Impactful 2029s who stood out at Centennial State Cup

Sometimes, the players everyone already knows still end up being the best watches in the gym. It was a great weekend for finding new names, but some of the usuals still showed up at the Centennial State Cup. The underclass group had plenty of familiar names, but what stood out was how they handled attention, physicality, and expectations while still producing. These were the guys who continued to separate themselves and reminded everyone why they're already viewed so highly moving forward.    In the 15U division, one of, if not the most impressive player for me on the weekend was [player_tooltip player_id='2893619' first='Noah' last='Mahlberg']. Mountain Stars cruised to each win on an undefeated weekend, which makes it a bit difficult to gauge impact, but he was the guy for them in each game. His confidence reigns supreme as he has checked off many boxes and does it at a high level. Mahlberg hit the most 3's for Mountain Stars, he looked for and attacked mismatches for easy baskets, scores in transition, and also runs the offense like a player true PG. Mahlberg plays on and off ball but excels with the ball in his hands with his court awareness and ability to pass. This was a big weekend for me to evaluate the 2029 class with rankings quickly approaching, and he's a player that I am high on at the moment.     Campbell is a physical interior presence who embraces contact instead of avoiding it, and this wekeend he played with a clear edge every time he touched the floor. Sometimes, a bit too much but that's passion. He wanted the ball on the block and made defenses feel him once he got there as he was carving out space and powering through traffic for finishes. Campbell crashed the glass hard and created extra possessions with strength and persistence. There were stretches where the offense completely flowed through him, and he responded by setting a tone physically and offensively and he's a player who could end up being a really good player.     Barnett looks better and better each time we see him and the thing about his game is how little mistakes he makes. He impacts the game in different ways and each game called for a different Barnett. He is a beast on the glass and gives his team second chance opportunities. He took over in the game against Colorado Mayhem as he had big boards and showed touch around the rim. He went on a scoring barrage from around the bases and at the high post, he kept plays alive and took shots when he got them. Defensively, he's very active as he uses his length to deter shots around the rim and is a versatile defender. Curious to see how he finishes off grassroots but we certainly want to see more of him as we get closer to the season.     Jack looks like one of the most improved players in this class right now as he's playing high level ball and was a big reason that his team went undefeated on the weekend. Jack is a well-rounded offensive player with plenty to his game. He has face-up, moves without the ball to open spots in the defense and extends the defense with his jumper. He was constantly hitting mid range jumpers and he's a big body that moves well and connects from everywhere offensively. He lit it up in multiple games and the ball seems to always find him. Jack should get varsity minutes this year if this is how he's playing in the summer. Stock boosting day for him as one of the top standouts of the weekend.     [player_tooltip player_id='2834642' first='Aaron' last='Jackson'] is a player for Tru Colorado who quietly impacts the game for Tru Colorado but doesn't have to score to do it. He used his size and length really well defensively, rotated over for blocks, altered shots, and covers space that most players at this level just don't see yet. He plays with energy, talks on defense, and fills gaps when things start breaking down for his team and that is repeatable. The offensive game is still coming along, but the tools, effort, and defensive instincts give him a lot of long-term intrigue. I am sure that when it all comes together he's going to be quite a player as he does it all and that was on display all weekend.     Parker made plenty of winning plays for Grit this weekend and impacts the game in ways that coaches trust. He's a scrappy two-way guard, he takes care of the ball, competes defensively on every possession, and plays with toughness in close games. Leasure doesn't need the offense built around him to be effective as he finds opportunities through activity, cuts, and simply going to get it himself. When his team needs scoring, he's capable of heating up quickly, getting to his spots and producing in bunches and that was on display as he stepped up for Grit and played hard. He's a player who shows promise and we saw that, especially in their last two games.

Sometimes, the players everyone already knows still end up being the best watches in the gym. It was a great weekend for finding new names, but some of the usuals still showed up at the Centennial State Cup. The underclass group had plenty of familiar names, but what stood out was how they handled attention, physicality, and expectations while still producing. These were the guys who continued to separate themselves and reminded everyone why they're already viewed so highly moving forward.