2026 Commonwealth Classic: 17U Eye Catchers

The Commonwealth Classic brought a collection of talented teams to the beautiful Henrico Sports and Events Center in Glen Allen, VA for a two-day event full of hoops. For me, this was an excellent chance early in the grassroots season to see check-in on some familiar prospects and add a ton of new ones to track moving forward. Here are a few players from the 17U division that caught my eye.    Overbay affected games on both ends of the floor with his blend of size, length, and movement skills. Offensively, he mostly operated as a play finisher in the paint. My favorite plays from Overbay were on the defensive end. In the game against the Metro All Stars, he was able to recover via his length and fluidity to block the shot after getting beat on a spin move. It was a sequence in the opening game that really caught my attention. Overbay blocked a shot at the rim then ran the floor for a layup.     The combination of size, power, and footwork was a lot for opponents to deal with against Harris. Despite some misses around the rim, Harris was an effective rim finisher and leveraged him frame to carve out position for quality scoring and offensive rebounding opportunities. I was particularly impressed by the hustle plays Harris made against the [program_tooltip program_id='2076986' first='Metro' last='All-Stars']. He didn't hesitate diving on the floor for a loose ball and trying to save a ball from going out of bounds. Harris flashed some connective playmaking out of the post and for quick kick outs while operating in the middle of the [program_tooltip program_id='2076986' first='Metro' last='All-Stars'] zone.     Brown routinely touched the paint throughout the event. He's quick, shifty, and creative off the bounce. Brown buried multiple pull-ups including in the mid range and from distance while showing touch around the rim. It wasn't just all about scoring once Brown touched the paint. He was an effective playmaker for others on drive and kicks and drops led by a flashy one hand live dribble drop off assist in semi transition against Dream 34.     Hankins is a strong and aggressive lefty who was at his best getting downhill. He had no issues being the first one to hit and initiate contact, which worked to his favor time and time again with multiple contact and and one finishes. Two major standout plays from Hankins's performance against the Metro All-Starts really come to mind. He smoothly split the defense on a PNR to finish at the rim through contact. Later, he jumped the passing lane for a steal and slam.     The physical tools and upside is so intriguing with Copeland. Playing for [program_tooltip program_id='2076986' first='Metro' last='All-Stars'], Copeland challenged shots at the rim and offered glimpses of his play finishing prowess highlighted by a big two hand slam from a drop off pass. Despite the fact Copeland's frame is so wiry, he didn't back away from contact and often looked to finish through it off of two feet.     Much of the offensive load for [program_tooltip program_id='2475017' first='Double' last='Vision Elite'] fell on Moore and he performed admirably. Moore was an impressive multiple level shotmaker across multiple games from. He buried a few pullup jumpers in the midrange, knocked down a catch and shoot threes, and converted several attempts at the rim both in transition and the halfcourt.     Davis was one of the top two way talents across both the 17U and 16U divisons. Long, rangy, active and athletic with ball skills, there was no escaping Davis' impact. He blocked shots on the ball and in help at the rim thanks for fantastic length and timing. His best block was a chase down versus [program_tooltip program_id='2076986' first='Metro' last='All-Stars'] that he emphatically swatted out of bounds. Davis displayed quick hands on the ball for deflections and steals while showing good anticipation skills in passing lanes. Offensively, Davis seemed to slash his way into the lane for scores whenever he wanted including a number of acrobatic finishes including a reverse and hanging finishes.

The Commonwealth Classic brought a collection of talented teams to the beautiful Henrico Sports and Events Center in Glen Allen, VA for a two-day event full of hoops. For me, this was an excellent chance early in the grassroots season to see check-in on some familiar prospects and add a ton of new ones to track moving forward. Here are a few players from the 17U division that caught my eye.