Hoop Group Spring Showdown: Saturday 17U frontcourt eye-catchers

As the calendar turned to April, the grassroots season kicked off in the Garden State this weekend with a strong local event at Hoop Group Headquarters in Neptune, NJ, featuring a handful of premier programs across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. After taking in several sets of action on the opening afternoon of the event, we'll continue coverage with a look at several frontcourt prospects who intrigued across the 17U division on Saturday afternoon.    Making his debut with [program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride'] alongside a mostly established core of returners, Pereira showed plenty of positive flashes while he and his new teammates got acclimated to each other. A true low post presence, there were times where his guards struggled to find him on the block, but he subsequently did a good job of staying engaged and creating second-chance opportunities for himself on the offensive glass. Pereira was a consistent bruiser on both ends, particularly while taking on a deep Shoreshots frontline. We'll look to see him get more consistent finishing in traffic as he gains experience playing against like-sized bigs, but Pereira's continuously progressing skillset and blue-collar approach is sure to garner D1 attention in the coming months, particularly from programs of the high-academic variety.     Still working his way into things after only a practice or two with his new team, Marcellinus had no issue integrating his physical two-way style right away on the fly. A mountainous presence in the paint, he regularly carved out space for rebounds on either end of the floor. Marcellinus does a great job clearing driving lanes for his guards with wide-bodied screens (though he has a propensity for getting called on moving screens) and is a reliable release valve around the rim off dumpoffs or rolls. Mid-major programs who place an emphasis on defense and physicality would be wise to throw Marcellinus a look late in the cycle while he also mulls the possibility of a post-grad year into the 2026 class.     Fresh off a breakout high school campaign, Deng is playing out the spring grassroots campaign as an unsigned senior looking to further prove himself in the eyes of mid and high major coaches amid the craze over transfer recruiting. While he played as somewhat of a hybrid big for much of the winter, the native of Australia was back playing his natural forward position showcasing his blend of mobile athleticism and inside-out skill. Deng was consistently active around both rims with his length and quick bounce, while also displaying his advanced ability to rip the ball off the glass and initiate the offense in transition. We didn't see him knock down any jumpers from the perimeter, but with that being something he's shown in the past, Deng should be highly valued late in the cycle for his activity and blossoming two-way versatility.     A slightly different breed from the other prospects on this list, Edwell is more of a traditional throwback power forward with his bruising interior game but without the size of a true rim protector. While he sticks to his bread and butter of imposing his will physically as a bully-ball scorer near the rim, he's begun to really impress with the modernization of his skillset. In addition to flashing an increasingly reliable standstill jumper out to the arc, Edwell has developed nicely as a faceup scorer using his increasing ball skills to navigate space and his low center of mass to wedge defenders off their spots. He also boasts nimble feet for his size and build while flashing an increased ability to finish above the rim with pop in space. While not the cleanest fit in every system, Edwell is a surefire scholarship prospect with his blend of size and production who could one day carve out a role at a D1 level, ideally next to a floor-spacing rim protector.     While his numbers weren't gaudy playing as the third big behind unsigned seniors Marcellinus and Deng, Franz made a steady impact in his minutes with his towering length and increasingly rugged two-way approach. Coming off an injury-plagued winter, Franz was a consistent factor using his size and length to bother opposing bigs and drivers at the rim, racking up a handful of blocks and a number of additional altered shots. Showcasing solid hands and a soft touch, he was also effective as a dumpoff threat for his guards whether working the baseline or rolling down the lane. While he's still rough around the edges in parts of his skillset, Franz's sheer size and commitment to shining within his role should certainly attract scholarship-level interest up to the D1 level.     Debuting with his NJ Shoreshots squad that will compete on the HGSL circuit, Sysko continues to impress with his cleanly translatable skillset as a floor-spacing forward. Just as he did while helping George School to a highly successful season in his lone year at the school as a senior transfer, Sysko was effective stretching out to the arc and knocking down shots off the catch both in the half court and transition. While not a traditional big by any means, he does a nice job of using his size to sneak into position for rebounds or slip to easy buckets near the rim. A rising post-grad who will take his talents to prep power Perkiomen, Sysko looks like a hidden gem for the small-college level who could certainly push his way into scholarship territory with the extra year.

As the calendar turned to April, the grassroots season kicked off in the Garden State this weekend with a strong local event at Hoop Group Headquarters in Neptune, NJ, featuring a handful of premier programs across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. After taking in several sets of action on the opening afternoon of the event, we'll continue coverage with a look at several frontcourt prospects who intrigued across the 17U division on Saturday afternoon.