A Weekend in Texas Takeaways

This past week saw the focus of grassroots turn to Texas, specifically Dallas. Nike's prestigious EYBL rolled into the metroplex, providing an unparalleled national platform for a couple dozen Oklahoma prospects. While "Who Wants The Smoke" was also filled with Oklahoma team and prospects. This is a first look at a few big takeaways from a weekend in Texas.   Over the course of the week, there will be more analysis thanks to the advantages of the BallerTV and Twitch streams of the contests.   Rising Sophomores Shine   Another weekend, another signature [player_tooltip player_id='1552319' first='Jalen' last='Montonati'] performance from deep. This time it came on Friday night with 27 points, on only 13 shots. Including 5-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Montanti is joined on his MoKan 15U team with [player_tooltip player_id='1783189' first='Isaiah' last='Wilks'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2223700' first='Amari' last='Barrett']. This weekend saw Barrett get more run and on Sunday morning he took advantage. Down 2 with seconds remaining, Barrett raced down the the court and cooly drained a deep three for the win against Paul George Elite. The freshman from Edmond North has a familiar last name, and is proving he himself is player a to keep an eye on.   Also on Friday night in Duncanville, [player_tooltip player_id='1552378' first='Phoenix' last='Woodson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1552362' first='Boden' last='Williams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1655627' first='Miles' last='Flemons'] were in action with KC Run GMC against a scrappy team from Utah. Woodson was his usual productive and athletic self around the rim. Williams was efficient throughout, including showing off his improving downhill game with a couple of good hanging in the air finishes on drives. Perhaps the biggest impact by an Oklahoman in GMC's win was Flemons off the bench. His physicality changed the game, and he was automatic around the rim. From deep post ups, to offensive rebounds Flemons was a near unstoppable force in a narrow victory for Run GMC.   Nike's Elite Shooters   There are currently three Oklahomans shooting over 40% through three sessions at the 17U level in the EYBL. It's no surprise that Kansas State commit [player_tooltip player_id='1367213' first='David' last='Castillo'] is leading the way at blistering 46.8% from beyond the arc. His numbers are especially impressive when factoring in the degree of difficulty. Many of his shots were taken off the dribble and of course the focus the defense has on the two team USA basketball Gold Medalist. Castillo is currently on the mend with a stress fracture in his foot that he suffered in Phoenix.   Joining Castillo as an elite national shooter is Team Griffin teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1343196' first='Cedric' last='Dixon']. He was particularly on fire this weekend, with a 3-4 three point performance against the New York Renaissance and going 4-6 from three against the Florida Rebels. The recent Omaha commit is now at a very impressive 44.2% from three (19-43). The 918 sharpshooter has always had one of the purest shooting strokes in Oklahoma, and is now proving that he can do it on the biggest grassroots stage in the country.   The third Oklahoman currently over 40% from three is Putnam City West's [player_tooltip player_id='1757905' first='Jaden' last='Constant'], who is playing for Drive Nation. He of course had his outstanding 5-9 performance a couple weeks ago in Phoenix. Then went 4-10 from distance this weekend in Dallas. Putting him at 41% for the three sessions.   Oklahoma as a state might not always have the biggest or the most athletic prospects, but there is a strong history of quality shooters. This spring, this trio is continuing that tradition.     Dynamic Hawk Duo   Another game watched on Friday night was a late night contest for Tulsa Hawk's 16U squad. That game featured another breakout shooter with Bixby's [player_tooltip player_id='1364821' first='Triston' last='Driver'] exploding for 36 points. Those points came in bunches when he caught fire from beyond the arc in the second half. The Spartan stayed hot throughout the weekend with a 39 point explosion on Sunday as well.   Driver wasn't the only standout for that Hawks squad, with athletic and aggressive wing [player_tooltip player_id='1475983' first='Brady' last='Hancuff'] also being a consistent producer. The athletic Hancuff impressively brought the hammer on a baseline slam, while also attacking the glass on both ends of the court. The Edmond Memorial Bulldog is continuing to improve as a perimeter prospect, as evident by pushing it himself off of defensive rebounds and showing good instincts as a passer.     Unique Forsythe   Last but not certainty not least is a look at the weekend for one of the top prospects in Oklahoma. The talented point guard just barely missed the 40% mark mentioned above, as he's shooting 38.9% for the three sessions. But he did shoot 6-11 from three for the weekend, including 25 points against Meanstreets. One factor that's worth noting about [player_tooltip player_id='1367217' first='Dayton' last='Forsythe']'s play; he's likely the only prospect in the whole event that spends his weeks on the baseball diamond and not focused fully in a basketball gym.   The extreme of that played out on Friday afternoon, as his morning was spent in Seminole, playing in a State Tournament baseball game. Then he jogged into the gym moments before tip to take on the number two recruit in the country, Dylan Harper. It was a predictably slower start for the Dale standout, but when Griffin made a push late it was tough plays from Forsythe that were helpful to the comeback attempt. His ability to get downhill was critical to create opportunities for others, while he also popped up with a couple crucial "how did he get that" style offensive rebounds.   On Saturday, the lead point guard had the aforementioned 25 point explosion. Then he quarterbacked Griffin to a gritty win with a 14 point, 5 assists and impressively 0 turnovers performance. There's some flash to his game with some of the passes and moves to the basket or create space, but he's also a grinder of player that often keeps hitting singles to keep putting his teams in the position to be competitive at this high level.   Last spring at the 16U level, Forsythe was good but not great during two April Nike sessions. Which happened to overlap with his busy spring baseball schedule. Starting at the Memorial Day Louisville stop and at the Peach Jam, a basketball only Forstyhe was arguably the best point guard at the 16U level. The next tournament for Team Griffin is at the end of the month in Memphis, another EYBL event. With a couple weeks to focus solely on basketball, Forsythe is shaping up to have another strong close to a summer.

This past week saw the focus of grassroots turn to Texas, specifically Dallas. Nike's prestigious EYBL rolled into the metroplex, providing an unparalleled national platform for a couple dozen Oklahoma prospects. While "Who Wants The Smoke" was also filled with Oklahoma team and prospects. This is a first look at a few big takeaways from a weekend in Texas.