ Hand | 6’4” WG | Landstown 2022
Hand has been an impressive prospect since he was a freshman, but he looks like he’s starting to put it all together and is assuming the role as the go-to guy with open arms. He has a great repertoire as a scorer as he can play on and off the ball, he makes contested shots off the bounce and can stretch the floor out beyond the NBA range and he showed improved athleticism with a big time poster when someone tried to chase him down in transition. As he continues to fill out and grow into his body he’s going to be one tough player to stop from putting the ball in the hole.
Kaleb Brown Kaleb Brown 6'3" | SG King's Fork | 2023 VA | 6’2” WG | King’s Fork 2023
With the absence of a couple of the team’s best players, Brown stepped up and showed why he was considered one of the top freshmen in the 757 last year at Nansemond-Suffolk. Now with some other playmakers, Brown is free to work off the ball and do what he does best, which is shoot the ball at a very high percentage from deep. He’s a guy with deep range and good confidence, can work on or off the ball to get to his spots and he can get hot really quickly.
MJ Smith | 6’2” WG | Wilson 2023
Smith is a guy who many considered a top freshman last year as well at Wilson, but this was my first time seeing him play and I’ll tell you, it didn’t take me long to tell he was a ballplayer. Smith is a natural athlete on the wing who can also handle the rock when he needs to, he has a picture perfect jumper that is so pretty to watch and he knows how to flat out fill it up in a number of ways. I expect him to continue to improve as a ball handler and he’ll be tough to stop once he shows he can make others better just as well as he can score it.
Josiah Rickards | 6’3” WG | Catholic 2023
Rickards is another new name to me that easily projects to be a division one prospect with his frame and overall talent on the wing. Rickards is a solid 6’3” and likely still growing, he gets to spots effortlessly and can is a good athlete and he showed he can get to the rim at will and can also knock it down from deep off the catch. He has good feel offensively and good instincts defensively, and he seems like he’s just scratching the surface with how good he can be moving forward.
Yuri Manns Yuri Manns 6'3" | CG LC Bird | 2023 State VA | 6’3” G | LC Bird 2023
Manns is a guy that I’ve seen a lot this fall and the steps he’s taken in his game are very promising moving forward. As a freshman at Bird, he showed flashes of brilliance as he played with poise and showed a good skill set, however like many freshmen he was a little inconsistent at times. So far this year Manns seems more confident and understands his role better, and he’s starting to fill out and round out his game nicely. A long wing that is likely still growing, Manns has shown the ability to knock down shots from deep off the catch, get to spots off the bounce and hit the pull-up with consistency.
Dennis Parker Dennis Parker 6'6" | SF John Marshall | 2023 State #89 Nation VA Jr. | 6’6” WG | Blue Magic 2023
Parker continues to show he’s one of the most versatile and talented sophomores in the state, as he brings a lot to his team on the offensive end as someone who can stuff the stat sheet in a number of ways. At his size, Parker is a great playmaker who can handle the rock and handle pressure, see over top of defenders and make passes and he makes good reads and decisions in transition. When he plays with a motor he can crash the boards on both ends, he can get to the rack with ease and finish at the rim and he can make shots from deep when he gets it going.