2024 City Rankings: Houston (10-6)

Check out my analysis on some of the top 2024 prospects in the Houston area! Some of these guys are division one prospects, with little to no offers. So coaches make sure you check them out when you can!   #10 [player_tooltip player_id='1217196' first='Jae'Coby' last='Osborne'] <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaecoby-osborne/"></a>2024 6'5 Fort Bend Elkins High School (F.F.E. Fresno Flyers Elite)   Jae'Coby is a prospect that has made a tremendous leap this summer, calmly and confidently developing all aspects of his game. He has the ability to affect the game on the interior and play the small ball forward for his team, allowing them to play five out. He affects the game like a more skilled and effective Draymond Green, handling the ball on the perimeter and running the pick and roll as the ball handler or the screener. He is a good screener allowing his guards to have a second longer to set their feet and score beyond the arc. Where I have seen the most development since the beginning of the summer was his ability to score off the bounce in the mid-range and attacking the basket. He looks even more confident with his handle and his ability to turn the corner on his opponent and get to the rim with his strong frame. His shot from beyond the arc has dramatically improved as well, going 4-5 in the first half of the game I watched, including a first half buzzer beater.   Defensively, he knows how athletic he is and how well he can use his ability to leap to fight on the interior. He constantly outworks bigger opponents, boxing them out and sealing them off. I was very impressed with how many rebounds he collected, or tapping it out to his guards. I was very impressed with how well he defended the perimeter, or anchored his defense from the paint. He quickly closed out on opponents and ensured that he cut off their angles.   #9 [player_tooltip player_id='1354704' first='Chris' last='Catchings']  2024 6'5 Fort Bend Marshall High School, TX (TJ Ford Basketball 2023)    Chris is an incredibly refined wing player with the ease in which he scores off the bounce from all three levels of the floor. He is a great shot maker, even fading away and coming off the dribble. Catchings makes his mark with his ability to explode with a live dribble, and then  finish through anyone who stands in front of him. He contorts his body well to avoid contact, and loves using his long arms to finish around his opponents. I was very impressed with the speed in which he displayed after coming out of the triple threat, and it really caught his opponents by surprise. On the defensive side of the ball, he has incredible instincts and knows when to attack a ball handler with a trap, or rotate over to catch a cross court pass and run on the fast break. TJ Ford Academy is clearly pumping high level basketball training into his mind and it looks like it is paying off at the highest level. He has all the tools to become an incredibly affective Division 1 wing player or even play at the combo guard spot with his ability to handle the ball, score off the dribble and get past his defenders in both the full court and the half court. Catchings is a prospect you CANNOT miss out on.     #8 [player_tooltip player_id='1216533' first='Clarence' last='Payia'] 2024 6'3 Beaumont United High School    Clarence is a strong guard who has all of the physical tools to do it all on either end of the floor. His leaping ability is off the charts, and he is noticeably bigger since I saw him at the Texas State Championships. He has really showed massive developments with his ability to score off the bounce from all three levels of the floor. His ability to calmly break down defenders and rise up beyond the arc was very impressive. He is not afraid of any help defenders coming his way to close out and affect him at the rim. His ability to get to the rim and absorb contact allowed him to convert a few and-1 opportunities on his way to the rim. He has a great frame already allowing him to finish through the chest of his opponents and slam it on the fast break.   Payia is an active player in the paint on both ends of the floor, he rebounds the ball at a high level, finishes through contact at the rim and is patient down low. On the defensive end of the floor, he has great instincts already as a help defender. He is good at recognizing which order in which he should be rotating to help over and protects the rim with ferocity. His defensive instincts allow him to pick off passes in the passing lanes, play lock-down on ball defense, or defend you in the paint. Payia will soon be handed the keys to an incredibly well coached and dominant high school program this year, and his work with John Lucas and his play on the EYBL Circuit has been really turning heads his way this summer.   #7 [player_tooltip player_id='1220763' first='Divine' last='Ugo']chukwu 2024 Fort Bend Clements High School    Divine is an athletic combo guard who is fantastic at all three levels of the floor. He is a willing hunter of his midrange shot, and plays energetic and high level defense on the other end. He is a terrific scorer off the bounce and takes what the defense gives him every time down. He is an intelligent passer who loves setting up his teammates. He plays the game with a very positive energy which bleeds through into each of his teammates. He does all of the little things right on the court, such as spacing when running the fast break or hustling over to protect the backside of the defense after a skip pass. It was fun watching him run around and wreak havoc every time he was near the ball on the defensive end of the floor. What I love most about his game is his willingness to take over when his team is in trouble. They all know they can rely on him as a scorer in late game situations and his ability to get to his spots in the paint and the mid-range allows him to hunt easy looks for himself all night.   #6 [player_tooltip player_id='1216535' first='Ashton' last='Simmons'] 2024 6'3 West Brook High School (JL3 EYBL E16)    Ashton is an explosive athlete, so it is not surprising to see he is dominant on the football field as well. His ability to leap and hang in the air allows him to adjust his shot angle on his way to the rim was incredibly impressive, contorting his body around defends to avoid contact for a plethora of crafty finishes. However he is not just a slasher who can attack the basket, this young man can calmly score across all three levels, and loves getting his floater off over taller defenders.He has a great touch on his shot, and calmly knocks down big time pressure free throws when necessary. He has true point guard ability in the way he pushes the tempo on the fast break, and calmly makes the right decision with the basketball or manipulating his opponent with his eyes. I was very impressed with how many slick dump off passes or kick-outs he made after seemingly having all of his attention set on the rim.   Defensively, he is extremely active on ball and loves getting under his opponents skin with his intense pressure over all 92 feet of the court. He is great at using his strength and athleticism to bump his opponents off their angles when they attack the basket. His ability to calmly and subtly make his opponents change their direction just makes them that much more uncomfortable and ineffective against him. He also used his bounce to come over from the weak side and block some high level forwards in the paint as well.

Check out my analysis on some of the top 2024 prospects in the Houston area! Some of these guys are division one prospects, with little to no offers. So coaches make sure you check them out when you can!