There was wall-to-wall talent at the Battle of The Magic City, and here are some of the backcourt standouts… Cayden Daughtry (5’8/CG/’27/Florida Rebels) Instagram: cay_d_baller Twitter: @CayDBaller Throughout the entire weekend, I did not see anyone whose game has matured like…
Access all of Prep Hoops Next and Prep Hoops
Subscribe for access to all premium articles and rankings.
Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inThere was wall-to-wall talent at the Battle of The Magic City, and here are some of the backcourt standouts…
Cayden Daughtry (5’8/CG/’27/Florida Rebels)
Instagram: cay_d_baller
Twitter: @CayDBaller
Throughout the entire weekend, I did not see anyone whose game has matured like Cayden’s game. He has developed into a highly potent and prolific scorer. He had his talent and potential on full display, and you were able to see his speed and explosiveness, which was terrific in transition. Bigger guards were trying to defend and bully him, and he quickly proved that you can’t punk him. He smelled blood in the water in the match-up against All-Ohio, and he made big play after big play for his squad and willed them to the win. He made you hold your breath every time he touched the ball as he was skilled at getting his shot off in tight spaces/windows and showed the ability to make shots from different angles. Cayden was one of the best scorers I saw the entire weekend, and his stock skyrocketed at the Battle of The Magic City.
Jayden Navarrete (5’9/SG/’27/Nightrydas-FL)
Instagram: ___11jayden11___
Jayden can absolutely light it up from the perimeter. He can stroke the rock and can get it done in the mid-range and from beyond the arc. He moves well without the ball, whether within the designed movement of the offense or just on his own. He is highly productive and efficient in c&s opportunities, and he can get it done off the bounce. When I saw him, he was the best bucket-getter on his squad. Jayden has a nice feel for the game and feel for getting his shot and is a very productive scorer.
Jayden can absolutely light it up from the perimeter.
Terry J. Drake
Brielen Craft (5’8/PG/’28/Alabama Fusion)
Instagram: Thetrugift5
Twitter: @Thetrugift5
Brielen is a name that many across grassroots basketball are familiar with. He is a new addition to the Alabama Fusion squad, which is a team that is loaded with talent. I know what I am about to say may shock you, but I do not think that Brielen shoots the ball enough. He is a very good scorer from all levels and really showed his ability to shoot the trey ball. He excels at penetrating the lane and scoring from mid-range, in the paint, and at the rim. Picking back up from my earlier thought, I believe that Brielen is one of the players on this team that can create his own shot, which was needed as offensive productivity was a struggle for his squad at times. He is a scary player for any defender when he is on the floor because he can get it done with the ball in his hands or when he receives the rock from someone creating off the bounce. Still needs to show more on the defensive end of the floor, but he is definitely one of the best scorers in his class.
Collin Sebastian Wilson (5’3/PG/’27/Fast Five)
Collin is a small guard that does a very good job facilitating. He has a good understanding of the game as he is a kid that is around the game a lot. He plays like a coach on the floor and really excels at running the offense. He is a reliable ball-handler and makes good decisions with the rock in his hands. In a tourney where I saw a lot of guards hold on to the ball an extremely long time during possessions, Collin doesn’t over-dribble and keeps the ball moving. He helped his team stay in rhythm. He isn’t the most explosive player and has average quickness, but he is very cerebral.
He has a good understanding of the game as he is a kid that is around the game a lot.
Terry J. Drake
Bryce Young (5’10/SG/’28/MCW Warriors )
Bryce is a very intriguing and crafty guard. He can score in multiple ways and had his bag fully open at the tourney. He can handle, shoot, and distribute the rock. Many people may not have known about MCW, but with Bryce putting on a performance like he did, many quickly came to know MCW. Not only does he score in a multiplicity of ways, but he also scores at multiple levels. He went for big numbers throughout the weekend. He gets easy opportunities in transition because he is so quick with the ball in his hands, and it was tough for any one player to defend him one on one, and by the time defenses collectively adjusted, Bryce was finishing at the cup. He was in a groove and got whatever he wanted, and what I left the Battle of The Magic City thinking was that Bryce’s stock is rising, and he is a player to keep your eyes on.
He can score in multiple ways and had his bag fully open at the tourney.
Terry J. Drake
Kirill Mock (5’10/CG/’27/Houston Defenders)
Instagram: kirill.is.k3
Kirill was one of the best shooters that I saw throughout the weekend. He was the alpha male for his squad, and they went as he went. He is a combo guard that can get it done, whether at the lead guard spot or the off-guard position. He can handle the rock, orchestrate the offense, and get his team into the desired action. He has a good IQ, knows how to set the table for his teammates, and can make the passes necessary to get the ball to teammates in positions to be successful. When he slides over to the off-guard position, I wrote briefly about it earlier, but he can flat-out score at all levels. Teams found out quickly just how hard it is to defend K. Mock.
Kirill was one of the best shooters that I saw throughout the weekend.
Terry J. Drake
Jacob Gibbs (5’8/CG/’27/JSI Elite Black)
Instagram: the.j3cob
Twitter: @totb_jacob
Jacob was one of the best guards I put my eyes on, that had a good balance when it came to facilitating and scoring the rock. Teams found out quick that Jacob was a player that had to be the center of defensive game plans. He is a smooth ball-handler that uses his dribble without wasting energy and motion. He has a quick first step and left defenders looking around as he was finishing at the cup. As a facilitator, he took care of the ball, never over-penetrated, and got his teammates involved. He is a young guard that stayed in attack mode and kept the pressure on defenses. He never gave individual defenders nor defenses collectively a chance to get a breather as he tried to dominate and impact every possession. As a scorer, Jacob has a nice mid-range pull-up, a nice floater in the paint, and can score it from beyond the arc. There are no glaring weaknesses in Jacob’s offensive game, even though he has to continue to stay in the lab and continue challenging the current version of himself. He is a player with the potential to have an excellent high school career.
He is a smooth ball-handler that uses his dribble without wasting energy and motion.
Terry J. Drake