Nike EYBL Session 4: Thursday Standouts

KANSAS CITY -- Nike EYBL Session 4 tipped off Thursday from Hyvee Arena. Here’s a look at who stood out on day one... [player_tooltip player_id="1486135" first="Tee" last="Bartlett"] - 2025 - F/C - WhyNot This kid is a monster. The 6-foot-10 center has the body, athletic ability, and demeanor to dominate the paint. In a blowout win over Seattle Rotary, Bartlett had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting while playing just 16 minutes. Bartlett moves really well for his size and has this imposing brand of basketball. There’s some skill here too. While Bartlett is going to make his money right now by catching deep and overpowering defenders, he flashed some nifty footwork and moves with the ball where he tried to score with finesse. [player_tooltip player_id="987273" first="John" last="Blackwell"] - 2023 - G - The Family<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/11113859.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1505046" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/11113859-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> Blackwell had maybe his best game in the EYBL circuit. The Wisconsin commit posted 19 points and eight rebounds as The Family was able to hang on against LivOn-Fleur De Lis. Blackwell was 7-of-12 from the field and hit a couple of big shots down the stretch. Not known for his offense, Blackwell showed he can be a primary option and an alpha on that end of the floor. He clearly wanted the ball in his hands and was much more assertive on that end of the floor. One of the top on-ball defenders in the country, Blackwell is a dawg who wants the other team’s best player. A prospect that was really under the radar when he committed to the Badgers, Blackwell appears to have made some significant gains over the last couple of months. [player_tooltip player_id="1151197" first="Daniel" last="Freitag"] - 2024 - PG - Howard Pulley Freitag dropped 30 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in a buzzer-beating wing over CP3. The scary part? I don’t know that Freitag played his ’A’ game. Freitag’s stat line was helped by an incredible 18-of-18 performance at the free throw stripe, but early, he was getting stuffed at the rim and probably attacked size at the rim too much. In the second half, Freitag made his adjustments. The 6-foot-3 guard played with NBA Jam like hang time, adjusting in mid-air and maneuvering around all the length and athleticism sitting in the paint. Thought he was much more patient in his dribble drives as well -- making sure the ball moved side-top-side before he attacked as help defenders were less likely to be in a great position. Freitag is an explosive scorer, but he’s a leader too that really balances being a true floor general. To be able to score 30 points while dishing out seven assists to zero turnovers...that’s special. [player_tooltip player_id="1150822" first="Cameron" last="Holmes"] - 2025 - SF - Arizona Unity Talked about Holmes in Louisville after he dominated a 15U game. The future five-star prospect was just as good at the 16U level. Holmes had 17 points on just 10 shots. Holmes hit four triples in the first half alone. The game was well in hand by that point. A well-rounded wing who can shoot the rock, Holmes also had three assists in 19 minutes. The silky smooth wing has the skillset to really pack the stat sheet. If all else fails, Holmes is an excellent isolation scorer. Give him the rock on an island, he’s going to get something high percentage and can score it from virtually anywhere. [player_tooltip player_id="1142123" first="Kon" last="Knueppel"] - 2024 - W - Phenom University<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/20220423_1326320.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1438566" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/20220423_1326320-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> Not a great day for Phenom, who dropped a lopsided decision against Arizona Unity. Knueppel did his best to keep his team in the game for as long as he could. The Wisconsin Lutheran product had a game-high 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including 5-of-9 from downtown. With a shorthanded lineup, Knueppel also dished out two assists. Just never see this kid have an off game. Knueppel just has this calm demeanor each time out. You can’t speed him up, his game never changes, and everything he does is just fluid, almost nonchalant. Knueppel is the poster boy for fundamentally sound basketball. He’s not out there trying to beat people with athleticism, speed, or flash. Yet, he’s still got defenses in utter chaos and always a step behind, even though it feels like Knueppel is moving in slow motion. [player_tooltip player_id="996810" first="Preston" last="Lee"] - 2024 - PG - Arizona Unity I don’t know how much talent there is in the state of Arizona, but I think Lee is a kid that flies under the radar. I like the way he plays and think he’s one of those guys who subtly makes a team go. Lee only took three shots the entire game in a win over Phenom University, making two of them. When Lee wanted to look for his offense, felt like he could get it. He’s one of those guys you hate guarding, because Lee will lull you to sleep and then strike. He also has this knack to lose defenders. Lee will even use the same screen 3-4 different times. Lee only played 10 minutes, but gave his team five points and four assists -- therefore, his team was getting a basket almost every minute he was on the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="1115509" first="Drake" last="Powell"] - 2024 - SF - CP3 Powell is an exciting prospect, not just because of his scoring ability, but his overall versatility and IQ. Defensively, saw him defend a variety of different players. Each time, he knew who he was matched up against and what he could get away with. Powell seemed to really learn quickly what his man could and couldn’t do. Offensively, Powell is handful. He’s a 6-foot-5, smooth, athletic, bouncy wing that is tough to handle. Not a great shooter yet, but Powell does have a sweet mid-range game. Powell is also a long strider that covers ground in a hurry and doesn’t need to utilize a ton of dribbles. In the open floor, Powell plays with really good vision and court awareness. He’s a guy you want bringing the ball up the floor when numbers are on your side. [player_tooltip player_id="1284147" first="Jack" last="Robison"] - 2024 - W - Howard Pulley<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/robison-jack-lakeville-north-2024.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1356004" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/robison-jack-lakeville-north-2024-300x188.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="188" /></a> Robison had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The lengthy wing also dished out four assists in his 30 minutes. A head injury derailed Robison’s spring, but at times, he looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. Love the mismatch ability you get from the wing position here. Robison is a legit 6-foot-5, maybe a little bigger, with some long arms. He’ll cause problems with his ability to take guys into the post and score falling away from the basket. Also a dangerous 3-point sniper, Robison can hunt triples off screens or flare out in the pick n’ pop game. There’s lineup versatility here as well. Robison can guard on the perimeter or inside. Think once he fills into that raw frame, he’s only going to get better in that regard as well. [player_tooltip player_id="953945" first="Mac" last="Wrecke"] - 2023 - SF - Team Herro Wrecke had 13 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting. The Arrowhead standout came up big in crunch time, scoring seven points down the stretch to lift Team Herro past the top team in their division. Wrecke was 2-of-2 from 3-point range as well. Showing some terrific moxy, Wrecke didn’t get off the best of starts and got pulled early in the game with a long stint on the bench. His mental toughness showed up in the fourth quarter as Wrecke was able to make some big plays after N.H. Lightning was storming back into the game. Team Herro had a couple of other standout players, but I’m not sure they win on Thursday without Wrecke stepping up the way he did.