Grind Session Philly: Standout underclassmen

The Grind Session made its second annual stop in Philadelphia this past weekend, with a handful of national prep programs descending on the City of Brotherly Love. While several older high-major prospects made the biggest splashes, we spent a couple days honing in on some of the talented underclassmen in attendance. Here we take a look at seven freshman/sophomore prospects who could begin making waves on the recruiting scene as soon as this summer.    In a blowout win over Taylor Made Prep (AZ), Nuñez impressed with his abundance of natural talent on the offensive end. The New York native makes things look effortless as he glides around the court with the ball while displaying touch and craft as both a scorer and playmaker. The game didn't provide a need for him to show his game from deep, something we'll be monitoring moving forward into other settings along with his commitment on the defensive end. But there's no doubt the reclass to 2027 could pay dividends for Nuñez as he climbs higher up D1 radars heading into the summer.     New to the United States this year, Kourouma impressed with his blend of physical tools, motor, and flashes of offensive skill. A southpaw forward who was among the youngest members of Guinea's U17 World Cup team, he came off the bench with nonstop energy in both games we evaluated. With a chiseled frame and comfortable movement skills, he brings a load of versatility to the defensive end. Kourouma also shows an ability to take slower forwards or bigs off the bounce from the perimeter and occasionally space the floor from 3. It still shows itself more in flashes at this stage, but there's a lot to like here moving forward.     It was our first evaluation of Ngor, who's been tabbed as one of Canada's top 2027 prospects. He grabbed our attention immediately with his size and fluidity on the perimeter along with an organic, unending display of vocal leadership that's rare to find of such a young player amid a talented older group. Ngor would go on to show a versatile skillset and a natural feel for the game while scoring efficiently from all levels and making a number of high-IQ plays to set up teammates. The upside is incredibly high here if he can work his way to more of a true wing in time, but regardless the makings of a high-major prospect look clear.     One of few underclassmen on the Grind Session operating in a featured role, Ilic shined on both ends in a win over Skyline Prep (AZ). He really stands out with his feel and IQ on both ends, seemingly always being in the right position while comfortable playing all over the floor. His passing feel is complemented by a capable scoring game out of both faceup and postup situations depending on the matchup. Mid and high majors are already tracking Ilic with good reason. We'll be looking for him to secure his standing depending on where he shakes out physically and whether he can extend the range on his jumper.     Heralded as perhaps the top freshman in all of America, Mercer struggled through much of Saturday's dogfight with The Patrick School (NJ). He finished with an exclamation point, however, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter to secure the narrow win while showing the two-way ability that makes him so highly-regarded. Against players 3-4 years older, the 15 and a half Mercer is a force as a slasher playing either on or off ball with a blend of skill and physicality to his attack. He shows real polish to his footwork in the midrange and increasing comfort initiating offense with the ball in his hands. Mercer is perhaps most advanced on defense with his positional versatility and natural playmaking instincts. He'll need to progress as a perimeter shooter moving forward to maintain his current standing, but all the building blocks are certainly here for a young high-major guard prospect.     A new prospect on our radar, Majhok is in his first year in the U.S. after coming over from NBA Academy Africa. Following a brief stint at Sunrise Christian (KS), he's reclassed back to 2027 where he could wind up becoming a factor nationally with his size, mobility, motor. A true 7-footer, he changes ends with great comfort while showing an ability to navigate space on D and protect the rim. We didn't get much of a look at his offensive game but look forward to checking back in on the South Sudanese prospect during the grassroots season.     While it came largely in flash sequences throughout the game, there was a lot on display from Mitakaro that could come together nicely in the coming years to make for a very intriguing guard prospect. He plays with a fun bounce in his step whether on or off the ball and is crafty with both his ballhandling and footwork. The Canadian also looks to be a comfortable shotmaker, shooting a really easy ball despite a youthful stroke. Still relatively baby-faced with a long and limber frame, Mitakaro shows high-level potential already and could really take off once he blossoms physically.

The Grind Session made its second annual stop in Philadelphia this past weekend, with a handful of national prep programs descending on the City of Brotherly Love. While several older high-major prospects made the biggest splashes, we spent a couple days honing in on some of the talented underclassmen in attendance. Here we take a look at seven freshman/sophomore prospects who could begin making waves on the recruiting scene as soon as this summer.