Dallas Mavericks Fall Classic: Standout Seniors (Part 2)

<p>I got to see some really talented players go head-to-head this past weekend at the Dallas Mavericks Fall Classic in Frisco, Texas. Over 40 high school teams from all around the state competed in this early season tournament, and although I wasn’t able to see every team play, I was really impressed with every school I did have the opportunity to watch. With that in mind, here are eight 2022 prospects that caught my eye during the Thanksgiving break:</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="889570" first="T.J." last="Caldwell"] | 2022 | 6’4’’ Combo Guard | Faith Family Academy</strong> - Caldwell is a dynamic athlete who can seriously elevate. He showed off his vertical ability throughout the event, throwing down some monster dunks on numerous occasions. That said, the Ole Miss commit is much more than an explosive leaper. His finesse finishing was exceptional, maneuvering around defenders with some gorgeous Euro step moves to get to the hoop for easy scores.  He also shot the three ball well in the championship game, hitting some deep threes from the NBA line. Caldwell was named to the all-tournament team and helped lead Faith Family to a first-place finish in a stacked division. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="889585" first="Noah" last="Shelby"] | 2022 | 6’2’’ Point Guard | Greenhill School</strong> - Shelby is a weapon on offense. He can heat up in an instant, and did exactly that in the third quarter of Greenhill’s third-place game on Tuesday, knocking down a trio of threes. He exhibited deep range and made shots from both inside and outside the three-point line both from the catch and off the bounce. Furthermore, he displayed three-level scoring ability, as well as a fearlessness when it came to attacking on offense, not afraid to go at any defender on the court. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958597" first="Brice" last="Davis"] | 2022 | 6’7’’ Small Forward | Bishop Lynch HS</strong> - Davis provided whatever his team needed in their Monday night matchup. He was physical down low as well as fluid and agile on the perimeter. He is truly one of those prospects who can do it all. He was responsible for some crafty finishes in the paint, highlighted by a reverse layup and fantastic step-through move. The Bishop Lynch senior is poised to have a huge year now that he will have to carry the majority of the Friars’ scoring load. Moreover, he was a dominant rebounder at both ends, especially on offense, getting his team extra possessions on several different occasions. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1052072" first="Mason" last="Jones"] | 2022 | 6’4’’ Small Forward | Keller Central HS</strong> - Jones is an outstanding rebounder at the three spot. He plays bigger than the 6-foot-4-inch height he is listed at and does a great job of elevating for boards at both ends of the floor. The senior wing was also great at finishing in traffic both when slashing to the basket and when scoring from underneath in the paint. Additionally, he was solid as a three-point shooter, drilling a pair of catch-and-shoot threes in the second half of Keller Central’s championship loss to Mansfield Legacy. His team finished second in the silver division and Jones was awarded all-tournament honors for is performance. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="887083" first="Corvin" last="Oprea"] | 2022 | 6’4’’ Shooting Guard | Dallas St. Marks</strong> - Oprea is one of the more fundamentally sound prospects I’ve seen in a while. His game is really polished. It may not be the "cool" thing to be, but it benefits him greatly on the court. He is super smooth when attacking off the dribble and can finish in a number of ways at the hoop. The St. Marks lefty was so good at wiggling and weaving his way through congested areas on Monday. Another thing that stood out about Oprea was his refusal to settle after missing his first few jump shots, instead continuously slashing to the rim for high-percentage looks near the basket. </p> <p><strong>Wyatt Bell | 2022 | 6’0’’ Point Guard | Keller HS</strong> - Bell was phenomenal in Keller’s third-place matchup against Greenhill, impacting the game in a variety of ways.  He repeatedly found creative ways to help his team. The 6-foot guard jumped center vs. the 6-foot-10-inch <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="781880" first="Lee" last="Dort"]</strong>, allowed Dort to win the tip, but immediately went after the ball and subsequently assisted on the opening points of the game. Beyond that, Bell knocked down a triple as well as a mid-range pull-up from the baseline, was an unselfish passer, and worked his tail off on defense throughout the contest. He was an absolute difference maker in Keller’s victory. </p> <p><strong>Audrey Cox | 2022 | 6’5’’ Shooting Guard | Mansfield Legacy HS</strong> - Cox provided some productive minutes in Mansfield Legacy’s championship game win over Keller Central. He buried a pair of catch-and-shoot threes, finished an alley-oop with finesse in transition, played steady perimeter defense, and contributed on the defensive glass. The senior wing also showed that he can finish above the rim by punching down a two-handed dunk on a run out. His three-and-D ability coupled with his rebounding should allow him to succeed at the next level. </p> <p><strong>DaeVeon Scott | 2022 | 6’3’’ Point Guard | Keller Central HS</strong> - Scott is almost always playing downhill on offense, and I love that about his game. His passing seems to have improved since I saw him in a postseason game last season. The senior guard zipped some beautiful no-look passes to wide open teammates for gimme shots down low, and also had a nice drop-off assist after driving into the paint. He was solid on defense too when engaged, showing active hands and good instincts at that end of the floor. He is certainly a name to keep an eye on this season. </p>