3SSB Invitational: Best Perimeter Defenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LADERA RANCH — The adidas 3SSB circuit made its final stop of the July live period on the west coast as the majority of the shoe company's teams headed to OGP Ladera in Southern California for the 3SSB Earn Your Stripes Invitational. The event kicked off Thursday morning and droves of college coaches flooded the baselines and sidelines to watch the high-level recruits. Below we break down the best perimeter defenders we watched.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Brandon Bass, Jr. | 2026 | [player_tooltip player_id='2854586' first='Austin' last=''] Rivers SE Elite (FL)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bass, the son of longtime NBA player Brandon Bass, has elite basketball bloodlines and it shows in his long, wiry frame and elite lateral athleticism. The 6-foot-5 wing is a super versatile perimeter defender whose length and ability to slide laterally helped him contain opposing ball handlers and switch one through four if needed. Bass also has great feel when anticipating and shooting passing lanes for steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956509' first='DeLan' last='Grant'] | 2026 | Compton Magic (CA)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grant is built like a high level football player but moves like an elite basketball athlete. The combination of strength, physicality and fluid mobility allowed Grant to get up and pressure and contain opposing ball handlers all while forcing them off-balance by bumping them if they did get a step on him. Grant is a prospect who can switch one through five on the high school level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Deron Rippey | 2026 | New Heights (NY)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rippey's defensive strength is his cat-like quickness both in his lateral speed and hands. The 6-foot-2 five-star prospect has great anticipation when covering the opposing point guard and it resulted in him getting multiple pick-pocket steals that led to easy baskets on the other end. Rippey was also picking up his defensive assignment 94-feet and turning them multiple times before half-court</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Dothan Ijadimbola | 2026 | D1 Minnesota (MN)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ijadimbola's legitimate wing size and length make him a highly-effective defensive player in all aspects. The 6-foot-6 rising senior is a menacing presence on the ball as his ability to sit in a stance, cover ground laterally and use his length to impact passing lanes earned him a spot on this list. What separates Ijadimbola from some others on this list is his ability to protect the rim at a high level from the wing spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1703096' first='Elias' last='Obenyah'] | 2026 | Team Lillard (CA)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Obenyah is the product of one of the best defensive high school teams in California and his impact on that end is not to be understated. The 6-foot-4 guard is as fundamental as they come from his stance to him jumping to the ball to him not letting himself get screened and his willingness to play physically. All of those things, combined with his instincts and high IQ on that end, allow him to be a defender of the "lockdown" variety.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2077356' first='Marcus' last='Zelee'] | 2026 | ASAK (TX)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ASAK was one of the first teams I watched to start the weekend and it immediately became clear to me that he would be one of the best on-ball defenders I watched on the weekend because he possesses every attribute needed to be elite at getting stops. The 6-foot-2 guard picked up end line to end line, forced his opponent to deal with his physicality throughout every possession and brings a mindset to the floor that he will not get scored on and that is what makes him such a good defensive player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->