Preseason Watch List: 2029 Names To Have An Eye On

With fall preseason play complete, attention shifts to the rapidly approaching high school season. As teams gear up over the next week and a thrilling winter of basketball begins, now is the ideal moment to spotlight several prospects—particularly from the incoming 2029 class—who merit attention, poised to burst out onto the scene in their debut seasons.    Expected to provide a strong interior paint presence on both ends of the floor for Colonia's frontcourt, [player_tooltip player_id='2970382' first='Desmond' last='Rudanovic'] brings a blend of both size and raw skill. Rudanovic is capable of scoring out of the low post with his back to the basket game while also stepping out to the three point line and being a threat as both a spot up shooter and a pick and pop threat. Rudanovic has the size to also be impactful on the glass and be a strong and consistent rebounder on both the offensive and defensive glass. Although early in his development, Rudanovic does have the necessary tools to still be an immediate contributor for Colonia over the course of his freshman season.     Still a developing prospect but already armed with many of the right physical tools, [player_tooltip player_id='2879104' first='Flory' last='Kuminga']'s eye catching athleticism and relentless motor stand out right away in the different ways he leverages those physical tools to impact the game on both ends of the floor, all while showing strides in the development of his ball skills. A powerful wing with a quick first step, Kuminga consistently establishes himself as a downhill attacking threat, highlighting his ability to finish in traffic and through contact. Complementing his aggressive slashing, Kuminga is a threat from the perimeter, capable of knocking down spot up threes. On the defensive is where Kuminga's athleticism gets put on full display— using his athleticism and length to pin shots against the glass and generate deflections. With many physical boxes already checked, the younger Kuminga brother is a prospect worth monitoring as he continues to refine his overall skill set.     Bringing an intriguing blend of size and inside outside skill, [player_tooltip player_id='2884536' first='Evan' last='Wells']' skillset adds an interesting layer to Middletown South's offense and the different actions they can get into. With fluid catch and shoot ability that features a compact shooting release, Wells repeatedly showcases his floor spacing value by converting on multiple pick and pop opportunities while also knocking down standstill shots off the ball. Wells possesses the size and strength to also be impactful on the interior as both a strong inside finisher and physical rebounder.     Expected to step into a large role that highlights strong ball handling and reliable decision making, [player_tooltip player_id='2887112' first='Idriss' last='Grimsley'] is a point guard who should provide much of that for this year's Arts team. Grimsley thrives at being a floor general that can set the table and initiate offense to get his teammates the ball in the right spots on the floor. Grimsley gets in the paint at will and does a good job of finding guys open— whether that be hitting dump offs in the dunker spot, spraying the ball out to open shooters on the perimeter, and even hitting rollers on time in different PnR actions. Defensively, Grimsley is also a scrappy and tough defender who defends the length of the floor with effort and intensity.     [player_tooltip player_id='2508723' first='Michael' last='Postell Jr']. displays an intriguing mix of positional size and legitimate ball skills while playing with a decisive attacking mentality and that should be fully on display over the course of his debut freshman season. He consistently gets in the paint— getting downhill off the bounce and finishing around the rim with impressive touch and length, mixing in different floaters and crafty layups from different angles, all while also being able to explode for above the rim finishes. With solid touch all around, Postell Jr. is also a threat as a shot maker both in the mid range area and from three point range. One of the more highly touted freshman in the state of New Jersey, look for Postell Jr. to have a strong freshman year that not only highlights his current skillset but also his long term development.

With fall preseason play complete, attention shifts to the rapidly approaching high school season. As teams gear up over the next week and a thrilling winter of basketball begins, now is the ideal moment to spotlight several prospects—particularly from the incoming 2029 class—who merit attention, poised to burst out onto the scene in their debut seasons.