Myrtle Chaffin Classic Preview: Prospects to Watch

Tomorrow on the campus of Mt. Zion Prep, the 10th annual Myrtle Chaffin Classic will tip-off. This event has become a routine stop for me to mark the official start of high school basketball. While the teams in the field have some games under their belts already, this event serves the purpose of when things really get kicked off as we enter a very busy month of November and December with events around the area on what seems to be every weekend ahead.   For this article, we'll dive into some prospects to watch ahead of this weekend.    Ibe will be the highest-ranked 2026 prospect featured in the event and the 7-footer has shown steady progression with our viewings this fall. Ibe moves well for a prospect his size and seems to be playing with more assertiveness around the rim at both ends. In our most recent viewing, Ibe even showed some newfound confidence playing out of face-up scenarios and attacking the rim off 1-to-2 dribbles. This aspect of his game will be one of the last that is developed, but the hints are always good to see. In order for Mt. Zion to walk away with two wins this weekend, he'll need to enforce his paint presence, run the floor consistently, and haul in rebounds in bulk.     Byrd has left an impression on us every time we've gotten eyes on him this fall and I don't expect anything to be different this weekend in Lanham. The lead guard is one of the premier bucket-getters in the state and I'll expect his approach to be the same as he looks to make a statement against a Bethel Academy team with some stingy guards on Saturday afternoon.     Toatley made the move to Bethel not only to be more of a presence on the ball as a point guard, but also to be the focal point as a whole. The matchup against S3 will feature Toatley vs [player_tooltip player_id='2347779' first='Nick' last='Byrd'], which should be an entertaining as both can fill it up from well beyond the arc. Toatley has the ability to change the momentum of a game in just a few possessions with his mentality and shotmaking prowess. It'll be interesting to see the progression in his overall game and see if there are improvements with his table-setting skills as a playmaker for others.     Norcome is going to fill a valuable role for this Mt. Zion team this season as he becomes a huge piece to their success puzzle. A versatile, strong-bodied forward who can defend multiple positions effectively, Norcome has a number of ways he can put his fingerprints on a game. When he brings the correct blend of discipline and energy defensively, the tools shine bright. Offensively he's at his best playing off the ball and making himself useful as a timely cutter. He has good instincts of where the holes in the defense will be based off others' activity and has good anticipation in when to present himself in those windows for scores. The jumper remains a work in progress, but what he brings on the ball is a physical downhill presence. When he sticks to his strengths and prides himself within his role, Norcome looks like an extremely valuable prospect. The Warriors could use exactly that this weekend as they look to protect their home floor.     Alongside Toatley in the Bethel backcourt is Gray, a tough-nosed southpaw guard who simply gets things done. He can play on or off the ball and be effective in either role. He brings a great presence as a floor general who can process quickly on penetration to zip passes around to open teammates, play with balance off the bounce to rise up for jumpers on the stop of a dime, and is no stranger to inviting contact on attempts around the basket. He brings the same intensity on the defensive end while pressuring his man with active hands and quick feet. Off the ball, he's looking to shoot in the passing lanes and generate deflections. Gray is also a plus rebounder for his position and size.     Popa hails from Canada as Terror Prep will make the trip down to the DMV to showcase a number of prospects on their roster. Popa has the arugment as being the most intriguing given his size, floor-spacing ability, and the hot start that he's off to this season. Through their first five games, the 6-foot-8 forward is averaging an alarming 30.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per contest. Terror Prep steps in and immediately faces off against the hosting Mt. Zion Warriors, so it'll be a great test to see if Popa's high-level production continues against a large uptick in talent. Nevertheless, his skillset and size are reason why he's firmly on our radar heading into the weekend.     Another prospect that I'm looking forward to evaluating is Buio, a 6-foot-4 lead guard who has put up silly assists number thus far this season. He and Popa have proven to be a lethal combo in ball screen actions as Popa can present as both a roller or pop out beyond the arc. As for Buio, he boasts a strong frame, twitch off the bounce, and a determination to live in the paint. In the same five-game span as Popa, Buio averaged 12 points, 13.8 assists, and 4.6 rebound per game. His skills will be put to the test as Terror Prep will play Mt. Zion on Saturday and follow up with the pesky Bethel backcourt on Sunday.     Vallis is yet another 6'8"+ prospect that Terror has in their frontcourt that can spend ample time spacing the floor. He's shown some ability early this season to drill his first couple of shots from deep and then effectively attack the closeout for straight-line drives to the rim where his length can play to his advantage. He enters the weekend coming off a hot three-game stretch where he scored 20 or more points in each showing while converting over 45 percent of his looks from three.

Tomorrow on the campus of Mt. Zion Prep, the 10th annual Myrtle Chaffin Classic will tip-off. This event has become a routine stop for me to mark the official start of high school basketball. While the teams in the field have some games under their belts already, this event serves the purpose of when things really get kicked off as we enter a very busy month of November and December with events around the area on what seems to be every weekend ahead.