Undiscovered Showcase: Standout Prospects

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This past Saturday Dan Poneman held his annual Unsigned Senior Showcase at Phillips “The Undiscovered Showcase.”&nbsp; Many of the state's top uncommitted prospects played in front of a large group of colleges. Here were the standouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ahmet Unal 6'7 (Horizons Science)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ahmet is a prospect who flew under the radar. He's a very skilled wing player who does a good job at getting to the free-throw line. For his length he uses a crafty handle from the mid-post to score around the basket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2104971' first='AJ' last='Thomas'] 6'3 (St. Patrick)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thomas started with tough finishes at the rim. He later showed his shot-making ability with guys right in his face. AJ had a good finish to his high school season being relied on heavily for his scoring but what isn't talked about much is how well he defends. Should be considered for any schools looking for instant-impact players.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157351' first='Christian' last='Brockett'] 6'3 (Curie)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Possibly the best on-ball defender in the state. Christian took his choice of which guys to try and lockdown. He has good length for his position and is a player you must stay aware of when looking to make passes. Brockett as a scorer is good at getting to the rim but also is a consistent catch-and-shoot guy.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157205' first='Dekwon' last='Brown'] 6'3 (Skyline, AZ)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The ultra-competitive guard out of Peoria made another trip to Chicago to show those who missed out how well rounded of a ball player he is. Brown is a dynamic shot-maker who has expanded his playmaking abilities with a year of prep school. He has a strong handle on the ball and looked good playing off middle ball screens. Brown is a prospect who is sure to get scholarship opportunities for next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1978578' first='Alioune' last='Mbaye'] 6'7 (De La Salle)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Probably made the biggest impression among the coaches. Quality big who rim-protected and rebounded the ball at a high rate. Offensively he scored easily around the basket as well as made shots from the perimeter. If Mbaye goes to the right situation I can easily see him on a Division 1 roster in the coming years.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dwayne Davis 6'6 (Perspectives)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Davis is a traditional big man who is a solid space eater. He was great on the glass controlling his area for the most part. He has soft hands on his finishes at the rim.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1598740' first='Darshan' last='Thomas'] 6'6 (Marist)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thomas is an athletic forward who played with lots of energy. Had some solid dunks in transition and rebounded the ball well. Darshan has been displaying his shot and could be used as a stretch forward for some schools. As he continues to improve his game I expect some colleges to make him a priority.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dwayne Haliburton 6'6 (Butler)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another prospect that caught the coaches attention right away. Dwayne started the session off with a poster dunk. He then showcased his ability to score from inside and out. He made several shots from the corner areas. Haliburton is also an underrated rebounder who did a good job tracking missed shots outside of his area.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1978600' first='Cyrus' last='Jones'] 6'1 (Julian)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones is a jittery guard who had a couple of steals that led to some layups on fast breaks. He did a good job playing on and off the ball making shots. As a passer, he gets in the lane and draws attention before kicking it to shooters on the perimeter.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2104984' first='Samar' last='Bures'] 5'8 (Rich Township)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Uber athletic guard who is a nightmare for opposing players. He's so quick and tough. He gets downhill in the blink of an eye. Bures is part of the 94-feet defenders who opposing players dread playing against.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Niem Evans 6'4 (TF North)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evans is an athletic wing player who uses his length and leaping ability to his advantage.&nbsp; He is a solid rebounder who knows how to read missed shots off the rim. As a slasher, he was pretty consistent at finishing shots in traffic.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1468249' first='Santana' last='Flowers'] 6'5 (Bloom)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Flowers has always been a high-motor energy player. He's very athletic for his size and isn't afraid to play defense against bigger players. Santana is also a player who likes to finish plays above the rim. An explosive jumper, he is always a weapon on the offensive glass.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->