Rocky Mountain Mayhem gets off to a Great Start
The venue was rocking with six full courts three games apiece for the first evening of this event. Watching the 16u division I was amazed with the bigs in attendance. I thought that the night was owned by the big…
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Continue ReadingThe venue was rocking with six full courts three games apiece for the first evening of this event. Watching the 16u division I was amazed with the bigs in attendance. I thought that the night was owned by the big men as it seemed each team had at least one that could make an impact. A couple teams had three to four bigs and their opponents could certainly tell. With all of this height it brought me back to the days of past first guards. Those days, before score first or Allen Iverson, but hey I’m trying not to date myself. The theme, for me at least was ‘feed the big’. With that below is a list of just some that stood out to me. All have a skill that we want in today’s big men, all should be able to play at the next level.
Neil Summers Neil Summers 6'8" | PF Laramie | 2025 #221 Nation WY | 6’8″ | 2025 | Laramie WY | Team Daum
One of the most impressive bigs of the night and I thought that this prospect just works. What first jumped out at me was his passing ability where he made some unselfish tosses to cutting teammates. Not often that we get to see this ability from a big but this one certainly rated on the plus side in this category. By my count he led his team with 26pts and you know what I was thinking when watching his game? Gus ‘the bus’ Yalden. Same body type, but the game is in there with some more work & development with this prospect, no telling if it can come out. Now Gus has advanced footwork and will shoot a three where this one works mostly on the inside.
Zayne DeSouza | 6’7″ | 2025 | Fort Collins | Team Daum
Same body type as his teammate Neil Summers and with that just a problem for opponents. When a team can run multiple big men at you it begins to wear them down. What impressed me with DeSouza was the effort he seemed to put forth. He is another player that just gets it and works. On the inside he always is banging with physical defense and a hard box out. In their first game the other team just could not match up with the physical nature. Also, on the boards if he couldn’t grab it, he tipped it, always trying to keep the ball alive for a teammate. I had him with 10pts but with that it was everything else this prospect contributed to the game.
Noah Eckels Noah Eckels 6'10" | C Discovery Canyon | 2025 State CO | 6’9″ | 2025 | Discovery Canyon | 7070 Elite 2025
He had his work cut out for him with the first game, going up against Team Daum’s twin bigs. He held his own. He had to work or he was going to get run over but with that I was impressed. He didn’t score that many points, but I thought he made an impact in other areas of the game. Noticed a couple of blocks on the opposing bigs or strong rebounds when needed. His defense was solid enough. I thought that the young big could move well enough too. He is a prospect for the next level.
New Mexico D1 Three Big Men
This team was actually one of the tallest teams that I have witnessed this season. They ran three players out that ran 6’9″ and then at two more that were 6’5″. This team with be fun to watch.
Jayden Blaccyzsk 6’9″ from Thomas Jefferson in New Mexico maybe had the most points, out of the bigs and displayed a little more athletic ability. Runs the floor well
Parker Henderson 6’9″ out of Hobbs New Mexico, I thought he was more of a true big and a little more physically developed frame wise than his teammates and those he would come up against him. Needs work on explosive rebounding instead of his just his using he size. He ran the floor well and did several things well that we all notice on a big. With his improving game he should attract plenty of interest for the next level. Right now, projecting his development he would thrive on the DII level and with more strength a LM find for D1. At the least we should watch this prospect, know his name, & if he works the level of ‘NEXT’ is up to him.
Jackson Scarborough 6’9″ hails from Clark California. Out of the three bigs on this team this one might not be done growing. At first glance he might’ve had the long wingspan and largest feet, which typically mean more growth is coming. The thinnest of the three I feel that once the muscle weight comes more athleticisms will easily pop out. He showed ability inside & out, working the perimeter when the other bigs were in .