National Prep Showcase Standouts (Part 2)

The National Prep Championship took place this week in West Hartford, CT for the first time since 2020 when the championship game was canceled due to Covid, and it was back like it never missed a beat. There were two brackets, a championship bracket featuring 16 teams who were chosen due to their resume, and a showcase bracket featuring 8 teams that just missed the cut. There were teams from all over the country in attendance, and there were tons of big time players throughout the event. Here’s a look at part two of the NC and VA standouts from the event. If you’d like to watch the playback of the event, you can see it <a href="http://cbglivenetwork.com">here</a>. [player_tooltip player_id="1387025" first="Elijah" last="Gray"] | 6’8” PF | Hargrave ’22 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/Gray-Elijah.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1380163" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/Gray-Elijah-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Gray worked all season to become one of Hargrave’s best players, and while they lost their first game of the week he still put on a great show showing his versatility and ability to impact the game in many different ways. While he’s a power forward with his build, he has an all-around skill set that makes him a walking mismatch as he can play on the perimeter where he can put it on the deck and shoots it very well, he is an athletic finisher and moves well for his size and he can make plays for others as well. Christian Moore | 6’0” CG | Hargrave ’22 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/Moore-Christian.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1383154" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/Moore-Christian-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Moore had himself a great week for Hargrave, showing his ability to be a two way impact player as well as play both guard positions. The Virginia Beach native showed his ability to put it on the deck and create shots for himself and others, he shot the ball well from deep with good range and attacked closeouts and finished well in the midrange and he showed good defensive ability on the ball and in help side. [player_tooltip player_id="769659" first="Leland" last="Walker"] | 6’1” PG | Hargrave ’22 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Walker-Leland.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1253481" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Walker-Leland-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> The EKU commit came in as one of the top guards in the tournament, and he showed his elite ability to create off the bounce for himself and others. He plays with great tempo as he changes speeds and has a great handle with the ability to change directions well, he has good burst and gets in the lane where he can finish and he has great vision and playmaking ability as well. [player_tooltip player_id="815583" first="Kanye" last="Clary"] | 5’11” PG | Massanutten ’22 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Clary-Kanye-CBGFF.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1321362" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Clary-Kanye-CBGFF-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Clary was one of the best guards in attendance, as the Penn State commit helped Massanutten to upset their way to the semifinals before falling to Northfield Mount Hermon. The 5’11” guard is so dynamic off the bounce as he is slippery and has a great change of pace and ability to create space to knock down shots, he can knock it down from deep and get in the lane to create for others and he just has the uncanny ability to score the basketball and come up big when his team needed him to. [player_tooltip player_id="798705" first="Kyrese" last="Mullen"] | 6’6” PF | Massanutten ’22 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Mullen-Kyrese-CBGFF.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1321361" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Mullen-Kyrese-CBGFF-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Mullen was a favorite of a lot of people at the tournament, as he asserted himself in the paint as well as knocked down shots consistently and brought a lot of toughness while having to play against and guard bigger players. The Norfolk native was consistent in his ability to finish around the rim and through contact, he rebounded well on both ends and he shot the basketball well from multiple levels too. [player_tooltip player_id="1403917" first="Troy" last="McKoy"] | 6’4” WG | Massanutten ‘23 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/McKoy-Troy-1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1415653" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/McKoy-Troy-1-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> McKoy is a Connecticut native who came back and put on a show while putting his name in front of a number of national scouts as well. Recently ranked #7 in the updated 2023 class rankings in VA, he has a mix of size and skill set that makes him very productive, and he also has the option to prep and go to the 2024 class as well. He showed he can knock down shots from deep consistently and with good range, he can put it on the deck and use his size around the rim to finish and he has a good IQ and toughness as well.