Tri Scrimmage: High Upside '29 W/F Prospects

I attended a tri-scrimmage event at Patterson High School in Baltimore yesterday to see the 15u groups from [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill'], [program_tooltip program_id='3570826' first='MD' last='Movement'], and [program_tooltip program_id='2076976' first='District' last='Basketball Club'] compete in a primer for AAU warmup events now that the teams have been picked. It was my first time seeing all three groups this spring and was the first time seeing several of the players as well, came away with some new names to track in the 2029 class ahead of our Rankings Update this Wednesday. Let's tap in with some of top frontcourt prospects that stood out!    -Came away really liking the energy that Tema brings for his team at both ends of the floor as a dynamic wing prospect. Tema has good positional size and a strong frame, runs the floor hard in both directions, and is a versatile defender at this age group for Thrill. The improved skill shown through on a smooth baseline turnaround jumper and a short midpost fadeaway off the catch several possessions later. He did his job rim-running in transition to clean up misses around the basket and to serve as a lob/roll target in fastbreak opportunities. The explosiveness has improved but once he is consistently dunking off of two feet or off vert, it will add yet another dimension to his game.     -Yet another high upside frontcourt prospect at MSJ, I expect Branch to carve out a role at the varsity level if he turns in a productive spring and summer of development on the circuit with Thrill. Branch possesses a ton of long term upside as a great mover at his size that can put the ball on the floor or knock down pick n pop jumpers. Defensively he can play 3-5 at the 15u level and will give Thrill some lineup versatility as a player that can man the paint or guard on the wings.     -One of the most unselfish, workhorse prospects that I've seen over the past year as a versatile W/F tweener that does a little bit of everything for Thrill. Frailey knocked down a pick n pop jumper from the wing, was an absolute menace on the glass throughout both games, communicated screens well from the back line, and set some great screens to free up his teammates both on and off the ball. Even on short roll catches, he served as an unselfish passer for Thrill to kick out to shooters on the strong side or drop it off to a big for an easy dunk. Interested to see how his game develops as he continues to grow over the next 3 years.     -Puffenberger is still shaking off the rust after returning from an injury that ended the season a bit early, but you can't teach his size. He times his dives to the rim from the weak side well to snag offensive rebounds, is a versatile offensive threat as a roll or pop target in ball screens, and has a good motor on the glass. He's mostly right-hand dominant when shooting in traffic around the rim but has shown steady progress with his post footwork around the rim to create high-efficiency finishing angles. Once he works himself back into game shape he should be a dynamic weapon for a 15u Thrill team that relies on his size.     -Armacost is a country-strong prospect with good size at this young stage in his career that showed a consistently-hot motor throughout both regulation games. Armacost runs the floor hard to be in position for putback opportunities around the rim, snagged an offensive board just outside the paint and hit a defender with a euro step to score through the contact at the rim, and rotated well as a helper to contest shots at the rim. Loved his activity throughout both games as a rebounder that needs to be accounted for at all times at both ends of the floor. With his size and frame, he should be a key piece for [program_tooltip program_id='3570826' first='MD' last='Movement'] this summer as a team looking to make some noise in the MHC!

I attended a tri-scrimmage event at Patterson High School in Baltimore yesterday to see the 15u groups from Team Thrill , MD Movement , and District Basketball Club compete in a primer for AAU warmup events now that the teams have been picked. It was my first time seeing all three groups this spring and was the first time seeing several of the players as well, came away with some new names to track in the 2029 class ahead of our Rankings Update this Wednesday. Let's tap in with some of top frontcourt prospects that stood out!