TABC Showcase: Friday's C/O 2026 "Hot Start" Elite Watch

The beginning of the TABC Showcase on Friday was a big time for scouts to be in the building watching several prospects start the weekend off with a bang. Prime-time matchups were already in effect on Friday afternoon, and I was able to catch several high-level matchups in the building. Let's look at some athletes who continued to raise their case for being some of the top players in the state.    [player_tooltip player_id='2854586' first='Austin' last=''] Goosby is easily one of the most dominant hoopers in the state of Texas and is starting to make national waves with high D1 level schools recruiting him lately including Duke, Miami, Baylor, and UCLA. Goosby has one of the best games I have seen this year, and he doesn't hesitate to take advantage of favorable matchups on the court. He can drive to the basket as well, shoot pull up jumpers over defenders, and throw no look passes with the best of guards. He had several glass cleaning blocks in Melissa's win over Dallas Greenhill and made key fastbreak passes, hit several crunch time shots, and was a main-event player. This was my first time getting to watch [player_tooltip player_id='2854586' first='Austin' last=''] in person and needless to say, I was very impressed and can see why he is a D1 player.     Jayden was a huge all-around presence for St. Michaels in their weekend opener against Denton Guyer. He crashed the boards for second chance points, made difficult paint shots, and ran his lane well on fastbreaks. Buchunam is lethal when he gets downhill with the ball in his hands and the defense always needs to be on high alert when boxing out on the boards, because Jayden is an underrated athletic guard/wing. Jayden definitely made his mark felt not just in the scoring column this game, but also with rebounds, blocks, and energy play.     [player_tooltip player_id='1750107' first='Jaxson' last='Thompson'] was perhaps the most electric and quickest player I was able to watch Friday in his game against Melissa. Thompson shouldered the scoring load from Greenhill, displaying elite shot making from all 3 levels and beating matchups off the dribble with a lightning fast first step. Jaxson has been lighting it up this summer playing for JL3 EYBL and continued to make waves at TABC playing for Dallas Greenhill, looking like the elite prospect he is proving himself to be lately. He has recently garnered offers from Rice, New Mexico State, and Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Look for him to continue to make waves throughout grassroots and the fall season.     Nolan was the main scorer for [player_tooltip player_id='2854586' first='Austin' last=''] St. Michaels in their key win to open up the tournament over Denton Guyer and he showed a very versatile offensive game. Barkley consistently scored from all 3 levels, especially from deep range with an efficient jumper when left open. Nolan knows how to drive and dish well, but he can also finish through tough contact and can function well off a pick and roll as the ballhandler. Playing for [player_tooltip player_id='2854586' first='Austin' last=''] Unbreakable this summer, this was my first time getting to watch Nolan and just from scouting this game, I can tell he will definitely be a class of 2026 hooper that makes his way onto everyone's radars shortly if he isn't already.

The beginning of the TABC Showcase on Friday was a big time for scouts to be in the building watching several prospects start the weekend off with a bang. Prime-time matchups were already in effect on Friday afternoon, and I was able to catch several high-level matchups in the building. Let's look at some athletes who continued to raise their case for being some of the top players in the state.