GASO Summer Finale Saturday Prospect Watch

Last weekend, the AAU summer capped off in a big way for the last live period with the GASO Summer Finale at the SWAC in Carrollton, Texas. Several teams looked to end the grassroots season with a strong showing and several underrated hoopers were key parts of their squads wins. Let's take a look at some prospects who may be flying under the radar and raised their stock greatly.    [player_tooltip player_id='1225570' first='Jaylen' last='Lawal'] was the main key facilitator in his Trae Young 3SSB 17u squad's game against [program_tooltip program_id='2078780' first='3D' last='Empire'] on Saturday. Jaylen makes things happen with the rock in his hands and doesn't rush the offense. He knows how to set the tempo of the game to his team's advantage and is an expert at slinging difficult passes to open teammates. Don't sleep on his shot either as he knocked down several tough midrange buckets and got to the rim with ease against tough defense. I could see from this contest alone why people have been raving about the potential of Lawal and the passion he plays the game with .     Ryder was on fire in the second half of the ASAK 17u win over OWE EYCL during Saturday's slate of games. Bradley started heating up from long range as the half progressed. Three point range, midrange, it didn't matter. He was hitting absolutely everything and there was nothing the defense could do. His defense was also highly underrated this weekend as he continued to get key stops for his squad to secure statement wins and Ryder showed he can also handle pressure with the best of competition. His poise set him apart from everyone else on the floor and I look to continue to hear big things about his gameplay this upcoming year.     [player_tooltip player_id='1359644' first='Christian' last='Hodge'] was a beast unleashed last weekend in the Summer Finale. In the nightcap game I watched against [program_tooltip program_id='2385486' first='Second' last='2 None'] 17u, Christian came away with several momentum changing posterizers for his [program_tooltip program_id='2075520' first='Houston' last='Raptors'] Benjamin squad and locked up several possessions on defense as well. One of the key components of Hodge's game I noticed is the energy and motor he plays with as he is always giving 100 percent out on the court and making sure his team is in the fight the entire game. His fundamentals on both ends helped him make a big impact and he should be on every college coaches' radar after this live period.     Gur was all over the floor playing for [program_tooltip program_id='2078789' first='Lone' last='Star Elite'] 17u this weekend in Carrollton and I was impressed by his performance in their win over Team Trae Young Texas. Dhillon was a key rebounder on the boards and never slowed up on his physicality, helping secure second chance point opportunities and converting layups under the basket even through contact. He is relentless in his pursuit of loose balls and will put his body on the line to help his team get the win. He recently reclassified to 2025 and will transfer to Brewster Academy in the fall semester.     Bryant was a HUGE game changer for [program_tooltip program_id='2076309' first='Southern' last='Assault'] 15u in their dominant win over Team Griffin EYBL. Kavian couldn't be stopped on the offensive end, raining buckets from long range as well as battling in the paint for layups and game changing rebounds. He constantly brought the ball up on offense and even under full court pressure kept his poise and helped set the tempo of the game to where it benefitted [program_tooltip program_id='2076309' first='Southern' last='Assault']. Bryant was talked about all weekend as one of the tournaments top players and he easily had 20/30 points in this contest, so it is not hard to see why he is one of the highest rated prospects in Texas for 2027.     Ronald had a solid performance in a close loss versus ASAK 17u on Saturday playing for OWE EYCL 17u. Strong showed ability to drain the three ball under immense pressure from his defender as well as slash to the basket and finish several layups under contact. His lateral quickness on defense was impressive as well, helping him to play passing lanes and stay in front of his matchup for important defensive stops. Ronald definitely made my list of prospects flying under the radar during this live period tournament and I will continue to keep my eyes tuned to his game this fall.

Last weekend, the AAU summer capped off in a big way for the last live period with the GASO Summer Finale at the SWAC in Carrollton, Texas. Several teams looked to end the grassroots season with a strong showing and several underrated hoopers were key parts of their squads wins. Let's take a look at some prospects who may be flying under the radar and raised their stock greatly.