Prep Hoops Live: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook

What did we see on Saturday at the Prep Hoops Live event in Kansas City? Here are over 2,000 words on the action including 40+ prospects from Hyvee Arena on Saturday in Prep Hoops Live: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook!   Buddy Buckets Strong Guard Play Leads the Way The Buddy Buckets group out of Oklahoma has a pair of sleeper guards just like they have had in the past. Lefty point guard Max Alexander went off on Saturday with a monster performance hitting crisp pull ups one after another. Changes direction on a dime and is a sound passer. His backcourt mate Ethan Scott is more of a pure shooting threat that you can move off ball screens with his quick release.   Team Teague 17U is Deep and Super Talented Without probably their top player this weekend in Illinois commit Reggie Bass, Team Teague still managed to go 1-1 including a close loss to Buddy Buckets. Overall it was their balance that stands out. Leland Walker is a big time threat at the point guard position as the well built lead guard is quick off the bounce making plays. Peter Suder had a strong day as the small forward finished everything in the paint along with hitting open shots when they presented themselves on the perimeter.   The AJ Storr Show Continues in KC Illini commit AJ Storr has continued his dominance this spring in Kansas City. The AZ Compass wing is playing with a ton of confidence and it is showing in his production. So aggressive getting downhill where he finishes well around contact. Hit threes and jumpers at a better clip than last weekend. Also mixed in some slick passing. He had 22 points against Dallas Showtyme. KJ Debrick continues to be a force down low. The prep school 2022 product from Springfield gets better each time we see him as the big bodied five is so efficient down low and rebounds very well.   Duo Make Mark for Dallas Showtyme Two prospects jumped off the floor for Dallas Showtyme. The first is nationally ranked prospect Arterio Morris. The point guard is super athletic with his burst of speed off the bounce. Really like what he did with his passing getting others involved while picking his spots to score. Jason Thirdkill was outstanding! The bouncy four man was so explosive on the offensive glass and finishing off dishes from his guards. As the day went on he started to show some touch from deep as well. Upside play had 22 points.   Judah Nation Guard Play Jumps Off the Floor Really enjoyed watching Judah Nation out of Florida play this weekend. They have an array of talented guards including 2022 Caleb Young and 2023 Eddrin Bronson. In the game the younger of the two Bronson went for 17 points being an absolute force in transition which is where he got most of his points. Caleb Young had 18 points in the game mixing up slick drives and threes from the wing. Good size at 6’5” for the Pensacola rising senior. Lajaee Jones is a third guard that has a bright future as a 2022 recruit.   Gateway Basketball Club Not Messing Around in Home State The St. Louis based squad brought their A game across the state as they went 2-0 on Saturday with a pair of impressive wins. Desmet point guard Brian Taylor really sets the tone for this squad from his point guard spot pushing the pace with his crisp passing. Brandon Mitchell-Day from MICDS has a very bright future. The face up four man rim runs so well, makes quick moves in the paint, and was active throughout contributing 13 points.   Old School Wings Guard Duo Gets Them W Against a solid Barnstormers squad it was the Old School Wings out of Arkansas that took home the W. Carl Doughtery Jr. played a huge part in the victory. The 6’3” two guard was electric scoring from all three levels at a high rate including a sweet looking stroke. Went for 27 points. Colby Garland is a bit smaller at about 6’1” and the combo guard used his quickness to get in the lane where he made clever shots and nifty passes for 15 points.   Y&R/KL Power 5 17U Backcourt Trio Shines You can never have too many quality guards and that is what Y&R has. Let’s start with their two point guards. Larkin floor general Damari Wheeler-Thomas had it rolling in their opener on Saturday. He scored 17 points and made it look rather effortless mixing in mid-range jumpers along with acrobatic layups where he showed his speed off getting to the rim. Lyons floor general Tavari Johnson continues to see his stock rise each and every time out. Ultra smooth ball handler that has it on a string. He also is a very consistent threat shooting it from mid-range and three. OPRF shooting guard Justin Mullins is really starting to come into himself as a player. The 6’4” wing is showing smooth acceleration off the bounce along with this ability to be a versatile defender.   D1 Minnesota 3SBB Looks Like New Team Last weekend in Chicago national power D1 Minnesota struggled at the 17U level. On Saturday they went 2-0 looking like a completely different group. It all starts up front with their power duo of Josh Ola Joseph and Elvis Nnaji. Joseph was a force on the glass all day with the way he snatched them in traffic and finish with such ferocity. Even flashed some skill as the day went on. Nnaji was a standout last weekend in Chicago and is again in KC. Runs the floor, rebounds, and is a physical presence on the defensive end. College ready body and mindset! Five-star 2023 Taison Chatman ran the show at the point getting others involved with his distribution skills. Got in the lane where he made plays for himself and others.   Ahjany Lee Shows Promise As Day Goes On D1 Minnesota Prospects star Ahjany Lee is a projectable high-major post prospect that has the look a lot of recent Minnesota prep posts have had. Long and lanky with off the charts athleticism and a world of potential that needs to be a bit refined. In the first game we saw him he looked lost and like he wanted to just hang out on the perimeter. As the day went along he mixed in some more power play sealing for finishes and using quick hook shots for buckets. Also did stretch the floor with his shooting. Snatched rebounds and was a great shot blocker. When he established his inside game first he is more effective.   EG10 Moves to 3-0 The Indiana squad is making it look easy in KC. EG10 went 2-0 to move to 3-0 overall for the event on Saturday. It all starts with their point guard Ryan Conwell. This lefty floor general makes plays in the lane with his passing, has speed to burn, changes gears, and is a more than adequate pull up jump shooter. Greg Jenkins brings plus size and tenacity on the wing. Rebounds well for his position, runs the floor hard, and is a solid passer. Really like him as a utility guy at the next level that can do a bit of everything. Class of 2022 point guard Jordan Turner is entertaining to watch. Deep range on his shot, blow by ability, and passing flair. Also talks a ton of smack to the other team! The player that might have helped himself the most of anyone was 6’9” five man Shilo Jackson. The unsigned senior has a projectable frame, tons of mobility, and rim runs with ease. Thew down a ton of dunks off his energy along with changing shots on the defensive end. High D2s need to look into this prospect for sure as a late steal!   Chicago Lockdown 17U Features Strong Guard Play as Always The Chicago Lockdown program is built on the play of their point guards and combos. They have that again on their 17U team. Sebastian Miller of St. Francis has a compact build and a nice feel for the game. Ran the show showing solid vision and can take a bump in the lane for scores. Joliet Catholic 2022 point guard Alex Brown is a lefty slashing guard that has nice handles. Prospect lead guard Owen Schneider brings plus shooting to the group as he nailed several triples.   M14 Tops Champaign Heat in Illinois Clash I was really looking forward to this one all day. Two Illinois programs with a ton of combined talent on the floor. The breakout player was West Aurora combo forward Ty Rogers. The 6’7” 2022 prospect has a long and lanky frame along with the ability to shoot it at a high clip from the perimeter off the catch along with draining some mid-range shots. He had 20 points in the win putting himself on the map! Outside of him it was a fairly balance effort. Sandwich 6’8” four man Marial Puou had a much better outing than when we saw him a week ago. Athletic four is a bit raw, but did show some potential as a shooter hitting one from the corner. Flies in for rebounds and is a switchable defender. He had 10 points. Top prosect on this team is Oswego East shooting guard Patrick Robinson. Didn’t score as much as usual, but we liked what the strong bodied two guard did as a passer with several dishes in the paint that led to buckets. Small college gem Devon Oregon of Oswego East banked in a runner, hit a three, and used his playmaking throughout the win. On the Champaign Heat side we liked what we saw out of Jaydin Dunlap. Bolingbrook always has quality under the radar guards and Dunlap is up next. Reads the defense and attacks it. Three level scorer and is a quality defender. Went for 16 points. St. Thomas More 2022 shooting guard David Hubbard is a silky smooth two guard that can play on the ball some as well. He loves the pull up game from all over the floor which was effective in his outing on Saturday.   Jerome Brewer is a No Doubt MM+ Talent One of the more impressive individual prospects this spring on the PHC has been NEBC power forward Jerome Brewer. He was at it again on Saturday recording another couple monster performances of 30 points and 20 rebounds followed by a 23 point outing. His physicality and brute force that he plays with combined with his skill and nimble feet make him such an intriguing fit at the MM+/HM- level. Handles well out of the mid-post, rebounds well, and can shoot it as well.   Quick Hitters Jaxson Young from the Iowa Barnstormers 17U-2 opened the morning with a strong outing. He drained three after three in an 18 point game. The defense started getting after him so much so they fouled him on a three.   Luke Defrance out of Metamora High School is running with the Illinois Hoopstars Rowell squad. Another plus shooter in the opener netting 17 points on an array of shots from the land of three.   Kessel Heat 17U guard Desmond Horton put himself on the map with a strong performance. The athletic guard from Lake Park displayed a burst with the ball in his hands and nailed a pair of corner threes for 16 points.   In that same game we liked what Sam West brought to the table with his high octane scoring for Minnesota Fury 2022-2 going for 25 points.   Marquel Saleek out of Willowbrook High School and the Illinois Hoopstars Taylor group continues to see his stock rise. The athletic combo guard has knack for getting buckets liking to work around ball screens and get in the mid-range area.   Rock Island product Amarion Nimmers is running with the Iowa Barnstormers now and he had a nice outing against the Old School Wings as he went for 22 points. Quick guard that has shiftiness with the rock in his hands.   Tyler Barlow from New Mexico D1 showed some flashes at 6’7”. The five man was a solid rim protector, hit a three, and displayed some mobility.   Mahki Johnson from Quad City High School Prep continues to light up the scoreboards in KC as he went for 25 points and is averaging 23.5 points per game through the first three games.   In my first look at Team Lavine it was unsigned senior Dylan Darling that caught our attention. The 6’3” point guard was excellent at getting others involved with his passing setting others up while still going for 15 points.