Prep Hoops Iowa Expo: Five 2027 Standouts

Akines is a strong, physical guard who does a great job playing at his pace, dictating the tempo for the rest of the players around him and never getting sped up. He plays under control, has fantastic vision, and is a great ball-handler who creates shots for himself and his teammates off the bounce at a high level. He shot it extremely well from behind the arc throughout the day, getting to his shot in a variety of different ways and knocking down shots both off the dribble and the catch. He finishes through contact with either hand, and is a solid on-ball defender.     A high IQ, quick guard who does a great job setting his teammates up, Rains does a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor for his team. He does a great job playing with pace, changing speeds to keep the defender off-balance and getting into the teeth of the defense, where he can either get all the way to the rim, finish over bigger defenders with a floater, or find an open teammate. He has a really good feel for the game, uses ball screens well, and shoots it at a high level off both the dribble and the catch.     Schon was great on both ends of the floor throughout the day, shining in 1-on-1, 3-on-3, and 5-on-5 settings. He's a long, agile defender who does a great job using his length and lateral movement to lock down opposing ball-handlers. In 3-on-3 play, he was paired with high school teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1765513' first='Ryan' last='Clair'], and they played a fantastic two-man game, with Schon shining as a passer and playmaker. In 5-on-5, he showed his ability to impact the game on both ends as a scorer, playmaker, and versatile defender. He can post up smaller defenders and score on the block, sealing his man and finishing. He shoots it well and moves without the ball in his hands, and he's great on the glass from his perimeter spot. On a loaded Kuemper team, he figures to be a key piece as a sophomore.     Campbell is one of the best pure scorers in the 2027 class, a three-level threat who can play with or without the ball in his hands. He showed a willingness to post up smaller defenders and score on the block, and he's a really skilled shooter off the dribble who knows how to get to his spots off the bounce. He impressed as a defender throughout the afternoon, picking opposing ball-handlers clean on multiple occasions and turning defense into quick and easy offense.     Kolee was a new name for me and a very pleasant surprise. A 6-6 big man who runs the floor really well, he's a switchable defender who uses his length effectively on the defensive end. He does a nice job keeping the ball high on his post touches and after pulling down rebounds, and showed deft touch around the rim with both hands. He's strong on the glass on both ends of the floor and has a little bit of ball-handling in him, leading the break a few different times after pulling down a defensive rebound.