Kingz and Queenz of The City: Top Bigs

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Grassroots season is here and that means hoopers on1y. The Phoenix-based company has established itself as one of the premier youth basketball companies on the West Coast. They kicked off the Spring season with their signature event the Kingz and Queenz of the City tournament which features teams from throughout the west region. As always big men are at a premium, however this event seemed to have more than its share of quality low post players. In this article, we take a look at the top bigs from the event.

Trace Lopez

6'8" | 2028 Team Bagley

Has transformed himself, from a raw developing big, into a productive potential prospect. Lopez runs the floor well, and showed improved lateral ability which will help him hedge and switch ball screens in space. He protected the rim well, which isn’t suprising for a player of his size, however it was his finishing around the rim that was impressive as he showed good hands off catch and finishes and a soft touch when completing back to the basket moves.

Carmyne Mychackavane

6'3" | 2027 Rim Rocker

Mychackavane could almost be classified as a perimeter player with the way he played. At the very least, he’s an extremely skilled face up four man, with versatile scoring ability. He was able to score from the post off both direct entries, and over the top lobs. He did most of his damage when facing the basket, showing terrific skill. Mychackavane used subtle ball fakes, and quick dribble drives to get all the way to the rim and finish.

Marcellis Thomas

6'1" | 2027 Blaze

Thomas is a high motor player who was one of the better rebounders I saw. The banger four type, didn’t just grab the easy ones, he was able to battle and grab multiple in traffic boards. He has strong hands, and competed for every miss on both backboards. He used his offensive rebounding to score buckets around the rim, and was effective when catching and finishing around the hoop.

Jagger madueno

6'0" | 2028 Suncity Hype

Madueno is a good looking young banger big man. He did the majority of his damage, by carving out space around the rim, The forward was able to create space to rebound, as well as dislodge opponents before scoring the ball. He has strong hands which allowed him to rebound at a high level.

Jackson Wilhelm

6'3" | 2027 Southwest

Wilhelm’s frame gives you the impression that he’ll be more of a wing than a post, but as it is he was one of the taller players on the floor and did a lot of his damage from an interior position. The forward ran the floor effectively and scored off catch and finishes. His best skill was his ability to rebound the ball, as he displayed good instincts and energy when rebounding in traffic.

Eric Hopkins

6'3" | 2028 Desert Freeze

Really like the improvment that I saw from Hopkins. He has a terrific frame, and showed the ability to run the floor well. He was active on both sides of the ball, getting a couple monster blocks, as well as finishing off putbacks and catch and finishes while sprinting the floor. His frame was the story, as Hopkins looked like one of the stronger players at the event.

Julian Favela

6'2" | 2027 Flight

Favela highlights the depth of bigs at the event. The big man for flight played with a super high motor competing on both ends of the floor. He used his length to serve as a deterent around the rim, and was one of the best interior rebounders I saw.

Adam Medina

6'4" | 2027 Peak

I only got a glimpse of Medina but was impressed with what I saw. He displayed a high level of skill, and a soft touch while scoring the ball around the rim. He has a good frame, and showed the ability to fun the floor well. Medina is a prospect to keep an eye on in the future.