5 Big First Impressions from the Top 250 Expo

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were a lot of “known quantities” at the Kansas Top 250 Expo last Saturday. We were familiar with a lot of guys there, and they did not disappoint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But there were quite a few guys who were seen for the first time. And wow did a few of those catch our eye.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are a few who really took advantage of the setting to make a big first impression:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_634e014dea910","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1633228"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Most impressive of all was Smith. He played at Minneapolis (Kan.) High School last year and was completely under the radar. He will play at Bennington this year, where he will team with star big man [player_tooltip player_id='1270299' first='Eli' last='Lawson']. Smith put on a show at the Expo, dominating both in the paint and in the open court. He is big and strong and plays above the rim. He handles the ball and facilitates like a guard. He has smooth coordination to catch on the move and make plays in traffic. This is a guy to keep a close eye on this year.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1496162"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"This guy did it all at the Expo. He hit from deep with a smooth release, and got into the lane to score with athleticism and body control. He took defensive rebounds the other way and demonstrated good decision making with the ball. He is a heady defender who created turnovers. He saw the floor and made a lot of nice plays with the ball.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1624914"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Moore is a well-built guard who plays with a lot of physicality. He's a rugged point man with a good handle who plays with the right amount of aggressiveness. He showed good vision and made several nice passes up the floor to runners. He also knocked down some threes, making him a diverse threat at the offensive end.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1624905"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Hill turned in some nice work running with a team at the Expo that was loaded with guards. They played at a lightning pace, and Hill was effective both on the point and off the ball. He pushed the ball up the floor and penetrated to the goal nicely. He showed he can hit a floater in traffic and he consistently found holes in the defense to receive passes. He hit the boards hard too.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Jacob Diester","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Hayden","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Diester isn't a big guy, but he plays with an attitude. He is a ballhawk at the defensive end and causes a lot of disruption with his long arms and ability to anticipate. You could call him pesky and annoying. At the offensive end, he plays with a lot of confidence in his skills. He snakes through the defense to get to shots in the midrange, and he can really shoot it. He showed some real impressive range. He plays with a lot of fire and toughness.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"edit","anchor":"acf-block-65c5944e1e178"} /-->