Great Western Winter Classic Recap: Local Standouts Part 1
Bruce Williams
In this article:
<p>The Great Western Winter Classic took place at Nets on Fire in St George, UT. The event ran from December 19th through December 22nd. It featured over 70 teams. In this article, we take a look at some local players that stood out during the event. </p>
<p>[player_tooltip player_id="986955" first="DJ" last="Thomas"] <em>6’0 PG West Coast Rebels 2024</em> - I was just amazed by how dominant he was. I think it’s safe to say Thomas has 4 years of teams scheming to stop him ahead of him. Going against one of the top PGs in the class of 2022, you tell me who the better player was. Thomas is also starting to become one of the top post up players on the west coast. At only 6’0 tall he demonstrates whey footwork and fundamentals always win out in basketball. </p>
<p>[player_tooltip player_id="787643" first="Joshua" last="Jefferson"] <em>6’7 PF West Coast Rebels 2022</em> - Speaking of fundamentals and footwork, Jefferson showed both. He put together his usual array of post moves, but what he has been adding is a 3 point stroke and some perimeter ball skills. He showed both this weekend.</p>
<p>[player_tooltip player_id="858168" first="Jalen" last="Cunningham"] <em>6’2 SG SFBA 2021</em> <em>(featured image)</em> - Huge weekend for Cunningham, he’d be a steal for the right program. If he does nothing else, Cunnigham has an absolute strap, however, he does a lot of other things. The 6’2 wing caused havoc on the defensive end and showed the ability to get tough buckets in the lane. His shooting combined with his underrated athletic ability makes him one of the more intriguing prospects in his class. </p>
<p>[player_tooltip player_id="927117" first="Jan" last="Madi Ngock"] <em>6’7 PF SFBA 2021</em> - JMN wasn’t great but he was good enough, that he deserves the opportunity to be a D1 guy. He can comfortably defend a 4 and has shown a true ability to stretch the floor from that spot. A good R&J athlete, Ngock also put that together with some rim protection and outside shooting ability. </p>
<p>[player_tooltip player_id="986954" first="Taj" last="Degorville"] <em>6’4 SG Vegas Elite 2024</em> - When it’s all said and done, perhaps no local player will be written about more than Degourville. When he plays like he did this week he deserves it. There were some hiccups as VE got their doors blown out by an older and more experienced Team Build Up squad. Other than that Degourville was a dominant manchild, whose best skill may be his playmaking. </p>
<p>John Mobley Jr <em>5’11 PG Vegas Elite 2024</em> - JMJ is must-watch TV. His wiggle and blow-by ability alone makes him an intriguing young prospect. Some guys in his class can shoot it, in catch and shoot mode, Mobley showed the rare ability to be lethal off the bounce. He used a variety of COD’s to create space and was able to launch accurately from deep. </p>
<p>[player_tooltip player_id="859645" first="Michael" last="Klekas"] <em>6’2 SF Elko 2022</em> - Klekas showed why he was one of the states leading scorers. It’s not necessarily pretty, but it’s effective. The undersized forward showed that he can stretch the floor, facilitate for teammates, and score on the block. Elko was good this weekend, with Klekas proving to be the team’s alpha. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/7outzbballclub1">Follow Prep Hoops </a></p>
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading
Already a subscriber?
Log in
