MD/DC Roundtable: Surprises, AAU Storylines, Commitments

<p>Another week is in the book and before the AAU event really start to ramp up, we take a look at some storylines thus far, surprise prospects and break down some of our favorite commitments over the recent weeks. </p> <p><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">1. Give the name of a prospect that has taken you by surprise with his performance so far this spring.</span></strong></p> <p><em>Giacubeno: </em>I think 2022 Prospect U point guard Rowan Brumbaugh has been outstanding thus far. The 6-foot-3 floor general isn’t a new name as a Division I prospect, but his overall improvement and polish have caught the attention of many power five programs and as a result, he has landed seven offers since mid April from Mississippi State, San Diego State, Butler, Minnesota, Oregon, Northwestern and Seton Hall. The command he has as a point guard paired with his ability to score and distribute with balance are just a few reasons why the offer train won’t slow down anytime soon.</p> <p><em>Ayalew: </em><b>[player_tooltip player_id="962799" first="Manny" last="Tucker"]</b> (New World/Maret ‘23) has transformed his body and is playing some of his best basketball right now. Tucker is sturdily built at around 6’7” and moves bodies in the paint. His improved conditioning gives him the chance to be a difference maker for longer stints during games. </p> <p><em>Wilson: </em><span style="font-weight: 400;">From the little I have seen, I have been thoroughly impressed with 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962786" first="Christian" last="May"] of Team Takeover and Bishop O’Connell. Currently ranked 32 in the state of Virginia for the 2022 class, May has earned a jump in the rankings by the time the next update comes out. May has been coming off the bench for Takeover this spring and has given good minutes every second he is on the court. When May is on the court you know you will be getting a hard playing forward that gives it his all each possession.</span></p> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2. What has been the biggest storyline of the AAU season?</strong></span></div> <div> </div> <div> <p><em>Giacubeno:</em> Not that this is anything we aren’t used to with AAU, but the roster shake-up has been evident this season. A lot of it had to due with the confusion that the pandemic caused, but in the early events when non-sponsored teams when head-to-head against shoe circuit programs, prospects emerged and proved that they should be on the shoe circuit teams. It’s also worked in the reverse where prospects who were thought of as certified shoe circuit players have moved to non-sponsored teams and will likely receive more playing time and a better opportunity for exposure. </p> <p><em>Ayalew: </em>I think the parity among teams in this grassroots season would be an interesting story line to discuss. 17U District knocked off Boo Williams in Richmond a couple of weeks ago. There are many competitive grassroots teams in this region and not all of them are sponsored.</p> <p><em>Wilson: </em><span style="font-weight: 400;">I am going to go a little bit of the radar here but I have thoroughly enjoyed these independent programs getting multiple different shoe company sponsored teams in different events and having them go up against each other. Usually this time of year, we get two live periods in April but with the dead period still going on that has not been the case but we still have been able to evaluate prospects through different events. Major kudos to all of the event companies and AAU teams that have been able to make this happen.</span></p> </div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>3. What recent commitments have caught your eye?</strong></span></div> <div> </div> <div> <p><em>Giacubeno: </em>I thought Virginia Union got a steal in 2021 National Christian/Team Thrill forward [player_tooltip player_id="902017" first="Clarence" last="Obiajulu"]. I’m confident in speaking for us all when I say that the two things that were guaranteed with the 6-foot-7 forward whenever he stepped on the floor was his motor and energy. He’s a bullish player who welcomes physicality, but also has underrated athleticism and versatility. Many low majors didn’t pull the trigger on offering due to concerns with his size and lack of a jumper as an undersized forward, but I’m a strong believer that with his work ethic, a capable jump shot will emerge in the future. Expect Obiajulu to be an immediate contributor as a freshman. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/Carter-Camryn-Head-Shot.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1113631 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/Carter-Camryn-Head-Shot-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><em>Ayalew: </em>Oak Hill’s <b>[player_tooltip player_id="1091480" first="Camryn" last="Carter"]</b> committed to Mississippi State a little while back. This caught me by surprise because I was told he planned on committing to Ole Miss. With that being said, I expect Carter to step in and compete for minutes right away because he defends his position well</p> <p><em>Wilson: </em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Efton Reid to LSU surprised a lot of people including myself. As long as I have been following high school recruiting I have never seen a recruitment like Reids as he and his family did a tremendous job keeping everything confidential. Will Wade has had success landing prospects from the DMV area and Reid is the latest one to give his signature to the SEC program. Look for Reid to become an impact player as soon as he steps foot on campus in Baton Rouge. </span></p> </div>