Lonestar State Showdown: 14U Standouts (Part 2)

Dallas, TX. — The Lonestar State Showdown was this past weekend in Dallas and Prep Hoops Next was able to get our eyes on a lot of kids during the three day event. I was posted up at Mansfield High School all weekend and mainly focused on the 14U division. Below is the second part on just some of the standouts that were present this weekend. For part one, go here

2026 Armon Almutter | Texas Summit

Armon always seemed to make an impact when he got the chance to play for Texas Summit this past weekend. A hard nosed player, Almutter runs the floor well, has a high basketball and rebounds the ball well. Almutter will continue to play an important role for the success of Texas Summit.

2026 Aidan Chronister | Arkansas Athletes Outreach

Chronister had a terrific weekend in Dallas showcasing how dangerous he can be with the ball in his hands. Given his size standing at 6’5 and ability to shoot the ball, he can stretch out to the perimeter and make shots on a consistent basis. He also has some nice ball handling skills that he showcased on some of the top defenders on other teams. Chronister should make a name for himself on the national level.

2026 Eli Schwartzman | Arkansas Athletes Outreach

Schwartzman made his presence known right away starting the tournament off with a 23 point outing for Arkansas Athletes Outreach. A true lead guard with the ability to score the ball well, Scwartzman was cooking all weekend in Dallas. Growth is obviously the next important factor for Eli which will help us determine his projection at the next level.

2026 Jaylen Simmons| Southern Assault

We talked about Simmons after the opening night of the Lonestar State Showdown and his game continued to get better and better as the weekend went on. He was one of the main reasons that Southern Assault made it all the way to the semifinals of the 14u division. A skilled ball handler and a feel for the game a lot of 8th graders don’t have, Simmons was one of the overall top performers in Dallas last weekend.

2026 Braden Wathen | Southern Assault

There have been rumblings about Wathen’s game from people I trust in Texas and I was glad to finally lay my eyes on him this past weekend in Dallas while he was playing with Southern Assault.Wathen moves well with the ball in his hands, has a good shot fake to catch defenders off guard and uses his craft well to score the ball in a variety of ways. Wathen plays with a lot of confidence that can’t be matched at the 8th grade level.