MADE Hoops East Mania: Sunday 17U Eye-catchers

MADE Hoops got its Northeast spring slate started this past weekend with their massive East Mania event in Washington, D.C. With hundreds of programs taking part from all circuits, take a look below at a handful of prospects who impressed from the 17U ranks while we took in the final day of action on Sunday.    The face of the MADE Hoops circuit this spring, Powell showed he more than has the game to match his notoriety on the recruiting trail, pouring in buckets as he's known to do to help the Jayhawks past RI Elite in a tight contest. Having always carried a degree of natural bulk, the NYC native looks as toned as ever with a good deal of power packed into his compact frame. With the teams trading blows and the score on the proverbial seesaw, Powell broke things open while displaying his natural scoring instincts and elite shotmaking prowess from all over the floor. His leakout dunk to cap things off was just the exclamation. With his first weekend under his belt in his new locale, Powell left no doubt why mid and high-major programs have been steadily blowing up his phone over the past year.     Continuing whats been an early breakout thus far this spring, Maiwen flashed an abundance of emerging talent while still leaving plenty up to the imagination as to what his game could wind up looking like in a few years' time. With natural grace and blossoming twitch to his movements, he brings outstanding positional size to the wing with a game that's been somewhat miscast up until this point. Often the biggest player on the floor in his previous settings, Maiwen has been forced to play more inside, but has taken this new opportunity to showcase his natural skills along the perimeter as both a ballhandler and shot-creator. With plans to take a prep year after just turning 18 last month, the "blowup" could be just around the corner for Maiwen as he hits the national stage for the first time on the PUMA Pro16 circuit.     The highest-ranked senior taking place in the event, Mingo backed up his standing as a top-10 prospect nationally with a typically well-rounded two-way effort in a PSA win. A lengthy and cat-quick jumbo guard known for his downhill exploits and defensive prowess, he brought both to the table in spades while setting the tone for a talented but highly unselfish group. Continuing a trend from the season, Mingo also showed further growth as a jump shooter, having turned himself into a consistently reliable and moderately confident option off the catch from the perimeter with flashes in the pullup game. Perhaps more than anything, it's just refreshing to see a prospect with so much acclaim who approaches the game with such an ego-free, winning mindset. The future is undoubtedly bright as Mingo looks set to assert himself as one of the most impactful guards on the EYBL circuit.     Having heard some buzz trickling out of the CHSAA this winter, we got eyes on Martinez for the first time and he certainly didn't disappoint despite a narrow loss to the NY Jayhawks. In just his second year in the U.S. via the Dominican Republic, Martinez brings a well-rounded offensive game to the backcourt with the size and skillset to operate from either guard spot or even as a smaller wing in three-guard alignments. The polish to his skill level is obvious, with a feel for the game that allows him to access his scoring and playmaking reads from anywhere on the floor in a moment's time. While he operates a fair bit on the ball, it looks as though his jump shot may be his biggest ticket to success if he's to flourish alongside other talent at higher levels. We're eager to see more from Martinez as he looks to have cemented himself firmly on the D1 radar with a real chance to rise further up the ranks in future viewings.     Maybe the biggest find of the day came in the last game set of the afternoon, with most of the marquee teams having filtered out for the weekend. A quite literal eye-catcher, as his sheer size and agility made us stop walking past his court to sit down and watch, Jeffers is still on the raw side but proved to be a tantalizing ball of clay to be molded into the future. Still just 15 years old and playing up on the 17U level, Jeffers' physical tools are his calling card for now, as he both changes ends of the floor and gets off the ground with a level of grace that can't be taught at his size and age. There's flashes of skill and feel to build on, though, as he shows capability both as a standstill shooter and processing the floor with the ball in his hands. Moving to DeMatha for his junior year from Wheaton (MD), look for Jeffers to flourish in a more rigorous developmental environment with a chance to burst onto the D1 radar as soon as this summer provided he keeps taking incremental steps forward.     Another unexpected frontcourt find who stood out on first glance due to size alone, Harville looks to be a quality late add for a scholarship-level program looking for a lengthy flier up front. Towering over the competition, he impresses with his massive length and nimble feet which he uses to make a steady impact near the rim on either end. Where Harville really intrigues though is with his ability to step away from the rim and space the floor as what looks to be a dependable standstill shooter from beyond the arc. He still has a ways to go in terms of feel and physicality, but the blend of rim protection, interior finishing, and outside shooting that Harville offers is both inherently valuable and tough to find. With a prep year potentially in play as he's still just 17 years old, the raw talent he possesses could merit a look from a D1 program as a developmental piece in the frontcourt.

MADE Hoops got its Northeast spring slate started this past weekend with their massive East Mania event in Washington, D.C. With hundreds of programs taking part from all circuits, take a look below at a handful of prospects who impressed from the 17U ranks while we took in the final day of action on Sunday.