MADE East HSA: Standout 2028 wings (Day 1)

MADE Hoops hosted its annual East High School Academy this weekend in Philly, bringing in a loaded group of over 200 prospects across the 2026-29 classes. After taking in each game set of the opening day of action on Saturday, we'll kick off coverage with a handful of 2028 wings who stood out among the crop.    Among the highest-regarded prospects in attendance, Brunson had the gym buzzing from start to finish with his dynamic and poised multi-level attack. A lefty who grows seemingly by the day, Brunson is more of a guard by skillset but now a true wing by body type with a burgeoning frame to go with his tremendous positional size. He looked effortless while creating space for his jumper along the perimeter, countering with a smooth handle to get downhill and finish with touch or emerging athleticism. One of the higher-upside prospects not just in the state but in the country, Brunson should emerge in a big way for Rutgers Prep this winter after biding his time in a smaller role as a freshman.     A new prospect in the area after moving down from Nazareth (NY), Valera Melo has been garnering buzz among college coaches and scouts throughout the open gym season this fall and made it obvious as to why with his play on Saturday. A jumbo guard with a frame to slide all across the positional spectrum along the perimeter, the Dominican-born wing guard saw a large portion of time initiating offense as a ballhandler, showcasing smooth ball skills and a natural feel as a playmaker. He has an effortless flick-of-the-wrist stroke from a high pocket whether shooting off the catch or the dribble, possessing deep range and justifiable confidence to let it fly quickly when in rhythm. While his foot speed pushes him more toward the wing on the defensive end, Valera Melo fits the type of positionless modern basketball offensively with his size and skillset that's being increasingly coveted at the highest levels.     Another Phelps prospect new to the area, Martin comes across the state from Greensburg Central Catholic with D1 recruitment already in tow and showed notable signs of progress with his play on Saturday afternoon. Known for his athleticism and prototypical wing frame, we expected to see Martin flying around and making plays in the open floor, which he did to a great effectiveness. Where he impressed most, however, was in showing the steady growth of his halfcourt skillset. Martin executed a number of self-created drives from the perimeter while also showing a clean high release as a shooter off the catch or on simple midrange pullups. We'll have to see him start to incorporate such elements into more structured game settings moving forward, but if Saturday was a sign of things to come, then there figures to be high-major recruitment in the Pittsburgh-area native's future.     Among the bigger surprised on the day, Williams caught the eye at first with a strikingly long and fluid frame, but upon watching more showed that he had quite a bit of game to match. A midseason transfer last year from nearby Bonner-Prendie, Williams will suit up for Ridley for the first time this winter and looks to bring an immediate spark of athleticism and scoring punch to the Raider lineup. On Saturday, the rangy wing guard showed off a smooth skillset to create his own shot in isolation situations, with clean mechanics on his jumper and a nose for the rim in transition. His length and quickness also shined in spurts on the defensive end. Now squarely on the radar moving forward, we'll look to see how Williams fits his game into more structure this winter but the upside for the scholarship-level in the long run is evident.     One of the more established scoring threats in his class across the country, Phillips is another prospect who's more of a guard by nature but whose rapid physical growth looks to potentially be pushing him more toward the wing category. Now standing every bit of 6'6" with budding strength and explosive athleticism to match, Phillips was impossible to stop getting downhill on Saturday, whether creating his own in the halfcourt or streaking out in transition, often finishing emphatically above the rim in either situation. We'll be zeroing in on the continued growth of his perimeter stroke and floor game over the course of this winter at Westtown, but the early makings of a future high-major scorer all appear to be there in spades for the Archbishop Wood (PA) transfer.

MADE Hoops hosted its annual East High School Academy this weekend in Philly, bringing in a loaded group of over 200 prospects across the 2026-29 classes. After taking in each game set of the opening day of action on Saturday, we'll kick off coverage with a handful of 2028 wings who stood out among the crop.