PH Top 250 (OR) Out-of-State Standouts, Pt. 1

Kyle Randall

October 26, 2021 @ 05:03 PM

I was super excited to check out the Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo in Oregon this past weekend. I haven’t had a chance to really see many Oregon players so I was glad to finally catch some Oregon hoop action. There was a lot of talent in the building from Oregon, but I focused more of my coverage on the out-of-state guys. Check out Part 1 of my notes from the event... 6’2 SG Darius Wilcher, Rainier Beach HS (WA) | 2024 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/29-Darius-Wilcher.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1315132 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/29-Darius-Wilcher-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>Darius was one of my favorite players to watch at this event. He has good size for a guard already and has the potential to be a dynamic scoring guard with his skillset. He had pull-up threes in transition, as well as catch-and-shoot threes from kick-out passes. Good speed in transition, and he had some nice finishes. On his rim attacks, he showed great body control and craftiness. He didn’t show it much, but he has good vision and can find teammates. I was most impressed with his shot-making ability. Darius hit some heavily contested middy pull-ups and did a great job of creating the space he needed to get off the shot. There was a stretch in Game 2 where he completely took over the game with his scoring and willed his team to a comeback win. Very high upside for this kid and someone who colleges should get on now. 6’1 PG [player_tooltip player_id="674437" first="Takeo" last="Sylvester"], O’Dea HS (WA) | 2022 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/55-Takeo-Sylvester.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1315096 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/55-Takeo-Sylvester-300x206.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="206" /></a>Floor general. His ability to control the game was fun to see. He played a great floor game in each of the games I watched. He is patient and doesn’t force anything. He had the ball in his hands quite a bit and looked to make things happen for his team within the flow. He valued the ball and didn’t turn it over much at all. He showed a high IQ and feel for the game. Sylvester has good vision and got his teammates easy looks all evening. He made his open shots; three-point threat from off the dribble and off the catch. He is a very smart defender that plays angles well and keeps his guy in front. Definitely a player to keep an eye on. 6’2 PG Julius Frazier, La Center HS (WA) | 2022 Julius was fun to watch. He is a scrappy defender with active hands, and it resulted in a lot of steals at the event. He showed good awareness avoiding a charge by stopping short and using a floater off glass. He also had a nice acrobatic finish at the rim that was impressive. He didn’t shoot many threes, but he did hit a pull-up three in transition so he is capable. 6’3 SG [player_tooltip player_id="1057883" first="Jayden" last="Jones"], Desert Oasis HS (NV) | 2024 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/37-Jayden-Jones.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1315130 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/37-Jayden-Jones-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>I like Jayden’s game, then I found out he was 2024 and now I love Jayden’s game. He is a super smooth player. He wasn’t very aggressive to score, but he had moments where he showed his abilities. He is a solid shooter from deep when his feet are set; he had a few spot-up threes in transition. I was impressed with his awareness and control to be able to slow his pace down after moving full speed on his rim attacks. He did this multiple times and threw off the timing of the defenders trying to block his shot. He can finish with both hands, too. He’s a good defender and did a good job of keeping his guy in front.