Gym Rat Live: Saturday NY 2028 standouts

Gym Rat Live took over the Albany area over the weekend with a handful of powerhouse programs from across the region descending on the state's capital. With programs from every circuit and a select few elite independent clubs, there were no shortage of standouts. After taking in the day's worth of action on Saturday, we'll kick off our coverage with a roundup of some New York 2028 prospects who impressed with their play.    Easily the best player and prospect we were able to evaluate in the 15U division, Taiwo was a man among boys while wreaking havoc on both ends of the floor. With elite athletic tools and a blossoming skillset, he was a consistent force as a multipositional two-way forward. A native of Nigeria who's been in the U.S. about a year, he covers the court with a level of controlled grace and explosiveness that simply can't be taught, pairing those physical gifts with a non-stop motor. Taiwo shows foundational skills as a shooter and ballhandler with a solid feel for the game already. His upside on the defensive end is limitless with his ability to serve as a rim protector while also sliding his feet with smaller players in space. After a pseudo redshirt year at LuHi as a freshman, look for Taiwo to break out before long as the makings for a high-major prospect all look to be there.     Another high-level international big from the Riverside program, Zelic plays up on the 16U level and on Saturday showed an enticing two-way skillset tailor made for a big man in the modern game. Already approaching 7-feet, he shows impressive body control while navigating space and staying steadily engaged on both ends of the floor. The native of Serbia is a natural floor-spacer offensively with a polished and versatile stroke out to the perimeter, also showing strong hands and impressive flexibility operating near the rim as a finisher. He was dealt a tough matchup physically, but showed a willingness to compete on defense with the length and mobility to be a versatile anchor on the back line. As Zelic adds strength and learns to dominate games from start to finish, the sky is the limit with high-major offers almost certainly coming his way.     Maybe the best shooter we saw all day came from the 15U ranks, where Proudfoot was busy raining in jumpers from all over the floor. It's easy to see why he's already a 1,000-point varsity scorer, as he has a textbook shooting stroke off the dribble and catch with deep range and justifiably endless confidence to let it fly in bunches. Known for his sharpshooting, Proudfoot showed an on-ball element as well, leveraging his gravity and the extra attention he draws to work to spots efficiently and make proper reads to get his teammates shots. With great balance and a strong frame, he certainly looks to have the skillset and physical markers to be on D1 radars already with plenty of time left for his recruitment to really take shape.     Pairing with Taiwo for Riverside's 15s, Samb wasn't quite the same consistently dominant force but showed a healthy upside as a prospect in his own right in a performance filled with high-level flashes. He stands out even before tipoff with high-level length and graceful fluidity while clearly still being in the early stages of physical development. Samb went on to show he certainly has some game to go along with his physical tools, showcasing natural ball skills and developing footwork while navigating to the rim off the bounce. He was at his best in the open floor, with a more refined shooting stroke being key towards eventually translating into the halfcourt setting. The lengthy swingman certainly looks ready to step up onto the varsity level this coming year with evident D1 potential down the line.     Coming off a productive season averaging double-figures as a freshman starter in the CHSAA, Yancey showed no signs of slowing down heading into the grassroots season. Steering a Castle squad that won a PUMA 14U national title last summer, he was a force to be reckoned with while engineering a decisive win over renowned Team Final. He came out hot with a pair of early 3s, then would use his compact handle and decisive burst to work into the lane for a handful of buckets near the rim before setting the table for his teammates. Yancey set the tone for an intense defensive effort at the point of attack and helped ice the game with some clutch foul shooting down the stretch. He certainly looks to be among the premier 2028 floor generals in the city.

Gym Rat Live took over the Albany area over the weekend with a handful of powerhouse programs from across the region descending on the state's capital. With programs from every circuit and a select few elite independent clubs, there were no shortage of standouts. After taking in the day's worth of action on Saturday, we'll kick off our coverage with a roundup of some New York 2028 prospects who impressed with their play.