20 Standouts from the Arizona Winter Shootout

Standout Postmen at the Arizona Winter Shootout The Arizona Winter Shootout was held Saturday and Sunday February 13-14. This report takes a look at some standout postman from the event. 6’8 PF Bradley Ezewiro of Ascending Life Prep CA 2021 The former LSU signee showed out at this event and was quite impressive. He shot the lights out from deep 3 range consistently. And he was effective using his strong body posting up aggressively and dribble operating. He also possesses solid ball handling and passing skills. And he is an animal on the boards. There is no doubt Ezewiro is a difficult matchup and a high-level prospect.   6’6 PF Kyle Frelow of Heritage Christian HS CA 2021 (Warrior Basketball Club) Frelow is a strong, athletic, active and aggressive four man who is a rebounding fool. He gets the Windex award because he can really clean the glass (he just needs to learn to outlet to the guard when he rebounds instead of trying to dribble up the court himself-subtitle hint there Kyle). His shills need a little polish, but he is a decent handler who can beat the defender on the face up driver and he has a nice jump hook. Frelow has a motor that is always running and he is real a promising low major prospect. 6’10 C [player_tooltip player_id="946527" first="Ryan" last="Kiachian"] Bellarmine Prep CA 2021 (Team GRR Blue) Kiachian was one of the genuine stand-outs at this event. This Cornell commit showed why he is a real steal for that school. He has a major league jump hook on the block that is basically un-guardable. He scored almost at the will with it. He can seal the defender and plays with his hands up on the block. He is a solid rebounder who is very active on the glass. Kiachain will do great things at the next level.   6’10 C Boubacar Mboup of Colorado Prep CO 2022 Mboup is a real big-body center who is hard to guard on the block. He has fairly good hands and long arms and uses his big body well for positioning. He has a solid turnaround shot that is really difficult to stop. He can pass it and does show poise against a double team and he is a solid rebounder in his box. His only issue is getting his body better and developing more conditioning. If that happens, he will continue to rise on the Division I radar. Mboup is a monster in the half court but does struggle in transition. 6’7 C Austin Persek of J Serra HS CA 2022 (West Coast Flight) Persek (twin brother of Dane) is a hard-working five man with long arms who maximizes what he has. He is fundamentally sound and knows how to play. He has a versatile skill set and can score a number of different ways. He can beat the defender on the face up drive and shoots it ok mid-range. He is very solid on the block with a nice drop step and a clever up and under move. He also does a good job pursuing rebounds. Persek will likely end up as a low major signee. But is certainly worth a look at a higher level.   6’7 PF/C Dane Persek of J Serra HS CA 2022 (West Coast Flight) Persek (twin brother of Austin) is a tough-minded combo postman who comes to play at both ends. He has impressive post up skills with a money jump hook and a go-to turnaround shot. His mid-range shot needs some work. He will battle consistently at the defensive end and he can rebound the ball well in his area. Persek will likely sign low Division I. 6’7 PF [player_tooltip player_id="827020" first="Trey" last="Phillips"] of Eduprize Prep AZ 2022 Phillips is a fairly athletic four man with long arms who is an intriguing prospect with a lot of promise. He handles it ok and he can dribble operate on the block and has a solid drop step. He shoots it ok with 3-point range. Phillips can rebound and block a shot as well. He is definitely a Division I prospect. The only question is what level he ends up at.   Guards at the Arizona Winter Shootout 6’1 SG Vincent Delano of Bella Vista College Prep (AZ) 2023 Delano is an athletic and skilled two guard who proved himself with his performance in this event. The kid is legit. He’s a solid handler who has a very impressive pull-up game -both in transition and in the half court. He shoots it well with long range and he is an active defender and a capable rebounder. Delano is a likely mid-Division I prospect.   6’4 CG Christian Gamboa of LA Jolla HS (CA) 2021 (West Coast Flight) Gamboa is a combo guard who had a very solid outing at this event. Most impressively, he is a money shooter with 3 range who hit a bunch of big shots. He handles it well and is a good passer who can find the open man and is a solid playmaker in transition. He pulls up well in the half court and has a nice first step on the drive. Gamboa will play Division I basketball.   6’1 PG [player_tooltip player_id="590836" first="Justus" last="Jackson"] of Eduprize Prep (AZ) 2021 Jackson is an athletic one man with some burst who gets a lot of things done, both in transition (finishes well) and in the half court. He has the ability to consistently make plays for himself and his teammates. He’s an excellent driver with a nice first step who breaks down the defenders regularly. He is a capable defender himself who can guard one on one. Jackson has a lot of Division I interest and should end up at the mid major level.   6’3 CG [player_tooltip player_id="856637" first="Sebastian" last="Mack"] of Durango HS (NV) 2023 (Purple Reign) Mack is an athletic combo guard who can hurt the opponent in a lot of ways. He’s a real good passer who makes a ton of plays on the break. He is a good driver/penetrator who will consistently get by the defender. He shoots it ok with long range and he has a very good floater. Mack has high major potential and it remains to be seen if he ends up at that level.   6’2 CG [player_tooltip player_id="766840" first="Aidan" last="Mahaney"] of Campolindo HS (CA) 2022 (Team GRR Blue) Mahaney has proved once again that he is a solid high major prospect with his performance at this event. He proved he is a big-time shooter (with range) by filling it up consistently. He is at his best with the ball in his hands because he is such a good passer and he has a deceptive first step that allows him to get in the lane and to the hoop. And he is a leader who can run a team. But he can also play off the ball and be effective. He also has a solid pull-up game and a nice floater. Mahaney has multiple high major offers and will sign at that level. 6’4 SG Malik Moore of Heritage Christian HS (CA) 2022 (Warriors Basketball Club) The coach of the Warriors asked me if I liked Moore and I immediately replied with a resounding and emphatic “yes”. How could you not like him? There is TOO much to like. He can play all three perimeter positions and he can score from all three levels (perimeter shot, pull-up in the mid-range and drives to the basket). Moore is especially effective in transition by either finishing or pulling up. “He got game” as they say, and the only question is how high on the Division I level he ends up at.   6’1 SG Tony Njia San Marcos HS (CA) 2021 (Team Build Up) Njia is a very confident shooting guard with an impressive skill set who gets a lot of things done. He shoots it well from downtown and wants to take the big shot. He’s a real aggressive driver with a nice hesitation burst who goes very hard to the hoop. He has a solid floater and he’s a good passer who sees the court well. Njia needs to be on the radar of Division I coaches.   6’1 CG Isaac Peralta of J Serra HS (CA) 2022 (West Coast Flight) Nothing is more enjoyable to watch than a tough guy who actually has skills/ability (most tough guys don’t). This kid competes at a high-level and he has talent. He has an exceptional pull-up game in the half court and he aggressively gets to the hoop and finishes on the drive. He shoots it fairly well with 3 range and a lot of confidence. Peralta is the kind of player who you watch and say “I want that guy on my team.” He’s a sure-fire Division I signee.