2026 Clash of the Titans: Saturday's 2028 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 are the 2028 prospects who I believe stood out in Saturday's slate of games.     <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/05/2026-clash-of-the-titans-saturdays-2027-standouts/">For the 2027 standouts, click here.</a>     Viktor Lagerkvist | 2028 | [program_tooltip program_id='2078682' first='K-Low' last='Elite']   K-Low split their games on the day with a 40-point drudging against Riverside Hawks UA and a tight loss to [program_tooltip program_id='2076999' first='Team' last='Melo'] EYBL. Along the way there were multiple prospects on this team that caught my eye, but Lagerkvist brought the most intrigue thanks to his combination of size, IQ and versatility. The native of Sweden who has stood out for his national team over the years, Lagerkvist is a 6-foot-6 southpaw hybrid forward who proved to impact both on and off the ball. He sparked transition run-outs with grab-and-go's where he delivered darts to streaking teammates. In the half court, he was precise with his reads at the top of the key both as a passer and driver. On rips to the rim, he showed some nice footwork in the form of step-throughs or euros to evade rotating defenders. The shooting stroke seemed fluid, he was engaged defensively and looks to be a real key to this K-Low 16s group.   [player_tooltip player_id='2731358' first='Eli' last='Farmer'] | 2028 | DC Assault   I've had plenty of documentation in my viewings of Farmer, but if you haven't read up on them, he's on of the more under appreciated prospects in the DMV for his class. At 6'8" nearing 6'9" with real mobility, soft hands and a presence around the rim, Farmer is earning his keep with this DC Assault team this spring. He's been an anchor who collects rebounds in bulk, provides competent coverage on ball screens and has improved his hands playing in the dunker's spot or the top of the circle where he quickly gets off the floor and t/on the baseline or the high-post and knocked down a few jumpers with nice fluidity.   Luke Arulefela | 2028 | [program_tooltip program_id='2078456' first='DC' last='Premier']   A tough-nosed, strong southpaw guard, Arufela made his presence felt on the defensive end of the floor from the point of attack. Built like a running back, he absorbs physicality well and when guarding the ball, can cut the water off of any driving lane by chesting and walling up. His active hands resulted in a few deflections that led to run-out opportunities for Premier and he also chipped in with a few three's to add some further value. Premier would finish 1-1 on the day with a win over Washington Warriors 3SSB and a loss to [program_tooltip program_id='2076999' first='Team' last='Melo'] EYBL, but even in the loss when Premier found themselves down double digits with a couple of minutes left, it was Arufela's energy that helped cut the lead to just six with a minute remaining. The no-quit mentality spoke loudly to me.   [player_tooltip player_id='2265685' first='Billy' last='Stanfield III'] | 2028 | [program_tooltip program_id='2076999' first='Team' last='Melo']   Despite being without a few rotational pieces, Melo finished the day 2-0 and Stanfield was a big reason why. His combination of size and shotmaking were evident in both victories, particularly from mid-range. He was either operating out of the mid-post with his back to the basket or doing his damage in face-ups where he used his length to gain an edge getting to the cup. Stanfield has some momentum to build off of coming out of a nice showing in EYBL S2 and will set his eyes on the June scholastic live period as he'll be a 2028 prospects that college programs watch closely to assess his development.   [player_tooltip player_id='2424028' first='Jayvon' last='Byrd'] | 2028 | [program_tooltip program_id='2078682' first='K-Low' last='Elite']   Byrd handled much of the ball handling duties in my viewing yesterday and seemed to have firm control over his team's half court offense. While he's a capable scorer from multiple levels, Byrd impressed with his processing off the live dribble as a creator for those around him. He was effective in ball screen actions with Lagerkvist, dissected the defense in semi transition to find the open streaker as the defense scattered and also did his work on the glass. Byrd had his moments of getting buckets where he got good lift on his pull-up and showed he can score on drives with either hand, but he impacted the game on a deeper level than just scoring.   Bryce West | 2028 | DC Assault   West made an impression on me when I saw him last month in Richmond and my viewing of him yesterday only confirmed my initial findings. He's a pesky off-ball guard who can light it up from beyond the arc, but isn't a spot-up shooter that avoids 'the smoke.' West absolutely lit it up in Assault's win over Thrill and hit his share when they needed it most after falling behind early against [program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride']. When he wasn't teeing off from the parking lot, West was getting out early in transition and finishing consistently as defenders contested at the rim.   [player_tooltip player_id='2951999' first='RJ' last='Muhammad'] | 2028 | [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill'] MHC   Playing up on 17s, Muhammad has the keys to the offense and is proving to be one of the breakout players in the Baltimore Metro area next winter. Small in stature but super quick from the point of attack, Muhammad uses his twitch to remind his matchup of the advantage he holds whenever he needs to tap into it. He brings balance as a distributor and a scorer, so he can switch up his approach strategically the way you'd want your point guard to. He uses the low center of gravity to generate deflections guarding the ball, scored from multiple levels and set up teammates with nice lobs to showcase floor vision. Thrill MHC went 2-0 on the day.   [player_tooltip player_id='2546066' first='Mikey' last='Williams'] | 2028 | [program_tooltip program_id='2076999' first='Team' last='Melo']   Williams was another prospect we spotted yesterday wearing a different jersey this spring. Making the move from Takeover to Melo, the 6-foot-5 forward is a bull in a China shop when he puts his head down to attack the basket. He's very much a straight-line type of driver and there isn't much fluff to his attack, but that's not an issue with the way he can muscle through contact or adjust his body to finish the play. He's a bruiser on the boards, runs the floor with consistent purpose and seemed to find his way pretty seamlessly with his new team.   [player_tooltip player_id='2397565' first='Daniel' last='Gilhool'] | 2028 | [program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride']   Gilhool catches your eye right away thanks to the size around 6'9"-6'10." Once you see the southpaw convert a few jumpers like he did yesterday, the intrigue grows even more. The little brother to Matt Gilhool (Kansas State), Daniel brings some of the same floor-spacing and skill in the frontcourt. If he wasn't making jumpers from 15 feet, Gilhool was using his length around the rim to put defenders in precarious positions, which eventually led to trips to the free-throw line.   [player_tooltip player_id='2441539' first='Mazari' last='Browne'] | 2028 | [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill']   Browne's name has been trending a bit since picking up an offer from Villanova during UA S2. There's never been a question with the size, potential and pure skill with Browne, but the consistent motor and production have always been two aspects that I've watched closely. He's put together back-to-back weekends being assertive in posing as the mismatch nightmare that he can be at this level and good things are happening as a result. He was scoring it within the flow and from all three levels throughout their 1-1 showing. His deep ball looked smooth, his touch from inside the arc was there and most importantly, he was attacking the rim with more vigor than in recent viewings.   [player_tooltip player_id='3041596' first='Max' last='Raue'] | 2028 | Washington Warriors   Raue is another prospect on this list who is primed for a breakout high school season. He's a 6-foot-5 guard with a scoring ability that expands from anywhere on the floor. His bread is buttered from three where he can come off pin-downs, lifts or fades and get it off quickly. Over the past year though, it is evident he's become more confident in attacking closeouts. He's grown a good inch or more since I saw him early in the winter and seems to have added some real athletic ability as well that was displayed with a few dunks throughout the two games.   Bryce Hudgins | 2028 | [program_tooltip program_id='2078456' first='DC' last='Premier']   Another Premier guard who caught my attention was Hudgins and much of it had to do with his shooting in the game against Melo. As mentioned above, Arufela's energy and defense helped spark late energy, but it was Hudgins who buried shots throughout to remain in striking distance. He'll be a key piece to Mount St. Joseph's rotation this year with his ability to play on/off the ball and make tough shots when his number is called.   [player_tooltip player_id='2693524' first='Rakim' last='Johnson'] | 2028 | [program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride']   A lead guard with the Philly toughness that is always entertaining to watch, there weren't too many defender that could solely keep him from getting downhill with his right hand yesterday. Once he gained that advantage, Johnson's intentions were set on finishing even if it meant distorting his body mid-air, using extra English off the glass or body up an opposing big and finish through contact. He kept constant pressure on the defense with his slashing and fueled his team's intensity with his vocal leadership and demands that started with himself.

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.