2026 Commonwealth Classic: Impact Perimeter Players (16U)

The Commonwealth Classic brought a collection of talented teams to the beautiful Henrico Sports and Events Center in Glen Allen, VA for last weekend 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. Taking a look at the 16U division, the Commonwealth Classic featured several impactful perimeter players.    Tyree's mix of size, length, ball skills, and shotmaking were a fun watch throughout the Commonwealth Classic. He scored on multiple levels featuring rim slashes, a pullup middy, an under control jump stop into a push shot, and a c/s 3. There were passing and defensive playmaking flashes that have me intrigued. Against 434 Select, Tyree snaked the screen to deliver of smooth dropoff pass and jumped the passing lane for a big one hand slam. This was my first time watching Tyree and he'll know doubt be someone to monitor moving forward.     Smalls was a beast getting downhill by leveraging his strength, handle, and craft to score on multiple levels. He drew several fouls on tough slashes and hit a few pullup jumpers including one at the free throw line to beat the first half buzzer versus Hoops Academy. Smalls is more of a shotmaker than a shooter at his stage, but the lefty shoots it with confidence. I want to see more of Smalls as a PNR operator and playmaker. He arguably had the pass of the event on a beautifully paced PNR possession where he delivered a pinpoint pocket bounce pass to Rudisell.     Turner was really impressive as an aggressive slasher in the halfcourt and out in transition. The long and lean lefty finished through contact on a couple of occasions and showed his smooth footwork and craft on a euro offhand finish vs SOS Elite. He couldn't find consistency with his jumper, but show confidence with it and buried a c/s corner 3 vs 434 Select. Turner's defensive activity was notable. He came up with a number of deflections and steals including converting one to an easy layup. There is real two-way upside with Turner.     Alongside [player_tooltip player_id='3540379' first='Jarred' last='Hathaway'], Witherspoon formed a terrifying defensive duo for J&R Basketball. It felt like Witherspoon was everywhere on the floor. He blocked shots at the rim and on the perimeter while being active in passing lanes for deflections and steals. My favorite sequence saw him hustle for a chase down block then follow it up with a block from the weakside. Offensively, he's still growing and operated as a play finisher. Long term, there is plenty of upside as a long and disruptive wing.     Williams impacted SOS Elite's games with a solid blend of size, ball skills, feel, and shotmaking. He routinely got into the lane for scoring and playmaking opportunities with a creative handle and smooth footwork. Against Hoops Academy, Williams masterfuly split the defense on a PNR to draw the foul at the rim. He would later leverage his strong frame for a drop step score through contact. His jumper was inconsistent, but it's a smooth and projectable stroke. It was easy to see why Williams is one of the better players in the state for the 2029 class.     Anagho made a ton of plays thanks to a fun intersection of ball skills, quickness, and strength. He was at his best getting downhill where he generated paint touches for rim scores and a couple of floaters while also executed drive and kicks and drop off passes. His ability to score and make plays for others will be a driving force for the Metro All Starts all summer.

The Commonwealth Classic brought a collection of talented teams to the beautiful Henrico Sports and Events Center in Glen Allen, VA for last weekend 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. Taking a look at the 16U division, the Commonwealth Classic featured several impactful perimeter players.