Hard Work Region Kickoff: Wing Standouts

<p>The Prep Hoops Circuit kicked off last weekend, and I was in Iowa to watch the Hard Work Region Kick Off! These are some of the wing prospects who stood out at all grade levels.</p> <p><strong>Aboubacar Cisse (6’5 2022 W, Illinois Elite)- </strong>Simply put, Aboubacar is a walking bucket. The 6’5 unsigned senior is an explosive athlete with a strong frame that allows him to finish above the rim with ease, but also has the body control to absorb contact and finish with touch. At 6’5 he has the handle to create on the perimeter, and with a bit of separation he’s able to elevate and knock down threes from well beyond the high school arc. Against Real Phenom he was making tough shots look easy as he scored in a variety of ways, while also coming down and defending just about every spot on the floor.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850729" first="Muja" last="Burton"] (6’4 2022 W, Real Phenom - Nick)- </strong>Arguably the most versatile scorer I saw all weekend, the unsigned senior out of Minnesota was getting buckets at all three levels. With the ball in his hands he was able to use an array of moves, including a well executed hesitation move, to create space on the perimeter or to get all the way to the basket. Muja shot the ball well from three and mid-range, but was equally impressive with his willingness to play through contact around the rim even against bigger defenders. Burton continuously scrapped on the offensive glass and it led to a couple of extra buckets each game for his team. Defensively I liked how he absorbed contact around the rim while remaining straight up to use his length to contest shots. Also threw down a few transition dunks throughout the event.</p> <p><strong>Raph Berje (6’2 2025 SF, United Hoops)- </strong>Raph Berje is an intriguing freshman out of Wisconsin, with plenty of potential. At 6’2 he has a long frame and is a high level athlete with the ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor. With his size he can contest around the rim, but he also showed no problem defending wings and smaller guards on the perimeter. One sequence saw him block a shot on one end, sprint up the floor, and finish off an alley-oop lay-up for two points. That type of athleticism and body control at this stage of his development was impressive to see. Raph also found success putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim in the half-court.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1288916" first="Cailen" last="Shadrick"] (6’3 2025 SF, EZ Work Elite)- </strong>At this stage Cailen can pretty much play anywhere on the floor against his age group. He has the size to play in the post, the handle to act as a guard, and the athleticism to slash from the wing. In an age of "position-less basketball", Cailen’s skills were on display as he knew when to make the right plays at just about all times. At times he was fighting for low-post position and using both strength and footwork to create high percentage looks, and at other times he was catching on the wing and slashing his way to the basket. Cailen also showed off his athleticism with a dunk in transition. Under control player who plays with a lot of poise.</p> <p><strong>Ariyon Reuben (6’4 2023 W, Real Phenom - Silas)- </strong>Ariyon was one of the big stock risers over the weekend, putting in some impressive performances for Real Phenom. He’s so dangerous as a shot creator, because at 6’4 he has a shifty handle and aa great understanding of how to create separation on the perimeter. When you combine that with his high release point, it makes it difficult for defenders to get a good contest on him when he looks to pull-up from three or mid-range. At 6’4 with some explosive athleticism and dangerous isolation scoring ability, he’s an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on this spring/summer.</p> <p><strong>Landen Sewell (6’2 2024 W, Waterloo Salvation)- </strong>In a scrappy game with a lot of fouling and physical defense, Landen put in a strong performance for Waterloo Salvation on Sunday. He was playing through contact to get to the basket, while also showcasing his range and shooting touch from beyond the arc. Has a long but also strong frame that allows him to guard a variety of spots on the floor. Solid prospect out of Iowa.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1221165" first="Martez" last="Wise"] (6’3 2023 SF, Real Phenom - Nick)- </strong>Martez is an explosive athlete and he used that athleticism to make plays on both ends of the floor. His team didn’t have any true post players, so Martez was often guarding bigger players on one end, and was holding his own against that size. he has a junkyard dog mentality defensively as he scraps for every inch and explodes off the floor to snatch rebounds in traffic. On the offensive end he excelled at moving off the ball and slashing to the basket for finishes inside. When he has the space or gets out in transition, Martez was able to elevate off two feet for some explosive dunks.</p>