Small School Wings On The Rise in June

June has been filled with opportunities for under-the-radar wings to make a name for themselves, and several small-school prospects took full advantage. Whether it was their versatility, motor, scoring ability, or defensive impact, these forwards elevated their stock and proved they deserve more attention moving forward.    Wills is a long versatile wing that plays super smart and effective basketball. He is a guy who can take over games with his ability to get into the lane and finish in a variety of ways with crafty moves around the basket using his length to extend past defenders and finish over top. The best part of his offensive game his probably his ability to light it up from deep, with a high release point, quick trigger, and awareness to move off the ball to find open space he is a threat to torch you from beyond. Defensively he has length that he can use to block shots, deflect passes, and slide over into help to make shot altering plays around the rim. He can also use that size to guard multiple positions on the perimeter and is reliable in ball screen switches when he gets put on smaller guards. A small school prospect that if I were college coaches I would jump all over.     Ross is a young wing prospect who has a lot of length and scoring ability on an explosive offensive team in Horizon Christian. He has showed a lot of breakout this summer with his ability to shoot it from long range while also attacking some flyby closeouts to get to the rim and score. His length is what jumps out at you at first glance, he has the ability to put a lot of pressure on the offensive boards and has done a nice job of grabbing rebounds for second chance opportunities. On defense he is just as effective, grabbing big time rebounds to close possessions and playing with a high motor to block shots while altering others. Ross is one to watch throughout his coming years under a really solid program in Horizon Christian, small college coaches will come calling for him as a premiere wing prospect in the class of 2029.     Simmons had a really nice showing early this month at the GBCA Live period event at lakepoint averaging just over 15 points and 11 rebounds against some talented competition. Simmons is an explosive athlete that dominates as a scorer in transition, relentlessly attacking the rim to score and draw contact to get to the free throw line. He will fly down the lane and dunk on you if you don't meet him early. In the half court he is a reliable shooter from outside, he has a pretty stroke and nice set point that as he grows confidence will be dangerous from outside. Defensively he adds length and the ability to guard just about every position with the physical features he has. Simmons is a under rated prospect that I would take a serious look at as a small college basketball coach looking to add some versatility to my offense.     Meeks is a lengthy long range sniper that has proven he is one of the best shooters in the entire state. He has ready hands, set feet, spacing awareness, and a lightning fast release that he does not need much room to get off. He can really light you up in a hurry with his savvy ability to create space off the ball using pin downs and flares to spring open. Meeks is more than just a shooter though, he has shown growth in his dribble drive game this summer and does a nice job of attacking aggressive closeouts. Defensively his foot speed is improving and his ability to guard the ball has taken a large jump from the school season. He can guard multiple positions using his length and uses his high IQ to take charges, deflect passes, and block shots. I am super surprised small college programs are not jumping all over him this summer, definitely the type of player you want as he provides valuable floor spacing and high basketball IQ.     Strech is a true outside scoring two guard that has had quite a productive month of June. He has tallied multiple 20 point performances over quality opponents. Although he has been well known for his long range ability to score he has added more of a dribble drive game this summer. Showing spirts of the ability to put the ball on the deck and get to a nice floater or two foot finish inside. He is really blossoming as a three level scorer and is adding more and more to his bag every time he steps on the floor. Defensively he makes a lot of little plays that stack up to create success for his team, diving on the floor for loose balls and taking charges. Strech is a prospect small college programs should be on the lookout for over the next two years as he continues to grow and mature as a player.

June has been filled with opportunities for under-the-radar wings to make a name for themselves, and several small-school prospects took full advantage. Whether it was their versatility, motor, scoring ability, or defensive impact, these forwards elevated their stock and proved they deserve more attention moving forward.