Top Stock Boosters From Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS -- A look at the players who boosted their stock the most during the Las Vegas Big Time and Las Vegas Classic...   [player_tooltip player_id="764101" first="Quentin" last="Bolton"] - 2021 - SF - Wisconsin Playground Club PH Bolton helped lead Wisconsin Playground Club to the 17U title at the Las Vegas Classic. The 6-foot-5 wing shot the ball really well from the perimeter and battled a few injuries along the way. Still think this is a very intriguing late pickup for any Division 2 or JUCO program -- maybe even the right Division 1. Bolton has a terrific, strong frame and one of the most beautiful strokes in the country. Definitely see him being a guy who could spend a year or two at the JUCO level and have a lot of D1 offers down the road. Bolton has a deadly face-up game from mid and 3-point range. He's also gotten better offensively around the rim and is a little underrated defensively as well. With his strength, long arms, and timing, Bolton defends the block pretty well and could help teams play smaller, which is killing it right now in college basketball. [player_tooltip player_id="1206235" first="Termarion" last="Brumby"] - 2024 - G - Wisconsin Rise<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/6k1cr7.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1244758" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/6k1cr7-300x146.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="146" /></a> Brumby had 22 points in the 15U silver title game at the Las Vegas Classic. Like his two-way ability as a perimeter defender that gets into people and takes the ball downhill at the rim on the other end. Brumby handles the point duties most of the way and picks his spots pretty well on offense. A top 50 prospect in the 2024 class right now, Brumby is just scratching the surface right now and really hasn't arrived yet as a prospect. [player_tooltip player_id="1244808" first="Brooks" last="Hinson"] - 2025 - G - Wisconsin Playground Club On a loaded PGC 14U team, Hinson was able to make his mark in Vegas. Hinson can make it rain from distance, but does a lot of different things on the floor. A skilled, crafty guard, Hinson is more than just a shooter. He can handle the point duties and create offense with the drive and dish. Hinson has good size (6-1), is tough with the ball, and values each possession even in up and down games that can turn into track meets. Hinson will attend Marshfield High School next season and looks like he’s capable of carving out a role as a freshman. [player_tooltip player_id="1043749" first="Emmett" last="Lawton"] - 2023 - SG - Team 1848 Lawton is going to rise quite a bit in the next rankings update in August. The Notre Dame standout shot the ball really well from everywhere on the floor. He's got the green light every time he touches the rock and looked really good with his face-up game from downtown. Lawton is a hand-down, man-down shooter that's not afraid to pull it at any point in the possession. Not going to blow anybody away with size or athleticism, but Lawton has scoring tools, confidence as a shooter, and three-level scoring ability. [player_tooltip player_id="1024443" first="A.J." last="Lieuwen"] - 2023 - G - Team 1848<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/AJ-Lieuwen.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1157461" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/AJ-Lieuwen-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> Lieuwen can absolutely go on the basketball. Think he's one of the more underrated prospects in the 2023 class right now. At worse, think he's a very good WIAC prospect and we all know how good that league is. There's also some Division 2 schools sniffing around early. Lieuwen just plays the game at a different pace. He can blow by people in the open floor or in the halfcourt. When you pair that with a sweet pull-up game, it just forces defenders to pick their poison. He's not a pure point guard, but he'll play on the ball quite a bit. Schools should value his natural scoring ability and killer instinct offensively even though he's a little bit of a tweener at 6-foot. [player_tooltip player_id="761411" first="Najashi" last="Tolefree"] - 2022 - SF - Team McGee His ranking may not change, but Tolefree was pretty impressive against high level competition in Vegas. The 6-foot-5 forward finished very well around the rim, powering through contact en route to a number of 3-point plays. Tolefree works very well in the high post, able to catch, turn, and face from the 12-18 foot range. Tolefree also looked much improved with his footwork around the rim in traffic, able to shake loose for a few impressive buckets against tight defense. A junkyard dog on the glass, Tolefree will scrap for second chance opportunities and outwork people under the rim. [player_tooltip player_id="1244880" first="Eli" last="Schmidt"] - 2022 - F - Team 1848 Schmidt has played his way into the rankings after a nice weekend in Vegas. The 6-foot-5 forward can bring a lot of value to a team and did so for Team 1848. Schmidt knows his role and plays it well. That's not to say he can't do some things offensively. He might not be a guy you necessarily run a ton of things for, but you certainly don't mind if the ball ends up in his hands in scoring situations. Schmidt has some good versatility, able to shoot and handle on the perimeter, score 1-on-1 on the block, and attack the offensive glass. Neenah is a team that can win a state title next season. Wouldn't be surprised if he's a big x-factor in whatever type of run the Rockets make. [player_tooltip player_id="1028771" first="Ryan" last="Sweeney"] - 2022 - G - Team 1848 If he finishes out the summer strong against some of the top talent in Wisconsin this weekend at the Prep Hoops Finals, think Sweeney is in store for another big jump in the rankings. I get why some people might not take a second look at Sweeney. Definitely doesn't draw a ton of attention to himself physically or have a loud game. But all the kid does is quietly dominate on the floor. Sweeney had a huge weekend in Vegas scoring the ball. He's one of the best transition finishers in the state, is shooting it really well from 3-point range, and has some real crafty scoring ability in traffic. The 6-foot-2 guard is way more athletic than he gets credit for despite a smaller frame. That should just make college coaches even more intrigued given that the bouncy, uptempo guard could still grow a lot more into his body. What I like most, is his coach can get on him and Sweeney doesn't bat an eye. If he makes a mistake, Sweeney takes criticism like a man and rectifies it on the next play. You don't see him pout or argue...he moves on. [player_tooltip player_id="1043748" first="Ethan" last="Wall-Atim"] - 2023 - F - Team 1848<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/20210722_214640.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1252769" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/20210722_214640-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> Just like the way Wall goes about his business. The 6-foot-5 forward knows his role and does his job every time out. Was a little worried about Wall’s size last year, but he’s sprouted a bit more and has long arms and a strong frame, which help him play bigger than his size. Wall finished really well against contact all week. He's pretty efficient in the pick n' roll, because he always puts a body on people, sets good, hard screens, and can catch in traffic. Not going to score a ton of points throughout his career, but if you need someone to control the glass, play physical defense, and create second-chance opportunities, this is your guy. Think he is coming along a bit offensively too and starting to create some of his own looks here and there, rather than relying on his teammates to create for him.