Summer Stock Risers Pt. 4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're continuing a new series today on Prep Hoops Oklahoma! We're nearing the end of travel ball all across the country and team camps wrapped up in June. Players all across Oklahoma got better and in this series, we put a spotlight on some of the prospects in the various classes that have risen their stock with performances at various tournaments or team camp settings. Keep it locked in to Prep Hoops Oklahoma for more stock riser posts throughout the rest of the month and into August!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>In Case You Missed It!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/07/summer-stock-risers-pt-1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">– Part One</a></strong><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/07/summer-stock-risers-pt-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">– Part Two</a></strong><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/07/summer-stock-risers-pt-3/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">- Part Three</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1079009' first='Carter' last='Hjelmstad'] - 2023 Forward - Edmond Memorial</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The very first Prep Hoops Circuit event in Oklahoma was back in the first of April. Without a doubt one of the top prospects in attendance was 2023 forward [player_tooltip player_id='1079009' first='Carter' last='Hjelmstad'] from Edmond Memorial. While he was playing with ROGUE, Hjelmstad could not be stopped and had a complete performance on both sides of the floor. It's widely considered across Oklahoma and among hoop junkies that the independent travel program ROGUE is the best travel team in Oklahoma that is not associated with a shoe circuit. They play as a team and the roster is littered with players like Hjelmstad that just know how to play the game and do it at a high level. What's so impressive about Hjelmstad is how comfortable he is with either hand. He's starting to extend his game out as well and there's no doubt that he is going to be a big key to Edmond Memorial's success this winter. Edmond Memorial always knows how to get the most out of their top players and Hjelmstad has a chance to be the top senior on this year's team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1343196' first='Cedric' last='Dixon'] - 2024 Guard - Union</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first of two sharpshooters on this breakdown is Union's 2024 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1343196' first='Cedric' last='Dixon']. The Union shooter was a borderline top ten prospect and I think you can make the argument that he should be inside of the top ten with the offseason he's had with [program_tooltip program_id='2078402' first='Team' last='Griffin']. He's definitely taken advantage of his opportunity to play on a big stage with the EYBL and against top competition. We've written quite a bit about Union's impressive 2024 class and Dixon is a big part of it. We think his stock continues to go up as we move closer to the next high school season. Dixon is a great shooter but he's starting to become more than just a shooter and as those parts of his game develop, he's going to be a dangerous guard in Class 6A over the next two seasons. Right now, Union's 2024 big three of [player_tooltip player_id='1343195' first='Chris' last='Mason'], [player_tooltip player_id='1343196' first='Cedric' last='Dixon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1343197' first='Dalen' last='Fuller'] are all within the top 15 of our 2024 rankings and it's going to be interesting to see who ends up being the best prospect out of the group. Dixon definitely took steps towards becoming just that this offseason. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1475987' first='Davon' last='Scott'] - 2025 Guard - Douglass</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are few players in Oklahoma who have had a better offseason than 2025 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1475987' first='Davon' last='Scott']. He broke into the varsity lineup at Edmond Santa Fe in January and started playing more down the stretch. But it's been his offseason with [program_tooltip program_id='2075880' first='Team' last='Buddy Buckets'] that has grabbed headlines. He's put up some absolutely stellar performances. He's made scoring 30+ points look effortless in several events throughout the offseason. After talking with other writers and coaches in the region, it's a consensus that Scott has been one of the best players in the state this offseason. We're really looking forward to seeing where he goes from here because there is no doubt that he has an incredibly high ceiling as a 2025 prospect. We updated our prospect rankings in June and he was ranked #18 and you know what? That was too low. He's establishing himself as a top ten prospect in the state's 2025 class based on his performances this offseason. The state's 2025 class is getting deeper and more talented every day and Scott is a good example of that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='981279' first='Evan' last='Barber'] - 2023 Guard - Westmoore</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second 2023 prospect on this breakdown is another product of the ROGUE independent travel team. As we mentioned with Hjelmstad, it's hard to argue any other independent travel program being as dominant as ROGUE was this offseason. Another top prospect from this team is 2023 guard [player_tooltip player_id='981279' first='Evan' last='Barber'] out of Westmoore. And similar to Dixon as well, Barber has been lighting opponents up from beyond the arc. In terms of the entire state, there are not very many shooters that are better than Barber. He could very well be in the top five among shooters across the state. The stroke is incredibly natural and Barber is also expanding his game and he isn't just a catch and shoot prospect. He's starting to hit shots from several feet beyond the arc, making him so dangerous to defend because the passing is improving as well. Another aspect of Barber's game that is impressive is how efficient he is with the basketball. He doesn't make very many mistakes with the ball in his hands and can be counted on in big moments. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1295745' first='Kam' last='Burris'] - 2025 Guard Cascia Hall</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our final prospect on today's spotlight is Cascia Hall 2025 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1295745' first='Kam' last='Burris']. When I first saw Burris in person, it was at our Expo event last fall before his freshman season last winter. He was one of the more impressive 2025 prospects that we saw and then we didn't see him again in person until this summer. In a Prep Hoops Circuit event in early July, we were impressed with the growth of Burris. Literally, his physical growth. It looked like he had grown three to five inches from last September and looked like even more of a legitimate prospect within the 2025 class. He was playing for a Wolfpack squad that has a few 2025 prospects out of Cascia Hall that we like and he's one of them. The future is bright at Cascia and for Burris as a prospect because if he continues growing, both physically and in his game, he's going to join some of the top prospects in this 2025 class. As we mentioned with Scott, this 2025 class is getting deeper and more talented every month that passes and Burris is definitely a name that is on the rise. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->