2027 Bigs Showcase Their Talents at the Freshman Expo

Prep Hoops Staff

September 18, 2023 @ 03:46 PM

The Prep Hoops Kansas Freshman Showcase in Kansas City on Sunday gave us a look at some big men who are going to be ready for varsity action sooner than later.   Here are six big men who impressed us at the showcase (in alphabetical order):   [player_tooltip player_id='2111691' first='Jacob' last='Hoytal'], 6-foot-3 center, 2027 Washburn Rural, SSA:   Hoytal was the primary big man for his team at the showcase and was tested by the other teams, which all seemed to have more height. Nonetheless, Hoytal locked down the paint and impressed with his effort, versatility and coordination. We will list him as a center for now because he showed the paint abilities needed to man the position. He blocked shots by his man and also helped off to block the shots of drivers into the lane. He worked hard on the glass and showed understanding of how to block out and when to go for the ball in the air. He ran the floor and also stepped out to hit from deep.   Conor Kerrigan, 6-foot-4 forward, 2027, Shawnee Mission South:   Kerrigan was a standout at running the floor and getting into transition plays at both ends. He is long and physical but also very coordinated. He protected the rim, rebounded and was particularly impactful cleaning up misses on fast breaks. He is very advanced for his age and seems to have a high IQ for how to get involved without demanding the ball. He didn't have to be passed the ball to make plays. He looked like one of the players most ready for varsity action at the showcase.   Colton Nichols, 6-foot-3 forward, 2027, Olathe West (pictured):   The scouts at the showcase all raved about Nichols. Everyone came away impressed, which was amazing because he is probably not the first to catch your eye in warmups. He's not the tallest, but he was one of the most physically developed players on hand. That physicality showed up once the ball was tipped. Nichols was everywhere, blocking shots, grabbing rebounds, leading the break, hitting shots from deep and powering his way to buckets over bigger players in the lane. He was arguably the best player in KC on Sunday.   Jaylen Phillips-Grey, 6-foot-4 center, 2027, Independent School (Wichita), Texas Summit:   Phillips-Grey was the most imposing player in the gym at the Freshman Showcase. He's not just long. He's big and powerful. He put a lot of effort into being a team player, but when he decided to take the ball to the goal, he was rarely stopped. He has nice spin moves and can put the ball on the floor in the lane. Everything he does is with power, but he's a nimble, coordinated big man. He tried hard to set screens and to work pick-and-roll action, which can be tough playing with guards you've just met. But Phillips-Grey made that effort. As a freshman at the 2A Independent School, Phillips-Grey could be a matchup problem from day one.   Nate Robben, 6-foot-6 center, 2027, Olathe South:   If Phillips-Grey was the most imposing player in the gym, Robben was right with him. Robben is also long and physically filled out. The lefty works hard on his midrange game, and he has good fundamentals on the block. He is a shot blocker and powerful rebounder. Like Kerrigan, Robben looks like he's ready to impact the varsity game, both from a skills and a physicality standpoint.   Logan Wallace, 6-foot-7 center, 2027, Cheney:   A true center, Wallace showed a lot of understanding for the post game. He worked hard to be available for passes on the block, knew when to shoot and when to kick out, and scored on offensive rebounds. With his wingspan, he was a threat to snuff out shots by drivers and was a wall against opposing bigs. He showed he can run the floor and also step out to hit from the perimeter.

The Prep Hoops Kansas Freshman Showcase in Kansas City on Sunday gave us a look at some big men who are going to be ready for varsity action sooner than later.