Prep Hoops 2K21 VA Standouts (Part 2)

<p>The Prep Circuit’s final live period event took place in Indianapolis this weekend and I was there to help cover the event. The Prep Hoops 2K21 had some of the top teams from across the country, and one of them in attendance were all 3 Team Loaded VA groups. They went undefeated across the board and being one of the best programs there we had to break the standouts up into two parts. Here’s part two of the standouts.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1231821" first="Luke" last="McEldon"] | 6’8” PF | Team Loaded VA ’23</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/McEldon-Luke.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1246205" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/McEldon-Luke-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>McEldon continues to impress and improve throughout the summer, and he had a great weekend with multiple double digit games and was one of the most consistent post players I watched all weekend. He’s a throwback style big who is great with his back to the basket, he has good touch in the paint and he hits the glass on both ends. Despite being a quiet kid, he plays with good energy and a high motor and brings toughness and physicality to his group.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="992528" first="Dennis" last="Parker"] Jr. | 6’6” WF | Team Loaded VA ’23</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Parker-Dennis.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1236765" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Parker-Dennis-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>One of the most versatile and better all-around players in the state, Parker Jr. has been impressive throughout all the live periods and ended the summer with a good showing this weekend as well/ The 6’6” wing is a Swiss-army knife that is athletic in transition and when he gets downhill, he can make plays for others off the bounce and he can create and make shots from multiple levels. Despite coming off an injury that had him sidelined for almost 10 months, he hasn’t missed a beat and showed why he is the #2 player in the VA 2023 class rankings.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1259541" first="Tyler" last="Bailey"] | 6’3” PG | Team Loaded VA ’24</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Bailey-Tyler.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1238305" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Bailey-Tyler-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>I haven’t done a 2024 rankings yet, but best believe whenever I do Bailey will be near the top after seeing him these past few weeks with Loaded’s 15U group. The 6’3” lead guard out of Oak Hill is a gamer that has a good frame and an elite skill set for his age, which includes takeover ability as a scorer and the ability to make others better as well. He can score from all over consistently, he brings it on both ends and he plays with an alpha dog mentality already.</p> <p><strong>Mykel Jenkins | 6’5” WF | Team Loaded VA ’24</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Jenkins-Mykel.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1246216" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Jenkins-Mykel-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Jenkins is an NC kid who plays at Tarboro High School just over the border from VA and plays with this Loaded VA 15U group, and he has tons of potential already and looks like he’ll be a very good prospect moving forward. The 6’5” wing has great ball skills and can play on or off the basketball, he’s athletic and can play in transition and above the rim and he can make shots from deep off the catch. He has a good frame with good length and he still has tons of room to grow and get better.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1259617" first="Eli" last="DeLaurier"] | 6’8” PF | Team Loaded VA ’24</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/DeLaurier-Eli.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1146523" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/DeLaurier-Eli-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>DeLaurier is already looking like one of the best prospects in this class and his potential is enormous moving forward. The 6’8” power forward has good mobility and can run the floor with his guards, he can step out and shoot it out to the three-point line and he moves his feet well and uses his length to contest shots defensively. He plays with a good motor just like his two brothers do, and as he gets stronger and grows into his body more he’ll be a nightmare to match up with moving forward.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1259544" first="Damon" last="Thompson"] | 5’11” PG | Team Loaded VA ’24</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Thompson-Damon-Loaded.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1180284" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Thompson-Damon-Loaded-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Thompson is one of the most talented scoring guards in the 2024 class that I have seen so far, and he showed that this weekend in Indy playing alongside Bailey. The 5’11” lead guard is a walking bucket as he has the whole bag and can score from all three levels, he changes speeds and can create space and he can make contested shots off the bounce. He plays with a chip and has a swagger about him as he knows he can flat out fill it up.</p>