EPL Playoffs: Available W/F Prospects

New readers: Use code Proia30   The Elite Prep League hosted its playoffs in Hampton VA, a great opportunity to check out some prep school basketball featuring a ton of local talent. There were no shortage of wings and forwards that impacted the game at both ends of the floor for their teams. Let's break down some of the best performances that I saw, which featured a pretty heavy list of unsigned talent ripe for college coaches looking for immediate contributors.    14p 4r 2a 6/12 FG vs Hargrave   -Love the versatility in Rollins game as a prospect that can score as an undersized albeit strong post player. Or as a pick n pop wing prospect that can both knock down shots on the perimeter or attack closeouts. Rollins scored on a bump n lay at the rim in transition, knocked down two C+S wing 3s, spun off a defender in the post to finish with some flair with the 1-hand extension layup, and threw absolute rockets of crosscourt skip passes to shooters. His array of spin moves, drop steps, and putbacks give Spire a skilled wing prospect that can take advantage of switches on the low block while possessing enough perimeter ball skills to get to his spots in the halfcourt.     20p 2r 1a 2s 1b 5/10 3P 5/6 FT vs Massanutten   -Came away impressed with the defensive microskills on display as his attention to detail at that end of the floor as Carter was difficult to screen in the halfcourt. Carter trailed shooters tightly, denied the ball well on the wings and in the corner, did well on switches onto bigs in the low post, and guarded his yard on an island out on the perimeter by remaining disciplined to ignore pump fakes or head fakes. The timing and precision of his cuts to get open at the other end of the floor led to a 50% shooting performance from 3 on a night where Highland needed all of that offensive production. Like the decisiveness of his reads, you can see Carter processing rotations better as the game continues to slow down for the highly-touted sophomore prospect     18p 7r 2s 6/10 FG 2/4 3P 4/6 FT vs Spire   -Carter picked up offers from Wofford and Eastern Kentucky en route to a championship photo finish this week for his HMA group. Carter showed his versatility as an aggressive downhill slasher that uses long strides to cover ground quickly, taking more efficient angles to the rim to gain and keep the half step advantage on his matchup on drives to the cup. Think Carter projects nicely as a toolsy 3+D wing that has the long term upside to eventually be a pretty elite shot-creator and scorer with the ball in his hands.     25p 4r 2a 2b 8/12 FG 5/8 3P vs Massanutten   -Liked the inside-out scoring ability from Hoerner from the AIA Prep forward throughout the week. Hoerner was effective as a middle PnR partner that timed his release on slips to the rim well to come up with some tough catches in tight windows to score around the basket. His real value comes on the perimeter as a forward that can knock down pick n pop jumpers or simply hit shots off the catch as a good decision-maker on the perimeter. Hoerner also brings value as a decision-maker in DHOs on the perimeter that can dribble to space, pass up handoffs that are disrupted, and either look opposite to take advantage of the defensive rotations or make a play for himself as a capable jump shooter.     23p 14r 9/16 FG vs Hargrave; 10p 13r 1a vs Highland   -Made some huge plays for MMPG on their run to the title game by turning in a double-double performance in all 3 games. Hill sprinted the floor extra hard to protect the paint defensively and be available to score off drop-offs or putback buckets around the paint. He also showed an improved capability to step out and knock down perimeter jumpers, shooting 75% from 3 and 53% from the field, with a more fluid and consistent release at the top of his shot. His positional size and foot speed give his team consistent lineup flexibility to allow him to play the 3-5 for this MMPG.     24p 9r 2a 2s 11/17 FG vs Hargrave   -The Baltimore bully bounced back well in a tough matchup with the eventual champion and a familiar foe, battling against a former teammate (Pendergrass) to keep his team in the game. Norcome was much more aggressive in this matchup being more physical on his drives to the basket, blowing past or powering through opponents on his way to the rim to keep the Warriors in the game. His ability to fly around on the perimeter as a disruptive on or off-ball defender while having the strength/aggression to buck with bigs in the post makes him super valuable at both this level and the next one. Would be a great late get for a team looking for a 2-way wing that isn't scared to get his hands dirty doing the little things that add up to wins.

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