Top 250 Expo Team 1 Evaluations

The Prep Hoops Missouri Top 250 Expo was held on Saturday at The Principia School in Suburban St. Louis. We start our team evaluations with a look at the members of Team 1.     Andre Aaron Jr (Vashon): The 6'2" 2024 guard was one of the most impressive offensive players that I watched during the event. The athletic lefty used his physical strength and quick first step to have success when he was attacking the rim. He was scoring at all three levels as he shot it well from 3-point range. He knocked down five triples in the first game that I watched him. He also displayed a nice spin move and a strong cross-over move to escape defenders to get to the mid-range. He is also a solid defender who can rebound.   ******   [player_tooltip player_id='1557470' first='Isaiah' last='Thomas'] (Montgomery County): A 6'0" 2025 point guard who has a good combination of quickness and physical strength. He has really done a good job of building his body up since he entered high school. He was putting constant pressure on the defense with his ability to get downhill on the dribble and he used his rock solid frame to play through contact. He also could also work in the low post to score against smaller guards. He was also very stout defensively as he could provide good on-ball pressure or play the passing lanes for steals.   ******   [player_tooltip player_id='2212592' first='Xavier' last='Morrison'] (Francis Howell Central): A 6'4" 2026 small forward who was creating matchup problems with his size and ability to make plays on the perimeter. His coach put the ball in his hands for much of the first game I watched him and he did a good job of attacking the paint and getting himself to the free throw line. He was also extending his game to the 3-point line, where he was able to keep defenders honest with a few triples. He is wiry and strong and he also had a presence on the boards.     ******   Xavian Cox (Pacific): A 6'0" 2024 guard who displayed a nice shooting touch from 3-point range. With time and space he displayed a confident shooting stroke. In the first game of the afternoon, the lefty drained a 3-pointer from the left wing in the closing seconds to win a game for his team. He also did a good job of attacking the close outs as he he put the ball on the floor to hit a runner in the lane.     *******   [player_tooltip player_id='1641833' first='Vincent' last='Mhire'] (Kickapoo): The 6'0" 2026 guard from the SWMO area gets a special mention here because of what he did on the defensive end. In the two games that I watched him, he took a total of five charges. That's something you rarely see in a a showcase event just once, not to mention five times. That was very impressive. When he wasn't drawing offensive fouls, he was knocking down 3-pointers and making some nifty passes to open teammates. He also displayed some nice footwork when entered the lane on the two-foot jump stop.     *******   Witten Troup (Kirkwood): A 6'5" 2026 forward who was very solid at both ends of the court. He is very mobile and he had some very good instincts on the defensive end. He showed good anticipation and and footwork to deflect and steal post-entry passes. He also had the length to block shots in the paint. He stayed active on the boards and had some nice putbacks as he stayed with the play. He also stepped out to hit some pick and pop 3-pointers off the catch.     *******   Landon McConnell (Oakville): A 6'3" 2026 wing player who has a solid all-around offensive game. He was able to get things done without commanding a lot of touches. He made some nice hustle plays to get to the offensive boards to get putbacks. He did a good job of advancing the ball upcourt with the pass, which was very unselfish. He had some good moves around the basket with good footwork and he was able to finish well off the glass.     *******   Drew Johnson (Festus): A 6'2" 2026 guard who did some nice things on offense, especially when he was playing without the ball. He was moving well and with purpose as he knew how to relocate to keep the floor spaced. He could also shoot the ball well from 3-point range and he also had a nice spin move in the lane. His passing was very good as he moved the ball upcourt to start to break.     *******   Diego Romero-Perez (Hickman): A 6'1" 2024 guard who started to gain confidence and be more assertive as the event wore on. When he got comfortable, he was able to score on the drive with a nice euro-step through traffic. He also scored three layups on three consecutive possessions. He also showed a nice shooting stroke from 3-point range.

The Prep Hoops Missouri Top 250 Expo was held on Saturday at The Principia School in Suburban St. Louis. We start our team evaluations with a look at the members of Team 1.