Will Barton Elite Camp: 2024 Wings & Bigs

Will Barton Elite Camp: 2024 Wings &amp; Bigs

Colby Giacubeno August 23, 2023 @ 12:38 PM

The annual Will Barton Elite Camp took place at the SEED School of Maryland yesterday and as usual, the field of prospects was loaded with talent from around the country. Throughout the week, I'll be spotlighting various positions and classes who stood out throughout the event as we move to the 2024 wings and bigs.   Godswill Erheriene | LuHi   Two 2024 bigs took full advantage of the stage this weekend in an event that usually favors a guard's skill set, but Erheriene was hands down the most impressive big of them all. The 6-foot-9 workhorse was a dominant paint presence at both ends of the floor. On just about any catch in the paint, Erheriene had intentions of tearing down the rim. He set punishing screens, closed down the glass defensively and made timely rotations to block or alter the opposition's lay ups.   [player_tooltip player_id='1127315' first='Khani' last='Rooths'] | IMG Academy   Rooths was the MVP of this event, in my opinion. In fact, he proved himself to every scout in attendance that if he continues this current trajectory, he could develop into a potential professional prospect down the road. His three-level scoring prowess was on full display and when you combine that with his 6-foot-8 frame it gives you a prototypical combo forward in today's game. Rooths was out to prove a point and kept his foot on the gas from the start of camp even in the drill stations portion of the morning hours.   [player_tooltip player_id='1400499' first='Caleb' last='Embeya'] | St. Maria Goretti (Towson commit)   Similar to Erheriene, Embeya has a relentless motor that shines in his willingness to hunt rebounds outside of his area and run the floor with purpose. Both were reasons why he had such an impact for his team on Saturday. The 6-foot-8 big recently committed to Towson and embodies everything that head coach Pat Skerry likes in his fives that can anchor the paint at both ends.   [player_tooltip player_id='1948389' first='AJ' last='Swinton'] | Bishop O'Connell (Florida State commit)   Swinton's athleticism took center stage in the early portions of camp. The 6-foot-6 Florida State commit was making jaw-dropping blocks above the rim on opposing bigs and throwing down rim-rocking dunks with any chance he could. When the game portion came around he showcased his shooting touch particularly from the left wing and corner. His release was fluid, the ball had textbook rotation and the results were pleasing.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPBCSJHrFKU </div></figure>   Josiah Francis   Francis caught my eye earlier this spring on the UAA Circuit with Canada Elite. What pops is his ability to make plays above the rim paired with his size and length at 6-foot-9. The potential is there with Francis, but as he grows into that frame and polishes the skill set in certain areas, he'll take off even more. He shined brightest in the open floor where he poses as a lob threat. He defended multiple positions, did a nice job of contesting around the perimeter without fouling and showed some flash of creating separation in quick isolations from the mid-post.

The annual Will Barton Elite Camp took place at the SEED School of Maryland yesterday and as usual, the field of prospects was loaded with talent from around the country. Throughout the week, I'll be spotlighting various positions and classes who stood out throughout the event as we move to the 2024 wings and bigs.