Team Cezer Winter Invitational: Top 10 Sleepers

The Winter Invitational took place at the Kroc Center in Phoenix Arizona, from Friday, November 12th until Sunday, November 13th. The event, hosted by Team Cezer featured boys teams from 5th grade through 8th and attracted teams from Arizona, Nevada, and California. The format is two days of pool play followed by bracket play on Sunday. So much of Middle School basketball is developmental, making it ripe for players to emerge from seemingly out of nowhere, and turning into bonafide prospects. Here’s a glance at our Top 10 Sleepers from the event.

1. Trace Lopez 6’5 C Sneaker Steal 2028 (featured image) – Easy to salivate at his potential. Runs well for a kid his size, and plays the game with energy. Developing his finishing ability around the rim would catapult him to another level.
2. Ryan Jenson PF Prodigy 2026 – Didn’t get an official height, but he was one of the biggest players on the floor. He showed flashes of ball skills throughout the weekend.
3. Isaiah Rider 5’4 CG Skyriders 2028 – Kid is a bucket, with range out to the college 3 and an advanced offensive game.
4. Mason Tamlyn 5’4 PG Gremlins 2028 – A player to watch moving forward, showed a slick handle and some nifty finishing ability.
5. Romello Shields 5’11 PF Hunter Elite 2026 – High Energy glue guy with good size.
6. Anthony Foley 6’0 SF Tuscon Spartans 2026 – All this kid seemed to do was make plays this weekend. Talented slasher, inside finisher.
7. Dillon Mendoza 6’1 PF Gremlins 2026 – Not flashy but efficient lefty scorer that was able to finish around the rim.
8. KJ Fauske AZ Select 2026 – A high IQ three-point bomber, with the potential to stretch out.
9. Caleb Seow Up Tempo 5’9 PG 2026 – A good shooter, that showed a knack for getting into the paint and using floaters to finish.
10. Kyle Ferrill SF Gremlins 2026 – Played on the Gremlins developmental team, but showed good aggressiveness and an intriguing offensive skill set.