Chet Mason Invitational: Top Underclassmen Performers

<p>The Chet Mason Invitational had some young players with high ceilings that stood out during the event. In this article, we’ll be discussing the players that college coaches are going to be following in the years to come.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1188606" first="Alier" last="Maluk"], 6’9 C Imani Christian 2025: I heard a lot of buzz about Maluk heading into the event and he lived up to the hype with a solid performance. Maluk doesn’t have very talented teammates, which makes the game even more difficult for him, but that didn’t stop him from scoring around the basket and having some flash plays that showed off his potential. Maluk moves well for a player his size and showed nice touch around the basket. As such a young player, there’s still so much room for growth and I’m positive Maluk will become a high major prospect when the time comes.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1284603" first="Dellquan" last="Warren"], 6’2 PG Keystone Academy 2024: Warren was the best player at the entire event and I’m not sure anybody comes close. Warren is a great athlete who threw down some nasty dunks in transition, including a windmill slam that got the crowd in a frenzy. However, it was the other things that stood out about Warren’s game. He shot it at a higher level than I’ve previously seen from him but the thing that stood out to me was his passing. Warren dropped multiple behind the back dimes in the half-court off Pick and roll plays. If that sort of passing development is real, Warren is going to have a huge summer with Wildcats Select and the talented teammates he’ll be surrounded by. Warren’s stock is clearly rising after this game.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1157232" first="Lathan" last="Sommerville"], 6’6 PF TSF 2024: Sommerville impressed me as a younger forward with some nice shooting flashes. A bigger kid, Sommerville is able to push around prospects his same age. Sommerville also had one possession where he set up two teammates for easy looks, showing off some potential passing upside. This is a player to monitor for The Skill Factory who’s getting great experience playing next to stud teammates like [player_tooltip player_id="863588" first="Kam" last="Craft"].</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1222354" first="Jesse" last="McCulloch"], 6’8 C Lutheran East 2024: McCulloch has been a hot name in the 2024 class in Ohio and is set for a huge jump in the rankings during the next update coming in a few weeks. McCulloch showed off his outside shooting ability with two Pick and pop 3-pointers and a few putback layups. It wasn’t his most dominant game of the season, but McCulloch still showed why he’s progressing towards becoming a high major level prospect.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1352459" first="Hosea" last="Steele"], 6’3 SF Cleveland Heights 2024: Steele and a scrappy Cleveland Heights squad beat town rival Lutheran East in a competitive game throughout. Steele once again showed why he’s the most intriguing prospect for Cleveland Heights with his ability to put it on the floor from the wing position and finish with both hands. Steele also manned up and defended bigger players the entire game. Steele should receive a lot of interest from Division II/NAIA/Division III programs when he becomes an upperclassmen.</p>