Prolific Prep 88 Hoop Nation 79: Five Best

<p>This morning I was able to review the Prolific Prep victory over Hoop Nation game from just under a week ago.  Who were the five best standouts from the game?  We list them in order. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1252972" first="Adem" last="Bona"] of Prolific Prep (1).  The most dominant player in the game was [player_tooltip player_id="1252972" first="Adem" last="Bona"], the 6’9/6’10 center.  Bona’s five blocked shots and several contested shots took away most of the Hoop Nation ability to score near the rim.  Bona also grabbed 13 rebounds so in addition to halting possessions with his shot blocking/contesting, Bona also ended possessions with his defensive rebounding.  The 19 points was basically a bonus as Bona shot 8 of 11 from the field and 3 of 5 at the foul line.  Bona has a 7’4 wingspan, an intense and rapid lift off the floor that is simply rare.  It’s even rarer to find a player that has the passion and energy Bona competes with.  This is the type of guy that I expect to have several 11 point, 14 rebound, 4 block performances at the college level.  </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1252976" first="MJ" last="Rice"] of Prolific Prep (2).  Rice played with a different energy against Hoop Nation than what I saw at the end of last July.  This was a 6’5 225 wrecking ball that went to the rim with full body control absorbing or ignoring contact and finishing aggressively at the rim.  His 225 just blew through the defense for balanced finishes leading to a 27 point game (10 of 18 shooting from the field, 5 of 7 at the foul line, two threes made).  Early in the game I thought a few shots were rushed but as the game moved on, I loved the aggressiveness of Rice’s offense.  The jumper is cleaner than I remember as well.  Great first senior impression.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="992480" first="Jared" last="McCain"] of Hoop Nation (3).  Jared is a top 30 level player in the 2023 class and considered to be one of the best junior shooters.  If you watched this game earlier in the week you would likely agree.  McClain opened the game with three threes which forced his opponents to chase him, and close out hard.  Once the defense stepped out, McCain went to the rim and the over help of the opponents led to McCain consistently being fouled.  McCain went on a stretch of nine straight made foul shots.  With the defense completely confused on what to do with McCain, he then stepped out and hit two more threes.  The 6’2 guard finished with 33 points on 8 of 14 shooting including those five threes plus 12 of 15 foul shooting.  McCain also had five assists. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="970280" first="Donovan" last="Dent"] of Hoop Nation (4).  After watching Dent play this game and looking into some of his past basketball history, I have to believe that Dent is one of the better point guards still available in the 2022 class.  He faced a lot of pressure from Prolific Prep and did a solid job delivering the ball.  McCain’s three point shooting was helped by the Dent deliver.  The three back screens that became dunks, started with Dent’s execution of the set and delivering passes.  Donovan also scored 17 points in addition to the seven assists.  </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1270483" first="Tre" last="White"] of Prolific Prep (5).  Picking between the [player_tooltip player_id="1269224" first="Dior" last="Johnson"] 14 points, 5 assists, and defensive pressure, the [player_tooltip player_id="994950" first="Aaron" last="McBride"] 10 point and 9 boards, and the [player_tooltip player_id="1270483" first="Tre" last="White"] 19 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists I went with White.  Tre provided a lot of the energy both verbally and on the court that took Prolific Prep through some rough spots.  I had him at 6 of 13 shooting for the game which was fine although I felt he rushed a few shots when his team was in a better spot to grind down a tiring defense.  Overall the White talent level allowed him to contribute in an all around way earning him a spot on this list. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>