The Bash: National Standouts

The Bash 2024 took place Thursday, December 12th through Saturday, December 14th at Ridge View High School in Columbia, South Carolina featuring some of the top prospects and programs from throughout the country. Some of the notable national programs included IMG Academy (FL), Oak Hill Academy (VA), Huntington Prep (WV), Moravian Prep (NC), and Drive Academy (TX). Take a look at the five national prospects who stood out on Day 2 (Friday) at The Bash.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />    Leading off the National Standouts from Day 2 of The Bash is [player_tooltip player_id='1223822' first='Jermaine' last='O'Neal Jr']. Jermaine plays for his father at Dynamic Prep Academy and they returned to O'Neal Sr.'s hometown of Columbia, South Carolina where he attended Eau Claire High School. Jermaine is a gifted athlete with good positional length. He had a couple of highlight reel alley-oops and nice pull-up jump shots in the mid-range, while also displaying a good feel for his teammates by spacing the offense off the ball and making key passes with the ball in his hands. O'Neal Jr. finished with 19 Points on 8-12 FG in a win over Lancaster (SC).     Next up is another SMU Signee and Dynamic Prep Star, [player_tooltip player_id='1358782' first='Jaden' last='Toombs']. Jaden was a key figure for his team on all three days, as they put up a tournament record for team points in each game. However, Toombs is more than just an offensive weapon, he is a difference-maker on defense too. Jaden had a stack stat sheet in Friday's matchup putting up 16 Points on 8-9 FG, 9 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 3 Blocks, and 3 Steals. He battled for paint position on the interior, showed off a handle of the ball, protected the rim, and was used as the primary defender on a couple of different players on defense. Apart from the physical dominance, the passing out of the post and on dribble drives impressed me the most, and the combination of those two attributes left me excited for his future.     After a slow start in IMG Academy's EYBL Scholastic League matchup with [program_tooltip program_id='2076455' first='Legacy' last=''] Early College (SC), Darius adjusted to the Lions defense extremely well and came out on a mission in the second half. He got in rhythm with corner three off a BLOB set and then continued it with a steal into transition finish, pick and roll pull-up three, and a pair of floaters. Acuff put up 12 Points on 5-5 FG in Q3 and finished with 23 Points on the night. The Ascender offense runs best when the Arkansas commit has the ball in his hands and is balancing three-level scoring with facilitating for his teammates.     Kareem is a second IMG Ascender who had a key performance in their league win over [program_tooltip program_id='2076455' first='Legacy' last=''] Early College (SC). He is physically dominant post prospect list at 6'8" and signed to play at the University of Georgia. Stagg's strong frame and elite second leap jump out at you when evaluating him, and he is a force around both rims. Kareem also blocked a three-pointer, knocked down a corner three-pointer with smooth mechanics, moved his feet well when showing, and showed off comfort in handling the ball in transition and into handoffs, despite a couple of turnovers. In the Ascender's win, Stagg tallied 11 Points and 8 Rebounds.     Cedric Taylor was a major bright spot for Huntington Prep in their heartbreaking loss to Wilson (SC). He is a terrific athlete who excels as a traditional rim runner. He was active in the dunker spot, in pick-and-roll sets, as a lob threat, and on the offensive glass. Cedric is also versatile on the defensive end and showed off good feet when switched onto guards and a knack for jumping passing lanes to get out in transition. I would've liked to see more from Taylor as a shot blocker, but his length did affect jump shots and the occasional shot around the rim. Cedric finished with team highs in Points with 17 and Rebounds with 11 in Saturday's contest.

The Bash 2024 took place Thursday, December 12th through Saturday, December 14th at Ridge View High School in Columbia, South Carolina featuring some of the top prospects and programs from throughout the country. Some of the notable national programs included IMG Academy (FL), Oak Hill Academy (VA), Huntington Prep (WV), Moravian Prep (NC), and Drive Academy (TX). Take a look at the five national prospects who stood out on Day 2 (Friday) at The Bash.