EBA Warmup: Headliner Wing Prospects

New readers: Use code Proia30     I drove out to Pikesville to check out the Sunday slate of games at EBA's Warmup event in between the two scholastic live periods. The schedule featured some high-level games between both public and private schools in all 3 states in the DMV. In this article I will breakdown the top wing prospects that stood out to me this weekend. Let's dive in!    17p 6r 3a 1b vs Bethel   -Love the progressions in both feel and processing as Kelly has developed into an unselfish connector that can do a little bit of everything for the Lions. He knocked down open 3s off the catch, executed a 45 cut to serve as a release valve for a teammate that picked up his dribble to hit a floater in the middle of the paint, scaled up or down in the lineup depending on personnel, and has improved the timing and IQ of his shot contests to force stops without getting into foul trouble that used to limit his stretches on the floor. His basketball intelligence is much more apparent because of the improvements that he has made to his handle and passing to capitalize on fleeting passing/shooting windows before they close.     16p 9r 3a 2b 3s vs St. Mary's   -The game has slowed down for Browne and he has developed into an effective wing prospect that fills up the stat sheet for WNA despite rarely coming off the floor. Browne used hesi crossovers to quickly and efficiently get to his spots in the paint or around the rim and has improved his ability to finish with either hand through contact. The timing of his off-ball cuts gives him much better looks at the rim and his ability to see the floor to pass out of double teams or make effective one-more reads only makes him that much more dangerous as a scorer. The improvements to his attention to detail as an off-ball defender were noticeable as he read two baseline drives well to come up with two steals that led to points at the other end and on a rotation from a helper position in the paint to blocking a 3 point attempt. It's always great to see prospects fill up the stat sheet in multiple areas and that shows the strides that Browne has taken as the leader for this WNA group.     15p 4a 4r 2s vs Bethel   -I came away impressed with how much Amadi has improved his handle and how much that has unlocked for his game as a slashing wing prospect that can do a little bit of everything for a Carroll team that is really moving the ball at a high level. Amadi took defensive rebounds 94 feet to score or dish to a teammate, hit stop n pop or stepback midrange jumpers, was active in passing lanes, and is playing with more confidence. Love his defensive upside as a wing that can guard 1-3 at the HS level while performing well on switches on forwards in the paint because of his ability to 3/4 front to discourage post entries.     14p 6r 2a vs Hammond   -The athletic flashes from Joshua were LOUD in a win over Hammond as a 2-way wing that impacts the game with his energy. Joshua uses a strong frame to bully his way to the rim or come up with rebounds over bigs but also showed the perimeter skill with an in n out crossover 3, two midrange jumpers, and a 5/6 performance at the charity stripe. He threw down a thunderous putback dunk with 1 hand then threw down a 1-handed tomahawk in transition that both rocked the momentum of the game in JFK's favor to give his team an 8-point lead with 3 minutes left in the game. Joshua makes simple but decisive reads to get downhill and uses that blend of tenacity and athleticism at the defensive end to give JFK an extremely versatile prospect that should continue to wreak havoc in Montgomery County this season.     10p 2r 1s (4/7 FG) vs Bethel   -My first viewing of Yeboah in new threads with Carroll as a stocky 3/4 tweener that used his size and lateral quickness to blow past closeouts on his way to the rim. Yeboah does a good job with his pre-catch reads to decide if he's attacking baseline or middle based on the helper and the closeout from his matchup. Yeboah hit a euro reverse layup off the window in transition, swept through and attacked straight down the middle of the defense for a finger roll at the rim, and had a huge baseline drive into a 2-handed dunk that had the helper make a business decision to stay out of the frame. With his size, a strong upper body and core, and fairly quick feet-- he should give the Lions a wing/frontcourt defender that can be successful sliding with guards on an island until his teammate fights over the screen. Intrigued to see his shooting form in further viewings this summer.

New readers: Use code Proia30