Team Melo v New World Scrimmage: 16U Notes

As May approaches, grassroots teams are finding any way to sharpen up their chemistry before heading out to their respective circuit events and eventually, the live period that takes place on May 15-17. On Sunday, <a href="https://prephoops.com/program/team-melo/">[program_tooltip program_id='2076999' first='Team' last='Melo']</a> and New World met at Calvert Hall to hold a scrimmage for 15s, 16s and 17s.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/04/team-melo-v-new-world-scrimmage-17u-notes/">For the 17s notes, click here.</a>   Moving onto the 16s, I break down some prospects that stood out:    Look for Fox to make a splash this spring/summer after missing the majority of the high school season. The quick-twitch, 6-foot-1 combo guard is wired to score in a variety of ways and with tremendous volume. While it was a quiet start for he and this New World group, his edge kicked in during the second quarter and would shine brightly in the second half where he relentlessly attacked the rim and finished with ferocity above it when he had a clear path for takeoff. Expect him to log some pretty crooked scoring numbers for this 16s group as he poses as the alpha in a primary scoring role.     I've had the chance to evaluate Valadez a couple of times early this spring and each time, I've walked away pleased with the IQ and efficiency that he brings as a guard who can impact the game on or off the ball. He made the most of his open looks from deep as teammates found him for kick outs as the defense collapsed. Valadez ran the floor wide and with purpose when he wasn't leading the break himself and when he wasn't finishing the job himself around the cup, he was making the right read as the defender in the 2-on-1 chose his fate. When he's on the ball, he provides a steady presence and is able to get his team in the half court set being called from the sideline while handling ball pressure.     First viewing of Hurt here over the weekend and the 6-foot-7 forward has a lot of tools to work with. A big-bodied forward who uses effective footwork on his block catches, but also showed high-level feel on his catches on the baseline playing 10-to-15 feet from the rim where he can attack off a couple of dribbles and maintain good court vision to deliver dimes to cutters or cross court skips to shooters spotting up on the wing/corner. Hurt also brings more athleticism than the eye test would lend and he showed that with a two-hand flush off a dump-off pass that he threw down with some authority.     It's been tough for me to walk away from a game that involves Spears and ignore what he does. Even in one of the most low maintenance manners, Spears leaves his fingerprints on a game because of the work that he does without the ball. A versatile, toolsy connector who can log time at the 3/4 right now, his blend of versatility, motor and adaptability all pop to me. While he isn't a guy that will finish a game with 4-5 three's (yet) simply due to volume, the mechanics and confidence in the release are clear. He's an athlete that can make consistent plays above the rim and make an impact much larger than his listed 6-foot-3 height.     Ainsworth is coming off a sophomore season with SSSA where he gained more momentum as one of the top 2028 guard in the state of Virginia. Forming the backcourt tandem with Fox should make for an exciting spring/summer, but this weekend showed that the two are still working out the kinks in finding each other in their best spots. Ainsworth ability to beat his man off the bounce will be a generator for everyone on the floor, including himself as he's shown to be a crafty bucket-getter who scores in unorthodox ways.     Early Jr. was coming off a weekend at Spooky Nook getting back to his scoring ways within the mid-range that he established himself with as a freshman. This past weekend however, it was good to see his willingness to be more of distributor and make high level dimes off the live dribble. On multiple occasions whether it was off ball screen actions or him establishing advantages on drives, Early zipped passes around the floor and put the ball right where it needed to be for quick scores around the rim or to shooters in their pocket where they could immediately get into their jumper before a closeout could occur.

As May approaches, grassroots teams are finding any way to sharpen up their chemistry before heading out to their respective circuit events and eventually, the live period that takes place on May 15-17. On Sunday, Team Melo and New World met at Calvert Hall to hold a scrimmage for 15s, 16s and 17s.