Pangos AA Preview: Best Wings/Forwards (Part I)

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">LYNWOOD — The Pangos All-American Preview took place last weekend at Lynwood high school where more than 100 prospects attended in hopes of securing a coveted invite to the Pangos All-American Camp. Here are the best wings and forwards we saw at the two-day event.</span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><strong>Alier Bech Alier</strong>, 2024, Orangewood Academy -<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Alier has the skill-set and size to play inside and out. The 6-foot-7 forward is an athletic slashing finisher off the ball but also has the ball skills and passing IQ to make plays off the dribble for teammates in transition or the half-court setting. Where Alier stood out the most in this event was on the offensive and defensive boards. The sophomore gained second-chance opportunities for his team and jump started the break on the defensive glass.</span></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1055713" first="Anthony" last="Gilkes"]</strong>, 2024, Southern California Academy -<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Gilkes is an explosive scorer with all the size, length and athleticism measurements that Division 1 wings possess. At 6-feet-6 wing with a long, wiry frame, Gilkes has the ball skills, feel and explosiveness to beat defenders off the bounce and get to the paint where he finishes above the rim. Gilkes also has a smooth and balanced perimeter jump shot of bounce where his ability to elevate above the defense allows him to get clean looks at the rim. Gilkes was named the MVP of the Top 30 game after scoring 30 points.</span></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1163380" first="Carter" last="McDole"]</strong>, 2024, Dr. Phillips (FL) -<span class="Apple-converted-space"> McDole is an intriguing long-term prospect because of his combination of size, length, athleticism and skill. The rangy 6-foot-7 wing is a smooth and explosive leaper whose rim-running in transition gave his team a ton of easy transition buckets. McDole looked to dunk everything around the basket and flashed a consistent jump shot off the catch. McDole also made his presence felt as a rim protector, using his length and vertical leaping ability to erase shots around the basket.</span></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1052381" first="Chris" last="Arias"]</strong>, 2024, Providence School of Jacksonville (FL) -<span class="Apple-converted-space"> We really liked Arias’ versatility on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-6 sophomore showed the ability to rebound, push the break, and create shots for himself and teammates with his ball skills and basketball IQ. The smooth wing guarded multiple positions consistently, was impactful as a help defender and didn’t force the issue on the offensive end.</span></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><strong>Christopher Carter</strong>, 2022, Shadow Hills -<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Carter was the most explosive all-around athlete in the event and one of few unsigned seniors in the camp. The 6-foot-4 wing is an elite vertical athlete who can explode into the lane and finish above the rim in space or in traffic. Carter also showed off his ability to knock down open catch and shoot three’s and finish off straight line-drives in the half-court and transition settings.</span></span></p>