#PHLive 15U Eye-Openers: Part 2

We take a look here at the next group of 13 more eye-openers I was able to get eyes on from the 15U division at Prep Hoops Live this past weekend from outside KC. Semaj Bethea | PG | NEBC | 2024 Right with Talyn Jackson for most polished and varsity-ready PG’s that I saw, was just a step better than most he faced, had an advanced game with a serious handle and all the slick moves to get to the basket and finish with flair, head on a swivel he was clearly one of the best passers of the weekend, under 6-0 but that mattered little and his impressive 28 points Saturday vs 816 Varsity was something to watch. Kordell Philemon | SF | NEBC | 2024 Knew NEBC was going to be tough and versatile after seeing their 2025’s play in Indianapolis at our NEXT event, Philemon was a great complement to Bethea as a 1-2 punch with his length at around 6-3 and ability to catch and finish cat-quick near the hoop, he was quick off the deck and strong to power through contact, stepped out and showed his perimeter range as well from 3, added 21 of his own in that 816 Varsity win Saturday. Lejai Jordan | PG | Dallas Showtyme | 2024 Powerful, downhill PG with a running back frame who uses that together with plenty of burst off the bounce to be effective, I like his overall lead-guard skills quite a bit, has all the tools with a 3-point stroke that must be marked, the vision of a pass-first man up top, and the on-ball guarding ability to affect the game defensively. Caeden Terrell | SG | Iowa Barnstormers 2024-1 | 2024 Established himself as one of the weekend’s most dangerous shooters, had three 3’s and 17 points in a solid win over Dallas Showtyme Saturday, great release off the catch or the stop and pull, the Barnstormers are so deep and talented it can be difficult to highlight just one player, among a few must-mentions uber-talented forward [player_tooltip player_id="1171682" first="Caden" last="Wilkins"] has the look of a future star and guard [player_tooltip player_id="1171656" first="Kyler" last="Gerardy"] is a combo guard who can handle it and shoot from deep. [player_tooltip player_id="1171691" first="Anthony" last="Gott"] | PF | Iowa Barnstormers 2024-1 | 2024 Love getting the big guys some mention because they so often don’t see the ball very much in today’s game, but the 6-7 Gott was a killer on the glass, an absolute eraser on defense and one of the weekend’s best in both categories, great timing as a shot-blocker and worked hard at both ends to be in that top rebounding group. Jonathan Mekonnen | SF | Minnesota Heat PBJ | 2024 The 6-5 jumping jack was a killer near the basket as he took feeds and slithered his way to a bunch of in-close finishes, tall and lean with a good vertical he used that quickness to glide up and down the floor and play off the excellent and sound Heat guards, has to be mentioned among the top rebounders ass will as he was a force Saturday with a double-double against Colorado Titans Gold. [player_tooltip player_id="1160827" first="Nelson" last="Shinkle"] | PF | Mid Mo Elite | 2024 Big, 6-7 true post man, embraced the low block game and it was fun to watch, better feet and quickness than it may have looked, played well through contact, terrific on defense as a shot-blocker with solid timing and long arms, cleaned the glass along with fellow forward, the athletic Levi Robinson, to form as a good a tandem of big men as I saw all weekend. Micah Davis | CG | EG10 | 2024 (pictured above) In the conversation for top 5 players of the weekend in my personal view (I did not compile the All-Tournament teams), crafty, advanced scorer with tremendous quickness off the dribble, he used such a variety of scoring tactics it was easy to miss one, can really handle it as a PG or slide to the wing at 6-1 and slice his way through traffic, showed off terrific lift with that game-winning flush as time expired vs Minnesota Fury 2024-1 Friday night (one of the weekend’s most exciting moments), added 22 more Saturday in a win over a good Illinois HoopStars Ohanson club. Jordan Cain | CG | D1 Minnesota | 2024 Such a physical frame made him a brutal matchup for anyone he faced, gets to the basket at around 6-2 with a combination of that strength and an advanced scoring acumen that is well beyond his year, quite possibly the best pure athlete I saw all weekend both with his ability to sky for finishes and rebounds, but also as a defender on the ball and cutting off passing lanes, a big-time prospect. Trevor Hennig | SG | Team Lavine 3SSB | 2024 Sits at or near the top for the weekend’s most versatile and varsity-ready players, scored from all over the floor, was a handful off the bounce with a serious burst and really knew how to finish and get to the line for the and-one, knocked down 3’s with ease if a hand wasn’t in his face as far as three steps past the line, such a good athlete he was a force on D both blocking shots and swiping steals with his active hands, has D1 level stuff brewing in the tank that will only get better. Jalen Haralson | CG | Team Teague 2025 | 2025 Saw Haralson and his mates in Indianapolis at the NEXT event there and he was terrific (along with PG Mark Zackery and F Jace Scrafton), brought that same seemingly effortless game to KC, a polished and poised scorer who doesn’t force the action and can essentially at 6-5 get whatever he wants, for pure talent and basketball skill there were few if any peers on hand at Drive5 Energy, it’s all there - shooting, ballhandling, passing, rebounding, defending, other than a need to be challenged (they should have been playing in a stronger pool), I could not detect a weakness in his game. Dion Doyle | SF | Iowa Barnstormers 2024-2 | 2024 More from the deep Barnstormers program, Doyle was a super active forward who could really get off the floor and had an exciting, athletic game at his disposal, soft shooting touch from 10 feet in, near automatic in close, a glass cleaner at both ends. Tre’von Coney | PG | Iowa Barnstormers 2024-2 | 2024 Another deep pool of guards on this iteration of Barnstormers, yet Coney stood out for his pace-pushing speed, great vision and unselfishness, but also plenty of scoring moxie from both the arc and into the teeth, so impressive was the whole crew from Iowa over the weekend.