Throwback Report: The Stage, Act 3 Standouts (Part 2)

<p>The Stage Act 3 took place earlier this month, so why am I writing about it right now?</p> <p>I’ve got a demanding day job, folks.</p> <p>With that said, there were so many good prospects during the third session of the Southern California event that I figured they deserved the spotlight, albeit belatedly.</p> <p>Here are some of the top prospects from opening night.</p> <h3>Best individual performance</h3> <h4>Jake Hall, 6-2 2025 G, California Select</h4> <p>The rising sophomore put on a virtuoso performance in an upset win over Team Veritas. In the second half, he rattled off 12 straight points (finished with 37), continually scoring on wing and mid-post isolation plays while exhibiting advanced footwork and underrated burst. His ability to score the ball from three levels is uncanny for a prospect his grade. But the area where he showed big growth was on defense, where his effort has come a long way. </p> <h3>Biggest mismatch</h3> <h4>Carson Brown, 6-5 2023 W, Team Nation</h4> <p>Brown, an elite sharpshooter, was the beneficiary of mismatches in a pretty improbable comeback blowout. Matched up against Gamepoint’s forwards and centers, he took advantage of the sagging defense and knocked down shots from well beyond NBA range, and when the bigs closed out, he was able to get into the paint and knock down pull-up jumpers or make nifty passes when drawing double teams. One of the best shooters in the gym, but his game is much more than just shooting. </p> <h3>Best unsigned seniors</h3> <h4>Benjie Nudo, 6-0 2022 G, San Diego All-Stars </h4> <p>Nudo, who is headed to Miramar JC in San Diego, is one of the streakiest scorers in Southern California. But when he’s on, as was the case in a blowout win over EA Prep Stars, he’s capable of incredible scoring outbursts. Try 37 points, and doing it from each level with ease. The one area he has to continue to improve? His shot selection, which can at times be maddening. </p> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id="970271" first="Makaih" last="Williams"], 6-2 2022 G, Cali Rebels </h4> <p>Williams, who has announced his intent to reclassify to 2023, will immediately be one of the best postgrad guards available. An elite athlete who is coming into his own as a playmaker, has excellent burst and can get into the paint at will, scoring through contact and over contact (explosive leaper), but can also knock down the pull-up jumper and three-point shots operating out of the pick-and-roll. His frame is slight, but he’s stronger than he looks. A young 2022 prospect, his upside is immense. </p> <h3>Point guard deluxe</h3> <h4>Tylen Riley, 6-3 2023 PG, Las Vegas Knicks </h4> <p>Riley’s performance throughout the weekend was a master class in point guard play. The Las Vegas guard plays with excellent pace, changes speeds effectively, and is super crafty off the bounce, where his IQ, athleticism and vision can dissect teams. The area where he’s come around of late is with his shooting from three, as he’s become a much more consistent shooter with range beyond the college three. </p> <h3>Quality guard play</h3> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id="970270" first="Marqui" last="Worthy"], 6-3 2023 G, Team Veritas </h4> <p>Worthy is a physical specimen and has mastered playing off of two feet. He gets into the paint almost all of the time, and is rarely off balanced. This allows him to finish almost automatically in the paint, complementing his playable perimeter shooting. A very good combo guard. </p> <h4>Nicholas Clark, 6-2 2023 G, UBC Elite </h4> <p>The Utah guard plays alongside a very good guard in Kaden Erickson, but he is a quality prospect in his own right. He can dribble, pass and shoot and rarely forces the issue. He does an solid job operating in the pick and roll and is a solid playmaker to boot. </p>