Las Vegas Middle School Combine: Underclassmen

The Las Vegas Middle School Combine took place Sunday, October 24th at the Tarkanian Basketball Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event which was open to players in the class of 2026, 2027, and 2028, was designed to teach the game, and provide exposure to the next crop of local prospects. The event was run in combine fashion with every player having official heights, wingspans, and vertical jump measured. The players then went through 1 hour of drills led by local high school coaches, and a competitive 5 on 5 format. The 5 on 5 portion was played as a 7 game series with each team having the opportunity to make adjustments at the completion of each game. The camp concluded with an appearance from former Cal All-American and Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Monte Buckley. The entire camp was <a href="https://www.smithbrosnetwork.com/7outz">live-streamed on the 7outz network</a> and featured some of the top middle schoolers in Las Vegas. The majority of the participants came from the class of 2026, however, we had some standout performances from underclassmen as well. In this article, we take a look at the underclassmen from the event. <strong><img class=" wp-image-19646 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/phnext/uploads/2021/10/Refugio-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="288" height="288" />Refugio Caro</strong> <em>Ht |6'0| Wingspan |”75| |Vertical |”22.4| Shooting Drill |13| 2027 - </em>Caro was a revelation. Physically he stacked up with many of the upperclassmen at the camp. Skill-wise, he showed that he is a more than capable shooter. He has a nice rotation on his shot, and range out to the high school 3. Although he is built like a post, he displayed some good wing skills, putting the ball on the ground and slashing and finishing at the basket. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-19653 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/phnext/uploads/2021/10/Brennen-Cuello-2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />Brennen Cuello</strong> <em>Ht |4'10| Wingspan |”60| |Vertical |"15| Shooting Drill |12| 2028</em> - I've gotten to see quite a bit of Cuello at recent All Vegas practices and was intrigued by his moxie and shooting ability. I wasn't sure how he would fare against older players, but the 6th grader held his own. Cuello uses good shot prep to get his jumper off quickly against fast closing defenders and is crafty enough to get into the lane and finish around the rim. He had several nice offensive plays during the 7 game series. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-19644 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/phnext/uploads/2021/10/Charles-Parker-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />Charles Parker</strong> <em>Ht |5'3| Wingspan |”67| |Vertical |”18.5| Shooting Drill |6| 2027 - </em>Parker is a prospect to keep an eye on. He had good physical measurements including a wingspan two inches longer than his current height. On the court, he did a ton of little things for his squad, including defending and rebounding the basketball. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-19586 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/phnext/uploads/2021/10/Angelo-Imperial--300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />Angelo Imperial</strong> <em>Ht |5'2| Wingspan |”52| |Vertical |”22.7| 2027</em> - Imperial's defense was impressive. He was one of the top defenders at the camp regardless of age. The 7th-grade guard hounded several ball handlers and played the role of pest on the defensive end. Although one of the shorter players, Imperial's vertical was one of the best at the camp, and his foot speed seemed to throw a ton of players off as several times he raced end to end for layups. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong><img class=" wp-image-19645 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/phnext/uploads/2021/10/Jeremiah-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="241" height="241" />Jeremiah Williams</strong> <em>Ht |5'5| Wingspan |”64| |Vertical |”20| 2028 - </em>I typically don't factor in a player's bloodlines when publically evaluating them, but when your dad is 6'10 and played alongside 3 of the greatest scorers of all time, (Allen Iverson, Tracy Mcgrady and Vince Carter) I have to factor that in a little. As it is, Williams' game stands on its own. He was one of the best shooters at the camp, knocking down 21 3's in the shooting drill, then bringing it into the game, burying several catch and shoot 3's in the series. His handle and wiggle set him apart from other kids his age, Williams loves to give a hesitation dribble than quick crossover to freeze and then go by defenders for buckets.