Elite Spring Hoops Showcase: 9 Standout Forward/Centers

Oakland, CA - Last weekend, April 11th and 12th, I attended the Elite Spring Hoops Showcase and Tournament held at various facilities in Oakland, Walnut Creek, Clayton Valley, Martinez, and other surrounding cities. I attended the Showcase portion of the event which was held at Open Gym Premier Oakland's four court facility. The Showcase division featured teams from the 3SSB Adidas Circuit, P32 New Balance, Adidas Gold Circuit, and EHA's new circuit, as well as other high level independent teams. I arrived at the gym for the second game on Day 1 and departed at 1:30 on Day 2, watching a total of 18 games over the two day span. This article takes a look at 9 standout power forwards and centers from the Showcase Division, and will be the final article from this event. In this article you will find the following information: players name, height, grad class, position, school, club team,  how they performed, and their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Nicholas Gklaros-Stavropoulos.   2027 Nicholas Gklaros-Stavropoulos 7'|C (Archbishop Mitty/San Jose) - Lakeshow 3SSB 17s   The 7-footer is fundamentally sound in the post, is active on the glass, runs the floor well off the rebound, and can stretch the floor from beyond the arc. Gklaros-Stavropoulos dominates the boards on both ends, gets easy points off the put-back, as well as limiting opponents to single shot possessions, getting the ball to his guards and getting up the court to fill the lanes in transition. Gklaros-Stavropoulos finds the dunker spot for easy catch and score buckets at the basket, has good hands and seals his defender to get open out of the pick and roll action, has good post-up moves in the paint, with the court awareness and footwork to spin off his defender, or score with the hook/floater or dunk when he sees a clearing around the hoop. He will be a staple for Lakeshow's 17s as he provides the team with a true center to anchor the interior on both ends of the court.    2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2871579' first='Adama' last='Kone'] 6'6|PF (Brave Christian/Dublin) - Lakeshow 3SSB 16s   The 6-foot-6 forward is a physical and athletic player that enforces his presence around the basket, has the skill to operate off the wing, and plays above the rim often with authority. Kone finds the open spots in the defense, around the basket and on the perimeter, has good footwork in the post to spin off his defender, creating space to get his shot off at the rim, has enough handle to put the ball on the deck and attack the paint, uses the hesitation, spin-move, and crossover to get his defender off balance, has a good burst off the dribble, and the strength to score through contact at the basket, attacking from the wing or the baseline with confidence. Kone has good body control on the fade-middy off the bounce, is relentless on the boards, with the handle to push the ball off the glass, and is looking to go at the rim with authority in the open court, or off the lob in the half-court setting. Kone will be a necessary presence in the paint with his physical style of play, but his versatility on both ends will allow him to showcase his full arsenal of moves and skills.      2029 [player_tooltip player_id='2877955' first='Marcus' last='Miller'] 6'7|PF (West Park/Roseville) - Team Lillard 3SSB 15s    The 6-foot-7 forward may have been the prospect with the most up-side at the Showcase, as he displayed high-level rim running, rim protection, and side and length with good body control that you simply cannot teach. Miller keeps relentless pressure on the boards, getting put-backs and tip-ins regularly on the offensive glass, has a massive wingspan to block/alter shots in the paint, deflect entry passes that lead to steals, and gets up the court using his long strides and length to get ahead of the defense for easy buckets or dunks in the open court. Miller showed good touch around the basket, good timing to slash to openings in the dunker spot, opposite his guards, to get open for easy drop-off passes for dunks, or catches off the lob for the dunk. There is still a lot of room for development in his overall game, but as he puts in the work and will likely grow a few more inches, Miller is a player to keep an eye on over the next few seasons.    2029 [player_tooltip player_id='2868675' first='Keyaan' last='Moulla'] 6'8|PF (Del Oro/Loomis) - Team Lillard 3SSB 16s    The 6-foot-8 power forward showed why he is a freshman to keep an eye on, as he impacted both ends of the court playing up in for the Lillard 16s. Moulla has good length and agility to control the boards, gets put-back scoring opportunities off the glass, outlets off the defensive boards to get up the court and run the floor in transition, uses his long wingspan and timing to alter/block shots in the paint, has the strides to step-out and alter perimeter shots, and has the instincts to deflect entry passes, which lead to steals and transition baskets. Moulla finds openings in the defense in the paint, gets to the dunker spot to get slip passes for the catch and dunk, can score through contact at the basket, and has nice touch on shots around the basket. Wiry freshman that looks to throw it down around the basket, and likes to get ahead of the defense in transition to receive passes up the court for easy finishes.    2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2837425' first='Olanre' last='Owoborode'] 6'7|WF (De La Salle/Concord) - NBBA Elite NorCal UA Rise 17s    The 6-foot-7 wing/forward has a strong, physical build with athleticism, which allowed him to showcase his above the rim play, versatility on defense, and the ability to impact the glass. Owoborode excels in the open court, runs the floor well to get ahead of the defense for easy transition dunks, crashes the boards with the timing and wingspan to corral the ball from his opponent, has enough handles to push the ball up the court, and has the wingspan and agility to alter/block shots in the paint, from the weak-side, and the strides to close out and alter perimeter shots. Owoborode has good footwork in the paint, has the body control to use the spin-move to evade his defender, with touch on finishes at the basket, and good off-ball movement and slashing to the open spot, finding openings in the dunker spot for easy catch and finish shots around the cup. Bouncy player that showed he can take flight with an impressive dunk off the in-bound lob.     2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2574699' first='PJ' last='Parker'] 6'10|PF (McClatchy/Sacramento) - Team California 16s   The 6-foot-10 power forward has his all-around skill set on display at the Showcase, from the handles to the rim protection to the play-making. Parker dominates the glass on both ends, has the handle to push the ball up the court or get put-back on the offensive glass, has the size, length, and timing to be an elite rim protector, blocking shots in the paint at a high clip, as well as the agility to close out and alter perimeter shots, and the active hands to deflect entry passes, or jump passing lanes, turning defense to offense routinely. Parker has great court vision and decision making with the ball in his hands, makes timely reads from the high-post or from the low-block to teammates cutting down the lane, sets quality ball screens with good timing on the dive, sealing off his defender for easy catch and score opportunities, with great touch on shots around the basket, and runs the floor well to get ahead of the defense for transition buckets. An intriguing prospect that has a high upside and with added strength and perimeter shooting efficiency, he will be a D1 prospect to track the next 3 years.     2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2836275' first='Leo' last='Some'] 6'8|PF (Clayton Valley Charter/Concord) - NBBA Elite NorCal UA Rise 17s    The 6-foot-8 power forward is a lengthy and agile player that is just scratching the surface of his potential. Some is active on the glass, gets points off the put-back, has good timing to deflect or alter shots in the paint, has solid post moves with the ability to face-up at the mid-post with enough handle to put the ball on the deck, or use the spin-move into the lay-up, with good body control to score through contact at the basket or earn trips to the line. Some runs the floor well, gets ahead of the defense for transition baskets, and has good footwork when operating in the post.      2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2484296' first='Brendan' last='Williams'] 6'10|FC (Moreau Catholic/Hayward) - Team Lillard 3SSB 16s    The 6-foot-10 center/forward was moving differently since I last saw him live last June, and played with controlled force, showcasing his athleticism and interior skill-set that should boost him up the national rankings this Spring and Summer. Williams finds holes in the defense in the paint, in particular the dunker spot, where he was the recipient of several dimes in stride for some powerful two-handed dunks, showing his bounce, length, and assertiveness around the basket. Williams displayed good footwork, enough handle to attack from the short-porch or the mid-post, with touch on the hook/floater, using the spin-move when defenders adjusted with body control to score at the basket with touch. Williams is an elite rim protector, with some volleyball like swats that sent the ball off the court, as well as weak-side blocks, deflections, and the agility to stretch and alter perimeter shots, controls the glass on both ends, and gets the ball out to run the court, where he can accelerate with long strides to get open for dunks off the transition lob or pass up the court. There is a lot to like about Williams and I expect him to be a name trending after Session 1 of the 3SSB Circuit at OGP Ladera this coming weekend.    2029 [player_tooltip player_id='3570383' first='Julian' last='Zaragoza'] 6'8|PF (Davis) - Team Lillard 3SSB 15s    The 6-foot-8 power forward displayed his ability to score from the perimeter, serve as a reliable rim protector, and has a good blend of fundamental skills mixed with modern stench-four perimeter shooting. Zaragoza displayed quality shot-making from the mid-range to the basket, good footwork in the paint to post up his defender, spin-off his man to get space from his opponent, and has creativity to score with the up-and-under lay-up, as well as the reverse lay-up and touch on the float-hook to score over height in the paint. What impressed me most was his ability to connect on the mid-range face-up jumper from various spots, as he is effective with the face-up mid-post jumper, along with the one-dribble pull-up jumper. Zaragoza is active on the boards, outlets the ball so he can run the floor, has the wingspan and timing to deflect, block, or alter shots around the basket, and the hands to rip the ball from opposing bigs that bring the ball to low.

Oakland, CA - Last weekend, April 11th and 12th, I attended the Elite Spring Hoops Showcase and Tournament held at various facilities in Oakland, Walnut Creek, Clayton Valley, Martinez, and other surrounding cities. I attended the Showcase portion of the event which was held at Open Gym Premier Oakland's four court facility. The Showcase division featured teams from the 3SSB Adidas Circuit, P32 New Balance, Adidas Gold Circuit, and EHA's new circuit, as well as other high level independent teams. I arrived at the gym for the second game on Day 1 and departed at 1:30 on Day 2, watching a total of 18 games over the two day span. This article takes a look at 9 standout power forwards and centers from the Showcase Division, and will be the final article from this event. In this article you will find the following information: players name, height, grad class, position, school, club team, how they performed, and their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Nicholas Gklaros-Stavropoulos.