ZG Rumble for the Ring: high potential youngins pt. 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday, September 27th, I attended Zero Gravity's Rumble for the Ring tournament. I saw games from the 8th grade, 9th grade, and varsity divisions, and I'll be having coverage throughout the beginning of this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Read: <a href="https://prephoops.com/2025/09/zg-rumble-for-the-ring-high-potential-youngins/">ZG Rumble for the Ring: high potential youngins</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are some high potential freshman and sophomore players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2571919"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68d9c57a33fda"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Weaver is an absolute joy to watch. The 5-foot-10 point guard is skinny and undersized, but he was one of the most skilled players I saw at the entire tournament in any division. He has an incredible handle and gets to wherever he wants on the court while handling extreme pressure very effectively, and he makes great decisions in the paint once he punctures it. He can finish quite athletically at the rim, and his hang time is quite special, too. Defensively, the sophomore has insane hands and gets tons of steals as a result, and he also has amazing timing on rebounds. Awesome player on both ends. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Xavier Sainthelmy","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Belmont Hill High School","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"BABC","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68d9c57a34086"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sainthelmy is definitely a work in progress in some regards (mainly shooting but also handling it better), but the 6-foot guard has some pretty special passing instincts for his age. He found multiple backdoor cutters and dunker spot hangers for very easy layups on passes nobody in the entire gym could see coming. He threw tons of effective lookaways and was able to really manipulate the defense with pass fakes and his eyes. His athleticism is solid, too, and should only continue to develop at a high level as he gets older. Very bright future ahead for Sainthelmy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2527210"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68d9c57a340d5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">McNamara looks bigger and longer every time I see him, and I'm finally starting to see some improvements in his shooting form. Though the results aren't necessarily there yet, I can see a pathway to him becoming a good marksman from deep. Besides his shooting, the 6-foot-4 wing is quite effective using his length to glide for finishes to the hoop – “smooth” is the best word to describe his takes to the rim. He also competes hard on the defensive end and can guard a variety of players as a result of his size. Once he grows to be his older brother's height (6-foot-8), he'll be a scholarship prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2571906"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68d9c57a3411c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Odugbela is a fascinating long term prospect. The 6-foot-5 sophomore looks like he hasn't even begun to realize his full size and physicality, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him put on some major inches and LBS in the coming years. Right now, though, the wing has great rhythm to his off the dribble game and good vision and feel to go with it. He's not the freakiest athlete or the best shooter, but both of those things are going to come along quickly if I had to guess. Look for Odugbela to shoot up the rankings as he develops physically and on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2470876"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68d9c57a34161"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Diaby has about as much potential as any sophomore in the region. The 6-foot-11 center has a plus wingspan and understands how to use it on the defensive end and on the offensive glass. He has good hops above the rim and pretty good hands for his size, and the touch and feel in the paint is only going to improve as he grows and gets more comfortable in his body. If he can develop his shooting on the perimeter and his agility horizontally, he could probably play some really high level basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->