Court XIV Workout Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This past Sunday, Court XIV held a workout for some of the top prospects in Kentucky and Indiana. Taking place at Lexington's Sports Center, the workout was ran by NBA Veteran Jeff McInnis along with Gordon Miles of Prototype Training and agilities with Operation Athlete's Ted Butler. Former National Player of the Year and current Indiana Pacer Oscar Tshiebwe took part in the workout and was joined by several of Kentucky's top players as well as top 5 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga'] and other prospects from Indiana. Here's a breakdown of the action I saw on Sunday in Lexington.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1130310' first='Malachi' last='Moreno'] Keeps Getting Better</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our top 2025 as of the latest update, Malachi is already a top 50 or better prospect nationally depending on where you look but at this workout he was able to flash a really versatile skill set and showed off a jumper that continues to get better. I wouldn't call Moreno a point forward but you can definitely get him the ball at the high post and let him operate as a passer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Ditto for [player_tooltip player_id='1359134' first='Gabe' last='Weis']</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Weis is up to our second ranked 2026 and he's after that top spot. Weis is a legitimate 6'7 and showed improved ball handling as well as better touch on his jump shot than what he's shown previously. Coming off new offers from Illinois and LSU and offers from Cincy and Xavier expected this weekend, Gabe is starting to become a more known name outside of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Several fun matchups</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Granted it was a workout and no games were played, there were some very competitive drills over the course of the two hours. It was pretty cool to see Weis go up against #3 in 2026, [player_tooltip player_id='1359137' first='Taylen' last='Kinney']. Watching Jasper Johnson and [player_tooltip player_id='939117' first='Travis' last='Perry'] go against each other was another one I could watch all day. 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='939115' first='Ayden' last='Evans'] and Moreno gave each other a tough time in the post and outside the paint. And Flory vs Oscar was fun to see as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>High upside 2026s Impress</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1558746' first='Jordan' last='Bender'] and Moise Kasenda both were impressive in the workout. Bender has flashes of greatness and was perhaps at his best as an on ball defender during full court drills. He could be an X factor for Ballard this season. Kasenda was brand new to America, reportedly only being in the country for 5 days but at 6'9 and 205 pounds, the big man has a lot to work with and the Wesley Christian staff has a nearly blank slate to teach and mold Moise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Johnson and Bidunga</em></strong> <strong><em>are tops in America for a Reason</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kentucky's Jasper Johnson was in town for one last weekend before leaving for Link Academy Prep in Missouri and he showed why he's a top 10 prospect in America in the 2025 class. In full court drills, Jasper dropped a defender and made several athletic finishes, even in traffic. In the half court, I watched him hit three after three after three. Jasper is legitimately 6'5, 170 and has the frame to add more bulk. Kansas bound [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga'] was the most dominant player in the camp outside of Oscar. Flory showed no back down from the NBA Rookie and former Player of the Year. One scout thought Flory could be the best rim protector in the country and I can definitely agree. He's going to be one and done in Lawrence.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/DavidandDarryl/status/1695969831546433658","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DavidandDarryl/status/1695969831546433658 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1359137' first='Taylen' last='Kinney'] held his own</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Already a top 2026 in Kentucky, Kinney has had good showings on the 15u EYBL but had his hands full going up against [player_tooltip player_id='939117' first='Travis' last='Perry'], Jasper Johnson and several top guards from Indiana. Kinney's frame has plenty of room to add some bulk, which would help with his finishing around the rim. Tay showed a high skill level with several contested jump shots falling for him via fadeaways and step backs. Already holding some high major offers, Kinney is making a case for a national ranking.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Combine Academy (NC) has a nice sleeper</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With kids from several states making the trip to workout with Court XIV, I was able to put eyes on several kids I'd never seen before. One that caught my eye was 6'10 Mason Hagedorn of Combine Academy in North Carolina. A prototype stretch 4, Mason had a consistent stroke from deep and wasn't afraid to go to the block and mix it up with guys like Flory and Oscar. With his size and skill level, mid major D1s should be calling Mason frequently and make the trip to see him at Combine Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->