2026 Clash of the Titans: Saturday Morning Standouts

The Clash of the Titans event has become an annual stop for me in between the AAU live and June scholastic live periods. It's a great chance to watch shoe circuit teams face off against independents or cross-circuit matchups as teams look to iron out the kinks they've exposed in the first month or so of action.   Below were some names that caught my attention in the morning slate of games.     [player_tooltip player_id='3575281' first='Bryden' last='Tema'] | 2029 | [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill']   Strong start to the day for Tema, a 6-foot-5 physical forward who has shown clear improvement with his confidence and comfortability over the last two months. Led Thrill in a win over a scrappy Team Select group and had an individual second half surge where he scored 12 of his 17 to lead to the victory. Tema brought a consistent motor on the glass, did a nice job of finishing through traffic with either hand and even stepped away from the rim beyond the arc and knocked down a triple with confidence.   [player_tooltip player_id='3643867' first='Damon' last='Nelson'] | 2027 | [program_tooltip program_id='2078456' first='DC' last='Premier']   Nelson continues to stockpile good performances as the floor general for Premier and impacted their morning game against [program_tooltip program_id='3404235' first='San' last='Antonio Suns'] in multiple ways. He operated well in ball screens and after knocking down two three's in the first half against lackluster coverage from the bigs, he used the gravity to his advantage in opening up pocket pass opportunities to the rollers for buckets. Nelson plays with tremendous poise, but needs to be more vocal to fully flex his point guard skillset.   Cam Wood | 2027 | [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill'] MHC   Wood made the switch to the MHC team and shares the bulk of the playmaking duties alongside Muhammad. A downhill mack truck type of guard who not only welcomes the contact, but embraces on his finishes around the rim. If he wasn't finishing in bully fashion, he was using his athletic pop that the opposing team had no match for. When Wood is playing dialed in, there aren't many combo guards with his size and effectiveness in the Baltimore area. He showed his scoring prowess and capability in the open floor from the point of attack in his 21-point outing in a lopsided win over [program_tooltip program_id='2545949' first='Runnin'' last='Mavericks'].   [player_tooltip player_id='2882931' first='Brayden' last='Whitaker'] | 2029 | [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill']   Whitaker was aggressive early and often looking for his own scoring opportunities and that's what this Thrill group needs out of the combo guard. He converted on three's off the catch with quickness and confidence, but more importantly, finishing through contact on multiple occassions in their first game to help build a lead that fueled the win. Also noticed an uptick with in Whitaker's overall communication and leadership as one of the lead guards on this roster.   [player_tooltip player_id='2353535' first='Izzy' last='Tchoubfong'] | 2027 | [program_tooltip program_id='2078456' first='DC' last='Premier']   Tchoubfong made the switch to Premier from [program_tooltip program_id='2076999' first='Team' last='Melo'] and looked strong in his debut as the 6-foot-6 shined bright, particularly in the second half of his 24-point performance in a win over [program_tooltip program_id='3404235' first='San' last='Antonio Suns']. His versatility, size and activity eventually overwhelmed the opposing frontline. It seemed like with the majority of the possessions late in the game, if Tchoubfong wasn't scoring at the rim off his own creating, he was attacking the offensive glass for quick clean ups.   Jerrod Jackson | 2029 | Team Select   Jackson was a new face for me despite him being a local prospect and could be a name to monitor at Archbishop Curley. Small in stature, there's no question in his confidence in letting it fly whenever he has an ounce of daylight. The connection between he and his backcourt mate in 2029 Elijah Stanley was evident early as Stanley found him on early drive-and-kicks that demanded Thrill's attention for the remainder of the game. He used his quick hands to impact defensively in Select's zone defense and didn't hesitate to advance the ball quickly in transition for scores.   Jordan Mangum | 2027 | [program_tooltip program_id='3404235' first='San' last='Antonio Suns']   Magnum was the catalyst for this Suns team who made the trip up from Texas and gave [program_tooltip program_id='2078456' first='DC' last='Premier'] a battle before they went on a late run. A 5-foot-10 guard with supreme confidence from deep, Magnum buried four three's en route to 17 points in the loss. When he wasn't teeing off from beyond the arc, he was getting out early in transition lanes for quick finishes or if they situation presented itself, drawing contact to go to the charity stripe. He's a tough-nosed combo guard that played more of a role as a spot-up shooter and made Premier pay with any hesitations in closeouts.

The Clash of the Titans event has become an annual stop for me in between the AAU live and June scholastic live periods. It's a great chance to watch shoe circuit teams face off against independents or cross-circuit matchups as teams look to iron out the kinks they've exposed in the first month or so of action.