The Match Up: MoKan vs Team Griffin 2026s
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On Sunday morning, the two EYBL programs closed out their time on The Platform in Kansas City with a highly anticipated clash. MOKAN would edge Griffin in a physical contest, with headliners from Oklahoma and surrounding states. Here’s a look…
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Continue ReadingOn Sunday morning, the two EYBL programs closed out their time on The Platform in Kansas City with a highly anticipated clash. MOKAN would edge Griffin in a physical contest, with headliners from Oklahoma and surrounding states. Here’s a look at the 2026 prospects who are quickly becoming stars in the region.
It’s scary to think the best shooter in Oklahoma’s Class of 2026 could be the still growing, 6 foot 7 baby faced Owasso Ram. In watching how he moves off the ball for three point attempts, how he rises up in the midrange and his general smooth release, there’s an argument to be made that’s he’s at the head of the class. Especially when in factoring in the difficulty and how his shot attempts already translate to the next level. Montonati also has the type of shot that seemingly every attempt looks like it’s going in.
In this particular contest, the youngster didn’t have one of his loud scoring performances. There were even some early moments where the physicality of the defenders disrupted his flow. Leading in particular to one frustration offensive foul for pushing off. As the game progressed, Montonati became more subtle in his movements to get open, speaking to his long term sky high ceiling as an elite scorer. How Montonati handles other physical and athletic defenders is an interesting thing to keep a tab on, but overall as he himself physically matures he should be fine.
Smaller guards have to be tempo setters and energy gives, Wilks is a great example of that. The compact, quick and explosive guard was all over the court on the defensive end, hounding ballhandlers in particular. While also denying the pass when playing off the ball. This led to transition opportunities galore for himself and his teammates. On the offensive end, he loves to get deep into the paint, where he’s springy enough to finish in traffic or hit a nice floater. Shooting appears to be the important next step in his development. He knocked down one triple that looked good but a later mid-range pull up missed badly. There’s promise and work to be down as a shooter. Still, his current impact as an energetic, quick and competitive lead guard can’t be denied.
The mobile hybrid-forward had a mixture of strong finishes at the rim and excellent perimeter shooting. He’s also active on the defensive end, moving his feet well on perimeter players and also providing rim protection against fellow bigs and drivers. He already fits modern basketball with his ability to be a versatile 3 and D style producer, with the potential to be much more down the road.
Kai Ellis
Kai Ellis
With a strong frame and a physical mentality, Ellis excelled on the defensive end. He was tasked with the job of covering Montonati, where he was prideful defender. The pride, strength and leverage he played with led to some early frustration from the 5 star. Which speaks to how valuable players like Ellis can be when they buy into their role and do the “dirty work”.
Right now he’s a physical and aggressive off guard, with promise on the offensive end if he can tighten up his handle and improve his overall feel.
The big man is a physical presence around the rim, strong finishes with authority and blocking shots. He can seal and post up very well thanks to his strong base, leading to easy scores around the rim. But he’s more than just a bruiser, he looked particular mobile and agile when running the floor in transition and when cutting in the half court.
Another athletically impressive prospect, Belibi has a strong frame and power to his game on offense. But more than just a freight train, he has nifty agility that allows him to knife by defenders in transition and on driving opportunities. At the rim, he has a mixture of acrobatic and efficient finishing, with the occasional good pass to open teammates. Belibi also hit shots in the mid-range and beyond the arc.