3SSB Invitational: Standout Rising Underclass Prospects

Ladera Ranch, CA - The Adidas 3SSB Circuit wrapped up its season with the Earn Your Stripes Invitational hosted at the beautiful OGP Ladera Sports Complex, which features 8 courts, 7 used for games and the other court used as the event's hospitality center. The tournament featured 75 Adidas teams, with the top 16u squads from the 3SSB Circuit on display, as well as numerous nationally ranked players from the classes of 2026 through 2029 on display. The facility was also packed with D1 coaches, and other divisions, over the four day event, given this was the final live period of the club season. This article takes a look at 10 standout players from the 2028 and 2029 classes, from guards to bigs. There is no ranked order to this list of players, but in alphabetical order. This article will wrap up my coverage of the final Adidas event of the year.    Anderson is a 6-foot-4 combo guard that can play on or off the ball on offense, is a solid perimeter defender, and averaged 15 points per game at the Invitational with a personal high of 26 points in a win over OGP 16s. Anderson plays with good pace and feel for the game with the ball in his hands, makes great use of the double-crossover to create space from his defender, is accurate with the 3-ball off the dribble or with fluid movement off the ball to get open looks off the catch, and is a creative finisher at the basket off the bounce. Anderson has the size and handle to survey the offense in the half-court setting, the vision and decision making to make the right reads, and the moves to break his defender down and the play making to find teammates off the drive and kick out pass. Anderson has the wingspan and footspeed to be a high-level perimeter defender that routinely turns defense to offense. He will be a core piece for the new look Mustangs of Roosevelt, who graduated the bulk of its scoring from last year's state championship squad.     Coleman had an impressive showing against OGP 15s on Day 2 of the Invitational, and displayed his two-way versatility and ability to impact multiple aspects of the game. The 6-foot-4 wing/guard plays with good pace and feel for the flow of the game, has the moves to create off the dribble to get to his shot spots, is effective with the mid-range jumper using the spin move and fadeaway jumper to get open, and has good court awareness off the ball to get open for the catch and shoot 3-ball. Coleman connected on the step-back 3-ball, and is a tough on-ball defender that uses his length and instincts to poke the ball out or deflect shots on the perimeter to get out in the open court.     Dak is a wiry and athletic wing that plays bigger than his height and is able to play in the interior, as well as off the perimeter, which was evident from his play at the Invitational. The 6-foot-3 wing has the lateral quickness and active hands to stay in front of perimeter players, with the wingspan and strong build to switch on taller players, and does a solid job on the boards to get easy points on putback or to get the ball out to his teammates to push the pace of play. Dak runs the lanes well in the open court, has good touch on the mid-range jumper at the elbows, and has a great motor that allows him to impact multiple aspects of the game.     Lusk showcased high-level lead guard play in a loss to Compton Magic 15s, and was one of the top lead guards in the 15u division at the Invitational. The 6-foot point guard keeps the ball on a string with a strong handle to see what the defense is presenting, makes great use of the crossover or hesitation with a burst of speed to get by his defender, and is a creative finisher at the basket with a variety of lay-ups and touch on the floater. Lusk is a solid on-ball defender with active hands to get into his opponents dribbling space and cause turnovers, and is accurate with the 3-ball off the dribble or the catch. The rising sophomore should add depth and lead guard play for Corona Centennial this coming season, which will help out rising senior, and top 100 nationally ranked, [player_tooltip player_id='1956524' first='Isaiah' last='Rogers'].     Lowery played with the Compton Magic 16s for all the 3SSB stops, but with some key players not available at the Invitational, Lowery was moved up to play with the CM 17s and he took advantage of the opportunity, with games of 24 points and 26 points and an average of 18 per game for the 4-day event. The 6-foot-5 combo guard was lights out from beyond the arc, with the moves and handle to create his own shot off the dribble, as well as the off ball movement to get open looks off the catch. Lowery is active on the boards with the handle to push the ball up the court, the court vision and size to make good reads in the half-court setting or transition, and showed great touch on the floater down the lane or off the baseline drive. Lowery makes good use of the double crossover, the between the leg cross into the step-back, and the in-and-out move to get by his initial defender with good lift and accuracy on the mid-range jumper. Lowery displayed the ability to score from 3-levels against the top competition at the Invitational and was the only rising sophomore that made an impact in the 17u division.     McCauley is a wing/forward that impacts the game in various ways on both ends, as was evident in Mass Rivals games against NY Wiz Kids 16s and Midwest Basketball Club 16s. The 6-foot-6 McCauley is active on the boards, has enough handle to push the ball off the glass, is a quick leaper to get putbacks on the offensive glass, moves well off the ball on back cuts to get easy lay-ups off the bounce pass, and has good touch on the floater down the lane. McCauley is effective enough to space the floor with the 3-ball, which will open up opportunities for him as his overall skill set expands. Great motor and relentless effort on both ends of the court.     Mojica provided a solid interior scoring presence for the Wiz Kids in a loss to Mass Rivals 16s at the Invitational. The 6-foot-5 wing/forward has good hands to receive entry passes in the post, the frame and build to bully through contact around the basket, and has nice touch on shots within fifteen feet of the basket. Mojica has good footwork, uses the crow-hop move to get space in the post, and displayed touch on the floater down the lane, with enough handle to attack from the top of the key.     Palmer was one of the better bigs in the 15u division at the Invitational, as he would score in a variety of ways finishing with 14 points in a win over OGP 15s. The 6-foot-8 forward is a quality rim protector, does a great job of crashing the glass to get his team multiple possessions on the offensive end, and has good timing to deflect entry passes in the post, which his teammates collect to push the ball in the open court. Offensively, Palmer runs the floor well in transitions and gets ahead to be open for outlet passes and easy buckets, understands floor spacing to be in the dunker spot opposite of his teammates attacking the paint, has soft hands to receive flashy passes in tight windows, and has great touch on finishes around the basket with the frame to finish through contact. He has nice footwork and gets good positioning in the paint, sealing off his defender and making himself available for lay-ups and dunks at the basket. Another young big from Arizona to keep an eye on the next 3 years.     Robinson was one of the top overall lead guards at the Invitational regardless of class, and he put his game on full display in wins over Compton Magic 16s and ASAK 16s, leading ETG 16s to the 16u Championship game. The 6-foot-1 Robinson has elite handles and keeps the ball on a string to observe the court to either make plays or create his own scoring opportunities. Robinson makes good use of the double between the leg cross, behind the back cross, and the double crossover to create space from his defender, the moves to weave through the defense to get to his shot spots, and is able to score the ball from 3-levels, with touch on the floater and accuracy from the mid-range to the 3-point line. Robinson has outstanding court vision and precision passing to find open players in tight windows from the top of the key or off the dribble drive, the strength to use the one-hand zip pass cross court with accuracy, and finishes with flair at the basket. Although his offensive skill set was truly impressive, it was his tenacity on defense that put him near the top of my list of players I enjoyed watching best. Robinson is a ball-hawk on defense, flies around with relentless on-ball pressure and quick hands to disrupt his opponents dribbling space, the timing and speed to chase down and poke the ball out from opposing ball-handlers, and the timing and quick bounce to alter shots on the perimeter. Gifted young guard that is oozing with potential.     Williams is one of the best incoming freshmen I have seen all Spring and Summer, as was evident at the California Scholastic Live tournament in late June, and he kept that high-level of play at the Invitational with the Compton Magic 15s. The 6-foot-3 lead guard has elite handles, the court awareness to keep the dribble alive while seeing what the defense is giving him, the court vision to make reads from the top of the key or drop dimes when on the attack off the dribble once the defense collapses on him. Williams moves fluidly with the ball in hand, changes pace and direction quickly with good body control to stay on-balance, is a crafty finisher around basket, is accurate with the fadeaway mid-range jumper, and can light it up from the 3-point line off the dribble or the catch and shoot. Savvy point guard with a skill set and confidence beyond his years. Next guard to keep an eye on for Compton Magic with the potential to be a special one.

Ladera Ranch, CA - The Adidas 3SSB Circuit wrapped up its season with the Earn Your Stripes Invitational hosted at the beautiful OGP Ladera Sports Complex, which features 8 courts, 7 used for games and the other court used as the event's hospitality center. The tournament featured 75 Adidas teams, with the top 16u squads from the 3SSB Circuit on display, as well as numerous nationally ranked players from the classes of 2026 through 2029 on display. The facility was also packed with D1 coaches, and other divisions, over the four day event, given this was the final live period of the club season. This article takes a look at 10 standout players from the 2028 and 2029 classes, from guards to bigs. There is no ranked order to this list of players, but in alphabetical order. This article will wrap up my coverage of the final Adidas event of the year.