The Challenge: 2028 Stock Risers

The Challenge took place over the weekend in York, Pa as over 120 high schools programs (boys' varsity, junior varsity and girls' varsity) made their way to the Expo Center to compete as they prepare for their upcoming season. An endless list of prospects made their case as stock risers with their production, so there's a chance this article can be broken down into multiple parts. For this article, we'll look at the 2028 prospects who took advantage of the stage.    Hall put on a needle-moving performance in his game against Largo where the 6-foot-4 guard showcased his dynamism as a primary playmaker. While he isn't going to blow you away with blazing speed, what Hall does is use his length and understanding for attacking defenders with angles to gain advantages and make his way to the paint or rim. Once he's there, he can play off two feet where he utilized textbook footwork pivoting his way through defenders' arms to create openings for scoop lay-ups or dump-offs. There were stretches of this particular game where Largo has zero answer for Hall in both a half court or transition setting.   Expect Hall to receive a boost from No. 18 overall in the updated 2028 rankings.     The Lakers were without the services of their senior point guard Ghavyne Saint-Pierre and Sulaiman took full advantage of the opportunity to display his lead guard abilities. The 5-foot-10 southpaw is a downhill nightmare who puts relentless pressure on the defense with his quickness and mindset of exposing the slightest of driving lanes. Sulaiman has always been a stop-and-pop threat in the mid-range, but over the weekend he showed off improved mechanics and balance on his looks from deep. He's also pest on the defensive end who plays with active hands and a strong base that allows him to withstand more physical guard play. With more opportunity coming his way, it's clear that he's the building block for this young, talented Boys' Latin group for the foreseeable future.     Liz really impressed me with his confidence on the ball and running the show for St. Benedict's. He showed that he can make his impact known in several ways as he plays with a low center of gravity that helps him blow by his man in the open floor. In a half court setting, his showcased mature change-of-pace as well as patience in ball screens where he poses as a threat to shoot off the bounce, attack switching bigs off the dribble or make correct reads and hit rollers or spot-up shooters on target zipping passes around the floor. Liz has twitch and burst coming out of his crossovers that resulted in plenty of fouls on his way to the rim. When rotating defenders presented themselves, Liz sought out contact, finished through it, and converted at the charity stripe. Although he's an underclassmen, it doesn't take long to see his leadership qualities and the competitive intensity that he brings to fuel his team.     Stanfield had his best outing in a win over St. Elizabeth (DE) where he registered a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds. It was an example of Stanfield exposing mismatches with his blend of size and skill. He was at his best posting up on the block or mid-post where he could get to his over the shoulder hooks or tough fadeaways out of face-up scenarios. The sophomore forward also showed improvements in getting downhill from the high-post and finishing with his left hand. He'll be expected to shoulder some heavy lifting for the Cardinals this season in the BCL/MIAA.     Ansong put his name on my radar with his play at the Expo late last month and followed up with a dominant double-double performance on Saturday despite Walkersville coming up short against Fallston. The athletic, strong-bodied forward finished that game with 20 points and 15 rebounds. His high motor, bully-ball approach was evident on his plays around the rim. When he gets downhill with momentum, Ansong acts like a bowling ball barreling through     Johnson continues to find his rhythm with his new team and this weekend was another step in the right direction. The 6-foot-3 lefty has a smooth load up getting into his shot whether it comes off the catch or off the bounce. He averaged over 13PPG, knocking down 50 percent of his shots from the field and converted on 10 of his 18 looks from beyond the arc. As this young Calvert Hall group gets more reps on the floor in live game action, the better the product will be. Things seem to be headed in the right direction as the Cardinals went 3-1 in their York showing. Johnson looks to be a big piece of their puzzle this winter.     Moore is one of the intriguing, gifted scorers in the Baltimore Metro area when it comes to evaluating this 2028 class. Even with him posting impressive numbers as a freshman, he still somewhat flew under the radar, but that's on it way to change as he enters year two. The 6-foot-1 combo guard is featured both on and off the ball, but is at his best attacking defenders in 1-on-1 scenarios where his wiggle, deep bag of counters, and creativity as a shot creator come to light.

The Challenge took place over the weekend in York, Pa as over 120 high schools programs (boys' varsity, junior varsity and girls' varsity) made their way to the Expo Center to compete as they prepare for their upcoming season. An endless list of prospects made their case as stock risers with their production, so there's a chance this article can be broken down into multiple parts. For this article, we'll look at the 2028 prospects who took advantage of the stage.