AAU Has Started – Covering An Independant Tournament: Game 2
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Finally – the spring and summer ball season is here. For me this season brings a faster, more skill development brand of basketball where athletes shine. I showed up to the independent league of NY2LA, for their production of the…
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Continue ReadingFinally – the spring and summer ball season is here. For me this season brings a faster, more skill development brand of basketball where athletes shine. I showed up to the independent league of NY2LA, for their production of the annual tournament of Swish-n-Dish. This was my tipoff to one of my favorite times of the year and I was able to take in three games and was impressed.
Game 2 Highest Upside Prospects:
Yusef Gray | 6’4″ | G | 2026 | Team Herro
Vaughn Karvala Vaughn Karvala 6'5" | SF Oregon | 2026 State WI | 6’6″ | W | 2026 | Team Herro
Thian Riak Thian Riak 6'4" | SF Madison Lafollete | 2026 State WI | 6’4″ | W | 2026 | Team Herro
Lamount Hamilton | 5′ 11″ | PG | 2026 | Power5
Scouts Perspective:
Yusef Gray who is currently ranked as the number 1 prospect in the 2026 class for the state of Wisconsin. He put in a top performance for this game. by dropping ed 12 points in the first half alone. When he wasn’t going to the hoop he helped to control the game’s flow for his team. He did nothing to hurt his status as a prospect at all. While we all can see the length and athleticism there are still areas of improvement for this really good prospect. In order to be a high major player, I would like to see improvement in ball handles and really controlling it while under a high level of pressure. Next, he needs to get into the weight room and add 15lbs of solid basketball weight. If he is able to do that then we might just see the next really truly special Milwaukee area player.
Vaughn Karvala Vaughn Karvala 6'5" | SF Oregon | 2026 State WI : This prospect passes the eye test rather easily with his length and movement on the court. Young prospects with this height are not really supposed to move with such fluidness that he does. He really put in a nice game with his activity, being in the right spots, and by not being afraid in a big game, against top competition. The 2026 class in Wisconsin might just come down to Yusef Gray, Andrew Jensen Andrew Jensen 6'9" | C Kaukauna | 2026 State WI , and Vaughn Karavala. The only thing that might stop anyone of them is their own work, but as of now the trajectory is high. Moving forward like Gray he need weight and a lot of it. During the high school season, he only shot 30.1% from distance. The bare minimum of being a shooter from there is 34%. I suspect as he fills out and gains even athletic ability his shot will improve as the strength does.
When looking at Thian Riak Thian Riak 6'4" | SF Madison Lafollete | 2026 State WI we see the tools. He is one of the states most explosive players, he gets off the ground fast. His frame is probably the most developed out of the prospects that we are talking about. When scouting this prospect, I suggest a multi-game approach to see his true ability. Make sure those games are both AAU and high school, this player plays different (positions) in each setting. For this one the future should be bright because he has a ton of ability. His improvement area is his assertiveness and/or activity on this AAU team. He can disappear at times then erupt for a singular or two amazing plays. The EYBL circuit is no joke, filled up down with athletes, Thian has that skill to perform, whether it is confidence or finding his role on the team.
Lamont Hamilton Lamont Hamilton 5'10" | PG Racine St. Catherine's | 2026 State WI is a rare player at this age and this level. Being 5’11 doesn’t matter to this one, he makes an impact on the offensive end and can on defense too. He is a score first point guard with an elite first step. The opponents will have a hard time staying in front of him if they fall for that jab step. Next, he gets incredible rise on his jumper, so I don’t see too many blocked shots on the parameter or pullup game. For this game he had 15 points in the first half alone and probably doubled that up in the second. He was able to hit big shot after big shot. Going forward we all know that this one is a good prospect and where he can improve is on the finer things in the game. Make sure the fundamentals are sound. For example, the jump shot form should not change, do it so much that perfect form is the standard. Next, being that he will probably end up being a 6-footer and not 6’4″ish at some point his game will need to transition a bit from score first to setting his teammates up more.
(Scouting Reports: when presenting information in this fashion, it is always meant to be in the most positive manner. Scouts or evaluators are not trying to ‘hate’ on a prospect by listing a ‘needs improvement’ or ‘areas of improvement”. At least for me, I really try to present in a balanced and fair manner. I have had college coaches speak to me this way on prospects)