Labor Day Crown Recap: Top 2025’s
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The Labor Day Crown takes place Friday, Sept 2nd – thru Monday, Sept 5th. The event, hosted by Prep Hoops Circuit Premiere program, Chosen Few, will take place at the Las Vegas Basketball Center located at 7350 Prairie Falcon Rd,…
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Continue ReadingThe Labor Day Crown takes place Friday, Sept 2nd – thru Monday, Sept 5th. The event, hosted by Prep Hoops Circuit Premiere program, Chosen Few, will take place at the Las Vegas Basketball Center located at 7350 Prairie Falcon Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89128. The tournament format featured teams ranging from 8U to 17U. A lot of talented sophomores participated in the event. In this article, we take a look at our top class of 2025s from the event.
CJ Shaw CJ Shaw 6'3" | SG Mojave | 2025 State #212 Nation NV 6’3 SG North Las Vegas Venom – Something that has become abundantly clear to me is that nothing rattles CJ Shaw CJ Shaw 6'3" | SG Mojave | 2025 State #212 Nation NV . This was evident this weekend. Shaw played well, but it was his next play mentality that I really enjoyed watching. Already considered one of the top players in the class of 2024, showed off his smooth scoring ability by getting downhill, and playing above the rim in transition. Shaw is one of the state’s top players so he receives more than his share of attention from opposing players, however, he shook off several hard fouls, by simply walking to the line and making his Free Throws.
Gaston Zumaya Gaston Zumaya 5'11" | CG Rosemary Anderson Prep | 2025 OR 5’11 CG Prominent Elite – Zumaya is a really good player whose worst skill may be that he’s too unselfish. The combo showed some PG ability this weekend, hitting teammates with dimes and handling against pressure. His best skill is his bucket-getting ability, as he is a knockdown shooter that can get to the bucket and finish in transition. The 2025 class is deep, however, Zamaya’s body of work from Spring and Summer, combined with the ability I saw this weekend, gives him a chance to rise.
Tremmell Darden Jr Tremmell Darden Jr 6'1" | PG Arbor View | 2025 State NV 6’0 CG TF Elite (featured image) – TDJ can ball. The more I watched him this weekend, the more and more I found myself impressed. Darden has a good burst and a slight shiftiness to his game that allows him to get through the smallest opening. He finishes well around the rim and made himself a scoring threat against both man and zone defenses.
John Southwick John Southwick 6'3" | SG Utah Prep | 2025 State #234 Nation UT 6’1 SG Dixie – Southwick has a reputation as a big-time shooter and he didn’t disappoint. A big strong wing sniper, he had one of the prettiest strokes at the tournament. Southwick has a quick release along with a textbook followthrough, which allowed him to change the scoreboard from behind the arc several times. I didn’t see him drive a ton, but he has good size and showed the ability to finish through contact.
James Murray IV 6’3 SG RMS – Murray is a player that came into the event with a big-time reputation, already holding multiple offers. He backed them up with his play, showing the ability to score in transition and blow by defenders in 1 v 1 situations. He’s a willing passer, who was able to create for several teammates, however, his best skill is downhill attacking ability.
EJ Dacuma EJ Dacuma 5'9" | PG Sierra Vista | 2025 State NV 5’10 PG Leverage – Dacuma looks like a guy that is ready to have a huge year. He was lethal shooting the ball from outside and controlled the tempo of the games I watched. He has the type of playmaking, and scoring ability to be a prime candidate to lead his team in both scoring and assist this season.
Olyad Mikias Olyad Mikias 5'8" | PG Spring Valley | 2025 State NV 5’8 PG Chosen Few – Mikias is one of the few JV players to receive a full eval, but he has some skills. I like the pace that he played at, using his body and change of speed to keep defenders off balance, and I liked how he handled against pressure. He finished his drives and was productive in the games I saw.
JJ Buchanan JJ Buchanan 6'3" | SF Coronado | 2025 State NV 6’3 SF Prominent Elite – I didn’t see the explosive play that I was looking for from Buchanan, however, he was solid. A glue guy type, he impacted games with his rebounding and defensive versatility. Buchanan was able to defend post players, and hedge and switch ball screens.