PassionSZN Kickoff: 17U Stock Risers

<p>The Prep Hoops Passion SZN Kickoff this past weekend in Winter Haven, Florida was packed with talent and high energy games.</p> <p>I took in 20 games and here is a look at my top stock risers in the 17U division.</p> <p><strong>2021 6-5 G [player_tooltip player_id="953071" first="Jordan" last="Johnson"] – East Coast United</strong></p> <p>Johnson dropped 31 points in a win over Georgia Express on Sunday for East Coast United. He is a strong, physical confident lead guard. Always a scoring threat, I hadn’t seen him in a few years and he was fresh off a solid season with Wellington. Any college program looking for a true attacking guard and determined athlete then look no further.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-2 G [player_tooltip player_id="955599" first="Jamar" last="Franklin"] – Team Speights</strong></p> <p>Franklin makes it look effortless out there. He recorded a cool 19 points in a win for Team Speights over GameSpeed Elite Blue on Sunday. Franklin is a jack-of-all-trades athlete. The Rockledge guard can get to the cup with his quick feet and burst and he gets everyone open with his playmaking ability. His recruitment has picked up this summer with offers from North Alabama, New Orleans, Radford, Stetson and Albany.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-7 F Yvens Paul – For The Love</strong></p> <p>Paul put together a stellar game with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks on Saturday in a win for his squad For The Love. It marked his first ever triple double in his career and boy is that an impressive stat line. The Barron Collier forward is vicious shot blocker, good interior finisher and active energy guy. A top-notch defender, he is coming along on the offensive end and certainly has a high ceiling.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-6 F Khimani Hopkinson – Team Wright Tigers</strong></p> <p>Khimani Hopkinson netted 22 of his game-high 26 in the second half in a scrappy comeback win over TUP Elite on Sunday. He is active and long at 6-6. Hopkinson got off to a slow start, but he found his rhythm early in the second half with strides to the rack and some aggressive finishes. If he can tack on muscle and improve his jumper a bit, he will be just fine. He is an intriguing prospect for Team Wright Tigers and Elite Academy.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-5 G [player_tooltip player_id="1161402" first="Yasmani" last="Torriente"] – Viper Academy</strong></p> <p>Torriente can go. He dropped 19 points, attacking the rim a ton in a loss to Viera Basketball Club on Saturday. A speedy confident leader, he is always looking to get to the basket and score. He can dunk with ease and his mix of length and pure tenacity is fun to watch. He will certainly get more looks this summer. </p> <p><strong>2021 6-0 G [player_tooltip player_id="818793" first="King" last="Winkfield"] – Warehouse Ballers</strong></p> <p>With only five players, Warehouse Ballers beat GameSpeed Elite Orange on Saturday. 2021 6-0 guard [player_tooltip player_id="818793" first="King" last="Winkfield"] led the way with 21 points. He was on fire all weekend (later tacking on 29 points with seven 3’s on Saturday night). He is an efficient shooter and a smart one at that. He excelled at Booker High and will certainly land on his feet at the next level soon. </p> <p><strong>2022 6-2 G Kash Bowman – Georgia Express</strong></p> <p>Bowman was the best player on the floor for Georgia Express in a loss to East Coast United on Sunday. He had a heck of an outing with 25 points. The Georgia Dutchtown hit a slew of smart jumpers and had speedy finishes in transition. Bowman is a no-nonsense player who goes 100 percent. </p> <p><strong>2021 6-4 G/F [player_tooltip player_id="818912" first="Joe" last="Poyser"] – Warehouse Ballers</strong></p> <p>Poyser powered his way to 16 points against GameSpeed Elite Orange on Saturday. A true athlete, he grinds his way inside for key blocks, boards and pushes down the floor. The Wildwood guard/forward does just about everything for the Warehouse Ballers and scraps for his team. An unselfish and strong athlete, Poyser is an impactful player for every minute he is on the floor.</p> <p><strong>2021 6-2 G Manyaka Luma – Viera Basketball Club</strong></p> <p>Luma posted a nice outing with 18 points in a 50-44 win over Viper Academy on Saturday. A fluid attacker and gifted athlete, he can certainly help a college program. He shined as a senior at Viera and is playing at a consistent level right now.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">17U: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PHPassionSZNKickoff?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PHPassionSZNKickoff</a> <br /> <br /> 2021 Wellington G [player_tooltip player_id="953071" first="Jordan" last="Johnson"] has been an absolute brute as an attacker in the first half. Strong, physical heads up guard. Unsigned senior talent. <a href="https://twitter.com/UnitedCoast?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UnitedCoast</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coachwright1024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachwright1024</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PHCircuit?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PHCircuit</a> <a href="https://t.co/thvRV2gYth">pic.twitter.com/thvRV2gYth</a></p> — ᴊᴀᴋᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴘᴇʀ (@JakePerper) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakePerper/status/1391405466815770628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>