The Finale: 15U Day 2 Morning Standouts
In this article:
The Finale kicked off on Saturday, July 1. It features several great teams and top players from multiple states. Players from Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and possibly even other places. This event is loaded with talent. This article is…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Finale kicked off on Saturday, July 1. It features several great teams and top players from multiple states. Players from Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and possibly even other places. This event is loaded with talent. This article is breaking down the top 15U performers from the first two games I saw on day 2 of the event. It consisted of Oklahoma Mindset vs JEB and the other game was Team Griffin 14U vs OWE 15U. Lets see who was able to join the elite talent on this list.
Cooper Nelson Cooper Nelson 5’11” | PG Sterlington | 2026 State LA was sensational, impacting the game in several ways. He shot the ball efficiently from three, while keeping the defense on their toes by attacking the gap and finishing at the rim. He did not shy away from contact, as he seemed to welcome it with relentless drives to the basket. He played great on-ball defense and came away with multiple steals. His passing ability was good, as he had several assists. His top assist was when he threw an alley-oop perfectly on an inbounds pass for an assist. It was a great game for him, as his team got the win.
Malachi Hardiman
Malachi Hardiman
Malachi Hardiman has good size for his age, showing the ability to use it against older opponents. It helped him in a few different areas, as he set hard screens that created great space for his teammates to get open. On top of that, he was a rebounding machine. Grabbing one rebounds after another, he was able to turn multiple of them into second chance points. He was not phased to score in traffic, as there were times he finished with two or three guys on him. His defense was solid in the interior and he had a few good shot contests. His passing was shown in glimpses, as he grabbed a rebound and threw it down court for an assist on one play and was able to get another assist. It was a solid game for him, despite his whole team playing up.
Braylen Taylor
Braylen Taylor
Braylen Taylor made his impact felt. He dominated the glass from the start, grabbing one rebound after another. Time after time, he grabbed a rebound and made a good play with it. He had several putbacks or the right pass out. Outside of the putbacks, he scored inside a couple of times. On one play, he scored inside with the foul, where he knocked down the free throw to completed the three point play. On defense, he played solid interior defense and came away with a block. It was a great game scoring inside and rebounding the ball.
Brodey Bursiaga Brodey Bursiaga 6'6" | PF Perkins-Tryon | 2026 OK
Brodey Bursiaga Brodey Bursiaga 6'6" | PF Perkins-Tryon | 2026 OK
Brodey Bursiaga Brodey Bursiaga 6’6″ | PF Perkins-Tryon | 2026 OK was amazing, doing everything for his team. He excelled on both ends of the court. He grabbed a rebound on a regular basis, even sometimes multiple times in a single possession. Multiple times, he grabbed the rebound and put it back in. His scoring impact expands beyond that, as he knocked down a mid-range jumper on a regular basis. He also showed the ability to finish inside time after time. There were times that it felt like the defense did not phase him. That is not where his impact ends on offense, as he was not afraid to absorb contact to get his teammates open. He would set hard screens, some of them even knocking down the opponent, then he would act as a good pick and roll/pop weapon. On defense, he came away with multiple blocks in the game. He had a great impact on his team winning the game.